Polymer Clay Inspiration - Donna Kato

Fun with Clay!

Donna Kato, Poly Clay Diva

A couple of days ago I was visiting my Mom and  she showed me a website she had found - it was called CraftArtEdu.com.  It is a site of online classes on several different types of art.  One is polymer clay. It's been years since I made anything with polymer clay - but back then I was totally into it and still have all my supplies. I came home and watched a few of the free Donna Kato videos - amazing colors and technique.  After seeing some of the new stuff, especially stuff made by her, I decided to get out my clay and play.   The one thing I remember about clay is what a great escape it is!  Time seems to fly by as I knead and roll and combine colors to make canes.  It is mesmerizing. Plus the colors are so vivid - I love it!

So I thought I would show some beads I made.  I started with some black clay and a few canes I made.

Next I took the lump of black clay and rolled it into a log, and measured it with a special tool (so I can cut the log into equal parts).

Next I cut it into four parts.

Then rolled each part into a ball.

Next, I made a hole through each bead.

Now comes the fun part.  I start adding slices of the colorful "canes".

They still look a little plain, so I added more embellishments.

Here are the finished beads.

These are still a little rough, but I think they turned out pretty good for my first clay play in years!  After that success I made another piece - a heart pendant  . . . .

 and another "cane", that I think turned out pretty cool!

Looks like I'm hooked again!!  Be looking for my new clay creations to show up in my Etsy Shop soon!

In the spirit of creative play,  Cindy

P.S. Thanks Martie for the great step-by-step blogging idea!

All Things AQUA~ A Trip to the Flea Market

Pasadena Rose Bowl 

Crazy, huge, amazing, crowded, fascinating, funky, inspiring.  All words to describe the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena.  It happens once a month and has been for over 40 years.  It has been over 20 years since I was there, until yesterday!  My friend Kat and I went there on a photography adventure.  My goal, to search out all things AQUA.  And there were many!

It was smart to focus on a couple of things, because it is so easy to get distracted.  There is so much to see --and so many strange things!  And lots of strange people, well, let me re-phrase - "interesting" looking people.  I could just sit in a chair and watch all the people.  But there are no chairs (to sit in), nor is there room for any!  There are acres and acres of stuff crowded into the parking lot and the perimeter of the Rose Bowl.  It is quite a sight.  You could find anything here.  If you love junking and finding treasures, than you really need to plan a trip here.

Just went thought all my photos and narrowed it down to 16 things I found that were aqua (it was hard to pick).  I made a little collage to share.  It was a fun adventure, and I look forward to doing it again!  Maybe next time I'll choose All Things Vintage OFFICE . . . . (there was lots of it! and it was soooo cool!) or maybe telephones or typewriters, all things PINK, or . . . . .

In the spirit of beautiful aqua,  Cindy

Blogging Meetup - What a Great Group!

Just returned from the High Desert Bloggers Meetup at Starbucks in Victorville.  There were eight of us meeting to discuss blogging, how to blog, and all the different ideas and businesses we all have.  Quite a bunch of interesting people!  Whenever I go, I get excited and motivated about blogging and promise to start blogging more often.

Here is my goal . . . . to blog at least twice a week.  I have so many things going on right now that I have plenty of material to blog about.  So the only thing that is stopping me is making the time to do it.   Angie, who leads the Meetup says we should be blogging everyday.  Nice thought Angie - but I am aiming for twice a week for now.  She is an avid blogger and is very inspiring!

The next High Desert Bloggers Meetup will be March 17th.  To find out more click here.  Also find out about the High Desert Blogging Workshop to be held Saturday, March 31 in Hesperia.    If you have been wanting to blog and would like to find out how, this is the workshop for you!  I'll be teaching a couple of things, and I am exciting about sharing what I know!

More blogs coming your way soon!

In the spirit of fun, Cindy