CHA Report

I'm just back from CHA (Craft and Hobby Industry show). Christi Friesen roomed with me and that was fun! I feel like I've known her forever. We talk on the phone but I hadn't actually met her face-to-face.

Paverpol was probably the highlight of the show for me....I made a figure using paper towels for the draping (and purse). I like the back better than the front. I used a mannequin, paper towels, and cotton fiber for the hair.

Talking to Rose and Christa gave me a whole new appreciation for Paverpol (which I had little experience with) Anyway, looks like I'm going to certify for them to teach Paverpol!

I took these workshops and these are the goodies that I came away with:

My favoritist workshop was with Thomas Mann, Metal Artist, on learning to saw metal.
It was fantastic and I learned so much on sawing that I can even apply to my gourd work!
He's releasing a series of kits that we're considering carrying.
All I have to show from it are some little stars and shapes that I cut from brass but I did buy a Learn-to-saw kit! He's really awesome!

This is my wax/altered/mixed media book cover. Not sure how well I like it. But it was a beeswax class with Suze Weinberg (who is quite a character! I love her!)

From Suze Weinberg's class...a book, wax stylus, chipboard die cuts and lots of other things.

Claudine Helmuth's Mixed Media Madness...that's my project and all of the paints
and brushes that I got to take home.

This is a hardware bracelet that I did in Heidi Boyd's class.

We came away with her newest book also!

Things that I found interesting were lots of gorgeous resin pendants. I saw people embedding gorgeous things into the pendants, jumprings, crystals, all kinds of sparklies! We're going to carry a line of settings (bezels) to inlay polymer and resin into and resin with molds also.

Lots more to report but I'll save it for another blog!!

Isn't OWOH fun??!!!

Working on a New Project

I've been working on My "Mini Sailor's Valentines" as a low cost project/class at my site. I'll put a link here when I get it posted. I finally found a use for the coral hearts that I collected last May in Hawaii. But any kind of heart, stone, polymer, other clay, could also be used.

This is a shell collage that I did over a picture frame for my daughter for Christmas. I like the brown palette that I used. (Click on the picture for a larger image)

I'm getting ready to go to Hawaii again next week: this time I'm teaching at a gourd festival on the big island. There is lots to do to get ready!

New Years Thoughts:

I have been practicing being more "in the moment", something that is talked about a lot but I had never quite gotten the concept of. I read Eckhart Tolle's A New World and it finally makes sense! This is the best thing I have ever started doing for myself, for my art. I wish you blessings of creativity for this coming year.