I spent some time last night with my snazzy new Amy Butler fabric and mixed some clay colors to coordinate with it.  Then this morning I made a few canes (Triangles and Stripes) with the new colors. From the canes I made myself buttons for the impending apron or tote bag.

The thing is, I had made enough of the canes to make a lot more things, but I didn't want to create a whole new color scheme for my website.  Enter Etsy.  I'm finally realizing what niche I can fill with my Etsy shop.  I didn't want to just duplicate items from my website (although, that's what I'd been doing up until now) but I didn't know what I should put in there.

I've decided now that I am going to make mini-color-schemes that won't go on my website and will only involve one or two simple cane patterns.  They'll all be limited-edition pieces and will coordinate with some of the fabrics that are popular on Etsy.  (If you do a search for "Amy Butler" lots of items come up - maybe someone who buys a purse made with her fabrics will want a pair of coordinating earrings...)  I figure I can add to this line whenever I make myself anything new with popular fabrics - as I make myself a button, I can use up the canes on some other items for the shop.  It'll be nice to have a place for those oddball items that don't really fit on my website.

I'm looking forward to posting next week about some new DVD arrivals - keep your eyes peeled for that.  I'd love to do it sooner, but tonight I'm packing up orders that *need* to go out.  Boy, I wish I could just be creative or nerdy all day long (either one would do!).  Packing and shipping is such drudgery.  Ah well.  I plan to listen to a Sherri Haab podcast while I work, so it won't be *all* bad!

Lisa

P.S. I had my new apron on this afternoon and suddenly found myself listening to Vegas Vic's Tiki Lounge and baking cookies.  That apron has some weird powers...

I thought it was about time that I hopped on the bandwagon and shared images of my studio, my craft room, my hub of creativity, if you will.

I love looking at the places where neat, organized people create.  Unfortunately, I am not one of those people, as much as I'd like to be.

Want to see my place? Once you've had a look at where I create, you will want to move in with me and use it yourself. Ready? Take a gander over to the left. It's a beauty, ain't it?

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my dining room. I live in a 3 bedroom split-level home that is a perfectly reasonable size for a family of four. That is, a family of four that doesn't also have two businesses that require space for inventory, office work, and creativity. All of the extra *things* in this house have a way of turning into piles of clutter if we're not careful and, as you can see from the picture, we haven't been all that careful lately...

So, I've got at *least* 3 clay projects swimming around in my head right now, and there's no room at the darn table for me to work! I can barely even pull the chair out to sit in it, and if I push anything out of the way on the table, something is undoubtedly going to fall off the other end. This is what is referred to as "my wit's end." And I am doing something about it.

At the right you can see what one hour in there can accomplish. I cleaned all of my stuff off of the floor and started in on the table, too. Anything that remains on the floor, and some of what is still on the table, is clarkesworld 's, and he's handling that end of the cleanup.

Keep an eye on this blog for my progress. And if you don't hear of any more progress in a reasonable amount of time, hunt me down, shake a virtual fist at me and say "hey! get to work in the studio of yours!" I don't want to lose my momentum. Ideally, I want to be sitting down at that table making my next masterpiece by the end of the weekend. Think I can do it?
For more images of the work in progress, visit my Picasa Web Album.

Happy Memorial Day!
Lisa

For those of you who enjoy a little randomness in life, have you checked out the Close Your Eyes and Point link in the Polka Dot Creations book store?  Every time you click it, you get a different, random, list of 50 polymer clay books, videos, magazines, tutorials, whatever.  I amuse myself for minutes at a time just refreshing the screen to see what pops up.  Yeah, I'm easily amused, but I thought maybe some of you might be, too, hence the post :-)  In addition to being kind of fun, it does give you a chance to unearth some older books you may not have known existed.  The book to the left popped up when I Closed My Eyes and Pointed before.  It's one of those older titles that doesn't see much action.  It's not exactly cutting edge, but I've always liked it because it has a different aesthetic than most other polymer clay books.

Here's another link that I find interesting: I call it Everybody Else is Doing It...  If you've ever wondered what most clayheads are shopping for these days, this is your link.  It's based on what has been purchased in the last 30 days, and it accurate up to the minute.  (This is different than the bestseller list, which is based on items *shipped* and is only updated once a month).

Those ought to keep you busy for a few minutes.  If I think of any other ways to help you pass the time on this holiday weekend, I'll be sure to pass them along - I'm not going anywhere ;-)

And if you think of any other types of information that might be fun to see on the site, let me know - I program all of this stuff myself, and if I find your suggestion appealing, I'm just enough of a geek to drop everything and put it together on the spot.  Ask, clarkesworld - I'm not kidding ;-)

Happy Memorial Day!
Lisa

I've always thought that I could improve my finished polymer clay jewelry by learning some wireworking techniques. These videos are a good start for absolute beginners. I already know how to do most of these things, so I'm hoping they produce a few more advanced tutorials sometime.

I found this link via Cyndi Lavin's bead blog (I almost said Christine Lavin, but she's someone else entirely, LOL!).

Now, if you have a moment, please send me "patience vibes." I'm supposed to be having a happy, carefree day, wearing my new skirt and enjoying turning 36.  Isn't that how birthdays are supposed to be?

<rosy filter on>
I always envision myself breezing through the day, looking lovely, relaxing in my spotless house, enjoying time with my perfectly-behaved children, maybe meeting some friends for a casual get-together, where I am radiantly effervescent and ever-popular... 
<rosy filter off>

Instead I'm losing patience. Patience with my internet connection, patience with son #2, patience with the state of my house... I need to relax.  Maybe I should just pretend yesterday was today - yesterday was *almost* like I envisioned.  My friends surprised me with a spur-of-the-moment breakfast get-together at Starbucks.  No kids involved (woo hoo!).  I wasn't radiantly effervescent (I spilled my tea on myself twice) but it's not like I *ever* am.  The best I get socially is comfortable-yet-slightly-bumbling.  I'm ok with that. 

Boy, I wish I could get a haircut and an eyebrow waxing. And then come home to a nice relaxing shower and an hour or two catching up on my favorite feeds... blissfully alone - just me and my Dr. Pepper. LOL!   Ah well. I guess there are worse things in life than shaggy hair and having to stop typing every 30 seconds to answer a question about I Spy Fantasy, right?  At least I have my Friendly Frank to look forward to later...

Lisa

I can't believe I'm actually thinking of making myself an apron, or buying one from some talented Etsyan.  Suddenly I'm feeling all 50's housewifeish (without the clean house and dinner on the table, that is).

It started around a month ago when I first moved my clay-related rss feeds into the new-to-me Google reader.  Since I wanted enough reading material to last me at least until my morning tea was consumed, I went a little crazy searching for feeds.  In the process I found a plethora of blogs that had nothing to do with polymer clay, but were inspiring to me nonetheless.  In the last few weeks, I have collected more inspiration than I know what to do with.  I have learned about the alternative craft/DIY movement, lost countless hours exploring the handcrafted wonders available on Etsy, found myself subscribing to two newish crafty magazines (CRAFT: and Adorn) , and bought a couple of alternative craft books.  Nevermind  that most of these projects involve knitting, crocheting or sewing - all things that I can't do!  I've got an art-to-wear affliction that I can't seem to shake.  I read Sarajane Helm's blog the other day and promptly went to Dharma Trading Company where I blew $100 on clothing blanks and dye kits.  This morning in the shower I came up with some project ideas involving image transfers of the great booklet Son #1 made me for Mother's Day.  I still haven't touched my clay since the Jana Roberts Benzon workshop a month ago, which means I haven't tried the paisley cane idea I have, nor have I gotten started on the travel checker board idea I had (and bought all of the supplies for).  I feel like my brain is on inspiration overload - so many ideas and so little opportunity to give them a try!  I can't remember the last time I was bored...

So here are a handful of the non-clay-related blogs that I am enjoying lately - I am drawn to their style and sometimes I think of ways that I can incorporate their "look" in my clay pieces, and sometimes I just sigh and wish I could sew

How About Orange
This is me & me WhiMSy love...
Trail Mix Designs (I bought some of her nifty notecards on etsy for Mother's Day gifts and for myself)
Tie One One
Posie Gets Cosy
Nest Decorating & Designs by Tamar

There are more, but clarkesworld just walked in the door, and everybody's hungry.  Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there.  And if anybody knows what I can do with this overflow of inspiration, please tell me - it's getting to the point where if I don't MAKE something soon, I will implode!  (Ok, I guess I just answered my own question - I should go MAKE something, LOL!)

Lisa

Alison Lee of Craftcast has another interview with an interesting artist - Sherri Haab.   I haven't listened to the podcast yet, but I plan to as soon as I can get a few quiet moments alone (last time I had a podcast I wanted to hear, I loaded it onto my mp3 player and listened to it on the way to Target, while I shopped, and on the way home - it was a fun change of pace).  Sherri has written a pile of books on different crafty topics, and just about all of them include a creative use of polymer clay in one way or another.  Most recently, she's got the Precious Metal Clay Jewelry DVD that I highly recommend.

Lisa

I don't usually encourage unsolicited email trying to sell me things, but these just made me go oooooooooh, when I saw them.  I'm a sucker for polymer clay and silver together, and I've always wanted to learn to make my own bezels.  Since 11+ years into this obsession I have yet to get around to that, maybe Creatable Linkables will be something worth trying?  They look so pretty in the picture.  I can almost envision my own coordinated cane designs going in each link. 

If any of you try these, let me know how they worked for you!

Lisa

How you seen today's Polymer Clay Daily post?  If not, go ahead.  I'll wait.   

Ok?  It brought to mind Lindly's first video, Tantalizing Translucents.  The entire video is dedicated to translucent clay and includes projects that take advantage of the see-through nature of the clay (like Mokume Gane) and projects that encourage you to play with inclusions (like the Crayon Pendants featured on the PCD blog today).  As was mentioned in the blog, Lindly does have the crayon technique written up on her website, but if you're a more visual learner, you can watch her demonstrate it on DVD or VHS.

Lindly's was the first mokume gane I tried, and it's still my favorite - layers of vaguely-colored translucent clay and metal leaf make for a finished product with gorgeous depth to it.

Lisa

Did you know that there is a wiki out there for crafting techniques?  It's called Craftacular and is relatively new, and as I was checking it out over my (early) lunch, I noticed that they were looking for people to start a polymer clay section.  If anyone here is up for the challenge, here's the link.

It occurs to me that Diane Black's indespensable Glass Attic has tremendous wiki potential, if someone knew how to run the whole thing through a routine that would re-code it in that way.  I seem to recall that Diane was no longer maintaining the site - is that right?  if I'm misremembering, somebody please correct me.  It's something I thought I'd heard last year.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a wiki, check this handy primer.  And then go write Craftacular's first Polymer Clay entry!

Lisa

Everybody else is doing it, so what the heck - I opened an Etsy shop this morning.  It'll be interesting to see how my luck there compares to my luck on my website.

The new issue of Art Doll Quarterly includes an article about AMACO's Bottles of Hope Challenge.  Helen Bradley, Lisa Pavelka and Dottie McMillan are interviewed, and there are images of bottles by Helen and Dotty, as well as bottles by Francisco Vallin, Michelle Zimmerman, and Linda Hess.  The article looks like nobody bothered to proofread it (I found 3 mistakes without even looking), but just the same, it's nice to see the added exposure for such a good cause.

Lisa

Got another interview for ya - Luann Udell was recently featured on the Crafting Voices podcast.  This podcast is new to me, and I plan to listen to it sometime this morning.  I found the link on Luann's blog.

I find it so interesting to listen to the artists themselves discuss their work and their creative processes.

Lisa

My favorite resources for truly inspiring polymer clay artwork (and I don't use the word "artwork" lightly):

Most recently, there's the National Polymer Clay Guild's Progress and Possibilities 2006 Catalog.  Included are high quality photographs of the top five entries in each of nine categories.  This is the most up-to-date, cutting-edge collection of inspiring polymer clay eye candy available.

The Art of Jewelry: Polymer Clay hardcover book features a handful of projects, most of which look like they'd be right at home in a high-end gallery.  I wouldn't recommend the projects for beginners - step-by-step photos are few and far between, but the gallery is a veritable Who's Who in Polymer Clay, and is dripping with inspiration.

Three years old, but still jam packed with inspiring photographs (400 of them to be exact) is Lark Books' 400 Polymer Clay Designs.  Jewelry, vessels, sculptures - all are represented here.  There are no projects in this book, just plenty of beautiful pictures.

If you are doing nice polymer clay work, but want ideas for elevating your creations to the level of art, these books provide plenty.  Check your local library, your local guild library, the National Guild's library, or you can buy your own copies at my store.  Another great (and free!) resource is Cynthia Tinapple's blog Polymer Clay Daily where she highlights recent noteworthy works.  Checking that blog is a highlight of my day.

Lisa

Can anybody explain to me the Flickr thing as it pertains to polymer clay?  I realize it's a photo-sharing website, but I'm starting to get the feeling there's a lot more to it.  I poked around in there today and found a lot of polymer clay groups and artists, so now I'm wondering if there's more of a "community" aspect to it than I realized.

Do any of you use flickr?  And if so, what do you *do* when you get there?  Just poke around until you see new images that appeal to you? participate in discussions?  Is there one main clay area where all of the big names can be found posting their eye candy? 

Educate me :-)

Lisa

This week, Alison Lee chats with Gwen Gibson on CraftCast.  I listened to the first half while I made supper tonight, and the last half while I cleaned up and folded laundry - gotta love multitasking   I enjoyed the interview.  Gwen has taken an interesting artistic path in her life.  And while she says that she's pretty much finished with polymer clay at this point, her retreat in France is still a main attraction for pc teachers and students.  She talks a lot about that during the interview.  One other bonus - Alison Lee picked out a song to play by a great Scottish band I had never heard of before.  I'm putting them on Polka Dot Radio, as soon as I can manage to download myself a couple of tracks...

I encourage you to take some time looking through the CraftCast archives.  There was a Donna Kato interview a few weeks back that was interesting.  She talked with Carol Duvall recently, too (although I have yet to listen to that one).  And tonight I played last week's chat with Tim McCreight.  It seemed interesting, although my listening experience was punctuated by loud, shirtless little boys running around playing Ultraman, and I'm afraid I didn't catch a whole lot of what was being talked about.  I may have to listen to that one again when everyone is in school...

On another note:
Over the last few days, I've been populating the Google Reader with as many clay-related blogs as I can find.  If you've got a favorite, I'd love to hear from you.  I'm going to mention Polymer Clay Daily and Polymer Clay Notes here, but frankly if you're a clayhead and you haven't heard of them you must be living under a rock

Looks like it's time to get those boys into some shirts and put them to bed.  Until next time...

Lisa

I think we need to inject a little life into the ol' Polka Dot Cottage, so if you have any interest in chatting about creative things and homey stuff, drop on by.



Lisa

http://www.craftcast.com/main/?p=98

Alison Lee has a 30-minute-or-so chat with Donna Kato this week on her Craftcast podcast.  Even if you don't have an iPod (which I don't) you can listen to it as a regular mp3.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Oh , I have been *such* a geek this week.  When not thinking Thanksgiving-y thoughts, I was whipping up websites, digital scrapbooking, and designing t-shirt graphics.  Want to see what I've done?  Ok, twist my arm.

Check out the brand new Polka Dot Radio website, and the updated "Information Desk" at The Polka Dot Cottage.

Here's one of my digital scrapbook pages.  It will be the month of July in a 2007 calendar I am putting together as Christmas gifts (I'd never done this kind of thing before this week, but it's fun!):


I created graphics and made new Cafe Press stores for all of the elements of my little Polka Dot Empire (LOL!):
Polka Dot Creations (I had a PDC store before, but I just deleted all of the old images and started over)
The Polka Dot Cottage
Polka Dot Radio

And now I seriously have to turn "tinker mode" off and get to my email...  I've got a pile of new orders to process, not to mention the ones that I've already processed and are waiting to ship.  I had mentioned on my website that I wouldn't really be around this week to process/ship orders, but I really ought to get at least *one* batch out!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Lisa

I knew I shouldn't have taken non-drowsy cold medicine before bed. I *knew* it. But I went against my better judgement and did it. I fell asleep pretty quickly, but when I was awakened at 2:30, instead of simply stirring and going back to sleep, I rolled over and stayed awake. Going on 2 hours now. And I have to get up in 2.5 hours to take the little guy to the bus stop. Aren't you supposed to get MORE sleep when you have a cold? *sigh*

ANyway, as long as I'm up, how about I invite you to my new message board? http://www.network54.com/Forum/415706/ It's not polymer clay related, but rather a bit broader, to encompass all kinds of creativity and homey things.

Hope to see you there!

Lisa