Cute as a Button

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Elaine

I recently got tapped to teach a basic polymer clay class to a local fiber arts guild. I’m excited about it and I suggested buttons as a beginner project (well, buttons, beads and all sorts of good stuff but for this exercise we’ll say buttons). I used to make buttons for sweaters my grandmother would knit so off I went searching for some of those. And I found none.

They’re probably here somewhere – and I always say how hard it is to lose things in a small apartment – but until they show up I made a few more.

These are all caned based ones – either cane slices, cut from cane sheets or cut from cane sheets and coordinating bases – except the two swirlies which would make great toggles for those felted handbags. I don’t suppose that shocks any of us. I have a few in a laundry bag to go through with the jeans to test them out but they were fun to make up!

I wonder if the fiber arts folks would teach me how to sew them on?

The Shop: Friendly Promoting

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Elaine

Etsy Treasuries are a little addictive! I lucked into one today – they were having server issues, so LOTS of people lucked into them – that I got to set up with two favourites: Blue and Clay. You can see the treasury filled with all sorts of blue-toned clay items by clicking the piccie:

Of course, with all the extra treasuries floating about someone kindly put one of my Claychicks canes in theirs. Thanks Bam!

This week my Tooaquarius Etsy shop is also featured on Winklepots blog. Winkle makes some incredibly adorable handpainted lil’ kids wear. I told Chloe she needs to be 4 again but she disagrees with me. Luckily I know other little people now.

I have beads chugging along in the tumbler now, so we’ll have some fresh stuff on the sites this weekend and until then I’ve begun adding beads to the webstore here. These will likely be beads made as they’re ordered and will include my regular themes in my usual shapes: pillows, rounds and lentils in blues, sea garden, sunshine, black and white, coffee tones, sweetheart pink, lavender field, tangerine. I will also add the sets I have on hand that one of a kinds but these mostly find their way to Etsy first.

Watch my Garden Grow

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Elaine

In my real, offline life I live in a small apartment. I container garden fruits, veggies and herbs but flowers have always been hit or miss. Before clay, honestly, floral stuff bothered me. It was unsettling to my tomboy geek self. Since clay I’ve actually reconciled with it a bit – I can admire and name flowers and patterns. It’s been fun to watch my clay garden grow. The latest additions from the weekend include some small periwinkle coloured, periwinkle (well, five petal flower at least) beads and a handful of canes. I am particularly happy with the shading on the red rose, it came out nice and velvety.

I have a stack more blends sitting in the box that are earmarked for more canes this week. Wonder what the garden will develop into? And it’s so nice that this one doesn’t depend on the weather’s whim!

Patchwork Orange Logo

Posted on September 3, 2008 by Elaine

On a message board I watch someone asked for logo beads with their patchwork orange design. I volunteered. The design wasn’t far off my usual oranges – replace the segments with little bits of ‘patchwork’ design.