Fantasy Flamingos

Well – the luau birthday party was a success and the Fantasy Flamingos were finished with a little bit of time to spare! Here's a picture of the grouping that served as the centerpiece on the table. Check out the slideshow below for close-ups of the individual flamingos.

Since several people have asked me if I was going to do a tutorial for these, I decided to go forward with that as my next project. The cool thing about the way I make these is that it's almost foolproof, easy to have different areas of color without distortion and all you need to get started is a line drawing! Since Christmas is right around the corner, I'm thinking ornaments… maybe elves with red and green beaded legs…hmmmmm….

Pull out the tiki torches, we're having a party!

I have five siblings – three brothers, two sisters – and a few years back, one of those sisters came up with the idea that we, the girls of the family, needed to set aside time in our busy lives to enjoy one another and to celebrate another year of life. So three times a year, spring, summer and fall, we have a birthday party.

Since it is sooooooooooooo hot in Mississippi this summer, we on decided a laua theme for the summer party this year. Think sandy beach, grass skirts, lots of colorful flowers and, of course, flamingos.

My job for this party is to create favors for each of the guests. Last summer I made some funky chicken, ladybug and butterfly plant stakes for my Etsy shop – because after all, every plant needs a friend, right? You can see some samples in the picture here and there are more in my Etsy shop -- and on sale this month!!! 

So what I'm thinking about for the favors for the party is flamingo plant stakes. I've done a bit of playing today – I'm here at my day job and my fingers are just itching to get into some clay – but here's my rough sketch, a compilation of clip art, ideas and my very rough drawing. Check back for the "in progress" and the "Fantasy Flamingos" – later in the week. The party is Saturday night… nothing like a deadline to get the creative juices going!

It's not any cooler but I'm learning some tricks to beat the heat!

Last week I complained about how the temperature in Mississippi is making caning difficult.  I've gotten several good suggestions and I've put some of them into use.  I now have two fans blowing over my work area and I also have a gel pack that usually lives in my freezer that I now pull out when I'm caning.  Overall it's working pretty good and I'm not having to drop the temperature in the whole house while I'm caning.  Not a perfect solution but it works!

July in Mississippi is not designed for claying!

As anybody who follows my blog on a regular basis has probably picked up, my first love with polymer clay was -- and remains -- making canes.  To get good results with caning, it helps if your hands, your worksurface, the general area you work in, etc. etc. etc. are cool.  If you've ever been in Mississippi in July, you know that it is very rarely COOL!  And August is worse!!!  So do I crank the central air up -- and my electricity bill along with it -- or do I just accept that I'm going to have to work on other things during the summer?  Since I'm more into solutions than patience, I'm going to have to figure something out.  Anybody have any ideas?

Celebrating our Independence! Happy 4th of July!

All across our great land this holiday weekend people will be celebrating the birth of our nation.   Some people will be celebrating with a cookout with family and friends, others with fireworks, others by attending church since the 4th of July falls on a Sunday this year.  However you celebrate, make it a joyful time.  My plans for the weekend include some of those but I'm also hoping to have time for some serious claying.  My play time has been eaten up by other life stuff lately and it's affecting my attitude!  GRRRRRRRRRR!  Maybe by Tuesday I'll be back to my lovely, pleasant self again! 

In the meantime, here's a jewelry set I made last 4th of July.