HELP

I just had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I saw my absolute favorite band for the nth time. Old 97's. They changed my life. Even as they have entered the actual, personal friend phase, and not just my adored from afar rock stars, I don't know if they will ever understand the platinum pivotal role they have played. Unfortunately, that is a story for another post.

The HELP in the blog title refers to the help I'm asking for on behalf of the band that opened for the Old 97's. They are from Dallas also, and they are named the Travoltas. Led by singer/songwriter/producer Salim Nourallah, they collectively blew my mind at the Madison show (and again in Chicago!)
Kitsch-tastic in every way, the lounge-y delivery of catchy, smart pop songs were a joy to behold. They all wore tan, polyester suits with the pockets and lapels edged in a dark trim. They were everything I've ever wanted and I didn't even know I was missing it. Kind of like the discovery of the Old 97's, -where have you been all my life?-
The Travoltas need our HELP. They may not break even on this tour. They are bringing a unique brand of happiness across this fine country of ours and there's a chance they will be in the red, because they had to leave behind their regular jobs to go on tour. This breaks my heart. They have a Kickstarter account with many awesome bonuses for various levels of  help. Please click the link and watch this video and see for yourself! They are a winning team that needs a little boost, please do what you can. Every little bit will help!
The Travoltas Kickstarter

You will not regret it!

When I'm Sixty-Four

The Granny Square (not to be confused with the Granny Specs) is the latest in multicolored glory. This is a gradient acrylic that I plan on edging in black and then connecting them all to make a lovely blanket. Usually the Granny Square is made from scrap yarn, hence the different colored rounds. I just thought I'd let the pattern fall where it may, and each square is unique, but similar.

15 down, a zillion more to go!

She Said She Said

When I first started this blog, it was quite fittingly themed in Beatles song titles. A few months in, I had a paranoid delusion of reaping trouble from it and changed them all into titles much more benign. And then I lost interest, what with not really creating anything to blog about. Time passed. Then even more time passed.
But it's time to refresh and renew, and I re-present the blog, complete with original Beatles titles. It has a mobile version now, and it will be an all purpose artly blog. Truthfully, the clay thing is on the verge of invigoration as we speak. The new studio is almost in complete working order.
Soon, I'll photograph the granny squares I've been working on. Is it weird that I only want to crochet or knit once a chill has hit the air?

Lady Madonna

As we plunge forward into making this blog as much about life as it is about clay, I offer the very latest in output. This is a reinterpretation of a Chieftains album cover, San Patricios. It was a gift commissioned by my Dad, for my Mom. It is particularly meaningful, as I come from the lineage depicted, Irish (soldier) and Mexican (Our Lady). Acrylic on canvas - 2012

did you think that money was heaven sent?

We Can Work It Out

OK so this doesn't seem to be working out as *just* a clay blog, so I'm converting its use to something more all-encompassing.The clayness hasn't happened in awhile due to time and circumstantial constraints. But life and everything else goes on, even when art isn't happening and I could be writing about that too. So I'm going to try THAT and see if we can't get something a little more regular and timely happening. Thanks and see you later!

Baby, You're a Rich Man

you want your candle globe to work double duty when you're not burning a candle? YOU GOT IT! These new additions will hold an incense stick upright and allow the candle to catch the ash as it falls away. I quite like them. Dual function with easy clean up!

Paperback Writer

I made this for a friend that reads and would never dog-ear a page to mark her place in a book. She loves real dog ears, but only when they are attached to dogs :)

Glass Onion

Not a Second Time

these are some fine examples of mokume gane technique, wouldn't you say?
they are shown lit with the lights off and with the lights on!

Getting Better

I've Just Seen a Vase ;)

I normally would not have used a translucent cane on something that was not going to be able to house a candle. I thought maybe a sunny window would do, it will still catch wonderful light.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

the windows and antennae GLOW IN THE DARK!!!

Wait

i've got a new project in the works, it's a spin on the cityscape centerpieces. super cute- its about to hit the oven tonight for its final curing. i'm hoping the recipient and buyer love it as much as i do!
CHI-TOWN represent!!!!
hahaha

What Goes On

so i found this new shape and i think i like it A LOT LOT LOT! more attempts with translucence..lovely lovely

Long, Long, Long

so here's a little number i whipped up for an x-mas gift. fairly simple. i just did what was asked of me. its a design reminiscent of a previous look. thanks MK for your support and lovely gift idea!

Because

Let's face it, it's been almost 5 months since the last posting. i haven't really made anything, so it's not entirely inaccurate. however, i do regret the time that gets lost when i'm so-called gainfully employed. i never have the energy to really create when i'm sapped from the day. i can't seem to find that balance. i do have a few things on the burner though...all isn't lost. its just on pause...again...

oooh, i'm getting a new table!!! gotta make room! i do love a good furniture switch.
that's going to force me to organize and hopefully downsize the back room. fingers crossed.

Got to Get You into My Life

Once upon a time, I was hanging out to see some music at the restaurant:venue where I was once employed. A 'regular' was there with one of his buddies, and he struck up polite conversation. He ended up ordering some handmade beads as a Christmas gift for his daughter. He asked for the equivalent of a certain dollar amount and that they could be loose beads, not made into a necklace, as his daughter would want to craft them into something on her own. So I made him these, with a large matching focal bead, we met again at the bar to exchange, and he gleefully accepted them and even emailed me a few days after Christmas to give me the daughter's reaction. (she loved them too!) yay for BEADS!
These are heavily spiralled and doused with silver leafing. I was VERY happy with these. I love when people like/love what they get even if they didn't know what to ask for...

Hello Goodbye

See how different the globe can look?! Unlit version is strikingly opposite of the lit version. This is two views of the same side of this candle. If you click the image to enlarge, you can see that this is so. This is not my favorite example of the difference between, but it is an example of the deeper layers only showing through the translucent when backlit. I was trying to achieve a latticed look; I partly succeeded...

Yer Blues

This bracelet was made specifically for Elisabeth, even though the blue beads themselves were crafted sometime ago. Definitely while living in the last apartment. So at LEAST 5 years old. Some are striped, some are millefiori, and some are the scraps of both all mashed up. The red ones are ceramic or some other type of glazed clay. Love the COLOR!!! It was promised as part of a Facebook, pay-it-forward type thing. And I fittingly was able to give it to her on the day after her birthday AT an Old 97's show. She said they were her favorite colors together and that she'd wear it all the time. That's all I would ever want to hear!

Come Together

These are the makings of the bridesmaid's bracelets I did for L's wedding. I custom matched them to our dress colors. We all wore the same dress in different shades, and the copper was our shoe color. We looked like sherbet, and for a June wedding, how could we go wrong?