Water Therapy

I am busy ,busy ,busy with Holiday clay!!!!
I do find clay very relaxing. But, sometimes I even need a break from that !

For me Scuba diving is a way to restore myself. Submersing myself the ocean seems to clear my mind and bring me great peace. I only am able to dive a few time a year and the memories do sustain me. But, I have made a great discovery !!!
"Teens 4 Oceans " is a wonderful conservation group that has placed 2 live underwater cameras in the Florida Keys . I can sit in my living room and watch the fish !!!
check out
http://www.teens4oceans.org/webcam/ggrp/camer1.html
you may have to scroll down a bit to see the cameras. They are working on a better web site layout ...just take a minute to look around .
Depending on the time of day and how recently they have cleaned the camera lens you can see the real time world under the Bahia Honda bridge and the Dry Tortugas dock .
The only problem is, just when I decide to stop looking , something really cool swims by !
I have seen turtles on several occasions and once a shark!
Very exciting !!!!!
In fact ,maybe the site is not so much relaxing as mind clearing .
Give it a look, if you need a moment to refresh or perhaps some fishy inspiration!

Bead Happy , m.e. :)

* photo by Annie, taken on our dive at Looe Key in June

beyond color...

Recently I completed a piece that will appear in a clay calendar .
All the calendar photos will be in black and white.
I'm all about color ! I love it !
In fact one of the things I like best about polymer clay is that I can
mix my own shades . Then there are Skinner blends , Mokume gane ...
no end to the color !

However ,this project did make me step back and think
How dependent is a design on color ? Will a shape stand alone ?
Things just don't look the same in black and white .
Annie's photo of a local stream ,lets me concentrate on the shapes of nature rather than the shades.

Last week I thought about color combination's.
This week I'm contemplating black, white and the inevitable shades of gray......

Bead Happy !
:) m.e.

Color Combos!

Mother nature comes up with some amazing color combination's !
This month so did the members of PCAGOE !!!
We voted for 3 color choices .
Our September challenge was to make something using the top 3 colors
and 1 ... only ONE other !!!

The winning colors were Yellow -orange ,Blue- green and Blue -violet !
Yikes !!!

It took most of us some time to come up with ideas.
But ,the final results are awesome !
Come have a look !!!
Be sure to vote for your favorite starting September 1
http://pcagoe.com/

here's my entry ...a Fantasy Floral Pendant
Surprising how the color combo seemed to work after all !
Take a hint from mother nature
try some wild and wonderful colors combos this week !!!
Bead Happy ,
m.e :)

ps : finch photo taken by Annie at Key West butterfly conservancy

Summer showers bring....

Today we're having steamy August rain showers.
A gift from tropical storm Bill, I think .
In the midst of the oppressive heat and humidity I need to to dream up some Fall creations for my shop !
How can I think of crisp, cool Autumn days when I feel like I'm melting ?

I was worried my Muse might rather take a siesta than bring me inspiration today.
But,then she whispered in my ear ....
pstt....remember Summer showers ?
what ???
Muses can be a bit vague sometimes ... at least mine is!
then I DID remember !

My daughter took these photos during a rain shower in Key West this summer.
Simple flower petals on the car parked next to us.
(I told you she sees pictures everywhere!)
There they were !
Gorgeous Autumn Colors captured during a summer rain !!!

I hope they will bring you some inspiration too!
I'm off to have some fun with fall foliage !!!
till next week...
Bead Happy, m.e. :)

Testing the Water...

The good news is, I'm selling more than I ever imagined I would !
The bad news is ,I don't have enough time to do everything I want to do!!!!
I've had to stop and realize I just can not do it all!!!
I'm still afraid to quit the reliable income of my day job for the unreliable income of my clay sales. Creating with clay full time, is my dream . But, I can't do that yet !

This week I had to make some VERY hard decisions about which direction I wanted my clay to take me.

I been involved with dogs in one form or another for ....forever !!!
I've been an obedience trainer and a long time dog groomer .
I've owned a pet shop and worked for big boarding kennel .
Presently I am a veterinary receptionist.
I think I'm about 50% dog hair !!!


Creating my custom pet items has been rewarding on many levels.
However, it is very labor intensive !!!
There just aren't enough hours in the day to fill all my recent orders for wedding cake toppers!
No time left to just play around with clay and test new ideas .

Custom work brings a certain stress to the clay table,
deadlines and a need to create with someone's vision in mind
I NEED the income from my clay work !
But, I also think I need the relaxation and escape , creativity brings me.
After long anxious hours of deliberation I have decided to
stop taking on-line custom orders . I am going take time to consintrate on bringing my new ideas to life.

There are moments in life when change is necessary or at least wise .
Not all of us are comfortable just jumping into the water and hoping we float !
Perhaps we would be better off just doing a big old cannon ball into the pond !
But, I'm going to take change more slowly.
For today I've decided to stop pacing the cage and test new waters !
:) m.e.

PS: the photo is my daughters work . It just fit my mood !

Hot & Sunny today....

August is HOT and sunny in Maryland!
It's a time of great abundance
Silver Queen sweet corn, ripe home grown tomatoes, Eastern shore cantaloupes and Chesapeake Bay steamed crabs!!!
Time to drink cool drinks in the shade or head " down the ocean" for some boardwalk breezes !
It's hard not to slow down on these humid, hot days of summer .
This is a month we all should take it easy ,
sit on a porch ,rock, and sip iced tea.
We should find moments to relax and relish the abundance of summer.
Rest and revive ourselves.

But, Fall is just around the corner ...
time for back to school and holiday preparations !!!

As I enjoy the lazy days of summer part of me is thinking
what new inspirations will I find this Autumn?
;) m.e.
,

My Mixed Media Heart

My polymer clay group's monthly challenge theme for August was "mixed media".
My entry is a tribute to Frida Kahlo .
Her life and her art have greatly inspired me.
I guess you wouldn't expect that .
Frida doesn't bring to mind the fairies and roses I so often make !!!
Yet she is tucked into my heart along with many other artists,
friends, sights , sounds , even scents.
I have a "mixed media " collage of influence within me !
Do you?

PCAGOE members produced some amazing creations for this months challenge
If you can pick a favorite ...be sure to vote
You could win a prize just for voting !
:) m.e.
http://pcagoe.com/