WOW! I Am Amazed.

I am amazed and humbled by the many people who have taken the time to visit and like my little corner of the world on facebook.  Behind each of those little numbers is an amazing person.  I thank you for sharing time with me.

To thank you for sharing your time I will host a giveaway here on my blog very soon.  I need a little to time to create special items for this occasion.

Many things are going on.  As you read on my previous posts I am now creating with polymer clay to use in my handmade jewelry.  For the giveaway I want to create some unique items for you.  If you are interested in sponsering an item for the giveaway you can email me at harmoniouslytangled@yahoo.com  Send me a picture of the item with a link to your page and if it will be free shipping.

There is now another place you can find me, Pinterest   If you are not familar with Pinterest it is a place where you can create bulletin boards and put pictures of things that interest you.  Warning!!! This is fun and can be addicting.

Thank you again for sharing your time with me.  Stay tuned for the upcoming giveaway.

Learning About Polymer Clay.

New Years Eve is special for me not just because it is the end of a year.  It is also my Birthday!  So fun because that means there is always a party on my birthday.  I spent a wonderful day with my husband.  I cannot say that 2011 was an exceptional year but it had it's good parts.  The biggest was finding a talent in making jewelry and the many friends I have met both on line and at different craft shows.


There were some fun crazy times in 2011 with my sister (Lisa over at Creative Kitty Crochet) at the different craft shows we attended.  Getting lost, car catching on fire and set up mishaps.  You know the normal adventures you have when you start doing craft shows.  You can read more about those in some of my earlier posts.


As I am rolling into this new year I have made the decision to make my jewelry even more unique by making my own beads with polymer clay.  I have learned many things about polymer clay.  Each brand has it's own virtues.  I chose to start with Sculpey III.  It is easy to condition and blend your own colors.  I have made several canes (rods of clay made with a pattern running the length of the cane) with this and it requires a lighter touch when shaping the canes to keep from making a mushed mess.


As with any new project I try to buy minimal tools to begin with.  Never want to invest a large amount of money only to abandon the project down the road because I find it is something I did not enjoy.  In my opinion the must haves to start are:
Polymer clay, choose your brand by the characteristics that you find important to you.  Sculpey III is softer and easier to condition but it can be the weakest and most brittle.  Premo is easy to condition but the strength can vary with color, Fimo has a longer open time meaning it is longer before you have to stop and condition it, can become brittle when cured.  Kato can be the most difficult to condition but holds color well.  They all vary in in their finish after curing from a matte finish to shiny.  You can read more about this in Donna Kato's book The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques. 
Polymer clay roller,  there are several kinds.  They are like your rolling pin for clay and are made specific so the clay does not stick.
Poly blade, this is a straight blade that is similar to a razor blade.  Makes cutting canes much easier.
Crafty pasta machine, used to roll out sheets of clay for cutting shapes.  This helps keep your thickness uniform.  This machine is also helpful in conditioning the clay.
Sculpting tools, one with a curved end to help round, one with a pencil type end to allow for detailing, one that is like knife to help cut out shapes.
Disposable cutting boards, these can be found at Walmart and usually come in packs of three. These make great surfaces to work on.  The clay does not stick, you don't have to worry about staining your table top (the colors in the clay will bleed onto your work surface), you can also cut on these without fear of ruining your table top.
Oven, I bought a regular cheap toaster oven to start.  This is proving to be a problem as the temperature is not reliable.  The good part about polymer clay is that if it did not set the first time you can return it to the oven.  In the cheap ovens you are more likely to burn  your creations.  If you are going to start with this type oven spend a few extra dollars and buy a oven thermometer and run tests with several different thicknesses of clay so you won't ruin a beloved creation.
Molds, clay push molds can come in handy but you can cut the cost by free handing or using items around your house.  I am using candy molds I had on hand.  I leave enough clay on the top so I can grab the creation and pull it out.  Then cut off the excess clay.  There are also molds available to add texture to your creations.  Again look around I am sure you will find many items in your own home to add your own special touches.  Since I am preparing myself to create beads I have also purchased a Tri-bead clayroller .  Not a necessity but I am sure this will come in handy when I am ready to make those beads.
Baby wipes,  it is important to clean your hands in between each color to avoid unintentionally blending the colors.  Make sure to clean the crafty pasta machine and tools between colors also.
Rubbing alcohol, is good for your terminal cleaning at the end of each project.


These items will get you on your way to creating unique pieces.  Of course you will need wires or fittings to make these into jewelry or maybe you have another project in mind.  Either way jump in and enjoy the creating process.  Playing with clay may just bring out the child in you.


Earlier I mentioned Donna Kato's book.  Another book I would recommend is I Can't Believe I'm Creating Millefiore, published by Leisure Arts.  This book has easy to follow instructions on creating canes that can be used for many different projects.


Here is a sample of my first creations.

I am excited about this new year and I want to thank you for coming along with me.

Getting ready for a New Year.

Whew!  What a busy week we just finished up.  Christmas was the end to week long festivities here.  My house started with a cookie decorating party last Wednesday.  It began Tuesday night rolling out cookie dough.  There was peanut butter, gingerbread and of course sugar cookies to bake up and get ready for decorating the next day.  Lots of family members came in for the fun.  My sister, her younger daughter and my great nephew, my Mom & Dad, both my girls and grandsons and my husband came home from work early.  So let the cookie decorating begin.

Fun was had by all.  The little helpers were all treated to a Santa hat with their name liquid embroidered on it.

On to Christmas Eve.  Although this was an unexpected celebration it brought surprises and smiles.  Families now are created with extended family members.  As is ours.  My oldest daughter has a step son but he is special to us and is one of our grandsons as well.  He could not be with us on Christmas day so we put together a Christmas Eve celebration and opened a few presents.

Now for the big Christmas day.  For our family the most excitement comes from the feast.  I must admit that I have been blessed to always have a wonderful Christmas meal.  The last few years I have hosted the meal in our home.  Mainly because we have a Great room.  Meaning one large room that encompasses the living room, dining room and kitchen.  This allows everyone to be together in one area.  Last year due to illness I missed this.  I was sick in bed the entire day.  The good part about that was it gave my husband a new appreciation to the work that goes into coordinating all the foods so they are ready at the same time.  He was lucky that we had  purchased Bob Evans holiday feast.  He had all the instructions wrote out in front of him. Our guests were lucky in the fact they did not have to endure what might have happened if he had cooked the turkey.
This year I prepared the feast and my sister pitched in extra mash potatoes and my dad brought sweet potatoes and more dressing.  Food, food every where.
We also made sure everyone had a gift to open.  Even if it was a small one.  The real fun came when we broke out the foam disc guns.  Even the adults went back to being kids.

We are still finding those little discs all over the house.  That is okay with me because these are so much fun.
It was wonderful to celebrate with family.  I have taken the last few days to put my house back together and to reflect on this past year.
Every year has it's ups and downs.  This year has been different in the fact I finally feel I have a direction to go.  I feel like I have been standing at a cross road for too long.  After leaving a career in the medical field I felt lost in what to do with myself.  I am not a stay at home watch tv all day type.  I was bored and restless when by chance I picked up jewelry making supplies.  The creative process sparked something in me and now I look forward to trying new ideas.
In the new year I will be taking this another step by trying to create my own handmade polymer clay beads.  I am looking forward to trying to create truly one of a kind items for you.
My New Years wish for all of you is that you find things that make you happy and move you to create a better life for you and those around you.

Holiday Season

Busy!  Busy!!  A normal week is busy enough for most of us with the daily activities of our lives.  As we head into this Holiday season I hope you all will take a moment and find peace and enjoy time with your loved ones and friends.

I am a Christian and celebrate the birth of Christ.  What every holiday you are entering may you be blessed.  

This year has brought me many blessings and I am trying to slow down and remember the good things.  It is so easy to get wrapped up in the holiday madness.  There is a big difference in what this holiday should be and what the retailers want you to think this holiday is.  A couple of years ago I told my girls (who are grown) that I would love to have a handmade Christmas.  One where we would all make things for one another.  I thought it would be wonderful.  Back then there was more money and we could afford to get those gifts merchants told us we needed to have a happy Christmas.  We are by no means broke but we sure won't be shopping the way we were use to.  It saddens me that I cannot afford to spoil my kids and grandsons the way we have in the past but it saddens me more how I have bought into the whole concept that the merchants have fed us about Christmas..  There will be gifts, toys and food.  The best presents won't be bought.  It will be the family I have around me and the laughter and hugs.  

I am grateful for the many full Christmases we have had and I am grateful that God has given me the talents to to create the many gifts I will be giving this year.  The blessing I am getting is that God is giving me the lesson I had asked for .  The lesson of what is most important about the Holidays and what should be important every day, family & friends.

God revealed to me this year a talent I did not know I had.  The ability to create jewelry pieces that others enjoy.  I have been blessed that this little talent bloomed into a small business that is growing.  I appreciate each person who has encouraged me and to the many who have purchased from me in my on line store and at the many craft fairs and festivals I have attended.

Thank you to each of you.  May you be blessed this Holiday Season.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wanted to take this time to Thank all of you who have gave me encouragement and have been with me through this journey of learning to make jewelry, blogging and all the other things that have gone along with it.  For me the last two years have been thinking about all I have lost and the changes my life has gone through.  It has been a rough road indeed.
Thanks to all of you I am seeing there is much more to my life.  Things are changing but it doesn't have to be bad.  I am slowly learning to move forward instead of staying stuck where I had been.  Jewelry making has been a great outlet and your encouragement has meant a great deal to me.  I may not know you in person but that does not mean our relationship is any less important.  Thank you all.  May your Thanksgiving festivities be full of love and laughter.

Things you learn.

The craft show was very fun and the sales weren't bad either.  I want to thank St. John's Church of Dover, Indiana.  They were very friendly and made the experience so pleasant.  I have never been at a craft show where they bring you a lunch menu and if you would like to order they deliver it to you.  Wonderful group around us and great customers.

We were inside but it was beautiful weather.  Sunny and very warm for this time of the year in Indiana.  It made it hard to think of snow and Christmas.  So the holiday items I had worked on did not sell very well.  I have not been doing the craft shows for very long but I have learned that you never really know what will be selling that day.  With Halloween over I almost did not to take my spider creations but at the last minute I chose to grab them.  I am so glad I did.  I sold several different spider creations but it was a conversation with a nice lady that taught me something I wanted to share with you.

The lady pointed at one of the spiders and said, "oh look a Christmas spider."  She told me she wasn't sure how the story went but that spiders are really the reason we put tinsel on Christmas trees.  That made me very curious so when I got home I did a search and here is what I found.

                                            

The Christmas Spiders

Once upon a time a long time ago.   A mother was busy cleaning her home for the most wonderful day of the year.  The day they decorated for the celebration of the Christ child.  Not a speck of dust was left.  Even the spider webs were wiped out of their cozy corners sending the spiders fleeing for the attic.

T’was Christmas Eve at last!  The tree was decorated and waiting for the Christ child to visit and bless the home.  The poor spiders in the attic were frantic because they would not be present for the Christ child’s visit.  The oldest spider suggested they creep back down and peek through a crack.  Suddenly the door opened a wee bit and the spiders scurried into the room.  Their eyes weren’t accustomed to the brightness of the room so they crept closer to the tree for a better look.  It was so beautiful they began to climb over and around every branch of the tree until they had seen every pretty thing the mother had so carefully hung.

But every where the spiders had crawled left a web.  The Christ child entered to bless the home.  He looked at the tree and smiled.  He loved the little spiders for they were God’s creatures too.  He thought of the mother who had so carefully cleaned and decorated the tree for her children and He knew she would not be happy, so He touched the tree and the webs all turned to sparkling silver and gold!

Ever since we have hung tinsel on our Christmas trees, and according to the legend it is considered good luck to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

(This is a folk legend from Germany and Ukraine)

 Sometimes it is chance and brief meetings of strangers that can bring a blessing into your life.  I do not know this woman's name but I want to thank her for sharing this with me.  It has brought me smile and I will not look at a Christmas tree or tinsel in the same way again.  I am sure it will not make some of you like spiders any better but it is a reminder that God loves all creatures.

Ringing in the Holidays

Preparing for two more up coming craft shows.  I am very excited about these.  They are a great way to grow.  I am also very blessed that I have a husband who supports me on my endeavors.  His first way of support is to buy me books to expand my knowledge on what ever I am taking on.  He also understands you need tools to work with.  I never start with top of the line tools or materials.  You need to learn and develop your craft and as you mature so can your tools and materials.  I learned that with my dog grooming business.  You can by the most expensive scissors but unless you understand how to properly use them then they are worthless.

The newest challenge I wanted to take on was rings.  I developed an adjustable ring.  This has it's advantages.  It is much easier for someone to order and be sure they are able to wear it.  The flaw with this design is the wires used to make the rings will become brittle and break after repeated bending.  The adjustable rings I started with were the spiders created for Halloween.

If the rings are adjusted to size and remain in that position they will will last a very long time but I wanted a design that was not only more sturdy but more pleasant to look at.

There are many wonderful pages, teachers and books one can turn to when learning this craft.  I chose the book "wirework" an illustrated guide to the art of wire wrapping by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong.  This book gave several variations and included a dvd.  Amazon prove to be a good place to find a mandrel for sizing the rings.

I was so excited once I got all the pieces and parts.  My first attempt was a five wire design.  I felt like I was wearing mittens and trying to type.  It was a crazy juggling act.  Trying to hold the wires and wrap and fold.  Not a pretty sight.  RETREAT!!! Back up and regroup. haha  After studying the book again I chose another design.  This one went much better and I learned the benefits of the ring mandrel.  I used the cheaper crafting wire like you buy at Walmart to learn the procedures.  When I felt I had a grasp on the steps I used silver plated wire and glass beads and swarovski beads and a few seed beads.  I let my wire whimsy go where it wanted and here is what I came up with.

After a few days of practice I did go back and attempt the five wire version again.  Here is what I came up with.

I am excited with these results.  I have much to learn and I am looking forward to experimenting more with the new found creations.
This Saturday and Sunday (November 5th & 6th) I will be at a craft show in Dover, Indiana and I am looking forward to the feed back on these rings.
Challenge yourself to learn new things about your craft.  This helps us to grow not only in our craft and creativity but also as a person.