Happy New Year!

2010

As we approach this new decade I am focusing on what I can do to make this a better world.  I have been thinking about helping a charity with some of the profits of my sales, and have decided that I will work with my daughter-in-law, Maria, who is on staff at "City Lights" in Boise, Idaho, to be able to donate to this worthy cause.  "City Lights", affiliated with the Boise Rescue Mission Ministries, provides food and shelter for woman and children in need, and also has a 12 or 18 month addiction recovery program.   If you would like to help with a donation  you can find them online at   http://www.boiserm.org/facilities-citylight.asp.

I will be posting more on this as I establish what I can do for them.

Convection Oven for Polymer Clay Baking

My Santa was very good to me this Christmas.  One of the things I asked for on my Christmas list was a new Convection Oven so that I could bake larger batches of my Polymer Clay beads.  Thanks to my daughter, Melissa, I received that wish.  Here is a picture of the oven, and I will add pictures later when it is in use! 

Red & Black Knitted Shag Purse

Taking a break from my Polymer Clay duties, I am knitting my shag purses.  This one is made from Batik Cotton, and is knitted together with strips cut on the bias.  When I have completed the basic purse then I tie on strips of the material to make a shaggy look to the purse.  The lining is a black and white zebra print.  Very stunning.  Watch for my purses on http://www.lorettasboutique.etsy.com/

Here is a closeup of the material

This is the lining

Polymer Clay Zebra Necklace

I have been busy putting together Necklaces for my Holiday Craft Shows.  This is a favorite, and oh so easy to make.  I had a black and white striped cane that I was using for another project, so I decided to use the "leftovers" to make this fun necklace.

  I made Zebra stripes by squishing it (technical term) and shaping into my take on Zebra stripes.  Then I layered it over a round bead and then flattened the round bead.  I made sure the holes I made in the center were big enough for a leather cord to fit through.  Here is my necklace and I even had enough to make a matching pair of Zebra earrings.  I really seem to be into making animals canes lately.  I'll post more later.

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Instead of baking my polymer clay goodies, this Christmas I will be baking my friend, Vicki Bensinger's, "Pumpkin Whoopie Pies".  Here is the recipe posted on her blog at
 http://in-homeculinaryclasses.blogspot.com/.  Vicki is a very talented Chef and has fun teaching gourmet cooking at in-home parties.  If you live in the St. Louis, MO area please contact her for some fun parties.
Enjoy!

Christmas Claytime

One of my favorite times of the year is the Christmas season.  I am attending the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the city of La Quinta this evening, and have been invited to participate in the Arts & Crafts Bazaar.  Here are a couple of my polymer clay creations that I will be showing.

The Santa was a free tutorial on Poly Clay Play website at http://www.polyclayplay.com/ .  Very easy to make and you can add your own touch to make each Santa different.

The Lollipops are from "The Clay So Cute" book shown below.