Beads: New Faces

I'm liking my new little guys!

New Beads: Taupe, Bronze, Copper, Gold

I got to play with the clay all day Saturday (with a short break for weeding in the garden of horror), then it was in the car to Mom's house for Mother's Day. We sat and talked while I sanded a big pile of new items -- all just posted in my etsy shop.

Nightmare: Weed Garden

I have a big hill in my backyard that's about 25'x20' and it used to be covered with a honeysuckle and briar jungle. In retrospect, I should have let well enough alone. At least it smelled good.
When I put an addition on five years ago I had the contactor tear out the jungle in expectation of completing the plan I had from a landscape architect. When the estimate for all the plantings and labor came in at $16,000 (!!!) I knew that would never happen. But ever since then it's been a constant battle with the weeds. (I did manage to plant veggies up there last year and learned I love Buttercup Squash even more than Butternut.)

But look at the nightmare now!!! Apparently dandelion seeds and the giant mystery weed love a cold snowy winter! Please feel free to suggest super-dense, low care, fast-growing, full-sun plants I can get so the weeds have nowhere to land. I'm thinking mellow yellow spirea, day lilies, rhododendrons, some forsythia and pretty native flowers that are already growing in several spots elsewhere. I also plan to get a few arborvitae to plant in a row to block the view from the house above. Arborvitae grow about a foot a year!

I hope to someday have a garden as beautiful as my friends Anne and Scott...

Beads: Doroshow workshop inspired new beads!

Look at these funny little guys!

Workshop: Dayle Doroshow, Pittsburgh, May 1-2, 2010

I spent the weekend at the Dayle Doroshow Workshop sponsored by the Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild, of which I am a very happy member! I've never done any sculpting or figures in polymer so it was all new to me and a lot of fun.
At the end of the workshop we had an exhibition of all our pieces and Dayle grouped them into little families. To see them all you can go to our flickr group page at http://www.flickr.com/groups/1385834@N21/

I took the liberty of titling the photos with the first caption that came to mind...the first one below is the best photo I took (and has a pretty good title too!)

The Shy Coquette and the Standoffish Beau

Figures by Krisi Cooper and Denise Rosi Graham.

Big Love

(don't know who made these...will list if I find out.)

Just Call Me Duster

Figure by Krisi Cooper

Scarface and Mane

Figures by Laura Tabakman and ?

I made four characters... the two best are the Imperious Warlord...

...and The Cat Box

Cici's Rebuttal

I owe an apology to Rob's cat Cici. He reports:

"Cici was a little upset after reading your blog today, as you can see from the attached picture. She's been working diligently on her online degree, and is a little worried that one of her professors will read your comments."