Nothing To Report

How boring is this?  Dinner was nice and normal and no weird things happened, except for me having to go to the bathroom.  I pushed the door open to find myself in total blackness. Naturally, I couldn't find the light switch so I groped around a while trying to find the door into the room with the stalls.  Oh NO!  I't's LOCKED!  What perv would do a thing like that?  Anyway. I systematically felt around until I found the light switch.  Well, I had been trying to get into a room called, "electrical".  Swell.  You you just imagine the horror of peeing on electricity?  Let's not go there.  :D

Out To Dinner

Well, you all know what happens to me when we go out to dinner, right?  Tonight we are going to a really nice place called Alan Wong's.  I can hardly WAIT to see what happens.  Be hard to beat the flapping toilet paper from Michel's, though.

And I went to my favorite health food store again today.  It's called Kale's, as you probably remember.  No, not kale's, like the green stuff, but KAH lay's like the Hawaiian guy.  :D  Kale is a dandy guy and has the best health food store in the state!  Do you know that because of all the time I spend in Kale's that his cute little boy will have his college education all paid for by the time he is 7?  Aren't I nice?  :D

Wish me luck on our dinner out.  Scary, no?   :D

More Pictures

It's the last Saturday of the month so we can't post pictures on the forum unless they are photos of whatever the subject matter of the day is.  I have NO idea what it is but I bet it's not pens or other assorted jewelry goodies.  So, I'll post them here.  :)  Summer stuff!  And what's the deal here, anyway?  I don't even LIKE blue!  HOW did I get all this blue stuff made?  I must have had a moment of delirious-ness.  Can you imagine THAT?  :D

My First Pen

And maybe my almost last pen.  Man!  It was lots of fun but almost impossible to get together without the help of The Incredible Hulk and 5 of your closest friends.  Whoda thunk that merely trying to fit a pen together would take the strength of 10?  No wonder people are buying those pen put together thingies.  Well, I'm done whining.  Isn't my pen cool?  I love it!  Thanks to Rosi and Victoria for all your help!

Precious Metals Paints

Hi!  I bought these new paints from Trish at www.polyclayplay.com.  There are from Germany, I think?  Anyway, these 25 ml bottles of absolutely gorgeous colors!  I think that's about 2 ounces? I can't do the conversion.  Anyway, the pictures are some of the colors.  The bronze-ish beads and the dark blah beads are 2 sides of the same necklace.  I just painted the cinnamon PMP on one half so we could all see what it looked like.  Great color!  The only problem I found with this particular color is that it has "stuff" in it.  Like little flakes of gold flake or something.  I had to keep wiping it off my brush.  It was only cinnamon that did this.  The compact was an old vintage 50's compact that has 2 mirrors inside but a really cheap cheesy metal cover.  The mirrors are a wonderful high quality mirror so I wanted to keep it.  Perfect for a purse!  I used the Coral on this metal then highlighted the woman's face and hair with Rub N Buff Bronze.  I put 2 coats of Fimo Gloss over it.

The turquoise bracelet many of you might recognize as looking suspiciously like the puce bangle of past posts.  You are right.  It has finally lost its puce-ness.  Isn't this color beautiful?  I made little dabs of pistachio on it.  I had to put 3 coats on to cover aforementioned puce.  Ick.

The fat oval beads started life as white plastic.  Don't they look wonderful as Blackberry metallic?  I coated them with Minwax as I have no idea if these paints would scratch off.  Most likely as anything that is simply a coating would.  The water based Minwax gives the beads a beautiful smooth coating and is really durable.

The next two pictures are clay beads that needed desperately to be covered up.  :)  The Pistachio ones needed 3 coats as the original beads were very very dark and the pistachio is quite light.  

And the tube beads are that gorgeous turquoise and Crimson.  The crimson is more of a red coral but it's really pretty.  I'm anxious to get my next bunch of colors.

I think Trish is the only one who sells these paints right now.  And lovely person that she is, she actually lowered her shipping for us!  How cool is THAT?!  She also carries that new Pardo clay which I haven't tried yet.

So, tell me what you think, ok?

Beads and Bling

Ok, I took Janie's advice and split all my beads into color groups.  Whrew.  But, Janie was right.  I tis easier to see the beads when they are in a color group.  I can hear you gloating , Janie!  :D  So, I put these on my Etsy along with some fabulous 1980's ME Decade bling.  Ivana Trump in all her glory!  Isn't this a fun necklace?  

Sigh......

I just realized you can't SEE the metallic edges.  Ok, just guess.  :D  Well, you can kinda see it here.  Well, just take my word for it.  The metallics are really really cool!  :D

A New Cuff

So I bought these really cool new metallic paints.  They are gorgeous!  And I wanted to use them... now!  I also had this brass cuff that I was wanting to make into something really special.  So, I used my friend Tonja's tute from her blog >>>>> over there>>>>>.  

This is what I came up with.  I'm SO happy and I love the metallic edges!  What do you think?  

Weird Toilets

Now, the other day I am chatting with my Hunnibunni and I hear this odd noise.  I say, "What is that?"  B doesn't hear anything so I say, "Listen, what is that noise?  Sounds like water boiling." 

I go in search as neither of us are cooking.  Hmmm, who is making boiling water sounds of it's not us?  I know it's not Ipo (aka SOS) as she is in the room with us.  So, I toddle into the master bath and sure enough, the toilet is going nuts.  I call B and we stand there and watch the spectacle.  Looks like the witch's cauldron from Macbeth in there. Water is bubbling and burbling for absolutely no reason I can see.  I swear, after the TP Issue at Michel's (previous Putfir post) I am beginning to think that I have plumbing issues. Really. Come to think of it, my plumber always does recognize my voice when I call. Singlehandedly, we are keeping him in business.

So, I watch the antics of the toilet for a while then decide, well, let's flush it and see what happens. WHAT makes me think these things?  B has to P so he takes a chance.  Luckily, this is accomplished without him losing any vital parts.  The toilet is now calm and acting like any normal toilet would.  Ok.  This is good. I don't hear any ominous bubbling from the guest bath so I go to bed.

The night passes without any eruptions.  B hies himself off to the salt mines the next day when.... ON NO!  It's bubbling!  And there is significantly less water in there than usual.  So, I go to the guest bath.  YIKES!  It too is bubbling!  This is quite a trick as there is almost no water in there.  WHERE did all our water go and why?  Hmmm, what to do?

So, I get dressed and stroll out to the office where I am hoping to encounter our manager.  He isn't there but the part time guy is.  He's kind of a putfir so he will be henceforth referred to as, The Part Time Putfir or PP for short.  PP.  See?  I really do have issues.  Sigh..............

I tell PP the story.  He, of course, has no idea what the problem is but suggests I need a plumber and that the toilet is clogged.  Where did they get this guy?  In my own sweet and diplomatic way I bellow, "WHAT!  BOTH toilets at the same time?"  PP sees that perhaps that would be pushing it so he volunteers to go get the manager.  Well, go TELL the manager.

About 15 minutes later PP knocks on my door to inform me that, of course, it is our toilets, both self destructing at the same second and some how, our unit has to be responsible for the lack of water... despite the fact that they are on different lines.  I smile and nod like I am agreeing.  He goes away.  Not far enough but ... away.

Now, I thinks to myself, PP and manager are yanking my chain.  Oops... more issues!  I think seriously about calling my favorite plumber but I restrain myself.  I will watch the toilets for any further sign of intestinal distress THEN call.  Because the Manager and PP have Women With Brains issues, it behooves me to be able to say... my plumber said.....  Sigh...........

Apparently, the manager went and did something to let the air out of the pipes as the toilets have returned to being normal old toilets and not TTFH.  

The question here is why me?  Why does this stuff happen to me?  As I sit here typing I look out the window.  We now have Tongans in the trees.   Oh boy.  And you guys wonder why I keep a good supply of wine.

Vintage Linens

Oh boy.  Does anyone remember when there were irons that had a LINEN setting?  It was super hot and you could actually iron... linen.  No more.  Now the hottest setting is wrinkle free cotton.  Poop.  I NEED linen hot!

I have all these vintage linens.  I am up to my nose hairs in vintage linens!  I have tons of vintage linens!  All of it needed lots of washing and therefore... ironing.  So, in the last 2 days I have been standing at my ironing board for a grand total of almost 8 hours!  And the linen still looks like I slept on it.  :(  But... I persevere!  I am about halfway through ironing this stuff.

So, here are a few pictures.  If any of you are interested in buying vintage linens, please let me know, ok?

Bead Soup

Ok, I have a question.  What do you guys think of me adding some non-polymer clay beads to my giant bead soup mix?  There are already over 300 beads in it.  I know it seems expensive but that's a ton of beads!  And I'm going to add several more of my collections without changing the price.  But, the thing I want to know is... would you like faux pearls and maybe some other non hand made beads to use as spacers and stuff?  I'm leaving the price the same but I have TONS of faux pearls and some other silly things.  Should I put them in the Soup Collection?  No picture here as I have to still take a new one after you tell me if I should add the faux pearls and stuff.

Not Clay

Not clay?!  Yikes!  How did this happen?  Well, it happened because I went nuts one day on the brass bouquet site and bought these cool leaves.  And some cool silk ribbon.  Naturally, I had to DO something with them so last night I made this necklace.  I do love it.  It almost makes me wish I was back downtown working.  No.  I did NOT say that!  I had a Delirious Moment. Henceforth to be referred to as a DM.  Then, because I had these cool brass filigree thingies and these cool white jade cabs, I decided to make earrings.  Well, ok... the Sea Horse is clay.  :)  

This is a cool sea horse, yanno.  He's awfully cute and has a bail on the back so people can put their own ribbon or whatever through it.  Can you just imagine?  "Hey!  Great pendant!  I love that sea horse but what is it hung on?"  "Oh, that's just a whatever."  Or, "This old whatever?  Just a piece of junk I had laying around."  

I need help.

Critters For Coleen

My niece needed some fun critters.  So, I decided to make them for her.  Now, I already had this owl of dubious looks.  And this ridiculous thing that can't decide if it's a bird or a turkey.  But it's purple so she gets it.  :)  ( Sorry, I don't have pictures of these two). 

Then, she has her own business so she needed a froggy with its mouth open to catch the money. She already has a cute frog but the silly thing has its mouth shut.  Just HOW does it expect to keep Coleen in the manner to which she'd like to become accustom?  Soon she will be a zillionaire!  This is good.  Then, she needed a gecko in purple and green.  I tried about 15 different backgrounds but the purple here isn't as vivid as the real thing.  And the toes and green both have PearlEx which doesn't show up.  I have some other fun things to send her, too. What do you all think?  Should I make a gecko for my Etsy?  A froggy?

More Resin

Oh boy, am I having fun yet?  I decided to try resin again.  And I have this mold that make all these little half balls.  So, I says to myself, Self?  Let's make little half balls.  So, I did.  It came all glassy and clear just as I thought it was supposed to.  The little glass shards did sink to the bottom but several terrific people gave me advice on the clay forum so next time I'll follow their advice.  The glitter pretty much stayed put.  Now... can someone give me some ideas on what I oughta DO with these things?  Pleeeeze???

Mahalo Nui Loa!

I just saw that my views on my blog are nicely over 9,000!  Wow!  I'm so happy!  So a big fat thank you to all who come here!  xoxoxo, moe  :D

The Resin Result

Well, I don't know about this.  Here is the bracelet.  Any of you who use resin... chime in here, ok? Why did the powders kind of sink to the bottom (well, it's the top in these pictures)?  I thought resin was supposed to hold items suspended in the matrix?  Powder isn't very heavy. And I mixed it quite well.  It looked perfect in the mixing cup but it seems to have settled to the bottom of the bracelet.  I have no idea why. Maybe I should have just used more?  But then, I'd think I'd just have a heavier concentration at the bottom then.  Now, all things considered, I kind of like the less to more look.  Guess I can't complain too much.  It's my first try.  :D

Resin and Having An Intelligence Crisis

Ok, I decided I wanted to mess with resin. It's just so cool and you can do all this fun stuff. I really want to embed things. Maybe Ipo. Well, maybe not. But other stuff. :)

So, a couple things happened here. The first was... I thought ahead. BIG mistake. Sigh..... First I decide that, because resin molds are so expensive, I will make my own. Ok. I buy the Composimold (see previous posts here). This is cool stuff. I get the transparent one and blog about it. Then, I received the other one which appears to be an exact duplicate even though it is a different formula. Ok, what is going on here? Both are transparent and both work very well. The second jar is somewhat sturdier but not all that different from the transparent. Ok, the upshot here is that I now have 2 jars of Composimold. This is a good thing.

WHAT, you query, does all this have to do with resin? Patience. I am making a long story... long.

Ok, now, I decide that I want to make a resin bangle. Now, Sherri Haab has this great book on resin. On the front are really cool bangles. I wants them! I loves them! I will makes them! :) I have LOTR issues. :D

So... because I live in the great state of Hawaii.... nobody here has ever heard of Envirotex Lite. WHY does this surprise me? So... what to do? Internet. I find www.objectsandelements.com. They are selling ICE resin. [See previous post here. ;)] I buy some. Holy bat snot! $25.00! PLUS shipping! Yikes. But... I reallyreallyreally want a resin bangle. I buy the ICE. Resin...ICE resin! That's for all the law enforcement people reading this. :D

Then, I let it sit on my table for weeks as I am afraid to try it. I have read all the posts about it being so messy and all the problems with resin, etc. I also read all the direful warnings on dropping dead if it isn't 72.3 degrees and that you HAVE to have gloves and a Hazmat suit and respirator and maybe the entire FEMA team behind you... just in case. Jeez.

I finally said... screw it. If I am done in by resin... so be it. I chance 'um. I pour this stuff all by myself. No Hazmat teams standing by, no gloves, no respirators, no temp controls. I just take a chance. Lo and behold! Here I am! Nothing dire happened. No mess. No fumes. No nothing. It was so easy and all I really needed were some paper napkins to wipe up drips.

Ok, back to the Composimold. :D Now, as you know, I have 2 jars of differing formulas. I have decided to mold the plaid/puce bangle {see previous posts here}. So, I gets out my directions and follow them... sorta.

Now... the directions say to put my bangle in a cup and pour the mold compound around it. Ok, I can do that. A couple things happen. One, I don't have enough mold compound so ...GASP... I MIX the 2 types together! Yikes! Is this like "crossing the beams' from Ghost Busters? Will universes collide? I chance 'um. Nothing explodes so I figure I am good to go.

I spend 20 minutes trying to find JUST the perfect container. Meanwhile, the mold compound is thinking about doing its solidifying thing while dripping all over hell and gone while I transfer the puce bangle from container to container trying to find the right size so the compound will cover the bangle. I am freaking out. I simply don't have enough compound no matter what. Sorta.

Finally I find the perfect container and bury the sucker. This is the plaid/puce bangle. Whrew. It is now encased in compound then... aaarrrgggghhhh! The intelligence crisis!

Just exactly HOW am I going to get this thing out of the mold? Crap. I am stymied. 2 days go by while I think that I now have a puce/plaid centerpiece. Encased in rubbery mold goop. Swell. Unless I change our home decor to puce and elephant gray, this new centerpiece will simply NOT do. :(

So, this morning, I rise. I am bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on mold compound. Ok, I get out the serrated knife that Stan says he uses when he cuts the compound. Now, Stan is the owner. He oughta know, right? I have a serrated knife circa 1979. It bounces off the Composimold. Swell. I betcha Stan's knife is newer. And sharper.

I get out the heavy artillery. Hah. I have KNIVES! Oh brother. Now, you have to picture this. I have a plastic container from the grocery store. It is now filled with one plaid/puce bangle and a pound of mold goop. I had to cut the freaking container off the goop because I forgot to use mold release. Now, I have a perfect replica of the container. Inside, I can clearly see the puce bangle. HOW am I going to get this thing out and still be able to use the mold? I suppose I could cut it in half but it's a bangle! I don't want it to have a seam. Sigh...............

I finally manage to hack a layer off and peel out the bangle. Holy crap! I have a bangle mold! It's slightly wobbly as I have 9/10's of a pound of mold stuff inside the bangle and about 1/43rd of an inch of stuff surrounding the bangle. This will be fun.

Now, I brave the ICE. I get all set up. Banish the cats and I am READY! I measure exactly, all the while, living in fear of being off 1 millionth of an inch. Worlds WILL collide if you don't measure PRECISELY! But, it seems to be ok so I stir gently for the requisite 2 minutes. Then I add my powders. Oh boy! This is so pretty! I pour the stuff into my wobbly mold and lo and behold... the measurement is perfect! No waste. The mold holds! It doesn't collapse! So, I go back to the directions... WHAT!!!!! Oh NO!!!!!!

Bat snot! I have to wait until tomorrow to see what my bangle looks like! Two things have happened here. One, I have NO idea if I have the dread air bubbles in my bangle and two, I have no idea if the 24 hour waiting time applies equally to a small pair of earrings as well as a fat puce bangle. HOW will I know? What if I believe them and take the bangle out of the mold only to find that once out, it melts all over my table? The directions firmly state that you will NOT touch the resin as you will NOT want to leave fingerprints. I am living in fear. This is NOT good. And now.... you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened! :D And, you wanna know the worst thing? The bangle was always too big for me. It's going to come out great and I have to mail it to Ginger. Sigh....................... :D

FaveCrafts

Woohoo!  This  site, www.favecraftsblog.com/ is having a Lisa Pavelka tool giveaway!  Yay!  Now, of course, *I* wish to win so nobody go there, ok?  :D  On the outside chance that I did win and I already have what is being given, I will share with you guys!  SUCH a deal!  But, please do go to FaveCrafts and check it out!  I see lots of clay buddies there.  :D  I'm adding their link to my list, right over there>>>>>>.  :D

Out Of My Comfort Zone

Here is this dainty, girly necklace.  SOOO pretty.  SOOO not me.  I don't know what came over me!  Usually, I make bigger and more funkified stuff.  But I was possessed and wound up with this tiny delicate necklace.  Someone will love it, right?  :D