Easy Peasey Tutorial: Needle and Texture Tool made with a Nail

This Needle Tool is so Easy to Make Yourself.

Here's what you need::

small amounts of::

Liquid Polyclay

Scrap Clay

A Nail about 1.5 Inches long.

That's it.

Now, here's How you Make it!

Flatten the scrap clay.

The shape doesn't matter.

Just make sure you have enough clay to go around the nail a couple of times.

When the clay is flat, put the nail into the clay.

Since metal and clay are not a permanent match,

add a very small amount of 

liquid clay on top of the nail head.

Flatten or round the clay around the nail making sure that the nail head is encased in the clay.

If you want to decorate the handle of the tool, use some canes that you have and add it to the handle.

You don't have to do this, but it will make the handle a bit stronger.

Bake according to manufacturer's directions for 30-40 minutes.

Cover it with a piece of foil to prevent burning.

I baked these tools at 275 for 40 minutes.

To make the Texture Tool, simply reverse the nail.

You will need to add liquid polymer clay around the point of the nail.  

Bake the same way.

You have new tools!

How fun is that!!!

Easy Peasy!

Weekend Poetry

It was sort of a hazy, cloudy day, yesterday.

I got up and threw on a warm blanket.

I covered my shoulders with said blanket,

then I pulled out my notebook and wrote.

Here's just one of the poems my muse whispered to me.  

It's called 

Saturday.

I thought ahead to my busy day, 

but the chores could wait for a bit.

I hope you like it.

Just remember, it is copyrighted.

Saturday

Chores to do.
Errands to run.
Laundry in the dryer.
I almost sat down for lunch,
but
I couldn’t eat fast enough that way.
Neighbors are having a party
for their
95 year old grandma.
I asked her
how she survived so long.
She smiled,
“Kids did some of the chores.
I snuck a smoke outside.
I gave me some time to relax.
When they left home,
I snuck a beer each night.
Oh, and I took a nap each day.”
Well, I’m not that old,
and their nana died later that day.
My chores are done.
My errands are run.
The laundry is folded from the dryer.
I had dinner with the kids.
We talked and ate and laughed.
Next week, I’ll go to the funeral.
Nana, I’m glad you lived the life you did.
Oh, I’m going to take a nap.

copyright 8/29/15 

by 

Mallory Hoffman

Weekend Poetry

Haiku

Birds in my Etsy,

Autumn leaves are there for you,

Discs in my store, too.

Click

HERE

for the link.

You can PIN any of my beads!

Full and complete permission to do this.

It helps!

Thanks.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) This beautiful little flower!  I've never seen a flower like that before!

2) Jenny's port was removed yesterday.  It knocked her flat a bit, but she's doing much better now.

3)  Looks like we're in for a rainy day today.  I really do love a rainy day!

10 Reasons to Love Beads

I know that there are more reasons than this to love beads, but these are the best of the best.

1) Beads will never hurt you.  

2) Beads will always be there for you.

3) Beads make you smile when you need a lift me up.

4) Beads feel good in your hands.

5) Beads make you feel so good that you want, and do, lick them.

(Don't deny it, I know you do!)

6) Beads are better than, and I know there are many who will disagree, beads are better than

chocolate! 

There, I said it!

7) Beads are available to you day and night and night and day.

8) If you don't like the way the beads are strung in a necklace, you can take the necklace apart and string it again.

9) Unless you give them away, beads will never leave home.

10) If you had a choice between beads and coffee, even though you'd deny it, you'd pick beads and give up the coffee.  

Coffee comes 2nd to beads! 

9)

Worth Repeating Wednesday: When We Start to Think the Worst

This Post was one of the 7 I wrote my first year at blogging.  It was interesting.  I didn't always use pictures then.

It's cold here. I mean, it's really cold. The longest night of the year is almost here. People are rushed and tired. Christmas is so close now. I just realized it's 9, count them, 9 days away. I decided that tonight I would blog. I decided that I would make a comment about another blog. I tried to log in. The message said, "user name and password don't match." I tried again. I tried again. I tried again. I thought, "Someone has hacked into my blog!" It didn't make any sense, but it was the only explanation. I tried to change my password. My worst fear was becoming a reality. An email had been sent to my gmail account. I don't have a gmail account. Why would anyone want to hack into my blog? Nothing had changed. Nothing had been edited. My password was considered strong. I began to think the worst. I knew I had to check on accounts to see if any had been hacked into. I tried the help center. No help. I tried to see if there was contact information. None. Why would anyone want to hack into my account? I decided to try one last time. The information asked me for my email address. My email address? Was that what I was supposed to log in with to my blog? Oooooooooooooooooooooops! I guess that I wasn't signing in correctly. I'm sure glad that no one can see my face. It's really quite red right now. I did log in with my email address. It worked.
Oh, well, goodbye and good night. I'll be back to blog another day.

Pixie Cuteness Day!!!

Somethings Never Change!

I've Been Raising Cane!

Well, not so much raising cane as

making cane,

polymer clay cane.

This picture is one of my ginkgo leaf cane.

I am hoping to open my Etsy shop this week.  I had hoped for Monday, but I forgot how long it takes me to write a listing up, 

so, I'm aiming for this week.

Yes, very generic.

It just has to be!

Cane is very hard, for me, to photograph.

I have to get some good pictures, but I'll show you some of the ones I have ready.

My shop will be full of polymer clay items from beads to cane and maybe some home made tools.  We'll see about that.  I don't have access to my torch right now, so, no glass, just clay.

Here is a preview of some of the cane I made this week.  It will come in 2 inch lengths.

This one is called, "Paw Prints on my heart."

(I still have to make some beads using the canes I am putting in the store.)

This cane is called, "Shifting Sands."

This cane is called "Water color" cane.

This is a face cane.  I think it would look great on an angel.  What do you think?

Anyway, hopefully, sometime this week.  I hope to reopen my store.  

In the meantime, stay tuned!!!!

Winston Churchill

James Herriot

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) Clearly, we are past our hot, hot, hot, humid weather.  The leaves are starting to change, and temps are cooling down.  Fall is on the way, and there is no stopping it.  The times are changing with the seasons.

2) On the way home from our walk, I saw a man with his son walking towards us.  The man was about 6'5".  His son was about 3 years old.  The music was coming from his phone.  The dad was dancing to the music and trying to get his son to dance with him as he walked.  

It was a great sight to see.  He's a great dad!

3) Pixie and Fred are at an impasse right now.  Fred will only torment Pixie a few times a day.  Fred will hide so that Pixie can't see him, and when Pixie walks by, Fred jumps out and hisses at Pixie.  Poor Pixie.  Fred's playing a game, and that 70 pound dog is afraid of that 13 pound cat.  Sigh!

 

Toy Challenge

I saw this toy today when Walter was playing with it.

You can tell he enjoys it because there are a few tooth marks on it.

I thought,

"Wouldn't this make a great bead?"

And it did!

I used different colors.

I added wire in the center to give the ends more strength.

I also used my 

"Psychedelic cane"

for the
"beads."

Fun?

I think so, but not exactly the same.

I thinks it's called, "Inspiration."

Now, here's the other one.  

More fun!

Time to enjoy the clay!!!

Worth Repeating Wednesday: so Someone Asked Me What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

 When I was four years old, my neighbor, Dolores, who was in 6th grade taught me to read.  After that, I was the teacher whenever we played school, and that included the time when Dolores played with us.  I was always the teacher.

Of course, I was bossy and made everyone sit there and listen to me.  I even gave the rest of the kids homework, and I would scold them if they didn't do it.  Most of the time, they just laughed at me, since they were older.

Then, I grew up a little.  When I was in first grade, I wanted to be a "fairy princess."  I remember my mother just smiling at that one.  She said that I could be a fairy princess if I wanted to be one.  Sadly, I never developed wings which seemed to be a requirement for fairy princesses to get around.

A Tinker Bell I was not, and the last time I tried to fly by jumping off the fence, I broke my arm.  No more wanting to be a fairy princess until much later in life.

In 4th grade, I wanted to become a nun when I grew up.  I didn't like boys yet, so this was a good decision.  I hung around the nuns at school so I could learn from them.  Well, it wasn't to be.  They didn't like me hanging around, and, the next year, I discovered:: boys!

In 6th grade, we all had our weddings planned.  We knew who would be in our weddings, where we would get married, how many bridesmaids we would have, who would be our maid of honor.  We just didn't know who our husbands would be.

In high school, we plotted and planned.  We had our guys picked out then, but we knew we had to wait since most of them would be drafted and go to Viet Nam, so we waited.  A few got married, and their weddings were beautiful, but not like we had planned.  Some of us went on to college.  That's where my life changed.

I wanted to be a writer and teach at the college level.  I didn't take any education classes.  I knew I would earn a doctorate.  Like I said, my life changed.  I met my future husband when I was in college.  It took us almost 3 years to get married, and I had graduated by then.  I was writing at night and working in a bank during the day.  He finally proposed and we left my home for good.  We moved to:: North Dakota.  I continued to work in a bank, but now I was busy being a wife, too.  No more writing for a while.

Then we moved to Colorado where I studied to become a court reporter.  I actually worked at that profession for a short time, but we moved to Nebraska, and I was pregnant.  Now, I'm a wife and mother.  I stayed home for 14 years raising my children.  I was lucky to be able to do that.  Then, I knew it was time to go back to school once again.  This time, in less than 2 years, I earned the credits I needed to become a special ed teacher.  After so many years, I was a teacher, but I was still busy with teen aged kids and a husband.  Writing still took the back burner. 

Then life changed again.  The kids grew up and went to college.  It was just the two of us.  I taught and wrote and quilted.  I was published a few times.  This made me happy, but it wasn't a career, so I kept writing.  I wanted to be a writer.  Then life changed in a way I would never have dreamed it would.

My husband died from a cancer called multiple myeloma.  Enough said.  Life was never going to be the same again.

A year later I retired from teaching.  The day I left, I didn't look back.  It was time!  I'm not sorry I retired.  I doubt that I will ever be tired.  Then, as I struggled with the life of a widow, I found my new passion.  I began to make lampwork glass beads.  It's been nine years, and I've never looked back.  I have loved every minute.  There's always something new to challenge me!  I am also now working in polymer clay.  That's a whole new medium!  I have been published in many publications with both my glass and polymer clay.  So now, it's art.  The right side of my brain is happy!!

What's next?  I don't know.  I'm happy, but I want to learn more.  Who knows.  You know that little girl who wanted to be a nun, well, that's not going to happen, but I'm happy.  The future is yet uncharted.  We shall see.

What do I want to be when I grow up?  I don't know.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A Quick and Favorite Meal for Harvest Time:: Caramelized Apples, Onions, Ginger, and Pork Chops

All right, you already know the secret ingredients in this meal.

Apples

Onions

Small Chunk of fresh ginger

Pork Chops.

I'm not going to give you specific amounts for this recipe.

You just need to adjust them for your family.

This plate easily served

2.

I used one apple and about 1/4 of an onion.  The chunk of ginger was about a thumb width long from the top of the thumb to the knuckle.

I added a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Here's how I made this quick supper.

1) I browned the pork chop in my pan.  After it was browned, but not cooked, on both sides,

I removed the pork chop from the skillet and added the onions, apples, and ginger.

2) I heated the onions, apples, and ginger until they began to caramelize.

3) At that point, I returned the pork chop to the pan.  I covered the pan and let everything cook on medium heat.  

You can finish by cooking this in the oven @ 350 degrees for half an hour.  I just don't see any reason to heat up the oven on a warm, autumn day.

I've never tried this in a crockpot, but it might be good.

4) When the apples turn golden and the onions have caramelized, I poked the pork chop to see if the juices were clear.  Seeing that the pork chop was cooked, I plated the food, and enjoyed it 

tremendously!!!

I hope you enjoy it, too.

What makes you think of fall? 10 ideas for inspiration about fall.

I don't know where you live, 

but this weekend, where I live,  felt

ABSOLUTELY

NOTHING

LIKE 

FALL.

It was HOT and very HUMID

here.

I tried to produce beads and pens that reminded me of

fall.

Well, to be truthful,

I don't think I succeeded, but

I still like these beads.

Wait!

That's not the blog topic today!

I'm hoping to inspire you to think about fall.

Here are ten ideas to consider.

 

In order to shake the summer out of your brain, grab a pencil and paper, and write down the ideas that come to your mind when you think about these scenarios.

1) If school hasn't started where you live, it will soon.  Some of the teachers I know report for workshops tomorrow.  What kind of beads does this bring to mind for you?

I'm thinking books, pencils, pens, crayons?

2) The days become cloudy and it rains more frequently.  

What kinds of beads do you see?

I see boots, clouds, and smiley faces.

3) The leaves begin to fall from trees.  First they change colors, then they drift off the trees.

This one should be fairly obvious.

4) Pods form from the plants that flowered in the summer.

I love pods, don't you?

5) Squirrels are getting fat, and they are hiding the nuts that form on the trees.

Squirrels would be fun?

Acorns are easy to make.

6) Autumn is when we start to wear our sweaters and jackets.

Look at the colors in your fall clothing.  Very pretty.

7) Days are growing shorter.

What would be better to use than glass or clay that glows in the dark.

8) Crops are beginning to ripen.  Apples, pumpkins, squash are all being harvested.

That's pretty easy to visualize.

9) Halloween is drawing closer.  

I don't make many holiday beads, but bats, pumpkins, and treats are fun to make.

10) Thanksgiving is also approaching.

I see cornucopias, pilgrim hats, and turkeys.

 

Were your ideas different from mine?

What do you think would make good beads for autumn?

Do you believe in angels?

Ronald Regan

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) Summer is beginning to end.  School has started in some areas of the country, and, depending on where you live in the Metro area, school begins the week before Labor Day or the Monday after Labor Day.  The best day of my life is the day that teacher workshops begin because I don't have to be there anymore.  Yes!





2)  I used to think I didn't, but I do have some regrets, but of all the things I have been given in my life, my children are two things I will never regret.  What an amazing gift!!! 


3) I'm really paying attention to my steps now.  It's good to know how far and how much I do in each day.  I've very grateful for "steps taken."  Makes me feel good when I do more.

Just thought You might Like to See These...

I have over 9,000 photos in my photo library!

Yes, I said over 9,000,

actually, 9,122 photos as of this moment in time.

I made a few collages I thought you'd enjoy seeing.

The pets and the road Pixie and I walk the most often.
There's Pixie, Marvin, and Fred.

Some flowers on the road we walk.  Marvin and Pixie.

Fred, hogging the bed.  Pixie getting ready to sleep.  Pixie in the camera lens.  Marvin on a lap.
 

 The two greatest kids in the world!!!
Strength and Courage personified.
Family together. 
Sister and Brother forever!

So, who's the old lady there?

Worth Repeating: The End of the Storm

Don't kid yourself.  This is coming soon enough.

As I write this, the winds and snow are beginning to slow down. I am seeing the outdoor lights going on at the neighbors' houses. This is a good sign that they are safe, too.

I'm not sure how much snow is on the ground, but there's a lot, and with the wind, there are a lot of drifts that continue to grow. The light is beginning to fade. Tomorrow, the ravages of the storm will be beautiful. Today, I am grateful that we are warm. We are dry. We are safe.

I pray for all of those who must go out in this storm.

They are those who drive the plows who are battling the roads for us and making sure that we can drive as safely as possible in the morning.

They are the police, the state troopers, those who serve as firemen, paramedics, first responders. They must be out there.

I pray for anyone who must drive the highways, if they can. I pray that they are safe, especially if they are stranded.

I pray that the airports are safe, and that those passengers who are stranded can sleep, at least a little bit, as they wait for flights to resume.

I pray for all those who are homeless, that they have found shelter, warmth, and food in this storm.

I pray for all who are suffering as a result of this storm.

I can hear the snow plows on the roads now. The storm will end before the morning. Maybe, the sun will shine tomorrow. The worst is over now.

I need Your Help! Is This Going to Work?

You know how coloring is the trend now among adults.

There are adult coloring books.

(Ok.  I own a few of those.)

There are apps for smart phones that are designed for the adult who likes to color.

Well, I decided to give drawing a few coloring pages a try.  

I'm going to post two of them here on this blog.

Here's where I need your help.

Would you kindly right click.

Hit save.

Then once the pages are on your computer print them out.

I need to know if the pages print a full 8 x 10 size.

I think I can do it on my computer, but not all computers are a like.  

Would you help me and then let me know?

Here's the first one.

I call this one

"Odd Flowers."

Here's the second one.

I call it cactus.

Feel free to download these.

Just

right click and save.

If you could let me know how big these print for you, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

I hope this works.

It really is fun and relaxing to color.

Sometimes, Life Just Interferes....

I'm thinking out loud...

When summer began, I had so many plans for this blog and my other two blogs.

His Unending Love

&

Prayerfully Yours

I had hoped to work on more tutorials for this blog. 

My goal in May was to feature 2 tutorials per month.

That didn't happen.  

Life interfered.

So, throw a Hail Mary pass and move on.

Writing the  blogs was a real struggle.  I seemed to be frozen in time as we waited for the date when the stem cell transplant would begin.

We finally got the date.  The stem cell transplant is over my Jenny is recovering.  It's a slow process, but she's tough, and she's doing it.

I was thinking I need to get back to writing about beads and what you do with beads.

That is a goal of mine now.

I'm not sure how long this will take, but I hope to begin working with my clay again.

In the meantime, 

I'm making Rosary bracelets for church.  

This idea began as a way to use up my stash of beads.

I really, really want to use them up.

I've already given the church over 60 bracelets to give away to the congregation.

They literally flew out of the basket.

Now, I'll mail these, but there are 45 bracelets in the bag.  

When I have enough to fill a flat rate medium sized box, these bracelets will be on their way.

I had no idea I had such a stash of beads!

I made very few of the beads in this bag.

It's time.

I also want to reopen my Etsy store.  That might take a bit longer than I hope to do, but it's a goal.

I'm also going to try an experiment tomorrow on this blog, that is, unless I forget.  I am hoping for some feed back on this.  I'll show you tomorrow.  You might like it if you're into 

coloring!

So, there are a lot of things here to talk about.

I just have to narrow down my goals and get to work.

Do you set goals? 

Do you think out loud?

My son learned, when he was here for the transplant, that I do think out loud.

As we were carrying on a conversation, and one that I thought was very interesting,

Nick would often say to me,

"Mom, are you thinking out loud again?"

He was right.

I was.

Do you?

 

 

Robert Frost

Even Shakespeare Got it!

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) I'm back to blogging!  That makes me feel really good when I write.

2) Although she still doesn't feel great, Jenny is improving.  It's going to take time, but she will be getting better very, very soon.


3) I've had more fun using the Picasso Dog technique.  This is my self portrait!

5 Ways to Tell that the Seasons Will SOON be Changing

They're subtle.

Sometimes, they lull you into a sense of serenity until you realize that

VERY, VERY SOON, 

THE SEASONS 

WILL BE CHANGING.

1) In Minnesota, the joke is that there are only 2 seasons::

Winter and Construction.

Sadly, that is partly true.

While construction is still going on at a mad pace,

there are signs that say,

Detour ends

September 2015.

That means, construction is coming closer to the end because the seasons are changing and soon.

2) Go to any retail store.  You'll find great buys on summer clothes and shoes.  The colors of the new merchandise is getting darker.  Styles are warmer.  Shawls and cardigans and sweaters are being featured for sale.  Shoes are now closed toe.  Sandal socks are being sold.  (If you live in a warmer climate, you've probably never heard of these, but these are slightly thick socks you can wear with your open toed sandals.  

3) Go to a hobby store.  The Christmas in July items are now 40-50% off.  More and more shelves are decked with Christmas items.  It's a great time to buy, but Christmas is not until December.

The Thanksgiving items are on sale, too.  The stores are trying to clear them out.   Halloween items are really at close out prices now.  Good time to buy, if you need them.  

4) There are times that you honestly mean it when you say, "I never thought I'd say this, but I sure wish it would snow today."  You shudder in horror at the words you just uttered, but, for one nano second, you actually meant it!

5) You went to the mall and you bought your school supplies because they were on sale.

That's right, I said it, I buy MY own school supplies when they go on sale.  I love the smell of new crayons and erasers.  Yes, I buy school supplies and I don't have children in school!  

Now, if you don't believe me about the signs of the coming seasons,

look around you.  What do you see?  Did you buy YOUR school supplies yet?

I bought markers at Target for 74 cents.  It's hard to get a better deal than that!

I have the GREATEST kids in the WORLD!

The final effects of the high dose chemo are happening now.

Day 6 post transplant.

Jenny's Hair Really is falling out.

So, 

Nick offered to shave Jenny's head for her.

He had the equipment, and he did.

(In spite of shaving it, her hair is still falling out.)

Then, when Nick was finished,

he sat down on the chair and said,

"Now, you do it to me."

Jenny was shocked.

She didn't believe Nick, at first,

but when he sat down and handed her the razor,

Jenny started to cut.

Now, I have two bald but beautiful children.

God is good.

He blessed me with the best of the best.

Hair will grow back, but this act of love can only continue to grow!

OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUS. SAKES. ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!

You know how things happen when you least expect them.

You're walking along,

minding your own business,

then,

WHAM!

The bus hit you hard in the face!

It happened to me that way.

I was minding my own business.

I was washing my hands in the bathroom sink.

I looked up.

I guess the light was just right.

I didn't see it, at first, 

but then...

I wanted to run and hide.

I looked again to be sure.

Out of the corner of my eye,

there it was...

A Hair,

at least an inch long,

 on my chinny chin chin.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUS. SAKES. ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was never going to happen to me.

It only happened to old ladies who were 

really, really, really 

OLD!

I thought I was having a 

 NIGHTMARE!

I looked again.

It was, Oh, I don't think I can say the words,

It

was

CURLY!

Skin tags are one thing, but a

HAIR

on my chin!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER, I SAY, NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I reached up and pulled it out with great force!

(I could have just used a pair of tweezers with less force, but this is so much more 

DRAMATIC!)

My chin hurt.

I mean, it really hurt.  I pulled too hard, but it was worth the pain.

THE. HAIR. WAS. GONE!

Now, daily, I watch for the return of this, this, this

THING

on my chin.

I shall be vigilant!

If I see but a whisp it will be gone!!!

Gone, gone, gone,
I tell you!

GONE!

So, when Life Throws you a Curve Ball, You Will probably get Hit in the Face, but If you Get Up, You Win!!!!

I have neither had the time or the energy to write for the last 3 weeks.

You just can't give what you don't have.

My daughter had her second stem cell transplant.

It's wreaks havoc with everything.

Our focus has been on helping her get through this.

She's coming through it just fine.

The doctors consider her the 

"poster child"

right now 

because her body is right where it should be in the this process.

Today, we had a day off.

Each day she has to go into the clinic.

She's been given fluids each day,

except for one.

Appointments that were scheduled for an hour became

4-5 hours.

We are all tired!!!

Yet, God is good, and He gives you diversions so that when your eyes are open and you are functioning,

you can still praise Him for His kindness to you.

I have been receiving Carla Sonheim's newsletters for years.

She recently offered a series of 6 art classes for kids of all ages.

Of course, I signed up!

In the last two days, I have started to catch up.

This is a fun class to take. 

It's called

Kids' Art Week.

It's offered on her site as a free class. 

I highly recommend it.

The projects are easy and inexpensive.

I had most of the supplies on hand.

For the few supplies that I didn't own, I was "forced" to go to Michael's.

Sigh!  She said with a smile on her face!

This has really helped me to relax in the last couple of days.

I am enjoying trying the techniques and stretching them a bit.

My next challenge will be to see if I can recreate some of them in polymer clay.

I'm wearing down now.

Yesterday, my son and I walked 3 miles in the heat of the day.

The walk was gorgeous, and it made me realize,

that if you get hit in the face, if you get up,

You Win!