blue bird, blue bird through my window...

According to several online sources the blue bird is a widely accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, and prosperity. One source even suggested that it is a symbol of fertility. I've never seen one in person although my mother says she sees them all the time and she only lives 15 miles west of me. If you're celebrating Easter this weekend - have a good one! 

folk art sunshine

I used translucent clay on the face and I like how it resulted in an illustrated – almost watercolor – effect. Translucent clay can be tough to work with. It manages to find trace scraps of clay hidden in the ridges of your finger prints. But it produces some really nice results. If you back it with white it adds a little glow.

Foxy

And here she is - the latest addition to the mini-pendants!

crazy like a fox

Yesterday was one of those mornings when I felt like I could've used a little more sleep, a little more food, a little more coffee, etc. I was a little hesitant to jump into a new cane so soon after the anchor. That was one of those projects that felt like it took longer than it actually did. The little fox however, is coming together pretty quickly. I ran out of clay for the exterior which was probably a good thing. If I hadn't, I probably would have stayed for a couple more hours to finish it. Big turnaround from the morning. I'll post the reduced version once I get more material!

let go!

 "Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be." ~ Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

Pheww! Finished at last. Adding a pattern to the background of a simple graphic proved to be a lot more work than I anticipated. I haven't quite mastered the art of reducing without waste. Let's not use the word impatient — I prefer eager. However, to combat the problem I try to sort the waste into color groups that I can use again. For instance I removed traces of the anchor from anything I had to cut off to eliminate as much distortion as I could. When the "waves" are blended together they make a really pretty blue I can incorporate into another design down the road. To see the total progression  - check out my Facebook page.

after the storm

I'm still plugging away on this anchor cane. The blizzard stole a couple of production days from me but I'm back on track. This cane is gigantic  - never anticipated it would get quite so large. Sure hope there's a lot of sailors out there! I'm very close to finishing the construction. A few more rows of waves and I'll be able to start to reduce it. 

potential problem avoided

As I was reducing this heart cane the other day I was a bit worried wondering if maybe I should have over exaggerated the arrow. It's a given that larger round canes reduce a little disproportionately. In the end the core always manages to shrink about a third less than the perimeter. But you can compensate for this by pumping up the volume on the outer walls. I actually like the way this came out in the long run. The plumpness of the heart image – and it's cartoon style – complements the petite little arrow. Lucky break! Maybe that had something to do with the shamrock!