Advance of the Octopus

A number of interests have all come together in the last couple of days. A love of marine creatures, steampunk, randomness and polymer clay finally combined, resulting in a small collection of miniature cephalopods.


I hold my hands up and admit they are not anatomically correct, for a start they are suckerless. They are also somewhat different in colour to wild octopuses but just as difficult to photograph. And yet, these delicate little creatures have just devoured most of my day and I don't regret it one bit.


I'm not sure what to do with the unattached ones. Are they too delicate to use as pendants and, if not, how would I safely attach them?

I will now be packing away my polymer clay for a while as I have a large list of sewing projects waiting, and there is only room for one thing at a time on my dining table. Look out for upcoming projects including my version of Kristen's Men's Shirt Makeover (http://kristenmakes.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/mens-shirt-makeover/).

Fuzzy Dice of Change

After many false starts, I finally took the plunge and used the template designer to update the look of my blog. Here is me moving away from the safe, but rather plain, black into a new world of light and colour (although I haven't gotten rid of black altogether). As has often been said, a change is as good as a holiday (which I have also been trying to enjoy).

And in this mood of change, I feel that it is time to stop spreading myself so thinly and focus on what is most important. After all, now that I'm 40, I have to admit that there is not enough time in any one lifetime, possibly even in half a dozen, to do all the things I have on my lists. When there are so many things demanding a look in, nothing actually gets the attention it deserves. Very likely, I will also need to stop procrastinating, but that is a whole other truckload of fuzzy dice.

What this means for anyone dropping in on this blog is that, yes, you guessed it, lots more polymer clay with possibly some sewing thrown in. I might even manage the odd tutorial (once I work out how to do the technical putting-it-on-my-blog stuff).

Turning Forty

My poor blog has, once again, been woefully neglected. I do have one or two pathetic excuses but I'm really not sure they let me off the hook at all.

On a positive note, I have accepted the challenge of keeping the McEtsy Team blog ticking over and have managed to do better there than I have here. It's a great team with an amazing variety of talent and I'm enjoying getting to know everyone (and one day I might even meet some of them!). You can check out the blog at http://mcetsy.blogspot.com/

Another positive, and not really an excuse for my bloglessness, is my imminent 40th birthday. I know many approach this milestone with dread, but I'm actually finding it quite amusing. I certainly don't feel 40 on the inside, although externally my body does sometimes remind me that I'm not 20, or even 30, anymore. I think there are so many advantages to being that little bit older and wiser. I've mostly learned to enjoy the moment instead of constantly yearning for what hasn't arrived yet. I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm and excitement in learning something new (see previous posts about polymer clay for proof). And I admit I'm very fortunate to have a gorgeous, affectionate husband and son whom I love to bits.


Above is your no expense spared, free of charge, totally gratuitous polymer clay photo, because you can't have a blog without at least one picture :-D

Grey Skies

Well, the gloomy grey skies have conspired to keep me indoors this week. Although, true to the saying "Every cloud has a silver lining", this has meant that I finally sanded all my polymer clay lentil beads and can now start putting them into some actual jewellery. I managed to reward myself for all that work by making a couple of pieces and one is pictured below.


And there are other benefits. The on and off again sunshine and rain has made my garden go wild and, as long as none of us get swallowed by the knee high lawn and I continue to ignore the weeds elbowing their way in between the "proper" plants, I can smile every time I look out the window. The "Dig In" seeds (www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin) I managed to plant last month are growing well on my windowsill and I hope to get them out into the garden later this month. I'll certainly need to move the french beans before they get much more triffid-like. A little bit of clear weather will likely prompt a gardening frenzy and then I can leave it all to itself again for another wee while.

Speaking of time, there's not that much of it left until the summer holidays when, for six weeks, work takes a back seat to being a mum. Which means that I really should be filling every moment until then with getting as much done as possible. Ahhh, but all work and no play makes Jo a dull girl - so there might just have to be a little bit of fun in there somewhere, cue more experiments in polymer clay!

The Sky is the Limit

As I seem to have been lacking in blogger motivation lately, I've decided to look to the skies for some much needed inspiration. Now one thing I think Scotland does particularly well is clouds. I understand that we can sometimes get tired of them day after day but it would be a shame to wish them away and miss out on all their incredible beauty.


I admit I have a bit of a fascination for clouds and have a large collection of cloud photos. But there is such an array of shapes and, dare I say it, moods to these simple collections of water vapour.


I'm sure even the most sun-loving Scot would have to admit that sunrises and sunsets are much improved by the addition of some suitable clouds. And the sight of shafts of light piercing through the cloud cover to fall on the landscape like a spotlight always thrills me.


So ends my small tribute!

Baking of Bread

Oh, how neglectful I have been. And it's not just my blog that has been pushed aside by the more mundane aspects of daily life. The list of things needed for our Roman weekends hasn't gotten any shorter either.

I am now in panic mode, with a weekend at Archaeolink in less than 6 days and no progress made on additional items for my wardrobe or cooking practice completed. So it seems that this week I'll have to neglect everything else in an effort to prepare for Saturday and Sunday. Out will come my list, to be divided into things that can be accomplished in less than a week and the "you've got to be joking" tasks. At least today I can say I have made a start on the cooking practice. The photo below is my attempt at Hapalos Artos (Soft Bread) taken from Mark Grant's book, Roman Cookery: Ancient Recipes for Modern Kitchens. Although the recipe called for baking in a tin, in future I will go for a simple round version. It, at least, has a thumbs up from my son, who tested it out for lunch (before I remembered to take photos).



After reading up on Roman recipes, I think my cooking at Archaeolink will initially be a case of sticking to simple foods that can either be prepared in advance or cooked in a pot over the fire. After all, we are an army camp not a noble house in the middle of Rome.

I'll Admit It, I'm Addicted

Here we go with more polymer clay (no rolling of the eyes, please). I just can't seem to move on, but at least I've dragged myself away from the lentils to try a new technique.


This week I discovered stacker beads thanks to Carol on the 'Handmade in Scotland' Flickr group. This really cool technique came from Amy of Ovenfried Beads and after following her tutorial (link below) I made the beads pictured above. But never fear, the most exciting part was yet to come. I have been wanting to make ammonite halves ever since I realised the possibilities of polymer clay but hadn't had time to try and work out how to get the patterns. As soon as I saw this technique it all just fell into place and the results of my first attempt are pictured below.


I haven't entirely neglected my lentils this week though, as the following picture will show. Plus I managed to make my first Goddess pendants and a sneak peak of these can be seen on my Dragonflight Designs fan page. Polymer clay just seems to have gotten under my skin and I'm addicted - could it be that I have I found my ultimate craft?



Carol's shop is at http://www.folksy.com/shops/carolscrafts
Find the Stacker tutorial at http://www.ovenfriedbeads.com/stackertutorial.htm
Find my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/DragonflightDesigns