This is the third year I've gone to the polymer clay Buckeye Bash held at the Wright-Patterson Airforce Base in the Hope Hotel in Dayton. There are about 40 people (2 men, the rest women) who meet in a large room. We each have a nice area for our own work space. Natalie Harwood always saves me a place across from her. In the immediate area also are Linda Wagar, Linda Ferris, Jill Palumbo and her sister Nancy Blades.

Last year Jill sat beside me and after the Bash we started emailing. She is very talented and I enjoy visiting her flickr site to see what new things she does.

We had a lot of demos this year and I went to most of them. There were two that I knew were going to be more difficult than I wanted to learn. They were canes and I'm not very good at simple canes let alone ones with a lot of steps.

We made poker chips and exchanged them. The poker chips were varied from simple to intricate. We also made rocks, birds, twigs and things of nature to exchange. I exchanged some of my rocks for a bird and a mushroom.

In the brown bag exchange I made an interchangeable bead pendant and received a pair of cane earrings. In the silent auction I bought a set of Egyptian stamps.

I made a fish covering it with extruder flower canes. Linda Wagar saw my flower extruder canes and wanted to know how to do it. I showed her and she told someone else and I showed them and they told several people so I showed them. It was exciting for me to be able to show something new to these people who are so talented.

It was a great weekend - February 18 to 21 - and the weather coming home was great; the roads clear and no snow coming down.

Vertigo

I had great plans for this week. Really wanted to try some new polymer clay effects and even do some work around the house. Monday I woke up to find the world spinning at great rate around my head. To add to that I got violently ill every time I moved.

Clayt couldn't get the doctor on the phone so called 9-1-1. At the hospital, they put some medicine in my IV to stop the dizziness and gave me a pill for the nausea. They did blood work and took a cat scan to check my inner ears.

A couple of hours later I could stand and walk to the car. The pills they gave me caused me to sleep.... and sleep.... and sleep. I slept most of the next two days. When I was up, I staggered from one place to another - couldn't walk in a straight line. I had quit taking the nausea pills but still have a small amount of upset stomach. It's been four days and I still can't walk straight but I'm not going to take the dizzy pills unless it gets really bad again.

I'm sure tomorrow will be a happier day. Since it's my birthday, it better be.

I've gotten so many comments on my polymer clay Christmas Tree Pin I wear on my jacket that I'll have to make something else in other colors. I thought about making one in black, white and silver.
I've been working on some crackled faux raku. I really like the look. I think though that I pre-heated the clay a little more than it needed to be. Part of the pieces crackled too much. Need to add them to the slideshow as soon as I get a good picture.

Such a great Christmas. All the kids and grandkids were here and of course the newest member of the family, Austin, 3 months.
There were a number of technical toys to learn how to run and some of us had fun playing a new game - Funglish (I think). Carly, the English teacher, go that.
Nathaniel and Susie moved home from Colorado this week. They spent Christmas eve with Nathaniel's parents and will spend Christmas afternoon and probably until Monday with Susie's folks. Next week will be spent painting their apartment and moving in.

December 15, 2009

I got the cutest ornament for Great Grandson Austin from http://www.buttonwilloe.etsy.com/. When I show it to relatives, they all say it looks so much like him. Of course it says "Austin" on the hat. I took this from buttonwilloe's store. She does fantastic work. Hard to believe it's polymer clay even though I do a lot of things with polymer clay.

Thanksgiving - November 26, 2009

We went to Robin and Brent's for Thanksgiving dinner. Chris and Sheila were there with Austin. Austin woke up and ate just before our dinner was ready. I fed him and by the time everyone was seated and eating, he finished up and joined us at the table. We had the usual menu for dinner and for dessert we had: pumpkin pie, pecan pie, fudge and Sheila's delicious pumpkin ice cream dessert. I was so full when I finished, but before we left I had another piece of Robin's fudge.
I guess I'll have to exercise tomorrow since I'm not going shopping for Black Friday.

November 19, 2009

Decided to do a little writing today, so I got out my story of My Most Treasured Christmas Ornament and pared it down to 300 words. I'm going to send it in to the Beacon Journal for their ornament memories page.
I also worked on the current novella I'm writing so Cindy Hall (http://www.cynthialhall.com/) can critique them.