Thursday, May 14, 2009

Trying to Find a Yarn Store


There are so many to choose from; yarn stores that is. I think yarn people are kind of funny. The local yarn shop bluntly said something about not catering to weavers, they do have beautiful yarn and a nice selection. I'll go again when I know more about weights, etc. I found an on line store that I really like but their customer service stinks. I put some yarn on a wish list for myself and told my daughter where to find it. She ordered off my wish list but MY credit card was charged! Customer service seems to think I gave her my password or SOMETHING, or we used the same computer and my info was saved, not so....blah! I had to play around like crazy to get my credit card off of their web...pretend like I'm ordering and then click on to purchase and then that's when my credit card number came up and I had to delete it from there. Kind of an Internet nightmare waiting to happen. So anyway, she ordered again off my wish list and the shipping list in the package says that both tubes of linen are 20/2 but it doesn't look that way to me, I think one must be 10/2. At least I didn't have to pay for this gift! I think I'll have to find another favorite yarn store though. Open to suggestions! Thanks for letting me whine.
This morning is foggy at the beach, I can hardly see across the street, guess it's going to be hot just across the bay today!!!
I will have some bowls, etc. to post photos of in the coming days, I believe that the big gas kiln was fired while I wasn't looking and should be cool enough to open today...I hope!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Congratulations Read the Letter!!
















I am so glad they didn't mess around and just said, "Congratulations". The show I applied to get into accepted me! Time for another happy dance!!! Or is it? What have I gotten myself into now. Who remembers "Life of Riley"? He had a line often stating something about what a revolting development he found himself in. While I don't feel revulsion, I am somewhat wary!

This is a 50/50 show. I will make 50 pieces of wall art (clay) in 50 days.


Friday I will pick up 49 6" panels (mdf, that is a compressed fake wood I think)...well, the 50th panel is 7"; reserved for some special creation I guess. Monday, May 18th is day one. Hmmm, what will happen when I am away from home? Hmmm, how shall I count the days....creation day or final firing day? Creation day I have decided. I'll talk to the 50/50 "powers that be" about this consideration since clay is so SPECIAL it needs special rules I guess.


This is my friend Xiamara, she tells me she is from Cooba and she speaks Spanish to me, bless her heart, she actually thinks that someday I'll be fluent and she won't have to speak English to me! She laughs and calls this her cheekin she is making. It turned out better than fantastic. I will eventually get the final cheekin photographed...eventually...

Home Depot brings out the worst in me and I absolutley love hardware stores, I think Home Depot deserves its own categor . I know I'll need a special adhesive to anchor stray clay art pieces to my mdf and I know what I want and I know that Home Depot has it. My mermaiden maker friend, Linda Fahey is an adhesive expert and I trust what she tells me about anchoring anything to anything. PC-11 is the ticket, what else is on my list? Spray paint perhaps; I don't know what color these fake wood panels are but my guess is that they need to be black for my purpose; or is it white?

Let the fun begin...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

More Eye Candy From CCACA

Wish I had taken photos of everything but, alas...here are a couple more anyway!
My friend, Mary sold one of her pieces at the show and that's always nice, YAY for Mary!!! Today is another clay day, the last day of "wet clay" for the classroom situation, I think I'll make some tumblers for iced tea for myself~I'll fire in the gas kiln to a stoneware temp. and they'll shrink down to doll sized tea glasses probably...
I have some funky warp on my loom, learning about color combinations on my own might be disastrous. I did buy a book about color (love to buy books) but I really need to do it and experience the thrill of defeat I guess. The colors are fine...brown, off white, yellow and turquoise, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. They are weaving ok, better than I thought when just looking at the warp actually. I have yet to dress my loom perfectly the first time through. Maybe I never will. This time I had a couple of strands crossed between the reed and heddles and a couple of spots with too many strands through one dent; things like that...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

CCACA California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Arts

What a great conference. And I only saw "most" of the student exhibitions. And I have found a town I really like a lot. A town with a hometown sort of feel; Davis. Lots of trees, maybe that's what really sucked me in, tons of little eateries since it's a college town and cars that didn't aim for me when I crossed the street!
Anyhoo, if a picture is worth a thousand words then here is 3,000 words!