oh yes, and I failed to mention that early this month, the latest issue of Step by Step Beads arrived- with my "turning over a new leaf" necklace both in the magazine and as a download from their webpage - the trick to my necklace is that each side is finished differently- one in a combination of several canes on gold, black or copper colored leaves. The edges of each leaf are covered with 18K gold, and 18K gold line drawings are made on the "backs" of some of the leaves. So the necklace can go from wild and funky during the day to sophisticated and elegant in the evening. Doing the article was an interesting experience, with lots of help from a great editor, Jane Dickenson.

I've been out of touch for a while now. My lovely mother passed away mid-August and after a mad trip back to "home" (Jamestown, NY) for a quick memorial service, and all the assorted issues of winding up a very small estate, I've fallen into "a slump". But as of today, I'm hoping to get back on track. On the agenda is finishing up my 3 projects for the Art Clay Sr Certification program - a ring, a pendant and a brooch. while the design is important, finish is the name of the game.
the pendant requires a bezel set stone, the ring a fire in place stone with carving and the brooch requires flat clay with a mirror finish- actually all 3 pieces require mirror finish on any flat surface. being an organic kind of artist, the mirror finish presents particular challenges for me.

I've fiddled with design issues for the past month, and tips I picked up at the Metal Clay World Conference in Las Vegas had set my mind reeling. So today I work with Metal Clay fabrication - and tomorrow and Sunday I run off for a polymer clay seminar- with Dan Cormier - down in Lexington.