tarot of the day

Tarot Card: Two of Swords
Character: Pat
Upright Meaning: Friendship. A true friend who shines through in a tough situation.
Reversed Meaning: Falsehood. A friend who fails you at a critical time. Dishonesty.
Questions: Who is your best ally in this situation? What are his/her motives?
Advice: Be careful not to take advantage of a relationship for your own personal gain. Take the advice of a friend or give a piece of good advice to someone who needs it.

Well, the question of the day is sort of a "what now?" Pat. She's a busybody for sure. She has so much going at a time that one assumes she's trying to hide from real life in empanadas and The Deep End of the Ocean. But she has a good heart. Too bad she ends up a zombie demon and gets taken out with a shovel.

What struck me, not surprisingly, at first glance was the necklace. Here it is. I wish I could find a better photo.

I love big jewelry. I think I will go make some.

necklaces!

The good thing about spending 10 years making beads is that then you can make a necklace that has one of each. Well, OK, not really, because that necklace would be about 4 miles long...


Rainbow necklace
Length: 30 inches (76 cm)
No clasp
Beads: polymer clay canework, glass, wood, metal, vintage, plastic, Swarovski crystal
------------


And this set I made for myself. It has a variety of wood, glass, vintage, metal, shell and other beads. The focal beads are polymer clay with a simple jellyroll canework design.

Name that tune #14

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Hint: this one is from a children's movie of yesteryear, one of my favorites!
Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): NightMaiden, RosemaryAlonso, bndesigns, TheSweetSpot, peylu, starkspots, Mattson, buttonempire, huntersdesigns, pacro, chimeracreation and afewminutes. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool.All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

Beans with curry

Here's a tasty dish I made last night - vegetarian, healthy and fabulous!


Saute chopped sweet onion in olive oil.

Add spices: curry, coriander, garlic powder (fresh probably would have been better!) and black pepper.
Add: 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, about 1 cup frozen peas.

Cook.

The Scoobies have been framed

Sometimes I play at a livejournal community called still_grrr, wasting time with fanfic and fanart and generally being a fangirl. Anyway, this week's prompt was basically to insert yourself into the story or art. So I put Buffy and pals into DivaDea photo frames. Heehee!





If you want a frame, go to divadea.etsy.com. If you want photos of the Scooby gang around your house like they're your friends and family? Well, I can't really help you with that. But if you find a good therapist, perhaps you could give me a referral...

tarot treasury

tarot treasury, originally uploaded by divadea.

I just made this treasury on etsy, after looking at practically every listing with the "tarot" tag - there aren't actually that many. There are only a few tarot artists on etsy, but the ones who are there are amazing. Anyway, you can click here to see the actual treasury for the next few days until it disappears.I am really itching to make an original tarot deck.

I mean an actual art one (though I do love and adore my own personal Buffy tarot deck). I have all these ideas and I can't decide how to begin. The options are polymer clay canework, polymer clay not canework, flat collage, 3-d collage-->photos, drawing/painting, all of the above... I also like the idea of making a photographed deck, perhaps out of modern urban-type images, but I am no photographer, nor do I even own a decent camera. I have never in my life experienced a shortage of ideas. Often, though, I have so many that I become paralyzed and have trouble figuring out where to start! Plus a project that's likely to take years rather than hours is a bit daunting. Why make them? Not because I think I can divine my future. I think it's because, first of all, I love things that come in sets, especially art things. Plus, each card (in the making and the interpreting) is like responding to a prompt - yes, there are rules and definitions, but the actual interpretation is up to the artist.

workshop fun

This weekend's DivaDea polymer clay workshop was at St. John's Coffee Cafe in Camp Hill, PA. We made bud vases.



We started out by making canes - a spiral (or jellyroll) and/or a lacework cane. Both are fairly simple canework processes. While our canes "chilled out" we sculpted vessels out of "junk clay" (the ends and mess-ups and extra clay that I accumulate as I work). Then we sliced the canes and applied the slices carefully to our vessels.

The finished products got taken home by the students for baking.


This bud vase turned out great. The back is flat, so magnets can be added and it can hang on the fridge.


This student opted for a stand-alone pot instead of a hanging bud vase. I love the way she placed her lace canework to make the vessel look a bit like stone walls.

Click here for a complete schedule of upcoming workshops in the Central PA area.

Name that tune, song #13

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): Stonebrash, tinycravings, Odannysgirl, gwenwalls, PipsJewellery, TheRoaster, kidsizzle, kckd, brainscan, oldsouldesign, artifactory, Jsandquist, juditavill, tracyscandlecreation, dbabcock and TheCozyCorsetCuff. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool.All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

behold the cute!

Just a few photos of my nephews from a month or so ago.


Here they are learning the joys of capitalism


Little JW in his favorite position. I think he's saying, "look how cute my tummy is!"


And big brother joins in the polymer clay fun.
Me: What color do you want?
J: Brown.
Me: Really?
J: Brown.
Well, he got gold and black, too, because that's what I was working with. It struck me funny, since most kids will choose bright colors. He's obviously going to grow up to be tasteful instead of dressing like a clown a la moi...

polymer clay meets elegance

Polymer clay is an interesting medium in that it can be used by all ages to create everything from cutesy crafts to fine art and anything in between. I'm featuring a few items of the amazingly elegant variety today.


This is a flower necklace by beadworx. Can you believe those petals are made of polymer clay?



This is Mirror to the Soul by tejaesart - a gorgeous sculpture within a sculpture.


This is a mosaic entitled Koi Pond by hardflower studios. It's made of over 100 individual handmade polymer clay tiles. Wow!

tarot of the day

Simple reading: situation/me/outcome
Hmmm, all three minor arcana, all inverted.
Page of Swords: imposter, spy, betrayal
Six of Coins: selfishness
Eight of Cups: fulfillment, moving on

This sweet bag by faeryspellcreations is where I keep this particular tarot deck.

Bailey Clock

Bailey Clock, originally uploaded by divadea.

A wooden photo frame with the center filled in. Canework rolled smooth and flat for the petals and layered canework to make the middle textured. Battery included :)

Name that tune #12

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat, and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): Knitonyourlife, Fabletoo, rhymeswithmagic, fieldsofcolor, Freshline, StokesGalleries, MutantAngel, synchronicity313, micawber, ashleyg, ArchipelagoArts, aBreathofFrenchair, timberlineltd, Aussiepatches, seedsstudio and peggmackodesigns. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool.
All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

And here's the April prize - a one-of-a-kind textured polymer clay pendant in metallic blue.

a few good eggs

April's polymer clay challenge, as you know if you've come within a mile of me lately, was covered eggs. The challenge is over, the winners announced, and the cool prize packs sent, so now I'm going to show my favorites.

To be honest, I looked closely and marveled over every single egg this time - they're just so cool!

But my 2 favorites are:

Waldo by beastlies. Here's a link to her flickr photos. These little creatures are too adorable for words, and each one is cuter than the last.

Chameleon by papernclay. This is just so clever. What a great idea, and so well executed!

The next challenge theme is floral stuff. Since flowers are a very popular subject when it comes to polymer clay, this should be a good one!

Roses Frame

Roses Frame, originally uploaded by divadea.

Square wooden frame "upholstered" in polymer clay rose canework.

Where to find me - online and in the real world

Online:
Etsy


Shops in Central PA
Pink Andie Beads
18 West Coover Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055


Craft Shows coming up:
Women's Music Festival
Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA
Saturday, September 20, 2008
1:00 to 9:00 PM

Lancaster Eastern Market
Holiday Weekend
Lancaster, PA
December 6 and 7, 2008
10:00 to 4:00

DivaDea Workshops Come to You!

Do you have a girl scout troop? A crafting circle? A group of friends? A birthday party or shower to plan? Do you live in Central PA?

If so, then consider inviting me to your house or event to teach a polymer clay workshop. I provide all materials and tools - all you have to do is show up ready to learn and make your own beautiful, one-of-a-kind project.

Prices vary according to project and distance and generally range from $15 to $30 per person, with volume discounts available.

Email me at admin@divadea.com to schedule your polymer clay event.

What can you make? Lots of stuff! Here's a partial list to get started. Feel free to contact me with your own ideas, too.

Note: Most of these projects can be tailored to work for children or adults, from beginner to advanced skill levels.

Polymer Clay Workshop Topics:

Beads, all sorts

• Canework flowers, spirals, geometric patterns, pictures

• Mica shift technique
• Faux lampwork

Buttons


Pendants, several techniques

• Canework

• Goddesses

• Textured

• Bottles/vessels

• Decoupage
• Mica shift

Photo frames

• Mokume gane technique

• Canework

• Mosaic

Decorative housewares

• Light switch plates

• Magnetic bud vase

• Magnets

• Covered trinket boxes

• Clocks
• Vessels, covered bottles, vases, pots

• Business card couches

Seasonal items

• Valentines

• Christmas ornaments

• Autumn/Halloween canework

• Covered eggs (canework or animals)

Mosaic art and wall hangings


Runes


Jewelry with your own handmade beads

• Knotted pendant necklace

• Earrings
• Brooches
• Bracelets
• Wire-wrap rings