I call 'em mandala style doodles.

But Jeannie Havel (pcPolyzine) called them Balinese filigree with a twist. You say potato, I say potahto... I think what really makes me excited is that not only do I love making them and love how they turned out, other people do, too!! What more could an artist ask for? And if - if!! - someone else is inspired in some way by what I've made, then JOY!!

Hearts side one

Hearts side two

Flat-backed cabs

Mom. I'll love you forever.

Heart Insert

Last Saturday, my mother passed away. She had a long, slow disease called dementia. It's a terrible disease that takes a person away in pieces. I took care of her for almost 3 years, but she spent the last 2 years in a very good nursing home, with caring nurses and nurse's aides. They did not have an easy job - mom was combative, anxious, angry and frightened. I wanted to do something to express my gratitude to her caregivers.

So I made polymer clay hearts, of course.

Thank-you hearts

Esther Cronk, circa 1970?

This is how I like to remember her. This photo is from when she was in her 40's. She looks so happy. This is the picture I'm keeping in my head forever. I love you mom.
Obituary For: Esther R. Cronk | Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory

Artisan Beaders Heart Treasury

What comes from the heart goes to the heart!
This treasury features two of my "Hearts to God" listings, as well as listings from my fellow Artisan Beaders....

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=22565

Hearts to God section in my Etsy store

Click on this photo to go to the "Hearts to God" section in my etsy store!My husband is the minister of a small Episcopal church in Rantoul, Illinois, St. Christopher Church. The proceeds from "Hearts to God" listings go into our deacon's discretionary fund which helps people in our community and in our church who need emergency assistance.

Polly want a cracker?

In the user group Tranquil Beading Oasis on ebay, the inspirational muse photo was of a parrot. I decided to try my hand at a little sculpting on a bead, creating a parrot on a heart.

I have to say, I'm pleased with the result!

What I do when I'm not blogging....

I guess that would be too long for a blog post... or too short?

Not much, I'm afraid. I have been creating some beads, so I'll share 'em with you. This part of the pile 'o' beads I made recently has been sanded, but not dremel-buffed yet:

And this pile is probably going to stay matte:

And this little pile is going to get a good sanding tomorrow 'cause it's been playing in the mud (acrylic paint) *smile*:

Hearts to God Lime sparkle & tangerine bloom

Hearts to God Lime sparkle & tangerine bloom
Originally uploaded by jaelsjewels

Of all the newer hearts I've made, I confess... I love this one best. It speaks to me of summer, of sherbet....

And it sparkles!!

If I can part with it, it will go up for auction or get listed somewhere....

Hearts to God Charity Auction - fleurs du coeur

I love the way this heart feels - I decided not to buff it up, leaving it with a satin finish. So soft...

I'm trying to get some charity auctions listed - we are getting calls (our church, to our home) from people stranded in the cold. I forgot what a pain listing was... that's how long it has been since I listed!

This heart is listed on Just Beads.com. I decided to be brave and start it at 99 cents... hope I'm not sorry!

And one more to add, mokume gane using Kato Polyclay and silver and gold leafing... also a charity auction on justbeads.com.

side one & side two

Merry Christmas

Brought Hershey and Georgia bunnies in to the vet for a regular check/recheck, and they got a clean bill of health. Georgia has a heart murmur that we keep an eye on. Hershey had his teeth checked (what teeth he has left) and got a bit of a shave to his backside, to get rid of some mats... enough said...

So, tonight is our Christmas eve service, and the weather does not look like it will be bad. The tree is up, a few presents purchased and wrapped, Christmas day promises to be a peaceful and uneventful one. I hope the same goes for everyone. Happy holidays and a very merry Christmas!

Thirty three hearts

Scanned hearts. They are really going to be mailed tomorrow. Really!!

Another day...

Spent half of the day taking my son to get his wisdom teeth out/filling prescriptions/making sure he iced his jaw, changing gauze, etc. He's doing well.

And tonight I finally got the rest of the the hearts "hooked" and ready to send out to Linda for our military and service personel. I think I'm kinda tired!! Maybe tomorrow I'll actually clay...

Hearts and Snow

We had a bit of a snow storm yesterday and last night. Six inches fell, and we chose to cancel out church service ahead of time - small church, lots of elderly folks, unsafe driving and walking!

I made a dozen more hearts 4 heroes hearts. The picture is not very good - and about half of them were in need of sanding at the time of photographing. This is the total I have made so far.

My son is having his wisdom teeth out tomorrow - time for bed!!

Some things just work..

I'm still at my parents' house, perusing my old auction photos.

This heart just "worked". I have not been able to duplicate this translucency or the metallic red to my satisfaction. Maybe I'm not meant to? (Riiiight!) Actually, I'm pretty sure I used Premo bleached translucent (now Frost), and didn't use it in its pure form in a cane again because once it cooled it tended to crack and resist reduction. But gosh, it sure is clear...

I loved that translucent flower. I think I remember how I made it.

I'm not the kind of person who documents what I do, and I'm not the kind of cook who follows a recipe to the letter. I like to think it's because I like the SURPRISE! factor. However, it doesn't make me a very good teacher I suppose... I'm likely to say "try it and see how it works" when a person asks me exactly what would happen "if" or what proportions I used to make a color.

If something goes terribly wrong, I don't know how to avoid it. Oh, and when I do something I like.... I don't know how to duplicate it!

First batch...

Hearts 4 Heroes, unsanded, fresh from the oven.

I won't be claying for the next six days or so - I'll be at my parents' house and I don't want to drag too much stuff there. I'll be trying to help out while I'm there, so I didn't want to bring too much temptation, either (wink).

Hearts 'n' Butterflies, oh my!

I've been going nuts making hearts. I love forming them, and don't even mind sanding them. I wonder what it is about the shape that is so appealing?

I generally create and sell hearts to make money for our church's deacon's fund for those in need. Look for these on Just Beads or perhaps on Etsy!!

And of course, the ever present butterflies. Some day I will run out of the canes and it will force me to make more.

Tonight, I made and baked more hearts. The National Polymer Clay Guild newsletter came via email today, and there is a mention of a charitable place hearts can be sent... more reasons to make hearts? Be still MY heart!!

It's called Hearts for Heroes, and the hearts go to our troops. I don't think we should be in Iraq, but we ARE there, and I believe our troops must maintain their morale in order to do the best job they possibly can.

Also check out this link for more information: It's Jest 'er Clay

Okay, time for bed.

Chrysanthemum heart

Front and back of one of the beads I made with a chrysanthemum cane last night. I like to make things "my own", so I added some of my new flower cane.

I really like the randomness of the chrysanthemum cane slices. It has the look of swirling clouds or fog. When the bead is raw, I really can't tell exactly how the layers will appear, so each bead is a surprise. Sometimes it's a good surprise, like this heart. Sometimes, not so much!

Chrysanthemum cane revisited

Sometimes I just have to go back to the "basics" and have fun playing around with simple canes. I have always absolutely loved Elissa's Chrysanthemum cane. I've also loved the hearts she made with them:

So tonight, I made a couple of new canes... and the beads are in the oven curing as I type.

Tomorrow, I might make a few jellyroll canes. Translucent ones, solid ones... who knows?

Oh, yeah, and inbetween continue to stack and sweep and clear the room for my mother in law's visit!

Wraparound Butterflies

Some butterflies wrapped around beads....

My heart is aching for my friend, Becca, who just lost her mom to cancer. Hard to imagine saying good-bye to a mom, so Becca... may these butterflies, a symbol of resurrection, help lift you from your grief and give you hope.

Time to start listing again...

I promised myself I'd get something listed, at least one in each of my "venues": Ebay, Just Beads.com and Etsy. This one is the Just Beads offering.

And this heart is being offered on Etsy.


Listing is such a long process sometimes. Often it seems to take longer to set something up to list than it does to make the bead... or at least that's how it is when you haven't listed for ages, I suppose. Oh, and when you decide to change what your template looks like...

Ebay's listing is in a previous post - the basketweave floral.

Slipping in a few beads...

Beads I made and contributed to a progressive style of bead and finding "swap":

Slip Slidin' Away
by Paul Simon

God only knows, God makes his plan
The information's unavailable to the mortal man
We work our jobs, collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway
When in fact we're slip sliding away

Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip sliding away

I guess that "slipping in beads" could mean more than one thing... I feel like I'm "slipping in" more than beads these days!

My mother is making her recovery from surgery in fits and starts. This past weekend my dad found her on the floor next to the bed at home, she had tried to get out of bed without help... at the hospital they found fluid around her lungs/heart, so she spent a few days there.

Now mom has to spend some time at a nursing facility again, and it's disappointing and discouraging to her. Rough on my dad, too.

As I tell her to be patient, let her body recover, I feel like I'm also trying to tell myself the same thing... to be patient with life, sit back and find the good in each day, no matter how difficult that may be.

Slippin' in beads. Slip slidin' away....