The Monday collection - Santa Claus is coming to town

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

I can't help it, I love Christmas carols, no matter if it's the traditional ones or the modern ones and at this time of year they bounce through my head constantly!

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The Monday collection - Veggies galore

It's really dangerous to make a collection with yummy looking veggie items, I was so craving food afterwards which is hard if you are looking at a very empty fridge!

I'm not sure the task of cooking would be easier with these veggies around, they are not very nutritious, but so much fun!

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The Monday collection - Stripes, stripes, stripes

From socks to zebra butts you'll find all kinds of stripey fun in this collection. I admit my favorite are the zebra butts ;-)

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The Monday collection - Breakfast anyone?

What breakfast type are you?

There are people who need a quiet breakfast and their newspaper, there are the runners who only grab a quick bite on the way out, there are those believing in a healthy breakfast with all important ingredients to give them a good start into the day, there are those who try not to fall asleep in their coffee cup, there are those who prefer it sweet and those who prefer it hearty ... but no matter what type you are, I bet you never had a breakfast like this one!

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The Monday collection - Old MacDonald had a farm

.... and here are all his animals. There's not really much to say about this collection, it speaks for itself and I had big fun putting it together!

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And a little extra for all of those who love Donald as much as I do!

Thank you, Veevid4u!

The Monday collection - Good manners

Good manners - the noise you don't make when you're eating soup ~ Bennett Cerf

This reminds me of the scene from the movie "Clue" when they eat the soup. Hilarious. I could never take that one for the quote of the week post because I would have to show a video of it, but I love Madeline Kahn as .... oops, digressing once again.

I like soup, I really do and sometimes I have a sudden craving for it. That's why I set out to look for soupy items on ArtFire. Just look what I found!

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The Monday collection - Ribbit ... ribbit ...

Of all the summer nights I spent at the farm of my godmother's parents as a child, I remember one in particular. We had that big campfire in the garden (I was about 7, it seemed very big to me), it was warm, the food was good, the children were running around, the grown-ups were talking ... and in the background you could hear the frogs and the crickets sing.

Oh, and there was the one time we went to the lake in the woods and there were all those little frogs on the path, so many of them. Okay, maybe they were toads, I didn't really care then, all that mattered was they were so cute.

This collection was made in memory of childhood summer nights. I found some great things, go check them out!

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The Monday collection - I vant to suck your blood

Today is Halloween and I think it wouldn't be Halloween without vampires (again my first time celebrating comes to mind and I almost started telling you about it, but I remembered just in time I already did before). We had the bats and now we have the human, but undead kind.

So enjoy and I wish you all ....

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The Monday collection - A black cat crossing your path ...

... signifies that the animal is going somewhere.

Pretty smart of you to say that, Groucho Marx. Of course it could also be that said black cat crosses your path back and forth whining like a baby to get your attention and ... oops, I think I was a little distracted here by something that is happening right this minute and that will make me need a straightjacket if it goes on for much longer ...

I proudly present some great black cats, #5 of my Halloween collections.

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The Monday collection - Quoth the raven, Nevermore

Even if you maybe don't know the full text of Poe's The Raven (I know I don't), you have probably heard of it.

Ravens might not be the first creatures you think of when thinking of Halloween, but they make a great addition, so it's them to whom I dedicated #4 of my Halloween collections.

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The Monday collection - Children of the night

Some people are freaked out by them, I think they are beautiful and fascinating - bats. I'm sorry that the three that lived in our neighborhood for a weeks some years ago didn't want to (couldn't?) stay, I could have watched them for hours.

Oh, and I still want to apologize to bats for the embarrassing picture I made in school. We had to make a bat by glueing screws, nails, bolts and stuff to a piece of black cardboard. You might remember that glue and I are no friends. Poor bat. Had it been alive, it probably would have been laughed at by its peers. Sorry ...

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The Monday collection - BOO!!

Can you hear the chains rattle? Is that a shadow over there? What's that unearthly moaning?

Maybe you have ghosts!!

If they are as adorable as these, I don't think you have to fear anything, though!

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The Monday collection - Witchy times

No matter if you celebrate it or not, Halloween is coming nearer. That was the perfect reason for me to make the first of more Halloween collections to come.

I had someone special in mind when making this one *waving to "my" Granny Weatherwax* Have fun with the witches!

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The Monday collection - Trees

I decided that from now on I'll try to curate a collection on ArtFire each week to share it with you. There are really cool items to be found you know, and this will be my excuse to do some extensive weekend browsing and go ooooh and aaaah - and maybe lose control one or the other time and get something for myself ;-)

So today I'll give you - THE LARCH! Nah, not really. I just couldn't resist because I love to say it. And it inspired me to make this tree collection. Enjoy!

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Oh dear, it's Monday ...

... and all I can think of is sleeping.

How I wish I was one of these cats!

 

Watch out, it's cat sleeping gas - an ArtFire collection (click the link for more information, unfortunately my blog layout doesn't like the large collection layouts ...)

Beginnings

It's funny, but I really struggle with this week's subject for the Polymer Clay Smooshers' blogring. If it was spring now, it would be a lot easier, I guess. New flowers, leaves, the world awakening again.

The year's beginning is not of that much importance to me, though. To me really it is just another day, all that has changed is a number in the year. This is not supposed to sound depressed or anything, I just don't like to pin changes to a certain day.

So I'm going to shamelessly steal an idea I have seen several times before and feature shops that didn't have a sale on ArtFire yet. Believe me, I just don't understand why. You are in for a trip through some great studios. Ready, set, go!

Let's start with this beautiful pendant by Jill Kollmann Designs. Don't you just love those rich, earthy tones?

Art Deco is one my very favorite styles. This lovely bracelet with its geometric design reminds me strongly of it. You can find it in the studio of 11 Bold Street.

I rarely make beads although I love them and I admire anyone who creates them. Janine Design has done a great job here. The green in these beads almost makes me forget there is snow outside!

Lynard Skynyrd is a turtle, an adorable one. He swims in the K. Bish Gallery, but I'm sure he would love to see something of the world!

Ready for some browsing of your own? I'll leave you alone then. Here are the cookies, here's some cocoa. How about lighting a candle and diving into the beauty of polymer clay?

The thirtieth door - the year is drawing to an end

So 2010 is coming to an end and I want to say Goodbye with a big Year's End Sale in all my shops.

No matter if you look on ArtFire, Zibbet or DaWanda, you'll get 20 % off on all items.

I hope to see you over in 2011! ;-)

The sixteenth door - Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Let's face it - the most fun I have in winter is sitting inside with some hot chocolate or chai and look outside. If you haven't understood that by now, I guess you haven't read all my advent calendar posts ;-)

The sky in a cold winter night however is something you shouldn't experience from the inside. Why there is a difference for me between a winter and a summer sky I don't know, but half of the fun is feeling the tip of your nose freezing, burying your hands deeply in your coat pockets, inhaling deeply, making your throat burning from the cold air, longing for some hot beverage and look up there ... to feel very small, very humble and thoroughly grateful for being part of this planet when seeing the millions of stars some of which have been gone themselves while their light is still travelling ...

If you insist on staying inside, though, I got some more stars for you. Click on the picture to get taken to the original collection on ArtFire.

The ninth door - a shimmer on the tree

Ornaments - they come in all colors, materials, shapes. But what do you know about the history of Christmas ornaments? Christmas trees used to be adorned with mostly edible pieces in the beginning. There were sugar figures, apples, nuts, gingerbread and marzipan. Some families still follow that tradition today. Then there came the ornaments made from paper, cardboard or cotton wool, sometimes amazingly intricate designs. In Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a Christmas museum and I really loved the vintage ornaments. In the middle of the 19th century finally the glass ornaments that we still know today were invented. Of course there is a legend to it, telling that a glass-blower couldn't afford to buy the expensive apples and nuts and therefore made his own glass ornaments in 1847. There are facts that speak against that. Whoever may have started it, though, at any rate it's fact that a glass-blower's order book from 1848 exists with an order of six dozen Christmas balls in different sizes. This was in Lauscha, a name that is not at all uncommon to lampworkers. Lauscha, a town in Thuringia, is famous for its glass-making and glass-blowing tradition. Discount store owner F. W. Woolworth imported the glass ornaments into the USA around 1880 where they became a big success as well. The Christmas ball, ornament, bauble or whatever you want to call it is still around today. Around mid-20th century in the Western countries the acrylic kind became more popular, due to the fragility of the glass variety (who doesn't remember the typical sound of a glass ornament hitting the floor and shattering to tiny pieces?), but that doesn't mean glass has disappeared from the tree. Different designs have been developed as well, with a touch of whimsy or a little more modern - and still you recognize the beloved old bauble. Check out these examples from ArtFire artisans - ornaments quilted, painted, with beads, with polymer clay, paper, even from wire or felted. Enjoy!

   

Challenges

I like challenges. Creative challenges, that is. The other kind, hm, that depends on my mood and how I feel at the moment. I'm thinking new system at work soon or organizing my household, these challenges I really struggle with.
But creative challenges are good for me. Often enough I amaze myself, not necessarily because I crocheted the Holy Grail out of copper wire (hmm, now that would be something ....) or because I copied Michelangelo's David in polymer clay, but because of the detours my creativity likes to take.

I once saw a report about Picasso on TV. He was painting live, on glass. I am not a fan of Picasso, but I loved watching the process. Where there just had been a rooster, there was something totally different suddenly. I don't remember what it was, but I still see that rooster. Unfortunately there was never a re-run or if there was, I missed it. I would have liked to watch it again, being more prepared to pay attention.

Don't think that I try to compare myself to Picasso now, what I'm trying to say is that this is probably the same for many of us. We start something and suddenly our muse tells us to go right instead left.
Last weekend I started working on another piece for the ugly bead challenge. I'm determined to use up all those beads and I saw it before me, but then I broke the wire. That wouldn't have been a real problem, I could have fixed it easily, but all of a sudden there was this other idea which was perfect for the challenge "Harvest" of Handmade in Europe. Of course I could have finished the other piece first, but sometimes that's just not the way it works.

I present "Candy Apple", a one of a kind piece with the brown "branch" necklace and the apple pendant, including a cute little worm that was the tall guy's idea by the way :-D