The Wigglebutt Blog

Yeah...... I know I suck at blogging☺ But I'm a busy, busy gal☺☺  I seriously started this necklace over a year ago and  finally finished it. Whew!☺  This is another Nicole Hanna tutorial. I'm really heavy handed when I work with wire and I am really trying to get more used to working with thinner gauges without breaking the wire every time I touch it☺ Most of Nicole's tutorials call for 22g and 28g so it's really good practice for me.  Some polymer clay components by me☺ Keeping it simple again so I can keep up.

Just a quicky to show you my piece for Week 22. I actually followed the theme for this week which was "My Favorite Flower" Polymer clay flowers with swarovski crystal 'stamens' My favorite flower is a fuchsia called  "Swingtime" This pic is from 2010. I try to have at least one of these every year. Love♥

Another piece with my polymer beads. I have had a pile of them laying around and I figured I should probably use them for something . I really like the color combination. When I made them I was just playing around with combinations and didn't really keep track of the clays I used to get these colors:( So now I am "playing around" again, but this time I am documenting my steps and hopefully I will come up  with the same or, at least similar, color combos. I'm thinking of making more beads for the shop . I plan on doing a bunch of different shapes and thicknesses. Some with holes and some without. What size or shape would you be interested in? Would you prefer the hole to run top to bottom or side to side? Or no hole at all?

Be warned... I'm feeling a bit chatty☺ So.... A few  weeks ago Hubby decided  that he needed faster internet. (we really don't, but he thinks we do. If it's available he's got to have it) (I seriously think it's a guy thing.  What.ever.) So a couple of weeks ago they came out to upgrade the  lines so we could get the faster speeds, per my husband's request.  They did the "outside work" on Tuesday the 23rd and they would be out on Saturday to do the "inside work". After they were done messing with the wiring on Tuesday (while we were both at work) we had NO internet connection. I was patient ~ Hubby was apologetic and we waited until Saturday, at which time we found out that we had the wrong wiring coming  from the "source" to the house and that they don't do anything "structure to structure" so WE would have to run the correct wiring before they could proceed. (Apparently the guys tha...

Just a quick YOJ post today☺ I cheated just a little. I made the bears a few weeks ago but just got around to making them into earrings this week, so technically it counts☺ And since this weeks prompt was ~ Multiples ~ they fit right in.  Polar Bears with Northern Lights I've been working on my first order for the gallery , (I still can't get over how exciting that is to me☺)  a small intial order due this week, with an 80 piece order that has to be ready by the end of March. So far production is going well except that every time I work with clay  I get distracted by ideas of things to make or experiments to try☺ So, to maintain focus, I am just keeping a notebook handy to write down ideas I want to try after the orders are filled☺

I am really loving this project (so far anyway). It is giving me the incentive that I need to create something new  every week AND it gives me at least one interesting thing to blog about at least once a week☺ I finally got to break out the clay (I really miss it when I don't have time to play with it) I had a request for a small earring version of some "Alaskana" pins and magnets I made a while ago. So I made a couple sets of each... Then I made a few more Bears.....  and I think I will make a few more whales... just because☺ I also signed up for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party I'm supposed to have the beads I'm sending to my partner mailed by Feb. 10 and I have no idea what I want to send!! I'm also working on re-doing a man's necklace. I've never really done "masculine" jewelry, so this should be really interesting. I am taking the medallion from an existing 'choker...

My first challenge☺ You can call me Chicken Girl if you want, but I have never entered a "Challenge" before. I guess I have always been afraid of getting ~ 0 ~ votes. No voting involved in this one, as far as I can tell, and even if there was, what's the worst that can happen?  No one can "take away my birthday"  (I get older next week by the way☺) so I figured ~ why not go for it! There are two categories~ A finished piece:  Love the way these came out;~)  Asymmetrical earrings using my polymer clay leaves wire wrapped to hammered copper washers with a lamp work bead from my fav Juls. The second category ~  Handmade component:  More polymer clay leaves using a different surface treatment. So, I guess I'm entering two challenges☺ Hey, even the Cowardly Lion stepped up to plate eventually, right? ~Baby steps~

I have been extremely f***ing uninspired the last couple of months. As you could probably tell by the major lack of posts lately;( After all of the yard work was done for the year, the weather got (stayed) crappy. *i.e. Record snow fall last winter, a late spring, coldest July on record, earliest snow fall that I can remember in the 20 years I've been here Sept. 30th* Other stuff happened and I just haven't wanted to do much "making", but the last couple of weeks I have felt almost desperate to make something ~anything. But I just couldn't get interested in starting anything. So I decided to do some more of these . And I just couldn't come up with a good color combo that I liked, (yea, I know, I'm tired of the whining too. And I am totally done with it except to say that it has been raining for a solid week and hot flashes suck! OK, I'm done) So I went here , go there , you need to go there . And I found this...

Let me start by telling you that I DO NOT make polymer clay canes. I totally don't have the patience. I love the way they look, I have a lot of respect for people who do caning,  but it's just not for me. I do not have the patience. I do crochet though. I hear ya... What does that have to do with anything????? Well, a few of the polymer blogs that I follow have been talking about  this cool Granny Square cane . I have been wanting to put a bit of a handle on my crochet hooks for a while now, the hand can get a little 'crampy' holding onto those little suckers. Especially since I do my crocheting in the evening, AFTER I am done either working on the computer all day (my day job) and/or conditioning and sculpting with clay or doing some sort of wire work. Anyway, you get the idea... my hands aren't as young as they used to be☺ And how cute would it be to have a handle of a crochet hook made out of granny squares??? So I...

I haven't listed very many new things to Etsy in a while  and I forgot how much work it really takes☺ Today and yesterday I listed some of these....  SOLD  Some of these.... And.... some of these...... I have a ton of other things I need to get listed but I just can't stand the thought of sitting in front of the computer another minute LOL! I think I will grab a snack and wander over to my clay table☺ Oh... and Happy Anniversary Honey! 18 years and counting♥

Now that the weather has turned  ~ less than nice, I am spending a lot more time inside and apparently I decided to trash the place......again.  My Bead Soup is back there in the corner on that bead board on top of that box  behind all of those open drawers. Apparently I have forgotten everything my mother taught me about  putting things away when I am done with them. But since I am not done with them I guess it's OK. I have started on my bead soup project, but I have to admit that I am glad we are doing a 4 day weekend over Labor Day so that I have some quality time to spend. I really want it to be awesome;~) Work table is also trashed. I've been working on some faux ceramic pendants and beads. I've been mixing alot of different colors of liquid clay that I  use for the 'glaze' on the 'faux ceramic' pendants and beads. I learned the hard way that depending on what I use to color the liquid clay,  the color can change dr...

They arrived! I just read that the Bead Soup that I sent to Shannon of   http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/ has arrived, so I can now reveal what was in the package. I wanted to make it as special as I could so I made everything myself. Polymer clay "Succeed" focal and beads, paper beads, itty bitty beaded leaves. Two clasps (the 'toggle' is reversible, the other side is stamped "try again") and various links and doodads all made from steel.