Amanda’s Musings

For a while now I have been wanting to try to create beads using a millefiori technique where a realistic rose or flower is created in a cane. These are my first efforts at doing this. I have worked out that I need to be better with my skinner blending to get a better effect and possibly not reduce the cane so much but overall I’m a happy considering its my first go. Its quite a long process from blocks of clay to polished beads.

Here’s the finished canes. The one on the left is the first attempt, second attempt is on the right:

Here are some beads I’ve made using the red rose cane. These are hanging in my drying rack after being dipped in polish. I’ll be baking these and repeating the polish dip process tonight:

Once finished, I will be selling these beads in my Etsy and wahmania stores.

I have spent some time today pairing up pendants in my big pile that are ready to list and listing them in my online stores. I listed 9 pairs and a set of three tonight (a total of 21 pendants). The prices on these are anywhere from $18 per set through to $30 (US) which is a bargain considering I would normally sell these for around that price each strung on a cord. I am hoping to clear out my stock a bit ready for our big move. There is quite a range as you can see from the photos below.

March is almost over but I am continuing to divert all profits towards Camp La Joya for the month of April. I have made just four sales this month so it would be nice to have a bit more to send over to the project. If you are considering spending some money on gifts, feel free to take a browse of my Etsy store (click) which is in US dollars or my wahmania store (Aussie dollars). I am also happy to create custom work for you (as a healthy escape from packing!) so if you see something but would like it in another colour, or even have a completely different or one off style in mind, feel free to contact me.

Here are tonight’s listings:

When my washing machine is imbalanced it beeps loudly. I wish I had a warning like that when I’m imbalanced. : )

I have just discovered that an article I wrote has been published in an Aussie zine called Mix Tape. I wrote a short article about recycling during our time in Niger with SIM, not expecting to be accepted. If you click on the link above you can see the latest issue and how to order it if it takes your fancy.

Quoted from the Mix Tape blog, they describe the zine as:

‘A zine about making time for the small things! mixtapezine is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch!’

You might be wondering what on earth a zine is. According to dictionary.com the answer is:

‘An inexpensively produced, self-published, underground publication.’

Anyway, when I do get a copy of the zine, I’ll take a pic of my article all printed up (if I’m allowed) and put it here.

I have finally remembered to take some photos of the article that I appeared in for Get Creative magazine so here they are. Alongside me is Kate Lightfoot and you can see the links to her work also.

I’ve been trying to get as much packing done as I can before I get too big. Currently I’m at the end of week 23 so I’m still able to get around for a few hours before having to sit down. Let me see, so far I’ve packed:

DVDs
CDs
Photos
Board Games
Unneeded linen
Lots of Toys
Books
Random stuff from the linen cupboard
Some breakables
Photo Frames and Picture Frames
Cookbooks

Ohhhh so much to go but I’ll get there. I’m actually enjoying culling stuff. The recycle bin is overflowing and the pile next to it is ready to fill it up when its emptied. The piles for the local op shop are growing by the day! Michael is gradually losing his study space as it gets piled up with boxes. We actually have just under 10 weeks to go until settlement but by that time I’ll be enormous at 33 weeks so best to get it done now if I can. I’ve actually run out of boxes now!!

I have just listed some new beads in my Etsy shop for sale. Within the first day I sold one set so thats exciting. I can give you an update on how much has been raised so far for Camp La Joya in Peru. So far I have made four sales this month so thats a total of $AUD63.30 or $USD58.00. It costs $40 (US) for a one week camp for one child so this means that a few more sales and I will have enough for two kids.

Here are the new beads for sale in my Etsy shop:

A reminder also that there is still 10% off storewide in my wahmania shop and I will be adding items to this in a week or two. All money from this sale goes to Camp La Joya as well.

Look who I found in a tea bag box:

Each month I try to enter my polymer clay guild’s challenge competition and this month the theme was Eggs! Eggs and polymer clay have a long history and to be honest, its not something that I have had more than a passing interest in. I had a go this time although I didn’t cover an actual egg (which is what is done most of the time) but a metal one which is much larger. I don’t mind having a go at a new technique so this was a good challenge. I’m likely to list this for sale in my shop on Etsy sometime within the next few weeks. The voting for this months challenge will open at the end of the month via the PCAGOE website.

The background has been created using a method of blending two colours and then sanded with four grades of sandpaper until smooth. It was then buffed and the final design carefully layered on the surface. That was a slow process and I’m pleased with the result. So, here’s my egg entry for the PCAGOE (polymer clay artists guild of Etsy) for March:

Why is it that after wanting to move out of this house for so long that I found myself being a little nostalgic the other night? It started a bit like this. I was hungry. Went to the fridge. Found an orange. While cutting the orange I thought to myself ‘actually, the oranges on our tree are about to ripen up ready to be picked’. Then it hit me. This will be the last lot of oranges from our tree before we move. Actually, it will be the last lot I will ever get to enjoy.

You see, I’ve lived in this house, on and off (mostly on) since I was 12 years old. This is my parents house but I have lived here for longer than they have. I have lived here as a primary school kid, high school kid, single person sharing, married person, I’ve had two cousins live with us, my brother lived with us for a total of three years and as a mother.

If I start to go down memory lane too much I’ll probably end up spending the night there.

Without going too far, here are some of my favourite memories from this house.

1. The many odd things that have happened in our street including a siege (with the swat squad), house down the road burning, many massive street parties across the road, many lots of drugs being sold (and arrests), a car chase (its a cul-de-sac), the guy over the road’s truck catching on fire and rolling into the house opposite and the biggest of all - a murder.

2. Simple things like kicking the footy with Dad and my brother in the street, playing cricket out the front and running under the sprinkler before there were sprinkler bans.

3. Getting ready for my wedding in my old bedroom which later on became my study when living here as an adult. That room is now combined to be my daughter’s toy room.

4. Having our entire youth group come around to our house constantly throughout highschool. Too many occasions there to name!

5. Bringing our daughter home from hospital to this house and getting my brother’s old room ready for her.

6. Sitting on top of our water tank with my brother on our beach towels pretending to sunbake (its a cement tank).

7. Bringing home a little puppy called Shana who lived with us (and a couple of other people when we were overseas) in this house for 15 years. (she’s in the youth group photo)

8. Sitting outside on the bonnet of Michael’s 440 Cortina as a teenager and talking for hours before my Dad would flick the carport light on and off to drop a hint.

Its strange, I will be saying goodbye to this house finally but I know it will be a fantastic new era for us. Many people buy a house when they first get married (or shortly after) but we have been married for almost 12 years (on April 12) and now we are finally moving into our own home. I am finally moving out of my parents place!