Friday 30 May 2014

Is the week over already??

I don't know what it is, but since March the end of the months seems to come right after the start. The middle seems to pass me by in a haze of busyness, and when the haze lifts another month has started already ... I must admit I don't like it. At all .... And I have no clue how to change it :-(

This week I worked mostly on my mosaic. I finished the new mirror I started:


And felt like starting another one! But first I needed some more mosaic pieces. So I got out all of my materials Wednesday night, and started working the clay. Oh boy .... that didn't feel good on my hands ... The clay was really hard and crumbled in my hands. And all the kneading didn't do much good. I kept going at it (I'm stubborn that way ☺), and succeeded in getting it more or less like it needed to be. But my poor hands ....I even had a blister in my palm! The things we do for art ..... I know some people would call me crazy ...

Anyway, the mosaic pieces I managed to make weren't nearly enough, so I started searching the web for solutions on handling hard and crumbling polymer clay. Thank goodness for the internet! And for the people willing to share their experiences and solutions...

I was so inspired by all that I read that I stayed up until 1.00 am ... Decided to "marinate" my cut-up clay in some oil overnight, and expected them to be soft and pliable in the morning. Were they?

Nooo!
Still felt very hard and couldn't get them to mix together. So I took another (more extreme) advice I read about, and went to work on them with a hammer .... And managed to beat them all into submission :-D
It felt very liberating smashing those stubborn pieces of clay (great stress reliever) and I finally had soft and manageable clay, phew ...

These are the pieces I finished before the kids got home from school:


Still need more, but I think I'll give my poor hands some days off ;-)

As a result of my mosaic making, I didn't get to paint very much. But I've almost finished the first layer of white. I love this kind of painting, it's very relaxing, almost like a meditation. This is where I am now:


And then yesterday I got a big surprise in the mail! Netty, who had won one of my paintings in the giveaway a few weeks back, decided to send me a surprise package with art goodies.

Oh, so exciting to open up ... :-)

And look what was inside! I love every single thing in it!

A beautiful pendant. I'm in love with the little glass beads at the bottom. It's nice and glossy, and the girl is so cute.

Love this tag too. And I had to write her to ask how she got the girl on here so glossy. Love the result! And again those lovely beads ....

 And this is actually a little notebook! I'll only write very special notes in there ;-)

And it was all wrapped in a beautiful napkin that I can use in collage:


Thanks so much Netty. You didn't have to do this. But I'm happy you did :-)

And following my last post about all the time I'm wasting on Pinterest lately, Conni from Atelier Tante Trulla sent me this pin:


 Hihi ... so true ;-)

Well, that's it for now. I'm linking this post as always to Paint Party Friday.

Hope you're having a fantastic day! Thanks for visiting, and enjoy the coming weekend! ♥ ♥ ♥



36 comments:

  1. Love that mosaic, your poor fingers! Gerat stuff from Netty, sh is a sweetei! Love that pin, I have pinned it! Valerie

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  2. That mosaic mirror is AMAZING! And I always love your painting style. :)

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  3. My patience wouldn't last long with mosaic, I admire your work! But mind your hands!!! I use to crochet till I'm all ache, that's no good, fingers are like frankfurters and as a result I have to rest my hands for days and it's killing me! Take care of those valuable hands of your!

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  4. It sounds to be a hard struggle for art. Isn't surprises just wonderful, that feeling before one opens the package, love it. Loved the pin from Connie, such fun.

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  5. Loving the new mosaic mirror, you have the patience of a saint. Love the start of the new painting am sure it will be another beauty. So pleased you liked the bits and pieces. Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  6. Your creativity is so inspiring, beautiful and colourful mosaic. Have a great and relaxing week! Thank you for sharing
    http://agagasiniak.blogspot.co.uk/

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  7. The mirror looks wonderful! I love the colors and this unique style! Never before I saw a mosaic from clay. This is a phantastic inspiration! Many thanks for sharing this!

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  8. I've done mosaics wiht polymer clay. Yours is great! i have a question. How do you get your pieces to be so uniform? Do you start with a square each time that is the same size and then cut it in different ways? (hope that made sense.) I always had gaps in my piece when I tried to put it all together. I'm glad you figured out how to soften your clay. It can get really hard. Also the white on the painting is interesting. Often you show a step by step process-did I miss that post--

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    1. My pieces are all different sizes. However hard I try, I can't seem to make them the same size ;-) It's really a bit like a jigsaw: I usually start with the bigger pieces and then try to find pieces that fit in between, and if they don't fit completely I might cut them to size. But usually, because I have so many different pieces, I can find one that fits (even though sometimes it takes a long time ...)
      I always show the step-by-step process of my paintings when the painting is finished. This one hasn't been in that many stages yet. I just drew things on there and then started to bring them out with the white paint. It's far from being finished. So keep watching, as soon as it's finished I'll show it from beginning to end :-)

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  9. So much beauty and creativity here, all simply wonderful!

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  10. your mosaic mirror is gorgeous!! I admire your tenacity with the clay and I'm also sure it helped you to be able to hammer at it a bit:):) I love the white in your WIP painting. What beautiful and thoughtful gifts from Netty too.

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  11. You poor girl, fighting with your clay! I hate when it gets like that! I guiltily threw out a GIANT hunk because I felt like I was engaged in a street brawl trying to get it to cohere and behave.

    The good news is that the mirror looks amazing! And go you with the relaxing painting and the white!

    That was super sweet of Netty. I love that pendant!

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  12. Your mirror's so pretty and maybe worth all the stress and pain? ;) I love the painting, I could lose myself within it so I can understand how meditative it must be to actually paint it! :)
    Jess x

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  13. Well - now I know what to do with my clay if I ever get it out again! That is pretty funny - but not for your poor hands. I love that painting with the white space - I have to try to leave some more white space in my own paintings. That gift from Netty is wonderful - and even more so in how it lifts the spirit.

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  14. Your mirror is gorgeous and is all your other art. You are inspiring.

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  15. Love the peices for your new mosaic, I thought you must have made them, the colours are so you. Love your new paint, white really makes things pop. I laughed about your pinterest pic, I was sucked in a few months ago and I am ashamed at the size of my board!

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  16. that pinterest sign made me snort my tea... that is scarily accurate, and I think your mosaic frame is worth the sore hands... it is gorgeous...xx

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  17. Aaah, my hands hurt reading that. Hooray for conquering the beast in the end! The mosaic is so COOL. I love all those patterns and colors. And I totally get a zen feel from that white layer of painting.

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  18. I've been curious about clay for the longest time - maybe the thought of hitting it with a hammer would be therapeutic - hee hee
    Love your pieces!!

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  19. Awesome gifts from Netty. Love that mosaic

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  20. Lots of effort but the results will be worth it, your mosaics are lovely. What a lovely surprise from Netty.

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  21. Poor you....that clay is a menace! I know what you mean about weeks running together!! Beautiful mosaics though...and I love the white painting..so gorgeous!! Have a better weeks and stay clear of pinterest!! lol

    Hugs Giggles

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  22. Find a used hand crank pasta machine. My friend who is a polymer clay artist uses one to condition her clay. Save the hands....Mirror is great! xox

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    1. I bought one specifically for my clay, but even with the pasta machine it didn't work. It all crumbled ....

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  23. First I hope your hands are feeling better and the blister is gone. Second I am cracking up over the hammering of the clay. My mom is a polymer artist I will have to tell her that one. LOL Lots of way to soften clay but that is the best I think. As always your are it so thrilling to me. Your colors soft but bold and I like that very much.
    Have a great weekend
    Nicole/Beadwright

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  24. Haha Denthe...I totally relate your words about the end of the month comes right after it starts ;) time rushes away and I too can´t find the "please a bit slower"-Button ;) I love your meditative painting state and all the cute gifts you recieve from Netty...so lovely! ♥ Conny
    Piaroms Art Journaling

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  25. hello,

    your mirror turned out fabulous. Sorry to hear about all the trouble with the hard clay, you sure were determined! The new painting looks so fun and wonderful! Love all the details. How sweet that you got a surprise package, that is sweet of her.

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  26. great blog post Denise! will be good to see your mosaic and painting complete, thnanks for sharing

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  27. Lovely post. Your mirror and painting are fab despite the hard work to achieve it. Thanks for telling us your progress. Lucky you for receiving one of Annette's goodie bags.

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  28. I've had a battle or two with clay before too....it's so frustrating.. Love the mirror and the painting is coming along nicely. Great collection of gifts from Netty ! You lucked out :)

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  29. Ha Dente hier doe je het allemaal voor zelfs pijn aan je handen,
    jou handen maken prachtig werk
    En je word beloond, wat leuk als je zo.n leuke post krijgt.
    Je spiegel is mooi daar mag je graag in kijken...
    liefs een groetje Christiene.

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  30. Ja en nu is het weekend alweer bijna voorbij, de tijd vliegt,haha
    Prachtige kuntswerken heb je weer gemaakt en je hebt mooie kadootjes ontvangen!
    Groetjes Karin

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  31. Hi Denthe Heb je een pasta machine? Je kan zelfs crumbled polymer clay daarmee zacht krijgen. Met een mes kun je er stukjes afsnijden en dan door de molen draaien. Beetje olie er bij op dat moment maakt het iets makkelijker. Het duurt even en het valt ook nog wel een paar kaar in stukjes maar het lukt wel en dan heb je in ieder geval geen blaren meer in je handen.
    ManonX

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  32. Hahaha! Love the sign - so funny! Wonderful painting and mosaic - and what a great stress reliever! You should keep some hard clay on hand for those days when you need something to beat into submission!! Happy PPF!

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  33. Wat een bezige bij! Hoe krijg je het toch elke keer voor elkaar! Ik zie overal berichten en post van je voorbij komen. Meid, waar haal je de tijd vandaan??? Gaat de tijd misschien langzamer in Australie??? Dan kom ik ook! Lieve groetjes,
    Marianne

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