La Dama, Where Are You?

For the past few days, I've gone into my studio with basically no plan and just start working on what ever grabs my attention first. Let me tell you, that is the worst way to try to get things done, especially for scatterbrained me. With a plan in place, I function like a well-oiled machine, without a plan I am lost. This heat wave has messed with my mind, not to mention my schedule, and I'm struggling to get back on track.

Friday I was in my studio resining tiles and sweating my ass off. I have to do it in a controlled area with no dust blowing around. so no open windows or doors and no fans. It was hot as hell in there that day. I had so much sweat inside my gloves that my fingers were all pruned up. Not fun.

Today I had a plan: go to the store, go to the library, come home and resin before the studio gets too hot. Simple. Checked off numbers one and two, no problem, but when it came time to resin...problem. First of all, one of my tiles turned out like shit so I had to re-do it before I could resin, then as I was counting out tiles to resin I noticed one was missing. I count the tiles multiple times during the long process of making the bracelet because the little buggers get separated from their bracelet partners on a regular basis. Like today, I needed to resin two tiles of a nine tiles bracelet because the resin started to get unworkable and I've learned it is better to stop at that point because any tiles resined at that point look like crap and have to be redone. That's why I started making bottle cap rings. I hated wasting that much resin (sometimes almost half of what I prepared) every time I finished tiles. So today I counted one set, two sets, and the third set came up short. Fricking annoying, since I have made great effort to keep my workspace tidy & somewhat organized. I counted all the tiles again to be sure I had not made a mistake. Still short. I looked carefully at the tiles to see if I could tell which one was missing, and also to make sure I had actually made nine in the first place. Amazingly, I was able to figure out the missing tile was 'La Dama', one of the Loteria cards, now if only I could find the dang thing.  Distracted from my plan, I searched high and low for that tile and did not find it. I began to doubt my memory that I had really made it. I thought about making a new one but I just know as soon as I do the original 'La Dama' is going to show up and really piss me off. So I am moving on to "Plan B", which is string tiles into bracelets. That should keep me busy for a while and give 'La Dama' a chance to reveal herself.

Easy & Awesome Chicken Stock

My old Doctor had a sign in his office with a picture of the rear view of a naked and ginormously fat lady pushing a cart down the grocery aisle with the caption, "never shop on an empty stomach". I would add, "or naked", but that is beside the point. We've all heard this, but truthfully, if I go into the store and I'm not hungry, I will leave with an empty cart, because nothing seems appealing. In my new unemployed life I am frequently shopping and doing lots of other errands on an empty stomach because I will forget to eat. There was a time when I thought that was the most ridiculous statement ever, like who forgets to eat? Now I frequently find myself out & about around lunch time, and fading because I am starving.

I was shopping at Costco recently, on an empty stomach, and thinking about what I would have for lunch. Costco is the best because not only does it have high quality stuff at reasonable prices but also because you can feed your whole family at the food court for about twenty bucks. And they have the best hand dipped ice cream bars.  FYI, I forgot to eat before I started writing this. So anyway, I was imagining my food court lunch when I strolled by the rotisserie chickens. I could eat at the food court for $5, or I could buy a chicken for $5 and eat today and tomorrow, and have the makings for some delicious chicken stock. See? Hungry people are capable of making good choices, Dr. Gale!

When I was a kid I used to love chicken legs, now that I'm an adult I find them kind of gross. The exception is Costco rotisserie chicken legs, but only when they're piping hot and fresh, like I have to eat them the second I get home or the window closes. After I scarfed down my chicken legs and removed the breasts for the next days' lunches, I tossed the rest into my crock pot with some water and seasoning and let it crock on low for 2 or 3 days. Some of you may wonder about the safety of leaving your crock pot on for 3 days, but I can assure you it's perfectly safe. I saw a program on how small appliances are made, and crock pots are tested by plugging them in and leaving them on for nine months. There is no food safety issue either, as the crock pot stays at temperature that will not allow any harmful cooties. After a couple of days, use a wooden spoon to break the bones and allow the rich delicious marrow to enhance the stock. They should be soft and easily break, if not let it go another day or so. Strain out the solids, and pour some hot water over the strained solids to get every drop of goodness.

That's it, the recipe for chicken stock. You could use any chicken or turkey bones to make this stock, you could also add onions or garlic to it. I am allergic to onions, and also I like the stock to be a neutral chicken flavor so it is versatile so my recipe is just "chicken bones and skin". The flavor is incredible and the effort is so minimal, once you try it you will be hooked!

The Magic that is Sewing...

Having a sewing machine is kind of like having a magic wand. You can create something out of almost nothing. Obviously you can say the about almost any craft, but with sewing you can go from zero to awesome literally in minutes. You don't need fancy fabric from the yardage store, although fabric shopping is a wonderful thing, you can take an article of clothing you already own and alter it to your style or just cut it up and create something new from the material. I have two "kids" (quotes because they are both over 20 and therefore technically adults) and they've outgrown tons of clothes over the years. Much of the clothing was given to younger kids in the family or donated to charity, but I've kept some too. Several totes worth, mostly t-shirts which are awesomely versatile for re-purposing. One of my fave projects is a super simple tote upgrade made by cutting out the t-shirt art and appliqueing it onto a canvas tote. Pretty much as easy as cutting and sewing straight lines, and with super cool results. 

Another neat thing I busted out on a whim was a mesh bag to hold soap scraps. My husband uses Ivory soap exclusively, and Ivory is a very airy, light bar of soap that wears out fast and as it gets small it breaks easily, so we end up with a lot of soap scraps. Of course, I could not bear to throw these scraps away, but they were a real bitch to use. I happened to have a roll of wide tulle ribbon, so one day I just whipped up a small pouch with an elastic opening and a loop to hang it up in the shower. It is as crude as hell and ugly, but it works so well that if we ran out of soap scraps I would cut up a new bar of soap just to put it in the bag. I don't know if it works so great because it's Ivory soap or what, but when you wash with it, the soap instantly foams up into an awesomely fluffy lather. I'm thinking of making some nice pretty ones to give as gifts.

How to Make Stuff with 2-Part Resin...a tutorial

Resin is awesome, and will take your game to a higher level, but it can be downright intimidating at first. You are creating a chemical reaction, and it's a little tricky because it is absolutely imperative that you mix equal parts of resin & hardener or it will not set up right. If it doesn't set properly, you are basically screwed, there is no salvaging the project. But, if you follow these steps it should greatly increase your chance at success. And we all hate fails, so lets get going.

The first resin I started playing around with was 2-part epoxy from the 99¢ store. They had this contraption which was basically 2 syringes, one full of resin and one of hardener, and you pushed down the plungers to squirt them out in equal amounts. Kinda cool as long as you don't accidental squeeze out a huge air bubble and jack up your ratio (I did this), but this type of resin almost always dries yellow or amber. That would actually be cool for some projects, but the store stopped carrying it so onto Plan B. After some Internet research, I discovered ICE jewelers' resin, and so that's what I use now. It's pretty easy to use & give nice consistent results. I am a big believer in reading the directions first, however there are no instructions on the package. I sort of winged it at first, then I found their website & followed the instructions there. This tutorial is based on the manufacturers' instructions with some helpful tips I've picked up along the way.

Step One: Be very prepared! Resin is messy, sticky and permanent. It becomes unworkable within a few minutes. Once you start, you must keep rolling or abort the mission. Cover your work surface with several layers of paper, wear scroungy clothes, have everything you need within arms reach. Glove up (with nice snug gloves) & tie your hair back.

Step Two: Make sure your area is as dust free as possible and have something clean to cover your project as soon as you finish. Make sure your materials are dust free as well. I have sadly watched dust settle on pieces while I was still working on them. Dust is your #1 enemy when playing with resin. I happen to live in Southern California so there is no escape from dust, I just try to minimize it as best I can. When working on a project that has to be perfect (such as a custom photo bracelet) I always keep the piece covered, even in between steps.

Step Three: Have your materials prepped. If you are using paper ephemera or photos, pre-seal with something like Mod Podge or gel medium. Resin will soak into your paper, sometimes in arbitrary spots, and can ruin the whole project. Sometimes it can work to your favor, if it looks nice and antique-y, but why chance it?

Step Four: Everything ready? Let's go! Glove up before you even touch the resin bottles. Pour equal parts of resin & hardener into your measuring cups. I use disposable portion cups which are readily available & pretty cheap at Smart & Final. They are easy to measure with and give me just the right amount of resin for my projects. If you are molding with resin, you may need to mix more that just 2 ounces. Let the 2 parts settle before mixing to make absolutely sure they are equal. The hardener is less viscous than the resin and will settle faster, and therefore will hit the measuring mark faster. Give the resin a second to settle at the measuring mark before proceeding.

Step Five: Pour the hardener in the mixing cup first and scrape out every bit. The resin is stiffer and stickier, so if you pour it into the measuring cup first it tends to stick to the bottom and makes it that much harder to get it good and blended. Mix carefully but completely for 2 minutes, but try not to get it to bubbly. Bubbles are your #2 enemy when playing with resin. Scrape the bottom and sides to be 100% sure it is well blended. The resin will look milky-ish when you first start stirring, but after mixing for 2 minutes, it will become clear.

Step Six: Let it sit undisturbed and covered for a minute or 2 so that some of the bubbles work themselves out. It will begin to get a little warm. Get psyched to start pouring.

Step Seven: Carefully pour the resin into the mold or bezel of your choice. Get bubbles out by gently blowing on your resined piece through a straw. You can also use resin to seal flat surfaces, as I do with my bracelets. In that case, make sure the resin is evenly coating your piece. You can use a stir stick or paint brush to spread the resin around (use a burner brush, there's no way you will be able to use it again after this). Immediately cover your work. Also, resin works best when the temperature is above 72º, so if you are doing this on a cold day, you can help the process by putting your work under a desk lamp that gives off some heat. I have a couple of high-watt light bulbs that I use just for this purpose.

That's it, now just wait 24 hours for your resin to be completely hard and you are golden! Here are some pix of me using resin to make rings and/or magnets from bottle caps. Fun, easy and awesome!

I even marked the caps so I wouldn't mix them up...

prepped and ready...

my measuring and mixing cups..

fill exactly

partially fill first, then go back & top off

available at most craft stores or on Etsy

so easy you can fill your jewelry box with them!

Fun at the Fair!

Liza the Showgirl up front, Mama Elsa in back

The Fair is back in town! Yay! I love (almost) everything about the County Fair. I love the crazy Fair food, the Carnies, the insane rides...I don't ride the rides because they are way too crazy for me, but I love watching. I really love the Home Arts and the livestock exhibits, the chickens in particular, although this year a lot of the birds looked pretty tattered. Made me wish that I had entered my pretty chicken, Liza, into the competition. She is a lovely little Showgirl pullet and I think she would have done very well, especially since she would have been the only Showgirl in the running. I actually did consider entering Liza, but she would have had to stay at the Fair for several days, and I didn't want her Mama, Elsa, to be left at home all alone.




I did enter a bracelet in the Home and Hobby competition, and that was pretty cool. I wasn't sure what to expect, being my first time. I wasn't even sure they would display the entries unless they won a ribbon, and I had no illusions of winning anything on my very first go-round. After sharing some

you want this, and rightly so

pastrami fires (meh) and a maple glazed bacon donut (awesome!),  we went into the Home Arts exhibit to try and find my entry. Home Arts is probably my favorite part of the Fair. The first floor is dedicated to the Student Showcase, where students from area High Schools and Junior Colleges proudly show their skills in photography, fine art, robotics, woodworking, fashion, upholstery and more. The work done by these kids is quite amazing and truly inspirational, and I am happy to see that these types of home arts are still being taught in some schools.

Made by High School Students!

Upstairs is the Home and Hobby exhibits, where people compete for ribbons, and of course all the glory, in areas such as preserved food, needle arts, cake decorating, etc. There are also entries for "collections" and, the category I was entered in, "decorative arts and crafts". There were some pretty nice quilts and some lovely knitted pieces, but overall I found it a little lacking after seeing the excellent entries in the Student Showcase. The collections in particular were hit and miss. I vowed to enter my collection of travel bars into the competition next year. I totally tried to play it cool, nonchalantly searching to see if my bracelet was on display, but after going up and then down the hall, I did not see it. Oh well. Then my son went behind on of the glass cases and pointed, "Here it is!" OMG, really? Yep, there it was, in the back of one of the cases. I bet most people would not even go around to the back side to look which was kind of lame, especially for the piece next to mine, an actual ribbon winner. I've never entered a competition like this before, and it was a little surreal seeing my bracelet there. I must admit, I got a little misty. I am already thinking about next year, and I hope to encourage others to try to enter the competition. I will be entering something amazing, something that will for sure be put in the front of the case. Maybe even win a ribbon. Yeah.

Procrastinators Unite! maybe tomorrow...

Most of our failures come not from trying, but from failing to try. I am a big time procrastinator. I'd have to say it is my worst quality, the one that most holds me back from being as awesome as I can be. Not clinically diagnosed as ADD or ADHD, I am am very easily distracted. It does not help that I (consciously or unconsciously) surround myself with distractions. "I want to do this but first I must do that, and I can't do that until I finish such and such, and I'm waiting to finish such and such because blah blah blah…" It's a never ending and very vicious circle spinning me round and round.

Sometimes, my procrastination is due to fear of failure. For example, I procrastinated for almost 2 decades before I took the leap and tried sprouting mung beans. In fact, every year it is my wish to have a proper veggie garden, but every year I put it off because I just know it is going to end badly. Because I suck at gardening, and also I am at war with squirrels. Wasting a little time and a few craft supplies is an annoyance, but going out to the yard and finding the plants that you sprouted from seed and so lovingly cared for have been decimated is heartbreaking. So every year I settle for a lame container garden on my deck, safely out of the field of battle, where I normally produce a handful of tiny tomatoes and a couple of peppers that are too hot for me to even eat. This year, I have grown four green beans.

My husband eats yogurt every day, so making home made yogurt has been on my list for quite a while (almost as long as bean sprouts) but for some reason I am really intimidated by it. I read "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" by Jennifer Reese (amazing book by the way, I even bought it which is something I rarely do), and she makes it seem so easy and so awesome, I felt I just had to give it a shot. I gathered up all the ingredients, the milk, some organic yogurt for the starter, got some frozen berries, but I just couldn't take the next step. There was always some excuse not to make yogurt that day, maybe tomorrow. Day after day after day, I put it off. A few days ago, I got a letter from Costco informing me that they were recalling the berries I had purchased for the yogurt due to a hepatitis outbreak. If I had not procrastinated, if I had made had made yogurt, my poor husband would have eaten the tainted berries, possibly contracting HepA and definitely getting a immune globulin shot. Finally, my procrastination pays off.

Failure is not an option, but it is a very possible outcome…

The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail. -Edwin H. Land

All over the inter webs you will see people posting "inspirational" messages like this. I agree with this quote, but I think a more accurate message would be "The essential part of living a life is not being afraid to fail." Failure is all around, and if we let it get to us, it can shut us down completely. I fail all the time. Maybe not all the time, that would be horrible, but a lot. But, just like Hank Aaron, I keep swinging for the fences. The more stuff you try to do, statistically the more chances you have to fail, but you also get more chances to succeed.
You can minimize failure by being properly prepared. Before you start a project, have a plan. I am a big fan of lists, and they are proven to aid success.  The more detailed the plan, the better your chance of getting it right.
It also helps if you think less "fail" and more "experiment with a negative result".  Sometimes even knowing this isn't enough. Some days, I just can't take one more failure. What can I say, I am a moody Scorpio to the core. I know that feeling will pass, and usually I try to do a little something where victory is a guarantee. Just to lift my spirit so I can withstand a little fail.