100 posts from Sarajane's Polyclay Gallery

This is the 100th post on the blog portion of the Polyclay Gallery. There are now 69 pages as well. In April 2007, I began this version of my website; transferring a large site done in FrontPage with html into a wordpress template and using their CMS (content management system). Since then I’ve learned a lot more about webdesign, arrange the templates to suit myself (and individualize them for dozens of clients), and try to keep up with changes and developments as they occur, like the recent re-do that makes things resize correctly for mobile devices. I try to make posts frequently, but it is a lot to fit in along with time for making things.

This summer and fall have been extremely productive, and I have turned 20 pounds of polymer clay into beads and mosaic tiles. I’ve got round beads, barrel beads, lentil beads and bicones. The lentil beads still have to drilled….which may take me many of the winter afternoons when they come around. Raw clay is too cold to work in the winter here in Colorado in my chilly house, but now it is all made up and ready to drill. 

I’m delighted to be processing clay that has been sitting neglected for far too long. One of the canes that I sliced was made back when we lived in Escondido, more than 20 years ago. The majority of it was not that vintage, but I was pleased to find clay that had been wrapped in saran wrap and stored in shoe boxes still sliced and manipulated well 10-15 years later. Fresher clay is even more fun to work with, and I’m happy to get back to polymer after a long break for school and learning other media.

I’m also going through my supply of sheet metal on hand and etching it all up, with a steady flow of it happening all summer. I just finished the last pieces I had on hand this week, and then the cutting–now grinding takes over. That’s what I’ll be doing for the next week or so, grinding away. Then it will be patina time, and I’ll be getting ready to travel to Ohio. I’ll post pictures of the crystal danglers,  pendants and bracelets when I get them done next month, before packing!