Here is my latest "Anyone" piece....as it's spring time and all the flowers are starting to come out - I thought Anyone would enjoy a little color - so its "anyone can be in the pink".


 
The phrase "in the pink" isn't used that often nowadays - but means to be in perfect condition, especially of health.   I think we all envisage glowing pink cheeks suggestive of good health, but the phrase actually came from "the very pinnacle of something" and not necessarily limited to health!


In the Pink Anyone does look sweet and all ready for spring in her pink hat and carrying her pink flower!  The hat and flower are made from polymer clay.


Are you ready for spring?  Are you feeling in the pink?

So you've met :

• Humphrey and Trisha
• Claude and Claudia
• Dog-eared
• Waddle and Toboggan
• Break out of your shell
• Baby birds
• Rupert the bird
• Pastures new
• Birds with attitude

Now what animal/bird should I create next?  I've set up a poll on the sidebar so you can vote for a few I've selected or else choose A.N. Other and leave a message here with the animal of your choice!


Using a different style I'll already made sheep, cows, pigs, mice, lions.... so am looking for something new.....

The ones on my list are hippopotamus, elephant, rhinoceros, water buffalo, octopus...or your choice. If you choose one yourself, I hope you'll bear in mind the general shape of these pieces and how their legs dangle underneath etc....

Whichever one gets the most votes, I'll make!

So far, other suggestions I've had are ferrets and yaks! Hmm Can you do better?

My latest bird earrings look like the birds have strong characters!  I think they are best worn often so that a human head comes between them, rather then letting them get too close to each other.


I made them with prometheus bronze clay - a new metal clay from Turkey.  It colors a rosy bronze color after firing without the use of charcoal - as opposed to the more usual yellowy color.


I find that most of my animals/birds develop their character and "come to life" when I add their eyes, but with these, it was the beaks!


Don't you think they looks just a bit annoyed with each other? Fed up of hanging around together and need a break?


The one on the right here looks like he's about to storm off!


Now the one on the left is feeling guilty.... I wonder what they have been arguing about...what do you think? Did they both want to hang in the left ear???

By guest blogger Jennifer  
Jennifer's Etsy Store

The title of Ruth's blog, "Inside the Artisan", has always given me pause.  So the other day I asked myself what in the world was inside of me when I made this beret and why do I like it so much and wear it more than any of my other winter hats? What's going on "Inside the Artisan"?


It got me to thinking about the famous British milliner, Stephen Jones, http://www.stephenjonesmillinery.com, who when asked where he gets the inspiration for his astonishing hats, replied simply, "I live my life and make a hat out of it." With this in mind, I wondered about the source of my own inspiration for the kelly green beret. I discovered it is exactly as Stephen  Jones said. It comes directly from daily life, as you will see.


I haven't always been a milliner. I was at one time a professional baker and baking is still very much a part of my life. Without meaning to, I made of fulled strips of wool jersey something akin to flakey pie crust around the edges of the beret.


When I make ginger scones the batter is patted into a round and cut out in sections exactly like the top of the beret, then baked on a stone until they are golden and irresistible.

It came as a delightful surprise when the connections were made between baking and hat making - the unconscious freedom of creativity to move between worlds without our intervention but definitely for our benefit. I wear this hat often because it so perfectly reflects a meaningful aspect of my life, not to mention that it is warm and comfortable and soon it will be Saint Patrick's day and I will be safe from pinches.

What is something you do normally that finds its way into your art and expresses itself in a fresh, new way? How does your creativity travel between worlds?

To celebrate the happy marriage of baking and millinery I'd like to share with you my favorite ginger scone recipe:




2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb baking powder
1 Tb sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 cube)
1/2 to 1 c crystallized ginger, chopped (being a fan of ginger I always use 1 c and it's the perfect amount)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c  milk ( a little more if the dough seems dry)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces are about pea size or smaller. Add the chopped ginger. In another bowl mix together the egg, milk and vanilla. Stir everything together until it is just mixed and avoid over-mixing. Flour your hands and the counter. Shape the dough into a ball. Pat the ball with your hands until you have a round disk about 1 inch high. Using the beret top as the example, cut the dough into wedges - in half, quarters, eights. If you like, you can brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the scones are lovely, golden and you want to eat them.

Note: These scones are so good with a pile of fresh, ripe strawberries. And cream if you like it.

By guest blogger Pete

When we visited Morecambe last week neither Pam nor I expected to sit on the beach - and we weren't disappointed!  Even in the summer it didn't look that good a beach to settle down on in a deckchair with a good book.  In fact there didn't appear to be much beach at all, although there was plenty of mud - mud in such abundance that the Hippo family would have loved the place.  What small beach there was seemed to descend into the mud and, eventually, the sea at something approaching a 45 degree angle - almost as steep as the sand dunes we lived amongst at one time.

However, the weather, although far from warm, did stay dry from the start of our visit right up to mid-day on the day before our return.  We went out somewhere every day.

My favourite trip was to Lancaster.  This was our first time there and I liked the place very much.  The Priory Church is well worth the steep climb from the main shopping area and when we arrived there we were made to feel most welcome.  Pam didn't want to visit the castle but I would have done so had not all the available information pointed to a compulsory guided tour.  I've been on two guided tours in my life time - one around Lincoln Castle and the other around the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.  Both guides possessed the secret of an instant cure for insomnia so I didn't want to risk a third encounter in a rather chilly Lancaster.

Pam's favourite place of visit was Carnforth.  The classic English film "Brief Encounter" was shot there.  I'm always a little surprised that this film ever achieved "classic" status.  It's a typical Noel Cowards toffee nosed class conscious English drama with stiff upper lips and a "terribly, terribly" sad ending.  Still there's no accounting for tastes!

The railway station in Carnorth, where much of the film was shot, and where the two "terribly naughty" lovers meet, is still a working station although part of it has been designated as a visitor centre complete with "terribly, terribly posh shops" that have nothing whatsoever to do with the film.  I though that the refreshment room there would be the same as the refreshment  room in the film, where the rather suave doctor removes a cinder from the "terribly, terribly" attractive lady's eye.  This wasn't the same room though.  Those scenes had been shot at Denham Studios.  The only noticeable features in this refreshment room were a very chatty owner and a counter that was something like 5 foot deep.

We'd caught a bus to Carnforth but hadn't checked the times back to Morecambe.  When we decided to return we discovered that there would be a 2 1/4 hour wait so instead we took the scenic route back via Lancaster, changed buses there and reached a very rain swept Morecamble 1 1/4 hours before we would have left Carnforth, had we decided to stay there.

Think about a winter holiday.  If you want to keep warm then you've got to exercise.

I woke up this morning and looked out at the pond and it was just so still.  A pair of Hooded Mergansers were floating there - but seemed perfectly still too.

I managed to get a photo of the male, without going near him - and I just loved it with the clear reflection.


I wonder what other "hoodies" I can find as I wander around the garden....


Hmmm.. maybe I can use "hoodies" as a source of inspiration for jewelry...any ideas?

We have regular ducks coming to our pond at the moment.  The most frequent are some Hooded Mergansers who are here every day.  Both male and female Hooded Mergansers have a crest at the back of their head - the "hood" - but the males' is stunning with the sharp black and white contrast.

Yesterday, four females were all spending some time together on our little duck float.  Wonder what was going through their heads???


It was a mallard in the duck float last year that inspired my duck float ring:


One of the things I love best about Hooded Mergansers, apart their handsome crests, is the sound of their call.  They are often referred to as "frog ducks" because of this call - which can be heard half a mile away.

I tried to find a sound snippet to embed here so you could hear it - but instead you'll have to click on this hooded merganser call link and listen to the frog duck!   Once you've heard it, you'll not forget it!

They seem to hang out in our pond quite happily with some mallards at the moment....but they are renown for enjoying the company of wood ducks, so I'm hoping some of those will join them soon too.


Do you have any new spring visitors?

After seeing my "dog-eared" earrings, someone asked if I could make a similar dog as a necklace....and thus Doug the Dog was born!


He's on his way to Luxembourg right now!  Doesn't he look keen to go......just wanting to waggle those little legs and get to meet his new owner Danielle

It's interesting...I've sold quite a few pieces to Luxembourg this year...and Belgium too....both countries that I've only very occasional sold to previously....  All these little characters are spreading smiles in new places!

Be a good dog Doug!

I think my post yesterday about "breaking out of your shell" is very timely, as that is how I'm feeling today....a little apprehensive about breaking out of my shell into the Master Muses!  You see, today, my first Master Muse project that is up on Tonya Davidson's blog for Whole Lotta Whimsy.
 
The challenge I was given for this first project was to create a metal clay piece that incorporated

• the technique of stenciling, 
• the theme of steampunk, and 
• the inclusion of some recycled watch parts. 

In response to the challenge, I created "I'll take the High-way".
 

It's time to break out of your shell!


I've mentioned before that we have lots of birdhouses on our property but my favorite is the bluebird nesting box that has a little camera installed in it, linked through to a small television.  Through the camera we can watch the whole nest building, egg laying, hatching, feeding etc processes of bluebirds - day and night - and hear them too.  It's fascinating to see all the different stages - but also a little sad on some occasions.



I highly recommend getting one of these birdhouse cameras.  You'll love it. But from all the birds we've watched, one always sticks in my head.  One year I was watching this newly hatched bluebird and he just had this bit of egg shell on his head and it wouldn't seem to come off. It was just like the cartoons and he looked so sweet.  Sorry the photo below showing him isn't very clear.  He wriggled around but his little shell "hat" just stuck on him.  I think eventually he got it off when mummy came back to the nesting box.

In honor of this special little bird, I made some "break out of your shell" earrings.  Suitable for shy people who want to break out of their shell, Easter egg lovers, bird lovers and more!  Yes, little feet sticking out of egg shells!


Hope they make you smile like my little birdie did in the nest box!


These are #17 in my month of earrings challenge.  Time to create more ear threads instead of just dangly ear wires!