About a month ago I saw some carved lapis lazuli beads in a beading book.  I’m sorry I can’t remember which book now.
 

Since seeing them I’ve been obsessed with a burning desire to make my own carved lapis lazuli beads.  Perhaps you can relate to this obsession? 
So I pulled out a favorite polymer [...]

My youngest daughter is home from college this week and in the mood to sew a new skirt.  First she found the fabric on sale at Hancock Fabrics.  Then she decided it would be a fun skirt. 
But her favorite skirt is one she purchased last year at Kohl’s.  Our pattern stash held nothing remotely similar.  [...]

Well, I’m finally posting the next stage of the polymer clay imitation jade beads.  They have been baked but not polished.

After baking, small round flecks are present giving interesting texture that imitates the organic variations in natural jade. I hope you can see that in the photo. This flecking is due to the Fimo translucent (#00) present [...]

Today’s clay play revisited two imitation jade clay mixes.  The recipe is from Victoria Huges’ book, Polymer: the Chameleon Clay (© 2002).  
From the darker green mix I shaped several lozenge shaped beads.  I ran the clay through my pasta machine on the thickest setting, cutting circles with a ¾ inch cutter.  Using three circles for [...]

Bead color inspiration is everywhere!  Color combinations in nature are a favorite source for all artists, crafters, and designers. Another simple place for color combination ideas is in your closet.   
I bought a scarf to wear with a particular skirt and jacket.  Liking the color combination as well as I did, I decided to use the [...]

When I want to practice a new polymer clay bead technique I’m sometimes in a quandary about which color combinations to use.   
I have used the color combinations in a scarf I like.  Color combinations from magazine ads that catch my eye are good too.  And there are times that I just pick up left over [...]

My hobby mode has switched to needle and thread for the moment.  I become engrossed with what one can accomplish with needle and thread each time I visit Sharon B’s blog.
 
Recently, Sharon posted about an inspiring lady, Chanda Shroff.  Her story highlights an interesting paradox.
 
On one hand, as Sharon notes, much is written about how [...]

This post is about free sewing software but I must start with books to get us there… 
There are two categories of book readers in the world. The first group likes to read the book BEFORE they see the movie based on the book. 
The second group would rather watch the movie first to determine if they [...]