I made an observation at last week’s Foothill Quilters Guild quilt show. There was a lot of interest in polymer buttons and beads, but I heard many comments of the “I don’t just buy fabric and buttons to add to my collection any more; I only buy them with a specific project in mind” sort. It’s either the economy or the fact that the quilters stopping by my booth are like me and can’t fit one more thing in their studios (or a bit of both). Whatever the reason, people expressed a desire to find the buttons online. So, I finally scanned and posted some on my website. I have been woefully neglecting my site so will try to get some new work on it at least once a week!

My husband, Clyde, has been busy in his studio (aka garage) creating display busts. He wanted to offer different configurations of neck, shoulders, and textures and ended up with twelve different busts! He’s finally gotten enough of an inventory that there’s a good chance that we already have what someone orders.

This has been a great creative outlet for him. I wanted some unique display for my art shows. We were inspired by some displays that were made by Lorrene Davis (a fellow Clayville California member) and by a local ceramic artist as well as a workshop I took with Robert Dancik.

When I get ahead on my own work (ha!) I’m going to try doing some embellishment on one of the busts…some fancy paint technique or mosaic or ????????

As a texture fanatic, one of my favorite tools for working with polymer clay is the texture sheet. Victoria James, my friend and fellow Clayville California member, creates the most amazing silicone texture sheets. There’s always at least one on my work table. Victoria started by using trees, moss, rocks, and plants to create the texture sheets, but she now offers sheets made from her vast collection of textile print blocks. If you work with any kind of clay I think you will find a texture sheet (or two or three or…) a wonderful addition to your tool collection! They are strong, flexible, and they don’t require a resist. (Note: the sheets are actually green in color.) The polymer clay box shown above is currently on display at The Art Building in Auburn, CA as part of a promotional show for the upcoming Autumn Art Studios Tour 2009. Click here for more details.

Maureen
Maureen Thomas Designs

I’ll be at the Gourd and Arts Festival in Folsom, CA this Saturday and Sunday (September 26-27). During setup today I saw the most gigantic gourds for sale. If you’ve ever cleaned a gourd to use for an art project you know what a lot of work goes into just the prepwork. There are sure to be some amazing gourd-related pieces and a lot of other artwork as well. I’m in booth 19 so stop by if you decide to check it out.

I’ve also had a few other art show confirmations in the past week or so. Please check out my website’s Events page for more details and links.

Maureen
Maureen Thomas Designs

October 2008

Fall (my favorite season) is finally here…HURRAY! As always, there are plenty of fun things to do this time of year. Please stop by my booth and say hello if you are able to attend the following events:

~The First Annual Kobra Crush Wine and Art Festival in Roseville, CA on October 18 (5-10pm). This event offers food, wine tasting, music, and the works of fifty Placer County artists and supports Placer County Tourism. Tickets are $30 prepaid or $35 at the door.

~The Mountain Mandarin Festival in Auburn, CA on November 21-22-23. The Mandarin Festival is held at the Auburn Fairgrounds and is pretty self-explanatory. If you’re mad for mandarins as I am you should have a great time discovering all the ways to use them, plus enjoying the entertainment and getting some gift shopping done at the same time!

~The Crocker Holiday Art and Craft Festival on Thanksgiving weekend at the Scottish Rite Temple. Please check out the Clayville booth. I won’t be there this year, but about 10 of the guild’s artists are participating and there are sure to be lots of fun and fabulous items.

My pasta machine, convection oven, camera, and computer have been keeping me very busy. I’ve been working hard to keep my web and Etsy sites updated with new items: bookends, wine stoppers, perfume applicators, rings, new bracelet designs, mosaic frames, ornaments, pens, and notebooks. I’m also hoping to make it into another gallery or two in the near future (I’ve been selling through Made in Tahoe at Crystal Bay on Tahoe’s north shore). Clyde is pitching in by drilling beads and making jewelry displays for the upcoming shows. Learning about paper mache at a recent Robert Dancik class reminded me that I bought a torso on eBay a while back to mold some lightweight and (hopefully) unique necklace displays.

I’ve decided that my time right now is better spent getting inventory ready for the shows rather than posting every item online as I make it (my usual policy). If you’re looking for something in particular or have any questions, please ask!

Hope to see you soon,
Maureen
http://maureenthomasdesigns.com
http://maureenthomasdesigns.etsy.com

I’ve added a few lightswitch covers (plates) to my Maureen Thomas Designs website. They are covered with polymer clay veneers. I’ll be adding more periodically. Check them out!

http://maureenthomasdesigns.com
http://maureenthomasdesigns.etsy.com