tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52582879843431575212011-10-03T12:06:29.115-04:00.....my journal about photography, travels and anything else that strikes my fancy.....Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-24290965514853413882011-02-12T22:59:00.000-05:002011-02-12T22:59:38.011-05:00

We went for a walk on Friday morning. I fell in love with this sea otter. It had a variety of food on its chest. It started smashing the sea urchin against the crab. Oops.  Not hard enough. Let's try it again. Still not enough. One more only real hard this time. I think that one did it. Yummy.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-7956565266838156852011-01-27T23:19:00.000-05:002011-01-27T23:19:09.163-05:00

While spending a wonderful weekend with my college friends, we went to the Monterey Aquarium. What an amazing place! I highly recommend it to anyone who gets within 100 miles of Monterey. Here are my best photos from the Aquarium. The light was very low and tripods are not allowed, so I am amazed that any of these are even close to being in focus. If you click on the image, you will see a

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-37103798168210267452011-01-05T13:59:00.000-05:002011-01-05T13:59:39.675-05:00

We spent a week on a Caribbean island over the holidays, and interacting with two dolphins was just about the best part of the trip.  Now, let me say right up front that I have very mixed feelings about keeping such intelligent animals in captivity, but this operation seemed to be better run than others we've seen.  They were in a very large fenced-off part of the ocean, not in a concrete pool. 

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-86319119558926599402010-12-21T14:27:00.001-05:002010-12-21T14:28:33.862-05:00

What a birthday present!  Just before midnight last night, I went outside and was very disappointed to find the sky completely clouded over.  I started to go to bed but then decided to wait until 1:30am when the eclipse was supposed to begin.  Lo and behold, when I went out, now on my birthday, I found a beautiful clear sky filled with stars.  I lugged my big lens outside and got ready to shoot

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-85825742222382195852010-10-14T00:12:00.001-04:002010-10-14T08:45:17.033-04:00

Today I split this blog into two parts and created a new blog called Cynthia Blanton Studio.  The new blog will have all my posts related to polymer clay, jewelry, and wearable art while the posts about travel, photography and my doggies :-) will remain here.  If you have subscribed to or follow this blog because of your interest in polymer clay, please visit my new blog and subscribe there.  

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-67193178931290194642010-10-12T17:05:00.005-04:002010-10-13T12:56:19.974-04:00

My mom has a dollhouse, and years ago she bought a bunch of furniture kits from The House of Miniatures, part of the X-ACTO company.  Sadly, these kits are no longer produced.  Mom made a few of them, but after her strokes, she could no longer do such small, precise work.  The kits have been stored away for years, but when Mom came to stay with me for a month, I brought them along and got to work

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-57870551385590280502010-07-14T06:04:00.002-04:002010-07-14T06:04:00.918-04:00

We  went to a wonderful house-warming party a couple of weeks ago at a recently renovated estate right on the shore of Lake Ontario.  Since the original house was from the twenties, the theme of the party was Gatsby.  Erich, my DH,  and I did our best to evoke the era. Yours truly and hubby posing next to the lake As you can see, the setting was absolutely spectacular...  And the

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-8040232716359222182010-07-13T20:24:00.000-04:002010-07-13T20:24:47.308-04:00

I apologize if things look weird here.  Because of my frustrations with getting photos and text to display in the manner I want, I was just about to switch to another blogging platform.  When what to my wondering eyes should appear but Blogger in Draft, an advanced form of Blogger that is not yet in general release.  It seems to provide some of the things I want - like captions for photos and the

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-61541906483374156372010-07-13T06:00:00.002-04:002010-10-13T13:55:49.894-04:00

During our days om Kauai, DH and I found a great place for breakfast on the south shore called Joe's on the Green. This cheerful character, a red crested cardinal, waited not-too-patiently for us to finish our banana pancakes (with coconut syrup). Yum. About one quarter of the Kauai coastline is inaccessible except by long and strenuous hikes or by boat, although the boats are not supposed

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-66917601850433293222010-07-12T11:16:00.022-04:002010-11-02T14:09:54.711-04:00

Quite awhile ago, DH and I purchased a one-time, week-long stay with a time-share outfit. It was a very low price for a place that rents for $400 per night, and the only hitch was that we had to listen to a 120-minute sales pitch aimed at getting us to buy time-share points. It's amazing how l-o-n-g 120 minutes can be! But it was worth it because we had a great time. And thank goodness for

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-45636327066502437812010-02-09T12:55:00.003-05:002010-10-12T15:57:12.969-04:00

To see my photos of the Pyramids, click on the image below. When you get to the new window, click on "Slideshow" at the upper left. When the slideshow starts, a control panel under the photo will let you adjust the length of time each slide appears. About 8 or 9 seconds gives you enough time to read the captions. Or you can go through each photo one by one. Pyramids

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-88131955570994527152010-02-08T20:55:00.002-05:002010-02-09T12:54:40.437-05:00

To see some of my photos from Cairo, Egypt, click on the image below. When you get to the new window, click on "Slideshow" at the upper left. When the slideshow starts, a control panel under the photo will let you adjust the length of time each slide appears. About 10 seconds gives you enough time to read the captions. Or you can go through each photo one by one. Cairo

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-33384189114657660202010-01-24T17:08:00.006-05:002010-01-24T17:20:42.263-05:00

I had a marvelous time traveling in Egypt and Jordan over the holidays and now I'm working on the 2000+ photos I took! Eventually I will post photos somewhere on-line but for now, I'll show just a couple. I've always wanted to see the pyramids, and this photo proves I was there.In Jordan, we visited the Dead Sea and decided to try the miraculous mud. It's supposed to make you look young and

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-6900701740420928692009-12-04T15:21:00.004-05:002010-10-12T15:58:38.025-04:00

Everyone seems to be thinking about color these days.  Like everybody else in the clay world, I'm doing some of the exercises in Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Haunani and Maggio, but in addition, I decided to mix up some colors from the recipes I've collected through my subscription to Cindy Lietz's Polymer Clay Tutor service.  Each week she sends out three recipes, two for people who get

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-11080675836779375792009-12-04T15:06:00.006-05:002009-12-04T15:21:21.236-05:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I love the way her little bat ears blow in the wind when she runs. (The frisbee toy is only 6 inches in diameter)

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-10235487938292528932009-09-09T16:05:00.007-04:002009-12-04T15:05:30.195-05:00

We've enjoyed being parents to Megan so much that we just adopted a 9 and 1/2 week old miniature schnauzer puppy named Molly. She's chewing on the computer cord right now and keeps crawling on the keyboard of my laptop. Molly is adjusting well to her new home, but big sister Megan is not pleased. No bloodshed so far, but a fair amount of growling and snapping on Megan's part. The last photo

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-16866582610849693452009-08-01T21:05:00.029-04:002009-08-01T23:16:43.495-04:00

Newfoundland is known for spectacular scenery, icebergs, whales, moose, Screech, and incredibly friendly people. I'm happy to report that, except for spotting a moose, we experienced everything else. In fact, we experienced them all in one day during our visit to Trinity Bight on the Bona Vista peninsula. (Please click on photos for larger, and much more enjoyable, images.)A "bight" is a bend

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-27156795719446012342009-07-20T11:49:00.003-04:002009-07-20T11:55:15.163-04:00

I've been traveling quite a bit. Hubby and I had a wonderful week of vacation in Newfoundland,then I came home and immediately left for Maryland to take a polymer clay class and then to Pennsylvania to visit my mom. I'm in PA now, borrowing my mom's computer. To those nice folks I met in Newfoundland: It will be another week or two until I can get home and post the photographs I promised you.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-59764857281683581612009-06-02T12:32:00.007-04:002009-06-02T12:43:36.090-04:00

One of my guildmates, Laura McIntosh, is having a baby and has decorated the nursery in a jungle theme using green, yellow and white. I made this picture frame for her but don't tell her. She hasn't seen it yet.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-19742677402514990132009-06-01T21:31:00.008-04:002010-10-12T15:58:38.028-04:00

The infamous Daniels 12, my best friends in the whole world, got together again, this time in Niagara Falls. We were all freshmen together in a small dorm called Daniels Hall and after seeing each other every 5 years at reunions, we decided to start having our own private reunions. It has become sort of a tradition to exchange small gift items, so last time I gave everybody Altoid tins covered

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-73225063978220077132009-05-07T13:34:00.002-04:002009-05-07T13:52:19.650-04:00

Georgia Ferrell, aka Iggy, treated us to Fanciful Fabric and Other Stuff. Georgia encouraged us to play with liquid clay and a variety of materials including yarns, thin fabrics, ribbons, sparkles and, essentially, anything we can think of.Wendy Orlowski made a New Year's resolution to use up some of her stash before buying anything new, and as a result, came up with a class called Resolution

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-75171438471590857622009-05-06T15:17:00.014-04:002010-10-12T15:58:38.031-04:00

Once again I was lucky enough to attend "Morrisburg", the clay retreat held in Morrisburg, Ontario for members of the Quebec and Ontario clay guilds. Kudos to Margi Laurin and Violette Laporte for another well-organized, well-run, and FUN event. That's Vio having fun on the right.As usual the workroom was a hubbub of creativity. Gaby Orbach got us started with a workshop on interesting surface

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-460816306531406532009-04-04T18:57:00.008-04:002010-10-12T15:59:23.098-04:00

While my friend was busy with official duties, I traveled around the city by bus, subway and streetcar to do some sightseeing. The public transportation system was wonderful and easy to use despite the language difference. In addition, the city is quite friendly to bicycle riders with lots of bike lanes and even special lights at some intersections. Among the top sites are Heroes Square with

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-66679227110972291472009-04-03T19:26:00.020-04:002010-10-12T15:59:23.100-04:00

I had a great time visiting my friend, Her Excellency April H. Foley, the US Ambassador to Hungary. She's the tall one; I'm the short one in the blue suit. Her tour of duty is over now, but we had one last hurrah in March. One of the official events I got to attend was the flag raising ceremony for the anniversary of the 1848 Revolution. Because of the threat of violent protests, crowds were

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-46120854991763224822009-03-26T14:19:00.005-04:002009-03-26T14:43:22.175-04:00

My husband and I have always had the motto, "No Children, No Pets, No Indoor Plants", so it was with great surprise that I found myself contemplating motherhood and that my husband agreed. And so, at the advanced age of 60, I unexpectedly became a first-time mom. No, I'm not the recipient of some advanced medical techniques - I adopted. Her name is Megan and she's a beautiful little 5-year-old

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-90915059130026740292009-03-04T21:14:00.002-05:002009-03-04T21:40:47.739-05:00

I'm back.....sort of. To make a 7-month story short...the doctors told me that my dad had only 2 to 3 months to live (they thought he had metastasized colon cancer even though all the tests were "inconclusive"), so in July, I flew home to Toronto, threw a bunch of stuff in my car and raced back to Arizona to see him through this final process. His wife, a lovely lady, has Alzheimer's, so they

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-73343651033086666842008-06-28T01:54:00.002-04:002008-06-28T02:03:21.928-04:00

Things are not going well with my dad's health, so I canceled my flight home and will remain here in Arizona for awhile. So far I've survived the heat, but the monsoons arrived and right now I'm enjoying an amazing sound and light show of thunder and lightning. As long as there are no tornadoes, I don't mind the storms at all. (Our farm was destroyed by a tornado while we huddled in a tiny

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-78678501722401772422008-06-20T00:15:00.002-04:002008-06-20T00:20:55.259-04:00

I'm spending two weeks in Arizona helping my almost 90-year-old father with some health issues. This trip was unexpected, so I never had a chance to finish posting about my Quebec trip or to show pictures of my butterfly project. All that will have to wait. I apologize to everyone who has visited the blog and found nothing new. Assuming I survive the 110 degree heat, I will be back home and

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-49027588510469286362008-05-30T21:11:00.006-04:002010-10-12T15:59:23.103-04:00

Nothing about clay this time. My DH and I are traveling for about a week through Ontario and Quebec and tonight we are staying in the lovely Sleepy Hollow Bed & Breakfast in picturesque Gananoque, ON in the heart of the 1000 Islands area. Our B&B is a gorgeous antique-filled Victorian lovingly restored by our hosts, Don and Marion Matthews. It has the most beautiful living room I have ever

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-41674303154418246962008-05-24T19:43:00.006-04:002008-11-13T17:52:37.500-05:00

I've been experimenting with liquid clays recently, trying different brands and mixing different substances into them.  I've used Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS) a lot, especially for "gluing" baked clay to baked clay, but it isn't as clear as I want for a project I'm working on using sort of a cloissonne effect.  I'm looking for clear, vibrant colors to use for translucent butterfly wings and I

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-26906534033227780762008-05-20T15:17:00.002-04:002008-05-20T15:19:58.028-04:00

Hooray.  One of my photos from Synergy was published in the current Polymer Cafe!  It's on page 57.  

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-25095936814455781822008-05-12T21:39:00.002-04:002008-05-12T21:42:05.008-04:00

Here is the link to find Google Reader:http://www.google.com/help/reader/tour.html

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-59524203983203879382008-05-12T11:05:00.003-04:002008-11-13T17:52:37.780-05:00

I had never heard of a blog reader until a couple of months ago, and now I can't do without one.  Instead of going to each individual blog to see if there is anything new and instead of having separate RSS feeds for each one, I subscribe to my blogs through Google Reader.  There are other readers out there, but this is the one I know, and it is easy to use.  I can group the blogs by subject

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-59156053292216621712008-05-10T18:10:00.018-04:002008-11-13T17:52:39.582-05:00

I found the most wonderful glass bead artist!  OK, she's my sister, Melissa Blanton, but her beads are great.  You can find her work by searching eBay for "lmg lampwork"  (the lmg is for Laurel Mountain Glass).  Here are some samples.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-45675280841081860452008-05-02T20:34:00.008-04:002008-11-13T17:52:40.376-05:00

There has been some discussion in clay circles recently about the necessity to leach the new, softer formulation of Premo, and what, if any, effect leaching has on the strength of the clay. I decided to do a test. I took a big chunk of black Premo from a large block dated January 2008. It was quite soupy, so I'm sure it is the new formulation. I conditioned the clay by putting it through my

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-19577320201396826652008-04-30T22:15:00.003-04:002008-11-13T17:52:40.634-05:00

The clay room at MorrisburgI'm still recovering from a fun weekend at Morrisburg, Ontario.  It was the annual retreat for the Clayamies of Ontario and Quebec, and we had a good, but tiring, time.  As usual, members gave interesting classes and demos, and I think everyone learned a lot.  Just being in a room with a lot of dedicated clayers and seeing their remarkable work was inspiring and made

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-26816279013507100942008-04-16T13:26:00.012-04:002008-11-13T17:52:42.543-05:00

I call it Reef Dreams, but I'm not sure what it is - a sculpture, a miniature, a cute knick-knack? It is about 5 and 1/2 inches across and about 4 inches tall, so it's larger than dollhouse scale.  The image just popped into my head and I felt compelled to make it.  Now the question is: would anyone buy this?  Apparently people buy little scenes with fairies and dragons or mermaids.  Scuba divers

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-56472368191111362952008-04-10T23:25:00.004-04:002008-11-13T17:52:42.744-05:00

This is the sight that confronted me as I approached my workshop this morning.  You see, I'm just renting my house and there is wall-to-wall carpet everywhere.  I can't afford to muck it up by tracking clay around, so I put down some make-shift floor covers in the studio and I keep one pair of shoes to wear in there.  I kick off whatever shoes I'm wearing, go into the room, put on the "studio"

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-78678128457082559492008-04-06T15:43:00.007-04:002008-11-13T17:52:43.430-05:00

I'm pretty good at "eye-balling" measurements, but I wanted to be even more exact for slicing canes.  Anything to lessen sanding requirements, right?  I've tried different cane slicers, but none have given me the precision and uniformity I desire.  The Precise-a-Slice from ValKat Designs worked the best for me, but I was still having problems.  The stiffer blades are thicker and had a tendency to

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-24596122564698119352008-04-05T18:08:00.005-04:002008-11-13T17:52:43.769-05:00

Here is a second vessel from Seth Savarick's class.  I'm quite pleased with it.  The top and cord are navy blue, which is the same dark blue in the mokume gane.  It just looks a lot lighter in the mokume gane.I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling some creative malaise lately, probably as a result of a much too long winter.  Libzoid has been feeling the same way.  If you check out her blog, you

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-36365629116555353512008-03-20T11:35:00.011-04:002008-11-13T17:52:44.569-05:00

The polymer clay community has been consumed recently with issues of copying, infringement, ethics, inspiration, etc. So imagine my distress this morning when I followed a link on a blog and found this photo (right) on Tina Holden's blog. I was upset because, totally on my own, without ever seeing Tina's lovely work, I have produced almost identical items! Since Tina posted her image sometime

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-18544595929117688102008-03-13T22:33:00.007-04:002008-11-13T17:52:45.249-05:00

TA DA! Here it is:my first vessel ever. This is one of the three I started in Seth Savarick's class. Not bad for my first mokume gane and first attempt at a vessel, but I know I can do better. It should have a cord attached to make it wearable, but I don't think I will bother. The turquoise clay had some plaque that I didn't notice until it was baked. And I don't care for the TLS surface

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-63409383890618612202008-03-09T20:06:00.003-04:002008-03-09T20:25:43.557-04:00

I'm back home after three weeks away and trying to figure out where to start. Paying bills, of course. Unpacking my goodies from Synergy. I have new toys to play with - some "Pro" bead rollers, faux bone (no idea what to do with that yet), new mold/mould making materials (don't know whether to use American or Canadian spelling), my "Mona-fied" pasta machine, and some new videos and DVDs. I'm

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-76283100836456201842008-02-26T17:52:00.004-05:002008-11-13T17:52:45.556-05:00

My marathon week of claying finally came to an end and I am recovering at my mom's house in Pennsylvania. I darted out of the Synergy gala dinner just before the live auction, which I heard was a lot of fun, and drove back to Damascus, Maryland to get ready for Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes' two-day workshop called Beyond the Blend. Dan is a very analytical and precise kind of guy and he has

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-28495240273591750402008-02-23T22:56:00.014-05:002008-11-13T17:52:48.171-05:00

My first seminar of the day was Christi Friesen's Art Jewelry Designing. She gave each attendee a pen and a little booklet called "doodle your way to amazing wonderfulness or: how to design art jewelry without hardly trying," and encouraged us to scribble and doodle everywhere we go, even in her lecture. She showed how her inspirations lead to doodles and then to more detailed designs for her

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-83999885083251282892008-02-22T22:15:00.021-05:002008-11-13T17:52:49.438-05:00

Miss Carol Duvall got the day off to a rousing start with her keynote speech, Television, Polymer Clay and Me. Her tales of the early days of her career were hilarious, and her description of the craft items that didn't make it onto the air (think of cute things made of feminine hygiene products!) were priceless. The whole thing turned into a love fest with members of the audience thanking

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-54175501105147573522008-02-21T22:02:00.025-05:002008-11-13T17:52:54.526-05:00

The GalleryOos and Ahs filled the room when the Artists' Gallery opened at Synergy today. After looking at so much of this work in books and online, it was a delight to finally see it in person. After a few minutes, though, I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the beauty and craftsmanship I was seeing and blurted out, "I'm not worthy." Based on the hearty laughter that followed, I wasn't the only

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-57969973473284646392008-02-20T21:37:00.002-05:002008-02-26T17:59:30.474-05:00

Dateline: Damascus*Intrepid international blogger Cynthia Blanton was felled by a sniper's bullet while reporting from a clandestine meeting of the ASPCA.** Not really. I just WISHED someone would shoot me. During the afternoon of the third day of class, I developed a wicked case of food poisoning and became overly familiar with the toilet facilities at the Artway Studio. I totally missed the

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-88184258922590525512008-02-18T21:40:00.003-05:002008-02-18T22:20:36.602-05:00

Whew, I'm pooped. We had a full day of vessel construction in class today, and I was so busy, I didn't take any photos. Each student is trying to make three vessels with different shapes and features. Each one requires multiple layers of clay, so we switched back and forth between them, working on one while another one was baking. Seth Savarick, the instructor, is a computer jock as well as

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-47298315263184479482008-02-17T20:49:00.004-05:002008-11-13T17:52:54.859-05:00

Today was the first day of Seth L. Savarick's 3-day class at the Artway Studio called Inner Spaces/Outer Voices, Creating Personal Containers to Wear or Carry. Seth makes a variety of beautifully finished, gallery quality inro, lockets, minaudiere and vanity purses. Most of us were expecting to see tiny little vessels, but his are actually larger than the photos on his website suggest. We

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-16937056097606702662008-02-16T22:49:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:15:37.822-05:00

I'm on the road for the next couple of weeks and I'll be reporting from the clay classes I'm taking and from Synergy. I arrived in Maryland today and stopped into the Artway Studio/Polymer Clay Express to stock up for my classes. Things were a little hectic in the store as Wilma and Rob were scrambling to get ready for Synergy, Cabin Fever and the two classes they are hosting this week. Busy

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-29546432651575501992008-02-10T18:31:00.000-05:002008-11-13T17:52:55.326-05:00

Sandy, one of my guildmates at the Southern Ontario Polymer Clay Guild, taught us how to make snowflake canes and apply them to glass ornaments. This is a "disc" ornament. It looks like a flattened glass ball - sort of a flying saucer shape. I put slices of the snowflake canes onto a thin blue sheet of clay, cut out a large fluted circle, and applied it to the back of the ornament. I wrapped

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-22392146910494012312008-02-01T12:45:00.000-05:002008-02-01T12:53:01.734-05:00

I received a nice note from Louise who linked me to her blog where she shows another method of improving Bottle of Hope stoppers. Scroll way down to see her method.I forgot to say "Thanks" to Georgia (aka iggy) for her suggestion about the tiny rubber bands.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-34759733386214940282008-01-30T15:41:00.001-05:002008-11-13T17:52:59.729-05:00

The problem with stoppers like these is that clay does not stick to them well. Also, they tend to fall out if a heavy top is placed on them. Here is a method to make them work a little better. It sounds complicated, but it really is quite fast.Get a leather punch, a hammer and a small block of wood. My “Maxi” leather punch set came from Michaels and I use the largest tip with it. (You will punch

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-70182818752198598642008-01-06T19:00:00.001-05:002008-11-13T17:53:01.220-05:00

I was prompted to post this entry after reading a discussion on Polymer Clay Central where Desiree showed how she makes narrow skinner blends using little magnets.  I solved the same problem slightly differently.I like to make narrow Skinner blends too so I recently bought a curved magnet from Sue Kelsey and covered it in clay.  The magnet is great but it won't stay in place when I'm trying to

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-45994231066779486862008-01-04T21:45:00.000-05:002008-11-13T17:53:02.062-05:00

I've been on another Bottles Of Hope craze.  These ladies remind me of the Easter Parade in New York City.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-17054228895892640622008-01-02T21:40:00.000-05:002010-10-12T16:01:33.261-04:00

Greetings in the New Year!I recently purchased a bracelet bender and blanks from Dick Blick  http:www.dickblick.com/itemgroups-b/braceletbender/  and I've started making my first bracelet.  I haven't found any tutorials or instructions on how to cover these metal forms with clay, so I'm just experimenting.  Results coming soon....

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-70632355283810851992007-12-09T14:12:00.000-05:002007-12-09T14:43:56.886-05:00

It never occurred to me to look on YouTube for information about polymer clay until I saw a link to Maggie Maggio's wonderful color scale tutorials.  After viewing her three tutorials, I searched YouTube for "polymer clay" and found 236 videos on all aspects of clay - sculpting, covering pens, making beads, mica shift, and making dollhouse miniatures, to name a few.  I also got a lot of matches

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-80013489679882267442007-12-05T18:53:00.000-05:002008-11-13T17:53:04.113-05:00

Brain Cane and metallic clay Bottle Flowers, side and top views.

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-42805117056205788012007-12-05T18:05:00.000-05:002008-11-13T17:53:04.955-05:00

I seem to be on a mission to produce as many Bottles of Hope (BOHs) as possible.  I made 20 in November and so far in December, I have finished 9.  I'm hoping to make at least 10 each month.  Part of my motivation is because, out of 12 close friends from college, 2 of us have already struggled with breast cancer.  Perhaps if I make enough bottles, I will never need one of my own. (For

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258287984343157521.post-74728464929745714902007-12-03T14:26:00.000-05:002007-12-03T21:41:42.987-05:00

I retired from a career in management consulting and thanks to my husband's willingness to keep working, I have time to create.  I love designing and have dabbled in machine knitting, hand knitting, needlepoint, clothes designing (I have a Certificate in Fashion Design from the Parsons School in NYC), and long before scrap-booking became popular, I documented my entire life in a series of

Cynthia Blantonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08437683478016580115noreply@blogger.com0