Some New Tutorials Coming

We've been getting a lot of positive feedback from the tutorials I've provided here on this blog.  I am so glad that many of you have not only appreciated them but have even tried them out.  I plan to still provide some free tips and tutorials now and then but I've also been working on some new ones that I will be making available for sale.  I'm excited to announce that I have been approved as a Teacher for both Jewelry Lessons and Clay Lessons.  I've been busy writing some new tutorials that will be available soon through these two sites as well as our Etsy Shop.  I thought I would give you a sneak preview on what is to come:

I love to make watch bracelets that match my other jewelry and accessories and found a simple and fun way to make them interchangeable without using lobster claws.  The design looks elegant yet is very secure.  I have been wearing this type of watch bracelet for over a year now and have never had any problems but have received many compliments.  We presented them for sale at our last show at the World Masters and they were a real hit.

There are several styles of beads I like to create to use for these watch bracelets.  Tutorials on how to make these will also be available soon through Clay Lessons and our Etsy shop.  These beads also look  great in other jewelry designs such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings as well.

World Masters in Kamloops

Many of you know that the 2010 Winter Olympics will be starting soon here in British Columbia.  We are a bit of a distance away (400kms) but still excited about them coming to our corner of the world.

Another exciting event will be taking place shortly after the Olympics which is the World Masters Indoor Championships (athletes are age 35 or older).  This is the first time they will be held in North America and it just so happens it will be in Kamloops, B.C. -- almost right next door to where we live.  We are even more excited that we will be involved in this great event!  Sorry to disappoint you but Dave nor I haven't taken up pole vaulting or gymnastics lately unless they have a new event like a senior's cane toss.  We have instead been invited to sell our work, along with some other local artists and galleries at the main centre.  It will be for 8 days straight and long hours but will be well worth it as we will have the opportunity to meet with so many people from all around the globe!

We will have a nice size space to set up in so we have been busy working on our new displays.  We decided on black, white and grey for our colors as it will show up our colorful pieces the best.

We looked at all types of fabrics and sheeting to find just the right thing and when I found the grey and white swirl cotton, I knew that would be perfect for all the table and shelf skirting.

Was thinking of a black faux suede and came across this beautiful embossed one that was actually curtain panels that were on sale for less than what we could buy the fabric for!

We also finished redesigning our new cards (business, earring, etc.) featuring the same photo that is on our new blog banner shown above so everything seems to be coming together fairly smoothly and right on schedule.  We have also stepped up our production process a bit and been spending a lot more time in the studio than usual these past few weeks in order to have enough inventory to sell.

When selling in several Christmas shows last year, we had a little clay demo area set up to demonstrate several techniques such as making a cane.  We had a cane made in several stages so the people could visualize and understand it a little better.  This worked really well for most everyone had never heard of or seen polymer clay before.  The only drawback to this was all the talking Dave and I had to do that we were literally exhausted by the end of the shows.  We also felt we might have missed other potential customers while we were both busy explaining the clay.  Then Dave came up with an idea that we decided to follow up on:

We purchased a digital picture frame in which we can show slides demonstrating various techniques in the clay and let it do most of the talking for us.  That way, if anyone has any questions we can answer but we won't have to repeat ourselves over and over again all day.  This will come in very useful with the long hours and larger shows we will be doing this year.  The picture frame also has the ability to show videos which we would like to do eventually.  We have checked around and would've liked to find one that is already made to buy but there just doesn't seem to be anything like this available. If anyone knows of one, we would love to hear from you!

So only three more weeks of clay-time left before this big event -- the countdown begins!