Win a FREE Necklace!

  It is time for a Facebook Drawing!!! If you "Like" my Facebook page and share the photo you can win a free necklace! (You pic one from the picture if you win). The Labradorite stone necklace could be made for a male or female. All you have to do is:
1. Go to Facebook.com/artfulparadox (make sure you are logged into Facebook)
2. Hit "Like" button
3. Scroll and find the picture that looks like this:

4. Hit the "Share" button.
And that is it! You are entered. You are able to to share once a day. The drawing ends
Monday 4-14-14

 Spring has finally (mostly) arrived! There are few cold days here and there, but the great thunderstorms I love have started and the flowers have started blooming.
   There is a small pond in walking distance from our house and we just love walking there. A few weeks ago we just happen to walk there at the perfect time! There was a tiny patch of sand with some freshwater shells! They are pretty big for that tiny pond, I was impressed.

  I also have been inspired to try different styles for spring. I made a "shabby chic" style necklace, that I actually really enjoy with the Amethyst Cluster I bought from a wonderful gem show we went too. I have not posted it on Etsy just yet, but if you private message me on my Etsy or Facebook and still order it or a custom order like it.

I have also done some more Fluorite stone necklaces of course. They are available on my Etsy page. Etsy.com/shop/artfulparadox. Of course there are other items available that are new as well. Follow my Etsy page to keep up on new items available. 

Now I am off to try to work on my booth for some upcoming shows I would like to join! I need to set up my booth and take pictures of it before I can send it an application. With as picky as I am, this will be tricky. =P Wish me luck!  

Birthday Month

I have had a busy busy month. Both of my girls birthdays were this month. Aria, my older one is 9 now and Rainah is 3. How this happened I have no idea…. Didn't I just have Aria last year??? =-/ I don't feel old at all..really. Well a new season and growth spurts means that new bikes were in order! They LOVE them. Since this is Rainah's first bike she hasn't grasped in yet (considering it has been so cold we were only outside testing it for about 10 minutes and gave up). I think she will catch on easily though.. besides the steering.

I guess I jinxed the weather because this month we had almost a week of snow days, and let me tell you after the 2nd day everyone in this house was cranky and ready to leave. Now we are planning for another one. I can't say I am excited.

I have had time to work on many late night projects being bundled up at home! I am quite happy about that. I had a custom order of wine glasses for a wedding. She said they were exactly what she wanted, so I must say they were worth the 3 day ache in my hands from kneading the clay lol. Also, the awesome necklace I made my husband for christmas that I forgot to post! It is fluorite wrapped in clay with sterling silver and wood beads. It has inspired me to purchase a few more Fluorite stones and to make a few to sell. =) I will post pictures of those when I am done.

Polymer galore!

For some reason my blog hasn't let me post lately but here is another try!

I haven't had much time to write, I've had back to back birthdays! Sheesh! I've also been working on polymer like crazy! Here are a few items. Most are up at my etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/125615578/purple-and-green-polymer-flower-clay?ref=pr_shop

The rest you can see at my Facebook page:

Facebook/artfulparadox

Go like it!

How fun is this!?!

Ok not much to tell just have been doing lots and lots of work. Loving it! I have a drawing on my Facebook page for people who like and share it. Free men's/women's wrap bracelet! Look and like my fb page to see which ones
:)


Facebook.com/artfulparadox

I've been painting and polymer out the wazoo! And now I am mixing the two for much added fun! (The bottom is the mixed one)
All for sale

What do you think about them all!? Please comment and leave feedback!

New items

New items up at my etsy shop!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121522056/small-polymer-pendant

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121523044/small-polymer-pendant

I also made some custom orders (robot). One is shipped and one is almost done so no pics... Yet ;-)

Kale Chips Anyone? Pinterest Experiment

Sickness still roams around the house. It seems it will never end let me tell ya. I was so sick the other day when I came back from my Dr. Appointment I left my keys in the ignition and now my car is completely dead. So obviously I guess my errands will have to be put on hold for a day. Of course today it's in the 50's and tomorrow it will be back to freezing. Go figure right.

I did have a little bit to get some jewelry making in though. Most are up at my easy store, some not quite yet. I also have a custom order I will be starting soon too. Soon if I ever get the time and patience I will do a tutorial. :)

So Official Pinterest experiment #1Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips http://www.foodess.com/2012/01/salt-vinegar-kale-chips/#more-3414

This time I give them a 5 (scale 1-10).

Let me say this first in my defense. I might be Italian, but I was never raised to cook or clean. The fact that I even attempted is a Martha Stewart Miracle for my family. I don't know spices, oils, or anything really. So this experiment was not a great success BUT given my lack of cooking experience it is worth trying again.

I will admit I changed a few things. Instead of Olive Oil I used Healthy Balance Oil (because of course that sounds healthier than olive oil.. Right?) and I put a sheet of foil under them instead of coating the pan.. Hey less cleaning... Anyway, the recipe called for 2tsp of vinegar. Since my stomach has been a little upset I only used half of that (1tsp) and ground Sea Salt instead of Kosher salt (I didn't have any).

Ok, so the taste was great. Just fine, my issue was getting them crisp. I did two batches to make sure they weren't piled on and cooked for 6 minutes then flipped and another 3 minutes at 350. They were still limp. So I put it in a few more minutes, same result. I got impatient so I put them all on there (the 2nd batch was cooked and had the same results) and bumped it up to 425 for about 3 minutes. They burned.. Of course. Though they didn't burn enough not to eat so I will eat them anyway! So like I said next time I might actually follow the exact directions (to be honest I'm not sure what I could have done wrong to result in them not being crisp though). No foil? We shall see

Quick post

I have finally been able to finish and post my polymer pendants, a few men's bracelets, and my painting! Yay!! Busy momma here!

Etsy.com/shop/artfulparadox

Men's jewelry

I have been slacking big time on posting my men's jewelry on etsy. I have many,
Just haven't taken pictures yet. I guess I know my plans for the weekend!!

You can still look on my Facebook page and find some or custom orders. Here is one ready to send!

Life is a blur

I will admit, the last few weeks have been a blur! I waited until the last minute for all of my Christmas preparations. Before I knew it, here it was and my family was over. By the way, I will never understand the reason I decided to start Christmas every year at my house! Well, at least it was only Christmas and not Thanksgiving too.

Oh, and for the new cookers out there. Leaving the neck in the turkey is a bad thing... Even if it won't come out. You find a way! Hah fail on my part. Oops?

Aria is sick yet again, coughing and runny nose. Her fever has finally broke, but the girl is coughing constantly. I kept Rainah from her for the first few days, but it was apparent yesterday that it wouldn't last any longer when Rainah would try to use her butt to push through the door when I would open the door to check on Aria. Then she proceeded to scream hysterically and cry calling "Aria!!" when I shut the door on her. Since her fever broke the day before I decided to give in. Now the trouble brews again in the house. =)

Besides being Dr. I have spent the last few days making some orders for clients and revamping my whole FACEBOOK page and adding to the ETSY site. All of my items on my etsy page now have a link from my facebook page to make them easier to browse and buy. Yay! Also, TONS of new earrings, and items are still on sale for the last few days.

Facebook.com/artfulparadox
etsy.com/shop/artfulparadox

A few weeks ago I was reading through my friends blog Threeblindwives.com  and saw she made a tutorial for baby leggings from pinterest. HOW CUTE! I have wanted to start trying different "Pinterest" DIY projects and blog about them. See if they work, are worth the time etc. Sooo, why not start here! I ended up using older socks that were wearing out on the bottoms and didn't want them to go to waste. Still super cute though!

Here is the tutorial.:

http://threeblindwives.com/2012/12/16/diy-no-sew-baby-leg-warmers/

Rainah with her leg warmers =)

Polymer Pendants

So I finally got some feedback on some Matte sealer that can work and got a chance to try it (well something similar to her suggestion). Here is what I made so far. They are not up for sale yet, call this a sneak preview. :)

With the fairy door and leaf/clock gadget pendant I tried the method of cooking them without the bezel then putting them in, not sure how I feel about the outcome of the fit. The last 3 I cooked while in the bezel, still didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to fit, but was a bit better. Have a look!

New items

Lots of new items (mostly earrings) up on my etsy page! Please go look and please let me know what you think.

Etsy.com/shop/artfulparadox

POLYMER

If anyone reads this that does polymer clay I could REALLY use some help. 

Ok, as I showed in a previous post I have been working on some polymer necklace pendants. Everything was going great (though it took quite awhile to make each one) until I tried to seal them. DISASTER... I first tried Sculpey Satin finish because I really don't like a gloss finish. It looked horribly cheap... so I tried Liquide Polyclay, it had the exact same results. After I tried them, they looked like childrens art. I really want them sealed but LOVE the way they look without a varnish. I would prefer to have a pure Matte finish without any shine, but I can't seem to find anything. Oh I also tried to put Modge podge Matte over the top of one (after I varnished it) that was even worse. I am quite frustrated and need help! 

If you could direct me to help or provide me with some I would GREATLY appreciate it. =) THANKS

Saturday Events

It has been almost a month since I have started being sick. I have caught everything from everyone else being sick. The joys of Mommyhood.

I read something about onions helping cure sicknesses. Has anyone ever heard of that??? You slice the ends off an unpeeled onion and place it next to your bed at night. I know my fiancé wouldn't be too thrilled with the idea, but at this point I'll take that risk. Has anyone ever tried it? Call me crazy but it's on my to do list.

On a better note, more items up at my etsy store! I will have even more up in a day or so. Go check it out.

Etsy.com/shop/artfulparadox

The countdown begins

The Christmas countdown begins. It feels like thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet. Maybe because it has been so warm? Who knows.
I ordered a ton of bezels from etsy to make my painting pendants, but when I got them in the mail I realized they are just too small to see the painting. I didn't want them to go to waste, then remembered
what I have wanted to do for awhile.

Polymer clay! I have messed around with it a bit but nothing I really thought worked. I want it to be very sturdy and secure.
I think for my first clay design it turned out pretty well! Better pics soon. I still need to glaze it as well.
What do you think??