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Polymer Clay Polyzine Copyright 2000-2004 Raleigh, NC ISSN 1534-1038 All Rights Reserved. |
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Jeannie's
Journal |
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| Summer. Ahhhhh!
The mere mention of it brings two words immediately to
my mind: HEAT and BUGS! If you know me at all, you
know how I hate hot weather. That's why it was particularly curious
that a close friend suggested we might go camping. Camping? Me? My idea
of roughing it is staying at the Ramada Inn. Besides, to camp means to
make a conscious decision to accept bugs into my life. No thanks. I
have
enough pesky pests of the two-legged variety to deal with already. Now don't get me wrong. I was a Girl Scout for most of my life and volunteered as a Troop Leader for almost 20 years, so I've been on plenty of camping trips. That's how I know I don't want to go on any more. But then a few nights ago, my mind starting drifting to the idea of what it might be like to live the nature life. Full-time. Think about it. How would I "clay"? Well, for starters, and depending on where I pitch my tent, I'd arrange for Rob and Wilma Yost (Polymer Clay Express) or Howard and Marie Segal (The Clay Factory) to airlift supplies to me on a regular basis (including my subscription to PolymerCAFÉ). Next, I would search the forest for tools. I figure there are unlimited resources for texturing -- bark, rocks, fronds of fern. Solving the rolling and cutting issues should be fairly simple, but what about curing the clay? I know, I could make an oven out of a box and heavy duty aluminum foil like we did in Girl Scouts. I wouldn't have a thermometer to test the temperature, but I also wouldn't have anyone to find out just how many beads I burned, either. God would provide me with a slew of nature-related inspiration -- landscapes and sunsets -- and I could even try cooking beads in a pot of boiling water a la Garie Sim's experiments. Well, it sounds as if maybe this camping thing might be a good idea after all. I could plan the trip for later in the year when it's cooler outside, and as for the bugs, well, you know how us clayers are....we'll cover just about anything. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
OK, here's the latest news from the wigwam (also known as pcPolyzine World Headquarters). This just in from Finland -- Pörrö Sahlberg will indeed visit the East Coast in mid-July and will conduct two workshops. Here is a link to the details: http://porro.claymountain.com/index.html. There are a limited number of seats available, and my "you-know-what" is taking up at least one of them, so you better get your reservation in soon. I see where Judi Weers and her daughter have signed up for the Carol Duvall cruise planned for February 27 to March 6, 2005. Carol's guests include Priscilla Hauser, Donna Kato, Lisa Pavelka, Karen Thomas, Mary O'Neil, Cherryl Green, and Tim Holz. Contact Drolett Travel in Grand Ledge, Michigan for information and reservations. (Linda or Shirley at Drolett-Travel.com). Are you saving your pennies in a jar for ClayQuest 2005 scheduled for next November? My piggy bank is growing steadily every day. If you're thinking of attending too, contact Lauren Van Hemert at: stampin_nc@yahoo.com, or Paula and Carole at Old Town Crafts: bubbles@oldtowncrafts.com. Please be sure to read the article in this month's issue about our new subscription newsletter. It's All About the Clay debuts June 15th and will be published every month on or about the same date. That way, if you subscribe, you'll have pcPolyzine at the beginning of the month, and the newsletter in the middle of the month. pcPolyzine will continue to be F-R-E-E and the newsletter will cost just $12 for the year. And remember, if you subscribe on or before the day the first issue comes out (June 15, 2004), you'll save $2.00 off the regular subscription price. That makes it just $10.00 and you can pay online by e-check or credit card through your PayPal account. Be sure to sign up on the mailing list if you haven't already to get the special email link to the $2.00 discount. Your polyclay pal, Jeannie Havel |