2/4/08

Over the Weekend

The first thing I did this weekend was to come down with a nasty cold. I spared you a pic of my hoard of used, wadded tissues! I figured Earle shouldn't have to suffer alone, so now we are suffering together.


Since we were contagious we stayed home from church on Sunday. Julia and Shawn worshipped with friends at their church then spent the afternoon hiking in the snow. When they all headed back to "the sickie house" we met them with a big pot of homemade beef stew, mashed potatoes, peas, and chunky applesauce with cinnamon. Later that evening we cheered for New England in the Superbowl until their untimely loss at which point Earle, a Maine-iac by birth, decided it was OK for NY to claim a victory as he was officially a New Yorker now. He has actually lived in NY longer than Maine by about a year. I'm thinkin' he'll never really convert though. You can take the boy out of Maine...you know the rest. Anyway, we munched on some other yummy snacks during the game: homemade potato skins (these were a BIG hit!), homemade guacamole with chips, and breaded cheese sticks. It was nice to have an excuse for consuming so many foods of questionable nutritional value! When the post-game chatter died down it was time for a special episode of House. Wow, he may have some redeeming qualities after all. Did you catch the show?

Since I was quaranteened the whole weekend, I actually spent some time in the studio working on polymer clay projects. I am designing an assortment of spoons with decorative clay handles. A friend of mine used to sell these creations for me in her cyber-cafe, but she went out of business last year. My next adventure is to open an Etsy shop where I can once again market some of my wares. I'll let you know when it's up and running.


Wouldn't you just love to dish up some fruit dip at a summer picnic with this spoon?

Also on Saturday, my order came for new Pysanky supplies. I will be holding a Pysanky class as well as teaching a few friends how to make these beautiful Ukranian eggs. New dyes, chunks of wonderful smelling beeswax, and kistkas.

One of my favorite eggs. It is still intact inside though I made it several years ago. I decided not to blow it out, but to let it dry out over time. I think the "wholeness" of the egg helps to symbolize the Easter promise of new birth and a new life in Christ.

What did you do this weekend?

10 comments:

Daisy said...

My Mom has a beautiful collection of these eggs. We lived next door to a Ukrainian lady when I was a child and every holiday she made my mother an egg. Memories.

I love your spoons. How fun!!

Needleroozer said...

I didn't know you could leave the insides of an egg inside? It doesn't get stinky? Do they just evaporate over time?

And yes, I will for sure take photos of the collage- I am hoping it will be big enough that I can make some cards for myself, and still have some to put in the etsy shop. When are you planning on starting yours? I am hoping I have a few things done so I have a few to post by Friday.
LB

Lisa said...

Daisy,

Would you believe I'm not the least bit Ukranian and I learned to make them in a high school art class by a teacher who was 100% Italian! How neat that your mom has a collection made by a Ukranian woman. What a treasure to cherish.

Lisa said...

LB,

Yes, they dry/evaporate over time if you don't shellac them too heavily. An egg shell is porous. If they crack they can be stinky. You have to store intact eggs someplace they can breathe and let off their gasses. If you store them in an enclosed area like a china cabinet they make crack.

I'm thinking at least a week or two on my Etsy shop still. I've got the spoons nearly finished and am thinking about making some matching felt sleeves for them as well as some other trinkets.

When your collage is done you could take some macro shots of different parts of the collage, print them out on photo paper, and mount them onto card blanks. That way you could keep the collage yourself and still use it for your shop, making a whole set of cards. Just a thought.

Barb said...

Wonderful blog entry...a feast for the eyes.

Please pop over to my nature blog and you find that I have presented you with a blog award.

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com

Your blog is excellent.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Lisa said...

Barb,

Thank you so much for the award. Gee, I've never won anything before!

Vanessa said...

Those eggs are beautiful! And I love the spoon. I just recently made a couple of Etsy purchases- some stitch markers for Meridith and some wooden buttons from a man across the river. Have you ever made polymer buttons? I'll bet the knitters/crocheters would snatch them up! Good luck with your shop, I look forward to checking it out.

Lisa said...

Vanessa,

I would love to make polymer clay buttons for the knitters! What a great idea. I'm going to do it. I'll post when it's up and running.

Anonymous said...

I went to an open studio (150 artists!) this weekend and several artists had done polymer clay projects. I really want to try it out! I love the pens you and the kids made us years ago and I was marveling at the Shawn's chess set last week on your blog. Any tips for a beginner?

Anonymous said...

that last comment was from me, Meridith by the way :o)