Editing and posting the  photo of one of my Monarch butterfly pins showed a mistake I made when the pin was created.  Look at the bottom wings of the butterfly, I applied the right wing upside down. Didn’t notice on the actual piece but it really showed up to me when I saw the photo.

Monarch butterfly pin, originally uploaded by janet_farris.

Ahh! the joys of aging eyesight and a new camera. I was trying to get new photos taken and items posted to my new Etsy shop. After getting everything written and working on the photos, I posted the Monarch butterfly pin and checked out its placement on shop. Using the new camera and viewing it on the bigger screen of the computer I can see all kinds of details I’ve missed on my own pieces.

But back to the photo of the Monarch pin. Something didn’t look right on the butterfly, can you tell what it is?

Should I tell now or wait and post tomorrow?

I’ll give you some time to think.

I took this photo and the pin off the shop and found a different butterfly to photograph and list.

It is still amazing to me how fast info travels on the internet. My little bug pins are showing up on other blogs, especially the ones with the vintage clockworks or “steampunk” insides.

Cynthia’s site http://polymerclaydaily.com/2009/07/23/farris-and-haab-cuties/

Lisa’s site http://sockmonkeybeads.blogspot.com/2009/08/bug-pins-on-etsy.html

Pamela’s site http://totusmelswunderkammer.blogspot.com/2009/08/buggy.html

These are the ones that I know of so far. Every once in a while I will find one of my images on a site that is a surprise appearance.

So  much to do with having a website, blog, Etsy shop, still learning to;

Photograph – old digital camera died, learning to use new one, what backgrounds to use, how to make items “pop” I really need to work on that, how to edit, how to best use my Flickr account.

Web page – my daughter Jen started the webpage for me and maintained it for a long time, my husband Jim has agreed to take over and manage it now. Dreamweaver is too much for me. Still need to update show and class list and get new photos up at the site.

Etsy – just opened my shop there and learning the ins and outs of that. Plus packaging and shipping.

Computers – old Mac screen and other things on our laptop were acting funky so purchased a new one, but new Mac has more features and I am still trying to master the track pad.

Blog – I need to post more often (so I remember how), like right now I wanted to just have a name highlighted in the blog that you click on and that takes you to the site – instead of posting the whole address. What’s that called? I have done that before, but can’t remember what I did. My brain is in mental-pause.

Creating new things – too much time on computers and other things, good thing I have lots of items completed to post to Etsy, because I’m sure not making anything in polymer clay right now. Fused glass items and metal clay?? Who know when?

Oh this sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not, just learning a lot and using different parts of my aging brain. It’s fun and exhausting.

What about you? What are you learning? Creating? Doing?

Wednesday I had the pleasure of visiting the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, CA. I’ve been meaning to visit for a long time and they had an exhibit of Japanese Beauties: Glamorous, Decadent, Sensuous, and Bizarre

It was a hot day in central California and the Center was only open from 12:30 to 5 pm.  After driving through corn and cotton fields, pastures and dairies, I arrived at the Center. It is a serene oasis in the middle of all that farmland. Oh! what a welcome relief from the heat to enter and leave my shoes by the door.

On exhibit were beautiful  hand-painted silk scrolls of such lovelies. To see them up close and observe all the details was a treat. I did a short tour of the outside and the bonsai exhibit.

Then I hoped in my air-conditioned car to head home.  I encourage all of you to go to your local museums and art centers, they can use our support and there are wonders to discover.

I

My husband Jim and I are headed to the central coast of California for 3 days of rest relaxation and cooler weather.  We are in the middle of our annual heat wave, the one the weather forecasters love to say “another day in the triple digits”. From our high of 112 degrees we are back to the reasonable 102-103 degrees.

So I hope you are staying cool and having a great summer.

Turquoise and copper necklace detail 1, originally uploaded by janet_farris.

Here is a detail photo of the leaves in the necklace.

Turquoise and copper necklace, originally uploaded by janet_farris.

This necklace was inspired by a trip to Tucson, AZ. Of course there is a lot of native American turquoise jewelry in the southwest, But this really came out of driving across miles of desert, seeing rusty colored rocks, different mountains and miles or open skies. Very beautiful.

The centerpiece and larger beads are turquoise and the leaves are polymer clay. The necklace is created on a finger woven base of C-Lon cord.

Most of my work is with polymer clay, but other media always sneak in.

The clay leaves in this necklace are made with Premo copper polymer clay and the veins and accent are in turquoise clay.

Polymer clay is great for designing jewelry, after the larger design cane is constructed it can be reduce in stages to make items of different size and multiples of the same elements.

Okay, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will try doing some step by step photos in the future.

IMG_1234, originally uploaded by janet_farris.

I am working on getting some of my stock photographed to post on my new Etsy shop. I have been making bug pins like this for many years.

This little green guy has legs and antenna of twisted colored wire, body and under-wings of polymer clay and bright green wings from a real beetle. Underneath is a pin so that you can wear it.

I try to make them recognizable as a bug, but still cute. Most people either love them or go “EEEWWW!”. What do you think?

Finally I am working on photos and information to open a shop on Etsy. I figure now is the time. Yesterday it was 112 degrees outside. So staying inside and working on the computer is just fine by me. All that heat and sunshine makes the vampire in me burst into flames!! The joys of living in California

Oh! the Etsy shop is- jfarrisFromTheHeart,  follow the link in the sidebar. There is nothing in it yet, I am posting this so it will be in writing and I will have to get my “stuff” together or be shamed.

Main St., originally uploaded by janet_farris.

This a shot of Main Street in Templeton, CA. The annual quilt show is a one day event with the quilts hung from the business along Main Street. It was a beautiful day. The helpers arrive at about 6 am to start hanging the quilts and have the show ready to go by 9 am.

I was a vendor in the Legion Hall and showed some of my quilt jewelry, button bracelets, bug pins and other things I never seem to get uploaded to my website.

I hope to get some time to take some more photos of my work and get them posted here.