If you are a clayer, you have probaby heard about a new extruder, from Lucy Clay, the "Czextruder", http://www.czextruder.com/review  sounds like something that might come from a transformer movie but no ;)  I was so lucky I received an demo extruder to try it, thanks to Lucy and Jiri Strunc and Kimberly Idalsky. (http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/kimis-jewelry-from-the-heart)  She also made a great tutorial about faux soutache with this extruder, available on this page. Lucy herself made a nice tutorial about how to decorate the handle: http://www.atelierlucy.cz/2013/09/ozdobena-klicka-pro-czextruder.html 
     I received the extruder from the only Spanish supplier: www.conadearte.com 
 
     My experience 

     The big difference between this one and the other existing extruders is that this one can be connected to an electric (cordless) screwdriver which means little effort is needed. In my case this is great because I have chronical tendonitis in my right hand so using a normal extruder is not an option for me, in fact the pain in my hand started with forcing it using a normal extruder so I basically left them aside. 

      This one is very sturdy and big (I have the XXL) which means you can extrude  a big amount at a time. It is very easy to take apart and the good thing is that I could use the disks I already had from my (Walnut hollow) extruder, although separate disks can be bought with the extruder. 
It even comes in different colours and I got myself a girlie pink one.     
 
      It is very easy to conect it with the electric screwdriver and the clay comes out very quick and easily! So that will mean I will be using my extruder more often from now :)

      

   I can remember, that as a kid and even later as a young adult, you are tought by others, friends, family, to act "normal" and to be as much as others as possible to not "stand out of the croud". Because if you would stand out of the croud you could be subject to bullying or just that people wouldn´t understand you. Any out-of-the-normal behaviour would be cut in the bud. 
   When you got to an age where you had to start thinking about your "future", your ideas of following your interests or your heart were rejected because your parent couldn´t think of you finding a job in that area. 

  Now as an adult, I can still see "herds" of mothers taking their kids to school, all behaving the same way, dressing the same way and drinking their coffee the same way, it is almost scary! 

  Please parents, stimulate your children to develop their own character, and if they would like to study art or dance or anything else, be happy, because your child will grow up to be a creative and self-thinking person! 

   Perhaps my history of being bullied, has caused me to go against the usual way of thinking or dressing and I don´t care less of how people think of me, and you know what? That has given me more contacts and friends then I ever had! Perhaps that is something to consider...

   I know lots of my jewelry is a statement to wear and you would be surprised how many people are still limited by the feeling they have to be discrete and not call any atention. Personally, I feel the most "crazy" and artistic persons are the ones fun to be with, just as those who dare to have their own style and stand out of the croud :)

    Ok, well now that is enough rambling for today ;)

   
  
  

Hace poco, por fin se organizo un evento arcillera más o menos cerca de donde vivo (180 km) y me apunté enseguida. Organizado por artistazas Ana Belchi  (http://www.anabelchi.es/) y Moon Rose (http://www.moonrosehm.es/) nos ofrecían un día entero dedicado a la arcilla, con dos talleres. 
 Empezó a las 10 de la mañana, y ahí estábamos todos, con nuestras cosas, herramientas y piezas para hacer y intercambiar, un poco tímidas y calladas al principio pero según fue avanzando el día no paramos de charlar y conocernos mejor.  Es que no hay nada mejor para romper el hielo que hablar de un hobby en común.

 El primer tallar fue la de Ana Belchi, una artista que admiro mucho, no sólo por sus ideas innovadores pero también por el acabo increíble de su piezas. 

Nos enseñó a hacer cuentas arrugadas, y tras su explicación nos pusimos manos a la obra todos. Yo estaba deseando tener las uñas un poco más cortas porque las estaba clavando en la arcillo todo el rato, os lo digo por si penséis probar su técnica! Me ha encantado la idea y dentro de poco montaré el collar y los pendientes! 

 Después del descanso para comer, hicimos el intercambio de piezas, cada uno había traído las piezas que quería dar para el intercambio. 

Como quería que mis piezas de intercambio representaras tanto mi trabajo como mi país se me ocurrió hacer estos tulipanes. Al final se llevó a casa mis piezas Ana Belchi!

Yo tuve la suerte de llevarme un collar precioso de Olga 

(http://www.facebook.com/Disenyarte), llevo muchísimo tiempo admirando su trabajo. 

Después del intercambio hicimos el taller de Moon Rose, y aprendimos a hacer una tarta y pan, incluido su crema pastelera que me ha ha costado lo mío pero al final me salio. 

He salido de Valencia encantada de haber conocido en persona a varias que ya tenía como amigas en facebook y otras muchas que no conocía de antes pero son unas artistas también. Espero poder mantener el contacto y seguro que el siguiente evento va a ser aún mejor porque ya nos conoceremos muchos de nosotros.  

    I love books! Since I was little I love to snuggle on the couch, or in bed with a book that seems endless. I would even soak in bath  for hours, adding more and more warm water until my mom would  knock the door thinking I drowned :)
   I have read books of over 600 pages in a few days, although now I distribute my "free" time between claying, household chores and reading so luckily now that same book can last me up to week. 
   
   Before I would almost exclusively read Stephen King or Dean Koontz or John Grisham but now I read  whatever I can catch, usually second hand English books I buy from the APADAC store or somewhere else. They sell books for € 1 and if that gives me reading material for a few weeks I am really happy. I am not a person to cling on to books once I read them, besides the fact I don´t have a place to store them so I bring to books back to the shop again to be sold to others. 


  For the last years I have been playing with the thought of writing a book myself, but I know this is easier said then done. However I did start a book some years ago, which I lost after about 15 pages when my computer crashed, (yes I know, I should have made a back up). Then, for quite some time I felt so sorry for myself and I allowed myself quite some "sulking" time. After that I started again, with a whole different story though. And then I discovered polymer clay. Needless to say is that now my head is filled with earrings, brooches, flower sculpting, and endless other possibility this medium offers. 
   I have been kidding myself for a long time now, saying that I will pick up the writing again, if only I had a laptop so I could sit out in garden to write. Yeah right... I know myself and I can get myself into 100 different projects at a time, but reality is that you can only do so much next to a 40 hour job. 
   It is such a shame that having good ideas (at least that is my opinion, perhaps an editor would lough in my face, mind you) I have so little time to carry them out. 


   One day I will do it! I will finish my book, before I am 90. promise :))))
 


 

  Lately, on the Dutch news I have heard about a 20 year old man having comitted suicide because he was bullied all his life. He left a letter to his parents and they put part of that letter in the newspaper.. Heartbreaking.
  Now, as things have gotten attention in the media the government is looking to change the law to be able to do something against bullies. 


  I think lot´s of people underestimate the effect bullying can have on somebodies life. I have had my fair share as well at college and high school, I was too tall for my age, very skinny and more important, incapable of defending myself. I remember people telling me, just hit them or kick them or whatever, but I just couldn´t, just standing there taking the blows. 
  I know how bad and lonely it makes you feel, up to points where you feel nobody loves you and you would be better off dead. Yes indeed, I had those thoughts as well, other kids can make you feel so low and worthless you feel you do not even deserve to live. 
  Sometimes the psycological torture is even worse then the physical, making you feel less then nothing. 


  In Holland, there is a tv program that confronts bullies with the people they bullied after so many years, and many of them say they didn´t really know what they were doing. Well, sorry guys but that doesn´t work with me, when you have a minimum knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, you know perfectly what you are doing. 
   Sometimes I wonder how those who bullied me are now, but then again, I have to deal with lot´s of adult "bullies" as well, people who feel better if they can put somebody else down, insult them or make them feel uncapable, so I suppose that is what those people turn into. 


  Nowadays, I suppose it is even worse, today even the youngest have a smartphone on them, being able not only to bully others, but also to record these humilations and share them on an endless amount of pages, blogs, facebook, twitter, you name it. I can´t even start to imagine the consequence this has for a kid, for his whole life. 
  
   I hope one day,  there will be a better control over this, and people who can help those who suffer from bullying. 


   After so many years, remembering the time I was bullied this brings tears to my eyes, so even if you have made your life, you have a job, and you may have developed yourself in all kind of ways, you NEVER EVER FORGET. 
   
   Some people are so short sighted they think, so many years have gone by, you surely must have gotten over it by now. 
    Yes, ofcourse, it is not something I think of everyday, I have my work, my hubby and my hobby, however those people robbed me a part of my life that should have been fun. 
    
    I think the first step against bullying would be to make parents conscious about this problem. If parents are shortsighted themselves, and untolerant towards people who are slightly different, showing a lack of respect and disdain towards those persons, how will their children grow up thinking differently?


   Before you bully THINK! 
 
    


  

    Perhaps this is the most difficult question artists have to face. An idea for a new project starts in our head, we think about colours, shapes, how to put it all together. We want it to be unique, something that carries our sign. 
    We buy the materials,  paciently carry out our ideas, sometimes one piece even takes several days or weeks. 
    Nowadays, it seems very hard to ask for the right price, many people are not in a situation to buy a piece of what they consider jewelry, and other people art, for over 100 €. 
    However does that mean that we have to adapt our price, or look for other type of customers? 
    
    The fact that you like what you do gives some people the idea that you should be ashamed to even ask money! However does a singer not like what he does? Or an athlete? A cook in 5 star restaurant?


    Obviously, people are oblivious to the fact that years of practice and studying is needed to get to the point where people even start noticing your art. 


    What if your boss would say "hey, how about working 4 or five hours for € 30?" you would probably lough in his face! 


    However I find that even on the most simple pieces, a minimum of 2 or 3 hours is easily dedicated. (Not counting the moments of inspiration you needed to make such a piece)
    Sometimes, when people ask me for a price, when I tell the price (and I can tell you I don´t ask much) their eyes grow big and they are shocked! 
    At times I can bring up the effort to explain how much time and money it cost make such an item, to try and make them understand. One of reasons I stopped painting was exactly that, even at one point it took me about 1 month to paint a very detailed painting and I finally, painstakingly sold it for € 150. Now I have reached a point where it think "take it or leave it". 
   Art material is expensive, and electricity too, if you add that up to your time AND the fact that it will be a One Of A Kind item, you get to prices that not everybody can or will afford. I have come to the conclusion that not only artist are special people but also those who buy from them! 
   Many of those who do have a budget to buy these items are to influenced by brands and feel they need to wear Chanel or Tous or all the other expensive brands to be "in". I have always felt that different is good, you have to dare to stand out of the crowd, and buying one of a kind items will give you a very special feeling. 
   
   I think persistance in putting a reasonable price for our work is very important, some people will ask way to little, which damages the whole "market", not only do they descredit their own work this way but also other peoples work. 


   When I have to put a price on one on my items, I will look on for example Etsy for similar made items and ajust my price to this, besides taking in consideration the hours I worked on it and the materials bought. 


   I would love to have your ideas on this! 












 


  
   
    

   I have a preference for making necklaces (who would say?) and up to now I always dreamed about making other things as well, hair pins, shawl pins, brooches, journal covers etc etc..  Up to now I saw earrings as something I had to make to match the necklace, however I am determined to expore and put just as much effort in my other earrings and other things!  I love the items Jennifer Morris makes and the tiny little details she puts in her faux polymer clay embroidery jewelry. I would love to be capable of that kind of details once! 
For now I made these earrings, as a "therapy"  without any necklaces ;-)

Autumn must be my favorite time of the year, together with Spring. It reminds me of my childhood in Holland, of going to the woods with my parents and our golden retriever and look at the all the beautifully coloured leafs, red toadstools with white dots and acorns and green coloured moss everywhere. Hearing the falling leafs make that crispy sound under your feel while you are walking. (Not seeing the dog poo underneath and stepping on that was less pleasant) ;-)

I wanted to make some jewelry to "capture" that feeling and this is one of the things  I came up with: 

These colours and elements inspire me for lot´s and lot´s of new jewely and other things, things are starting to pop up in my head and make me feel like claying for hours. Those moments I would love for this to be my actual job and to dream away working in my own studio... However I have a full-time job and not all the time I wish to dedicate to this hobby. There are so many new and exciting things I want to try out, and the works of this amazing lady, Kathleen Dustin, marvels me and I would love to have even a 1/100th % of her talent! This is just an example of her work:

For now, I will stop dreaming and continue practicing and trying to get better and better and walk my own path. I will get there one day! 

One of the things I love most of being a clayer, is that there is a "community" of clayers of the internet. Sharing the same hobby and ideas with people make you feel like being part of a secret club! We use words nobody else will understand, and as artists we empathise with other artist worries and problems. One of the things I love about this is "swapping" which means that rules are established, and what to swap with your partner. There is a special swap group created on facebook, by clay friend Tina Holden, and I think it is a great idea! Swapping is a great way to get to know and to admire the ideasand work of other artists, and also to get to know new people. The idea was swapping a window ornament, and I honestly didn´t have a clue about what I was supposed to make, but little by little  I got an idea. 
My swap-mate was a lady from Slovenia, Alenka Obid (http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com.es/) and we send each other quite some messages and I am glad to have known her! Just after the swap started I got a tendinitis in my right hand and I had some trouble finishing it but luckily I finished it on time! 
She sent me a beautiful ornament combining macrame with clay, perfectly finished and in lovely warm colours, which already had a place in my living room window. This is what I received from her: 

And this is what I sent to her: