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Have A Happy Handmade Holiday
by Sarajane Helm
 I am very blessed to have acess to so many beads--the ones I make myself, those I trade for with other artists, the ones I find online, all the wonderful bowls and piles and strands of beads I see at shows and stores.
On top of all that, I have a very good Local Bead Store which provides me with access to even more beads! In addition, it provides me with a local outlet for my work, and more table space when I'm working on a project.
What bead artist doesnt crave more access to a cleared off work table with good light? This year we have a tree covered with hand made ornaments, including these festive Egg Ladies. Emptied egg shells are covered with several layers of Translucent Liquid Sculpey polymer clay (TLS) and then baked each time. The hair is also liquid polymer clay. TLS comes in translucent, gold, silver, copper and black.
After the last layer is fully cured, facial details were added with Micron Pen. Liquitex acrylic paints thinned with Varathane were used to color in the cheeks, eyes and lips. Acrylic paints and Varathane are both polymer products, but they air dry and do not need cured by heating. Red satin ribbon bows, lace and white flowers, and beads are added last to these delicate baubles. All the ornaments on this tree are hand made by local artists. Many feature beads!! (Of course.)
I also got to design the store's holiday window this year. As a bead store, we have a certain responsability to showcase creativity, and we did! There are all sorts of handmade things in our window display--fused glass bowls, beaded purses, silk scarves with fringe beaded jewelry, paper dolls, cloth dolls (even a full sized one!) colorful paintings and framed bits of antique quilts. There's a polymer clay covered wagon and "Pieces" the miniature polymer clay quilt store with its own tree and festive decor for the season. Its all tumbling out from Santa's pack.
This year I have no need to ask Santa to bring me anything more. This year, I'm giving myself the gift of more time to work with all the wonderful art supplies I already have waiting for me in my studio, the beads and sequins and bits and pieces that I've been accumulating for years. I have plans, I have beads---and I've got the winter indoor hours coming right up, when a hot ironing board or a glue gun isnt such a bad thing to have handy. My convection oven for polymer clay is in the hallway by the back door, and helps ward off the chill that comes with through the cracks along with the ventilation. So I forsee many hours of work on new beads and new projects coming right up. Its going to be fun!! And thats what I wish for everyone else in this season of holidays and the coming new year; have fun, and enjoy being creative.
 Here's a picture of the window display seen from the inside. It doesnt photograph so well from outside, but it does look good! Below is the closeup of "Pieces"
Have fun, and enjoy being creative!
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