Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

After 2 ½ years (and a few weeks but who is counting?) De-Banding Day is upon me.   The braces on my teeth are coming off!   Jan.29 (TODAY) is the day.   So this last week, I have neon lime green bands on my upper teeth and deep tomato red bands on my lower teeth.   Honestly it looks like I ate a salad and some got stuck in my teeth.   That often happens by the way!   I’ve had unexciting silver bands for 2 ½ years.   At 65, having braces calls more than enough attention to my mouth and not necessarily in a good way.   The young man who put these lovely colors in my mouth explained that the current rule was: The visit before you de-band requires that you use colored bands. “Ok, you choose.”   And he did! 2 ½ years is a very long time to have discomfort in your mouth….until you talk to someone who has had braces for 4 years. “OMG!” I say, “How can you stand it for that long?” and thank all the stars above that mine have only required this ...

Several years ago I went to an estate sale wanting to find something to buy to remind me of family friends who lived in that house.   They were such interesting people who were creative, talented and so much fun.   I looked through everything upstairs and eventually found my way to the basement.   There it was! An old ornate brass doorknob.   It went in my box of treasures.   Recently I rearranged my art studio and found it.     My 2 part mold mix came from Cool Tools and just for fun I made a mold of the top of the doorknob.   Then I made a silver medallion using the mold and drilled a tiny hole in it because I wanted to incorporate polymer clay some way.   I know I’m supposed to figure out the entire piece of jewelry before I start anything so it comes out the way I want.   But this time the piece just grew!   I also made a bail that I thought might look good with it…or not.   I fired the pieces and tumbled them and ...

The 'Supper Quilt'   Yesterday, two friends and I went to see "The Supper Quilt" at the Smoki Museum in Prescott AZ.   I don't quilt but I appreciate the creativity and skill involved.  The quilt was supposed to be amazing.....and it was!  You might like to check out the website and learn more about it.   www.thesupper.net The back of the quilt was hand dyed in lovely vibrant colors - rust to purples - and the quilter, Don, had a matching shirt.  Nice touch!  Back of quilt  The quilt has 51,816 one-half inch squares forming the picture.  The time, creativity, and skill are remarkable achievements and I'm so glad I was able to see the work.   If you get an opportunity to see it, be sure to take it!  Detail  Detail 

When I was a teacher, I hated the paperwork.  When I was an interior designer, I hired someone to do my paperwork.  Now that I am retired and having fun with my Etsy stores and jewelry making, I find it a challenge to "do the paperwork" required.  The last two days have been spent entering items on my handmade etsy store and anyone who has done this knows how much time it takes.  Take the photos, write the description, enter everything on the site.  If I did a couple a day perhaps it would seem to take less time and that is what is recommended. But I get carried away with the making and the finished products start piling up.  I'd like to say I'm up to date!  I will say that I am closer and that is why today's post is short with few pictures.  The best I can suggest is to click on www.etsy.com/shop/lindabrittdesign and see what I've been doing.  Lots of pictures there and fun things too!  Enjoy!

This is the time of year I try to set realistic goals that are achievable.   Probably you do too.   These are not the overwhelming ones like I used to make – lose 100 pounds, make 5 art projects a week, make $100,000 a year and on and on.   No, now I make goals I think are possible – have fun with whatever I am doing, learn something new, share kindness, eat healthy and exercise (almost) every day and acknowledge joy.   I still have timelines that are measurable and I give myself a little wiggle room.   I’m in charge of my happiness and what I want to accomplish.   I used to forget that.   It is so easy to try to please others and so difficult to look inside and understand what pleases me.   Losing 50 pounds would please me but not at any cost!   Making lots of money would please me but not at the cost of focusing my life on that.   So now, I look at what really brings me joy, happiness and pleasure. Last year a friend of mi...

Last Friday I shared by first sterling silver clay project - the bead end caps that I formed by hand.  This Friday I wanted to share my next experiment with bead end caps.  These are made with fine silver clay and I used a 2 part mold mixture from Cool Tools instead of hand forming them. The mold I made 2 parts to the mold and rolled my clay to 2 cards thick.  Placing the clay into the deep mold was more difficult than I anticipated.  The clay cracked and I had to repair it in several places.  It was a little scary taking the two parts of clay out of the molds.  After I wiggled the silicone mold, both pieces popped right out.  While they were drying on the cup warmer, I rolled the clay for the next end cap.  This time I rolled it 3 cards thick and it was easier to put into the mold halves.  It did not crack. Drying in the mold Drying on the cup warmer After both halves were dry, I attached them with clay paste a...

Kim's Beautiful Beaded Necklace and My End Caps What a way to start the New Year!   First time working with Sterling Silver Clay, using my rock tumbler and hand forming bead end caps!   A very good friend, Kim Neff ( www.beadjeweledraven.com ) needed large size end caps for her beautifully beaded spiral necklace.   When she could not find any, she asked if I would make them.   Oh, why not???   I’d never done anything quite like them but I was certainly willing.   Polymer Prototype First I decided to use the Sterling Silver clay I had sitting in my drawer for way too long.   It needed to be used and I needed to learn to work with it.   Then I decided to make a prototype with polymer clay.    Seemed like a mold would be good to create since I needed two matching caps and of course, my 2 part mold mix was way past its shelf life.   I ordered more. Being impatient, the thought of creating the end caps using the p...