Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

All of a sudden it is Friday!  I look around at a few projects I've started and decide they will be good for another week’s post – once I finish them. It’s time to take inventory for the week.  You know, just go over what I really did!  It seems I enjoyed nature by taking walks between storms.  And I want to share some of that lush area!   Watson Lake has a lovely walking trail that is pretty flat.  I live in hilly terrain and need to find flatter places to walk because of my knee.  The lake is the place!  No ‘bathtub ring exists on the rocks anymore since we had so much rain.  First time I can remember the water level is this high in 4 years.  Weeds and wildflowers are in bloom.  Butterflies, grasshoppers and whip-tail lizards play on the trails and in the rocky areas.  A red-tailed hawk circled over head and barn swallows played around the water’s edge.  What else did I do? ...

This week I've been thinking a lot about how changing the emphasis on what I’m doing affects the outcome. I used to weave and my husband made a beautiful vertical loom so I could make tapestries and flat rugs.  I really did not have time to use it because I was running my own interior design business.  I kept the loom along with some wonderful yarns because I knew someday I would have time.  That loom and the yarn moved from Tucson to Prescott with me and sat in the closet for 5 years.  I've done no weaving in 10 years.  The emphasis was on what could have been and on a dream that was never going to happen and in fact I did not want.  I sold the loom to a young woman who is collecting tools she wants to use in the future.  I understood that.  The yarn is now listed on my Etsy site in supplies.  I had to examine what I really wanted and why before I could let go of the past. It was the same with moving from my Tucson home of 25 year...

My Rendition of Starry Night!  silver spiral, silver star that moves and star beside a moonstone.  Wire weaving on the edges.   I've been going to Art Unraveled ( http://www.artunraveled.com/ARTU14/AUindex.htm ) for many years and always learn something new.  This year my good friend Judi and I roomed together and attended the same classes. ‘Fun, Affordable and Classy: Composite Laminate Earrings’ taught by April Bower ( http://www.downthestreetartgallery.com/april.htm ) was the first class we took.  In the 3 hour evening class we learned to saw laminate resin – most of us call it Formica!  We were to design earrings using laminate and accenting with wire or beads or metal.  The trick was to cut 2 of each shape the same!  Not such an easy task.  So here are some of the examples and products from the class. My Formica (oops  Laminate Resin) Earrings The next morning after exercising and breakfast we went to ‘Silver ...

The After Practice Piece  -  Improving Last week I shared making the piece to enamel from ArtClay Copper.  This week is about the actual process of enameling.  If you are interested in using the enameling techniques, I highly recommend Pam East’s DVD’s.  Last week’s post has the links. I looked forward to this part as I remembered how much fun it was to blend the enamel colors in Pam’s class.  Three pair of earrings are ready to be cleaned in PreEnamel to remove any oil or fingerprints.  I started do this at my work station and ended up at the sink because the water needed to be hot.  After scrubbing and rinsing until the water sheeted off the metal instead of beading, I was ready to counter enamel. That just means putting enamel on the back of the piece so that there will have equal amount of stress when the enamel is placed on the front and the enamel will not crack.  The earring on the left shows the counter-enamel The ...