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Another Year of Learning at Art Unraveled

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August in Phoenix means that it is time for Art Unraveled!   Once again my good friend/artist Judi Dalton ( http://www.artplaylaugh.com/ ) and I attended 2 classes at Art Unraveled in Phoenix. For those of you who are not familiar with this conference please take a look at their website.   http://www.artunraveled.com/ARTU15/AUindex.htm   Judi and I have been going since it started and have taken an array of art classes.  There is also a Shopping Extravaganza that should not be missed!  Every August we sign up for some new class and time to spend catching up with each other’s news. This year I opted for the class ‘Dremel After Dinner’  http://www.artunraveled.com/ARTU15/Workshops/Dremel%20After%20Dinner.html   Thomas Ashman is a mixed media artist http://www.blacksheepartist.com/ and had lots of solid information to share.  I learned the difference between and how to use diamond drills and carving tools.  I have all my attachments for flexshaft and dremel in a plasti

Grinding and Polishing - Mojave Stone and Opals

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 This is my JoolTool.  I first saw it demonstrated at "Metal Clay by the Bay" and thought about buying it for a day.  I bought it with the metal clay kit and was delighted with both the time saving and the finished product.  Then several months later I bought the polymer clay package.  I was equally happy with the time saving and the end product. For those of you who are not familiar with this product, it has a variety of sanding and polishing discs that easily screw on the vertical spike.  The discs have slots evenly spaced and when they turn you can see what you are working on.  Less mistakes and less time spent sanding and polishing. Last February I went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.  Since I had been to Australia I wanted to find some black opal from there.  The finished pieces proved too expensive for my budget.  Fortunately a friend and I found a booth with rough unfinished Black Opal.  I decided to buy some (having no idea how to select the better quality
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I recently spent 3 days with a very good friend I had not seen for too long a time.  We talked non-stop and caught up with so many ideas, thoughts and projects.  She showed me her hummingbird feeder she made from a vinegar bottle.  She attached a wire for the hummingbird to sit on that would be too delicate for a woodpecker.  It seems her woodpeckers try to get into (and do) the feeder to drink.  We laughed because I'm trying to feed and attract the woodpeckers at my house!  As you can see, the wire is a perfect perch for this Broad-billed Hummingbird.  It was the first time I've really seen one. There was one bud on this cactus when I arrived at her house.  Of course I took the bud picture and was very excited the next morning when it opened.  This spectacular bloom lasted one day...one day of glory! The grasshoppers were also just hatching!  I got to take their picture before they were unceremoniously sprayed off the zinnia leaves! So muc