Saturday, December 4, 2010

Button Day with Mary Harding!!!!

I had a fabulous day yesterday over at Mary Harding's studio! She is a clay artist as well as a beader (see her shop on Etsy! http://www.maryhardingjewelry.etsy.com/ She makes gorgeous pendants and toggles imprinted with wildflowers and weeds. So beautiful! She showed me how to make a mold out of this plastic stuff and when it was still soft I pushed a button into it. When I took the button out I had a mold for clay! My buttons are not ready yet because I have to sand them and then glaze them and somewhere along the line they have to be fired...maybe even twice...I'm unclear about that part and I have to go back to find out. I had a blast working with Mary!


Halfway through the day we were talking about metal and she started me stamping on copper and hammering copper. YES! Something to get my aggression out! I happily hammered all the rest of the day, flattening out copper washers and putting my kid's names on them! HA! You probably didn't know I was aggressive! Or had anger issues! Just ask Gary! Mean, too, sometimes! So here is a skill I can use to get all that stuff out! We made a list of tools I would need to do this at home and I'm giving it to my Santa.


Mary, what can I say? It was a wonderful day! Oh, did I mention that she fed us egg rolls? Yummmm....



(Mary on the left--me on the right!)






















The view outside her studio barn





























The purple stuff is the plastic mold
















The clay buttons when they were drying


















My favorite button!

















The detail was really amazing!














And finally the copper! I can't wait to get tools!!!!!

























Have a wonderful weekend!


xo

5 comments:

  1. What a fun day, pretty landscape and I LOVE that handstamped copper!

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  2. OMG Cait. Love your post. You are so on top of our day together. I loved having you and I am already firing my little bezels that I made by mistake. I have big plans for them. Your pics of what you made and what we did are great. I will be posting in a few days so keep watching.

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  3. you two had TOO much fun! when are you coming over to make paper???

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  4. Thanks Karen!! Copper was too much fun! And I can't wait to do it on my own...I see bracelets and earrings in my future!! Maybe brass, too and dreaming of silver!!

    Mary, what a wonderful time! Can I come back and sand the buttons right after Christmas?? Providing I can drive then??

    Velma, Yeah, it was waaaayyy too much fun over at Mary's!! Would love to visit you too! xoxo!

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  5. Velma, why don't you come too when Cait comes and we can finish up those book covers?

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