My Creative Space - Clearing the Decks for PMC

PMC - Precious Metal Clay - is a craft that I have found only recently...well less than 12 months anyway.  Yesterday I cleared the workbench to make room for tools, mats, ring mandrels and most importantly tightly sealed PMC packets.  Here are some of the works in progress and I should have the finished products to show off sometime this week.

PMC Fun!

Yesterday I left the family arguing over the correct amount of cheese to put on a pizza (lunch time banter) and drove to peaceful Tinonee where I took my very first PMC (Precious Metal Clay) workshop!  The lovely Michelle and I were the only students, and Christine Calabria was our knowledgeable and patient teacher.  I've added a few photos for your amusement.  I made a very simple leaf pendant which turned out quite lovely!  Unfortunately I didn't get to take the pendant home with me as it still needed to go in the tumbler etc.

A work in progress...note the Badgers Balm in the background - great stuff!



The finish product...kind of.  Still needs some finishing touches




I got a little distracted by the gorgeous wildlife out the windows :)

If you are thinking of taking a class and you need to get away (and perhaps you live in Australia) do consider coming up to the Artisans Retreat at Tinonee in the Manning Valley.  My goodness it is a beautiful view out of their cafe window!  Also they are just about to open up their accommodation for you to enjoy whilst learning your craft!  Love the setup and Peter and Christine are such lovely peeps.

To Market We Will Go!

On Sunday the inaugural Port Macquarie Artist Market took place beside the Maritime Museum and what a lovely day was spent by all! The weather threatened us greatly in the beginning (just to play with our emotions probably) and it rained and thundered for about an hour and a half. Here is a picture of the forboding sky...


but at about 9am as if by magic, the clouds parted and the sun showed it's face...rather a lot as my husband now has sun burn on his nose. There were lots of beautiful handmade goods on display and as I get to know my fellow stallholders I would really like to feature some of them in the coming months.

If you are anywhere near Port Macquarie, or are considering visiting for a wee holiday, make sure you visit us at the Maritime Museum on the first Sunday of every month (I love the fact that it's so easy to remember the date). Here is a couple of pics of my wares on the day.

The Perfect Gift

One of my bestfriends is about to get the following present from me for Christmas. It consists of one of my necklaces (which is ofcourse a mandatory gift for close family and friends!) and a gorgeous obi belt from Loobyloucrafts .

A Handmade Tradition

There are not many traditions that my family and I follow at Christmas. Apart from eating too much, spending too much and being incredibly grateful for having such a wonderful bunch of odd balls to call my family there is one other special thing that my step daughter Maddy and I do a few weeks before Christmas. We go out and peruse the shelves of Spotlight for bits and pieces to make Christmas decorations with. Generally we come out with ribbon, cardboard, glitter and paint. Well this weekend we upheld that tradition and got creative!

Here are our efforts. For a slightly morbid touch to our creative time, we watched Edward Scissorhands whilst we worked...Maddy's choice. We still have a bit more to do, but it will have to wait until next weekend!

These are all of Maddy's creations...I mainly mixed paint and complimented her work. Note the gorgeous little photo of her and Loui as a puppy....awww adorable!