I'm trying to come up with something new

and keep myself from getting cabin fever. Silver has become so expensive that I've got to figure out a way to stay creative without going broke. I thought I'd try out polymer clay because its very inexpensive and my notion is that I could play with color and shape without using so much silver. I'm inspired by Liz Hall's silver and polymer work. See it here.

Most times when I want to learn about new methods or materials I'll either buy a book or take a class.  I knew that more bad weather was moving in and I'd be stuck in the house for awhile, so last Saturday I got a wild hair and took off for the local Michaels store and bought several colors of clay and a pasta machine. I've been looking at online instructional videos and websites and playing around with making canes and blends. As with any new endeavor, I work awhile, get frustrated and leave to play with cat, then go back to it again. Some successes and some failures, but none of it has been baked yet. I still have a lot of questions, and there's definitely nothing to show off yet.

Speaking of playing with the cat, Lola is so organized! She likes to have all her toys in one place. After a bout of flinging things all over the house, she'll eventually bring them all back to the living room in front of my chair. I've decided not to spend any more money on cat toys. The green string and home made fabric pouch of catnip are her favorites.

When I got up this morning it was 9 degrees and it only got up to a high of 12 degrees. The wind chill is -10. That's 10 BELOW ZERO. And, it's snowing sideways. I think this is called a blizzard! Appalachian State University was closed today, for only the third time I can remember. I have on two pair of socks and my feet are still cold. They're calling for an ice storm on Wednesday night and more snow on Sunday. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's really difficult.