I had two sample containers of paint I got from Sherwin-Williams last year and decided to cover up the paint swatches I put up last year. I used gray to make rounded squares and circles on one wall, and used red paint on the far wall that has the window. Warms up the room tremendously! Here are a few photos of my studio. Still needs a tad more work, but it’s getting way closer to what I had imagined a year ago.

This is one of the walls “before”:

The same wall “after”:

The other side:

And the cutting/sewing area:

So this is what I got:

It’s the Blick Beechwood Convertible Easel and it can lean forward, lay flat and fold up completely for easy storage. I’ll take a photo of it in my studio when it gets here.

In other news, I’m cleaning up my studio – AGAIN. I finally put up the few shelves I had painted almost a year ago, got some of those puck-shaped LED lights that mount underneath for some extra lighting. I have 2 large leather journals to make for two loverly ladies and I can’t keep them waiting any longer.

AND I bought the Artella BusinessBlitz Intensive ™ today. I need a boost to my business (as does everyone these days!) so I decided to take the plunge after joining Artella finally after so many years of drooling over the creative smorgasboard Marney Makridakis has created. I’ll be posting my progress & reviews of the program on here. In the meantime, Artella has quite a few specials going on – check ‘em out!

1. If you’re going to attach metal objects to the clay, just make an impression of it in the clay before baking and glue it on later.
2. Sand & buff before you attach your metal objects (my favorite adhesive is E6000).
3. Always sand with a sanding block that you can use in water. Polymer clay dust is not fun to have in your nasal cavities/lungs/sinuses/eyes.
4. When using steel wool to buff your pieces, wear protective gear. This means long sleeves, mask and full apron (leather if you have one).
5. Rhinestones, no matter how well you remember them being glass, are probably plastic, and do not bake well. 

When I finish my polyclay pieces, I prefer a matte sheen so I wet sand the rough edges & imperfections with a fine sanding block, follow up with a vigorous rub with steel wool (I have the “0″ steel wool) and then buff with my dremel buffing attachment. I think I should probably invest in a buffing wheel — the kind you attach to a workbench — at some point. It’ll make my wrists happy.