Craft Show...Primrose Elementary School, Somers NY, Sat. Dec. 5th, 10-4

Handmade clay button

Monet, very proud in his handknit collar

Matisse looking dignified in his collar

Here are my handsome boys showing off the collars I knit for them. They absolutely love them. Sometimes Monet [top] will lose his. When I find it and ask him if he wants to wear his collar, he stretches forward to let me put it on him. One day the collar was on the coffee table and Monet kept looking at the collar then looking at me, so I held it in front of him and again he stretched forward so I could slip it around his neck. He just loves that thing, and loves the praise when we tell him how handsome he is. Matisse [bottom] witnessed all this so when he got his own collar, he was very proud. He has always been a nervous cat but he easily lets us put the collar on him. The collars are made of 100% wool. I think they like the slight sheepy scent.

Terrific holiday gifts, these Kitty Collars will be featured at the Primrose Craft Show on Saturday Dec. 5th, along with beautifully designed knit hats for children and adults; ultra thick and toasty wrist warmers; adorable coffee cozies that provide a layer of safety between your hot beverage container and your hand; fashionable wrist bangles; knit and crocheted Kitchen Cloths that are "green" and at the same time come in lots of colors and patterns; thick and comfy neck warmers with chunky handmade clay buttons; colorful handmade clay beads, jewelry and much more.

Handcrafted Jewelry

These two photos show examples of my handcrafted jewelry. The top picture is of a necklace made of polymer clay beads and copper wire. Polymer clay has to be conditioned before it can be shaped. Then the bits of colored clay are mixed to create the desired pallette and through various techniques of combining the colors and shapes, and baking them, incredible designs are created. Inclusions, and embossing powders can be added. Designs can be stamped into the clay. Sanding, polishing and sealing complete the process.

The bottom photo shows a shrink plastic necklace. A special plastic sheet is stamped with my original handcrafted rubber stamps, then color is added with inks or chalks. I cut the designs apart and heat them. They shrink to about 30 % of their original size. It's really fun to watch the pieces transform in the shrinking process. They curl up and look like they're about to die, but just when they're on the brink, they straighten out like a yogi in shavasana and just lie there in the toaster oven until you come to retrieve them. The design and colors intensify. More color may be added after heating. Sometimes I use sanding to distress the finish and fixative to preserve the piece if the materials used warrant it.