New Product!

I have been fusing glass again - this time to make some hair barrettes. Now I wish I had longer hair so a barrette would stick in it...

Two Steppin'the Happy Dance

The boys finished these steps the day after they started them! I couldn't believe how quickly those two worked. Tim designed them to fit in with the natural curve of the land and then used old cross arms from utility poles and woodchips from a huge pile we have left from having some trees cut last year. Walking these steps is so much better than sliding on your bottom down to the pond.

{Like my virtual landscaping?}

Its Week Twenty Six of the Necklace Contest!

Probably from a game show - or - perhaps the guy just likes big dice - whatever the case, it's a fun image! Here's the contest part - you make a suggestion for what clever saying should be on the back side of this image and if your quote/word/short story/phrase is chosen on Friday, you will win a soldered glass pendant on a chain made right here at the Two Dog Pond Sweatshop!

Meanwhile - I don't care how cute they are, don't kiss any swine. The CDC will be all over you.

Tool Frog

Here's a new use for your glass flower frogs -

I've been using mine for my pencils, pens and paintbrushes - and yesterday figured out the taller ones are perfect for holding small tools! If you don't have any glass frogs, you can usually find them at thrift stores, antique stores, junk shops for a few dollars...I have a quite a few of them, but nothing compared to my sisters collection of about a gazillion! She likes things with circles and words with o's...hmmm...one time we had to go to Tarkio, MO just so she could say it.

Winner Week 26 - Congratulations VR!

Congratulations to Vintage Revamped for her winning suggestion of "Your Love take me to the Moon" - that's very sweet and possible even reminiscent of Ralph Cramden's suggestion to Alice:! {whoops - did I just show my age or what!?} Anyway - Miss Revamped, please e-mail me (rachel@twodogpond.com) your mailing address and I will send you your cute new pendant on a chain!

Vacation At Two Dog Pond

My brother Pete {from Seattle} is here on a short vacation. It's 7:30 am and here's what his vacation looks like. He's outside digging dirt for some new steps down to the floating dock ({which isn't even in the water since the pond is quite low right now...}) Rumple is ecstatic that there are people to play with this early. "Barney" is sitting on the tailgate of his pickup telling Pete what to do...he claims that he'll be helping after he finishes his coffee....

This has nothing to do with that, but I finished the silver pendant I started at Art Camp. That's a beach rock from Moonstone Beach in Cambria, CA where my sister and I had a great road trip stop on the way up and down Pacific Coast Hwy 1 in 2005. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not very good with PMC, but I do love it!!

Necklace Contest - Week Twenty Six

It's another great vintage postcard image - don't you love it? If you aren't familiar with how the Two Dog Pond - Make A Comment - Win a Necklace contest works, the guidelines are posted to the right >>>

It's easy - Enter as often as you wish, the winning suggestion will be chosen on Friday and the author awarded with a necklace with this sweet image on one side and their verbage on the other.

Camp Photos -

Here are a few shots from the GPCAA (Great Plains Creative Arts Association) Art Camp I just attended:Art Camp is held at Camp Comeca in Cozad, Nebraska - seriously in the middle of nowhere... the camp is just over the top of those sand hills....

This is the Lodge where I stayed. There are also cabins available, but I'm too neurotic to not have my own room...

Let's start with the worst thing I did. This scarf was so ugly that the instructor wouldn't even let me pay the lab fee for the class. This is the scarf before I drew on it with Sharpies, squirted it with alcohol, sprayed it with Windex with Ammonia and sprinkled orange dye on it, and then microwaved it. Great experimenting, but not my favorite medium...

Norma taught us this beading technique. She spends the summers camping in Alaska learning new things...she's wonderful. That's my bracelet - She also taught a fabric knitting class where they made cute purses. I stayed away from the fabric.

Deb Brooks of From the Heart Creations (on the left) is an incredible jewelry artist specializing in Fine Silver. She taught a class on silver jewelry - there were some amazing pieces coming out of her class. Not mine, but some campers (like everyone of these women) made some beautiful things. I made a ring from an old printers plate of a map and a setting for a beach rock from Moonstone Beach... it's not done yet.

Audrey used to do quilting. Now she prefers a chainsaw to a sewing machine. She taught woodworking classes and then did a chainsaw carving demonstration. Amazing.

The best part about camp is the people you meet and the friends you make. This is Linda and Jaymie (I think I am spelling that right...) who are a mother/daughter incredible force of creativity from Colorado. They had to leave early because they were expecting 36" of snow back home.
I love you guys!!

This is my attempt at a panoramic view from the back of the Lodge.

Breathtaking.
Read on if you want to see more of what I made....
Otherwise - skip to this weeks winner a few posts down.

Camp Photos - "The Tables"

Kay Lee of Brownlee taught us to make stick tables. She's amazing, and claims that this is her last year of teaching this... rats. I LOVE stick furniture!
I loved making these so much that I made two of them. This one is in my new Shop in the Studio. The other one, which is even wilder, is on the patio waiting for me to put a glass of wine on it.

Art Camp Photos - "The Box"

This is the box I made in "Metal Fun". Frank Brooks was the instructor. A man with tons of patience and the best power tools! He taught us how to saltwater etch metal, rivet, cut metal....
So I made this box....there are many things going on in the box. Deb saw Jesus in the box, and that started a whole bunch of ideas flowing. By 1am I had to stop...I dreamt about it and finished it in the morning.

I also made this mixed metal piece...it says "She takes pretend quite seriously". Frank had some "scrap" bent forks for sale, so I can't take credit for that part of it, but the rest is mine.

I need some tools.

Winner Week 25 - drum roll please....

Kitty wins with her entry of "They DO NOT taste like chicken!" Poor frog was probably invited over to Hillbilly Hank's house for dinner {not realizing he was to be dinner} and was quite thankful to be packing heat... Thanks to everyone who entered! Tomorrow starts another contest - where does the time go?

I'm Baaack!

I got back from art camp a couple of hours ago and can't wait to share some of the things I learned there...AND to encourage you to start saving your pennies now so you can go next year! It's open to everyone - the organization will be celebrating it's 60th anniversary next year - and it would be great if more people could experience it! I'll write more later - AND - will announce the winner of this weeks contest tomorrow!!! Thanks for your patience!
Rachel

Week Twenty-Five Necklace Contest

Here's a bizarre image for you! This one is complements of Debra from Lifescapes who so graciously sent a stack of old postcards for the contest. The contest rules are listed >>> there, but are quite simple: Make a suggestion that best captures the spirit of this frog with a gun and if your entry is chosen you will win a necklace! There is a catch this week, though....it's ART CAMP WEEK!!! YEEHA! I'll be off in the Sandhills of near-western Nebraska learning to make stick furniture, tatting, metal work, PMC, and more. I'm not sure when I'll come back to Two Dog Pond - but when I do - I'll choose the winner. There's no internet out there...no TVs in the Lodge...barely cell phone reception...I can't wait!!

Winner Week 24 - HeatherJ!

Congratulations Heather J! You are the winner of this cute necklace! Heather's entry of "Go Slowly and Enjoy the View" has been chosen as the winning phrase for the Goat Girl Pendant. Send me your mailing address (e-mail me at rachel@twodogpond.com) and I'll get it right in the mail to you, HeatherJ.
Thank you to everyone who played this week! Have a Joyfilled Easter and come back on Monday for round 25 of the Two Dog Pond Make A Comment Win A Necklace Contest.
{PS - ignore that messy soldering - I'll fix it before I mail it!}

Twilight Fan

Lynn, that works here in the Two Dog Pond Sweatshop, is a big Twilight fan. Today we took her photo and replaced Bella. I think Edward loves her. Up close you can see that I turned her eyes amber colored, as if she just drank a whole lot of blood....

Is anyone else enjoying the Twilight series? I loved them!!

Week Twenty Four - Necklace Contest

Welcome to Week 24 of the Two Dog Pond Make A Comment Win A Necklace Contest! This is where you make a comment and win a necklace. You have all week long to think of clever things to put on the back side of this image and on Friday {Good Friday} if your comment is selected, you will win a necklace. The complete rules are posted on the right side>>>

This sweet image was sent to me by the Kitchen Girls, Karrie and Karla. They won a necklace two weeks ago and said they loved it so much they were willing to dig into their photo stash and share some great images! I love this one - I did add a bit of color to the photo just for fun.

Thank you ladies!

Winner Week 23 Finally Announced

The winner(s) of this weeks contest are: Pan's Island with her entry of "All the Flamingos were taken" and Shara with her entry of "Who's the Hoe Now?". Both of you are too clever for your own good! There were lots of really good entries again - and, Yes, I know that I sometimes choose more on marketability, but this week the winners were chosen for the fact that they recognized in this woman in the photo her ability to pick that man up by the feet and swing him around and possibly even let go and watch him sail across that field and still keep a sense of dignity about her. {am I reading too much into your comments?} Anyway, please e-mail me your addresses and I will put your winning necklaces in the mail on Monday.

As an aside... last nights First Friday Gallery Walk in Lincoln went really well. I met lots of great people - and saw some friends I hadn't seen in ages. One of my friends (SS) said that she tried to get her husband to enter last weeks contest with the comment of "My husband says I'm pushy" and he wouldn't do it. That's all I'm saying.

...and the winner is:

...yes - yes - yes. I've chosen not one, but TWO winners. However, in my haste to get ready for tonight's adventure (Look over there>>>) I will not have time to finish soldering the necklaces. Please tune in tomorrow for a complete listing of today's winners!