and by that I mean that the kids will be done with camp and my husband will be home from Alaska, and my project will have to be finished before it all ends, or I will turn back into a pumpkin. I have been working long hours, but it has been a pleasure. I love working until I am satisfied with the quality of what I have done. While making the birdhouses, and there are seven, I documented what I did so that I would have a record of what I did. I am first a potter, and I always fill out my log for each firing. It includes drawings, temperatures, glaze and color combinations, what clay I used and even a checklist that the kiln was going through the firing process according to plan. Monitoring and being certain gives me security, and well, I am very careful. I hate to waste precious resources. If it is clay for pots, or silver clay, they are both very precious to me. From them I can make anything I set my mind to, and manifest whatever fantastic idea I have. Pretty much. Oh, I feel so powerful!
Still, I have some more work to do, and as soon as the kids go to bed I am going to get on with it. Here is some work in progress:
Each pendant has a name. 'Espalier', 'Jungle', 'Music', 'Why', 'Altar', 'Klimt', and 'Rose'. Tonight, I am attaching birds to a few of the roofs with PMC slip. Some of the birds I will be hanging from the houses when I string all the parts together. It will be a surprise! After I attach, I fire them all again so that all the parts are securely fused. Then, I brush with a brass brush to get a shiny surface. Next, I tumble to work harden and give the pieces more strength. I will patina and polish each piece and the details will show more dramatically. The last step will be assembling all of them, each will have a color theme, pearls, gems, and fine silver charms I have also made to complement each piece.
Those of you who have been waiting so patiently, thank you! Everything takes longer than I plan. By tomorrow I will have finished all but the stringing. I will try to post as soon as possible.