It’s been about six months, or a little longer, since I’ve made a cane.  On Sunday I made this leaf.  Needless to say I’m not pleased.  Yes, Virginia… we are not amused.   :/

But I thought it might be helpful to my readers if I went through the evaluation of the cane here online before stuffing it in the scrap bin.  To talk about some of the things that caused this cane to go oh-so-wrong.  Perhaps it’ll help both of us next time.

The very first problem I had is one that isn’t visually discernable unless you’re very familiar with canework.  The consistency (or more accurately, inconsistency) of the three colors of clay caused the first problem.  I’d made these canes with recycled clay;  that means I’d used old canes to create the three colors.  Initially, I wasn’t aware there was a discrepancy.  It wasn’t until the clay had warmed up during the blending phase that I realized I had my first problem.  The darker colors were much firmer than the light color.  Uh-oh! 

So when I discovered that, what should I have done?  Well, truly, I should have cut the blend apart and either changed the softer clay for a firmer one, leached the softer clay and then picked up the blending again, or chosen softer dark colors to work with.  I really shouldn’t have continued working with it the way it was.  If you click on the image you can see a larger view of the cane.  Do you see the “tree ring” effect on the blend?  This was caused by improper blending, which was caused by the softness/hardness problem.  You see, the softer the clay, the easier it is to blend.  And vice versa.  Soft clay butted against firm clay is just asking for problems.  Because the firm clay won’t want to blend into the softer clay.  You’ll crank and fold and crank and fold until your arms get tired, and that firm clay won’t hardly have budged an inch.  It just keeps pushing the softer clay away from itself. 

Then why did I keep going?  Well… because with many rules there are exceptions or workarounds.  I knew that with a leaf cane like this, since it’s only a single blended roll, it’s not such a big deal if the consistency of the colors is a -little- off.  if I put the softer clay toward the outside when I rolled it, that I might lose some of the softer clay to reduction, but the interior would probably be fine.  And I wasn’t really willing to chop the blend up and start over.  A combination of feeling awful cocky because I’m pretty good at making canes;  feeling excited about getting back into cane making again;  a bit of being tired after a long day; and a bit of liking the muted, grayed colors quite a bit.  So I went against my own better judgement and kept going with the blend, knowing full well that I had a problem on my hands.

The second issue is with the veins.  I didn’t trim the shaded roll before putting the veins in!  I just chose to go with the darker color without really taking a good look at the percentages of color in the blended roll I had made.  Had I trimmed the ends and looked at the shaded roll, I would have realized that the darker colors took over much more of the roll than I’d anticipated.  Armed with that knowledge, I wouldn’t have chosen the gray-green color to do the veins with;  I’d have chosen the pale yellow-green instead.  And in spite of the poor blending, the lighter veins may have subdued that a bit by the lighter color coming to the foreground, and it could have saved the cane.  

When assembling a cane, it really helps to have at least one of the ends of a cane to be constantly trimmed during the process.  Add a section, and trim.  Add another section, and trim.  It helps me to see exactly where I’m at, particularly with outlining details.  I make crucial shape and color choices based on that information, adjusting the cane as needed.  But… again those psychological/physical factors kicked in.  It’s sortof like going down a steep hill on a skateboard and losing control… instead of jumping off and taking a few lumps, I was fascinated by the train wreck about to happen and stayed the course just to find out how bad it was really going to be.  Once I realized I was in trouble, I didn’t go through the extra steps to recover from my mistakes, to work carefully, to try and make the best of the bad situation.  I just continued along, rushing through it like I often do in my overconfidence.

Now on the bright side, I’ll hang onto a piece of this cane before sending the rest to the Bead Guts pile.  I’d like to recreate the cane again, with the same color scheme.  When I do, I’ll have the piece of this cane with me so I can refer back to it and hopefully avoid the same mistakes a second time.         

It’s time again to revisit the show booth.  Allen and I are going to do just one or two shows this year.  The Peoria Riverfront Market is the primary one.  It starts on June 7th, and runs every Saturday morning for 18 weeks, through the end of September.  It was a good show for us, for alot of reasons:  the profit margin was excellent, it’s in our hometown, and it’s only a few hours each week. 

This picture is of our booth in the location they’d given us last year.  (Click on the picture.)  When we went to register, they were glad to have us back and again offered the same spot.  It’s a cement pad right as you enter the commons, with a beatuiful sculpture on it.  Almost seems as if they belong together.

As I was looking through last year’s booth photos, I saw alot of progress and alot of things I’d like to change.  I think this will be the last year for the EZ-Up tent, because the roof is starting to get saggy and the framework is flexing somewhat.  Hula hoops in the ceiling are in order.  So after this season I’ll probably need to invest in a TrimLine.

We’re also going to change the drape on the table.  The black drape really doesn’t coordinate with the light, pastel feeling of the rest of the booth.  In the photo above (clickable), you can see one of the earlier drape ideas with sheer fabric over the top of the black drape.  That idea only lasted one show.  Neither of us liked it.

This configuration is the most recent, from the Spoon River Drive show.  We’d added a lace tablecloth instead of the sheer fabric, and while that worked better, the black still seems out of place.  I think the table needs some pastel color to complement the hang tags.  I’ve got some pastel plaid fabric in my sewing cupboards that will probably do the trick. 

A couple of things I like about this particular setup:  first, the risers Allen built for the bifold doors.  Those are made from shelving boards with adjustable feet to fix whatever ground conditions we’re facing so the doors are always level.  It was a stroke of genius.  The other thing was the use of a serendipitous bench between our booth and the next. 

You can see here how we tucked one of our booth walls over the bench (it was cold, windy, and rainy for part of the show).  This provided not only rain protection but also shade.  I might invest in an inexpensive bench just so we could do this again. 

A note about the Evolution of a Show Booth series of posts:  the pictures are hosted on an account that I’m cancelling because I no longer need it.  Eventually I’ll get those pictures moved to the new server and put the series back online; but that might be awhile.  So if you would like to take a copy of any of those pictures (for personal reference only, please; the images are copyrighted) then do that before the 15th.   

I’ve been tagged!  Connie from Constance Pelkey Designs tagged me.  LOL!  Thanks, Connie.  Being tagged is a fun way to share some of the blogs we read with those who might not be familiar with them, and share a little bit of ourselves along the way. 

The rules:
1. Place the name of the person and URL on your blog.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write seven things about yourself.
4. Name seven of your favorite blogs.
5. Send an email letting those bloggers know they have been tagged.

Seven things about me:

1)  My favorite tea is Licorice Spice by Stash Teas.  It’s a naturally sweet tea with a licorice aftertaste.  I tried it for the first time on my honeymoon in 1984.  I’ve been drinking it ever since.  If you’re a fan of black licorice, this is great for dessert if you’re watching your calories.  I keep my teabags in this tin: 

Click on the tin to see more pictures of it, from my gallery.

2)   I love thunderstorms.  One of my favorite movies is Twister with Helen Hunt.  In another life, I’d have wanted to be a tornado chaser.  When it gets really stormy out, I put Twister in and watch it with all the lights out.  The tape is a little stretched in places, so it’s time to get a dvd.

3)  I love ballroom dancing.  I’m not terribly good, but the music really makes me happy.  We’ve taught all the kids to at least do a box step so they can dance if need be at weddings.  We have a big kitchen and it’s not uncommon for any of us to grab a body nearby and start waltzing!

4)  I was born on my Mom’s 21st birthday, and I’m the 5th generation firstborn daughter.

5)   I’m terribly undisciplined when it comes to good novels.  Once I get into a book, it might be 3am before I finally give in to exhaustion and go to sleep.  I hate myself for it in the morning, and I promise myself I won’t do it again.  But it seems I don’t hold myself accountable.  I wonder why?  Some of my favorite authors are:  Issac Asimov, Clive Cussler, and Joanne Fluke.  Lots of others but those are mainstays.

6)  My absolute all-time favorite potato chip is Lay’s Salt & Vinegar.  Like the ad says, you can’t eat just one.  Second to that is Pringles original flavor.  I can be bribed with either of those, and if you want a really big favor, ply me with both.  My children have learned this very quickly!

7)  I learned public speaking when I was a member of ITC (International Training in Communication - a division of Toastmasters) back in the late 90’s.  I won first place in a speech contest one year, and made it to the regional conference.  My speech came in second at the regionals.    

Favorite Blogs:
1) Okay, I’m really biased here.  But my ooo-rah army grunt kid’s blog is my first favorite.  He was born an army brat, and I guess it somehow seeped into his bones.  He gripes and complains about it constantly.  But don’t let that fool you.  He’s on his way to a year’s tour of duty overseas.  And happy about it. 

2)  Of course everyone’s favorite polymer daily dose, Polymer Clay Daily.  Worldwide famous for the profiles in polymer clay, getting mentioned on this blog is every clayer’s dream..

3)  My favorite clay quilter, Jenny Patterson!  Jenny can make Fimo sit, bark, and roll over.  She’s absolutely incredible with a block of clay and a pasta machine.

4. Barb, oh Barb!  Penguintrax floats my boat.  I love Barbara’s razor-sharp wit and way with words.  She’s a wordsmith of the tenth degree.

5)  I can’t miss Lisa Clarke’s blog.  When I feel like the world of work start to overwhelm me, Lisa is this huge sea of family calm for me, and her wisdom just soaks in.  Love this gal to pieces.

6)  Reading Jean’s blog is like eating an entire bag of chocolate covered espresso beans all in one sitting.  Your brain goes BANG!   I love just being in the same hemisphere with this amazingly talented and endlessly energetic woman. 

7)  And finally, amidst all these women (which I’m sure he just loves) is the incomparable Wes Warren.  This crazy, talented, amazingly wonderful guy is worth reading, but let me warn you… bring your hard hat.  Nothing is sacred and everything is free game for his satirical look on life.  His soapbox is well used!