Seeds of Inspiration

Seed pods from my backyard with their wonderful spikey geometric shape offer interesting design possibilities to artists.

Last night I noted that several people in the Promotional Frenzy thread in the Etsy forum http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6652194


were talking about the need for refueling their inspiration and motivation, so I slept on it and woke up to the idea today to take pictures of all kinds of textures, lighting, shapes, perspectives, and colors that might jump-start creativity for my own and others' future works.

I found more than enough subject matter just within my front, back, and side yards!

This little wasp's nest was attatched to my screened porch and I placed it on a yellow leaf so that it would stand out better.

There is alot one can do based on this design (and I've seen some fascinating ceramics and jewelry created with this in mind).

For those of you who do steampink styles this drainpipe with its accordian design could pur some new, innovative work!

I've provided several different perspectives that could be incorporated into jewelry, papercraft, ceamic, sculpture, etc.

This folded puppy pen would also offer a unique subject for one's work;

It would make an interesting background for screen printing, as would this screen

Shadows can also offer numerous ideas to artists looking for effects to use in their work.

This is one I captured on my wooden security fence.

Shadows can be really lovely and can be used in all mediums from jewelry to sculpture, to watercolor, to mixed media art.

Here I captured myself taking the picture in the driveway scattered with acorns! Now how about that for perspective!

Jewelry artists and sculptors might especially like this chain link fence cap;

and this hinge might inspire hinges on jewelry or handmade boxes, for instance;

And my favorites are almost always patterns from nature like these!

I love the perspective you get when looking up a tree!

This tree in my backyard has an owl hole near the top where it broke off a few months ago during a storm.

For those of you who love leaves these photos should give you alot to think about!

And for you dog-lovers I've got these;

This dog recently moved into the house behind mine;

 I had to lean over the fence for this first one! Just look at that black tongue on this dog. He must have Chow in him!

And a regal headshot from behind the fence!

I haven't forgotten about all you Carmella fans!

So get out there and see all the beauty this world has to offer, then come back with a headfull of ideas...and create!

Return To The Big Dipper

This morning came early. I turned off my alarm clock and stumbled out of bed, got dressed and ready to take Carmella to the vet. My ride was here at exactly 8:00 am and we arrived at 8:05. The male vet tech seemed as if he'd just woken up himself, and blinked under the flourescent lights above the receptionist desk. The office seemed unusually quiet that time of morning and he came in to check Carmella in, then went to the back to tell someone that she was here. After a few more minutes in the waitingroom one of the twins emerged. It was Jocelyn. Vivienne who took me over there (and whose dog and two cats also go to that clinic) always gets the two of them mixed up. They really do look pretty much identical.

Jocelyn made small talk with us and a man came out with a 13 year old Maltese that didn't look a day over 6 or 7. When we commented on how young the dog looked he said, "Yes, it's the special food, and nutrients, and the doctor."

As we were called back I saw a man come out from one of the rooms with a tiny black and white puppy which was not much bigger than a soda can. I asked what kind it was and he told me it was a Bulldog, but its nose was a little longer than you usually see in a purebred bulldog. I commented that its nose was longer than most and that it was very cute, and the guy said, "It will probably tighten up when he gets older."

I thought he better hope it doesn't "tighten up" because he may be talking about hundreds or thousands of dollars in nasal surgery later on. Besides I generally think Bulldogs are ugly creatures that must have been created by man because God would never create such a thing, however the redeeming feature with this little fellow is that he didn't look much like a bulldog. Maybe he looked like a pitbull, but thankfully he did not have the appearance that somebody crammed its poor nose halfway into its head.

As Carmella and I went back into the room, Gail, the female vet tech came in and got her. I told her what had been happening with her mange increasing and the bacterial infection on her stomach not being impacted at all by the week of antibiotics. I also asked her to remind the vet that she would need something for the itching as well. Carmella was getting pretty raw already and I didn't want these areas to turn into wounds as well. That would add another problem on top of the one she already has, and I figured it's better to be safe than sorry.

"We don't normally give anything for itching", Gail said. "The dip should reduce the itching to some extent."

I reiterated that we really should not take any chances and that she shouldn't have to suffer over the course of the next 2 months if she doesn't have to. Gail semed to evade the request and then Vivienne asked her whether she could catch mange from the dog. Gail told her no, that only Sarcoptic Mange was contagious. She tended to go on about it longer than necessary, then produced a hand-out sheet. Vivienne didn't want it, and I already had one.

However, the one piece of information I did not already know but suspected was that dogs with this kind of reddish fur and light pigment are more susceptible to Mange, and so are white dogs with pink pigment. I'm thinking it must be that Melanin has some protective properties against the Mange mite. I'll have to see what studies I can find on that and on why.

We had some time to kill so we went to Borders, then to Marshall's across the same strip mall. I didn't find anything worth buying at either store, but looked through almost all the jewelry-making books and magazines, noticing how the tutorials in each were like songs on a CD; some good ones mixed with others I hated.

It was a foggy, misty day and somewhat cold out. Even after having breakfast and being out for a few hours I felt as though my brain was still asleep. My nose is still getting stuffed every so often and I think I'm still not fully well yet. I guess jewelry-making will have to wait a little longer.

Next on the agenda are the two seed pods waiting to be worked on once I'm back to normal again, with just a few minor things left to do; mainly assembly and putting the patina on them. There's a cool little feature I've added to the design that I think people will love, (but I'll keep that a surprise until I unveil them).

After we returned to the vet's office we spoke to the same vet tech again and she said Carmella was doing well but that they did decide to give her something for her itching because she didn't fully realize how much she was digging at herself until they looked at her closely. Dr. Norwood never came out to talk to us himself, but she told us that Carmella was probably genetically predisposed to mange and that it was autoimmune.

I asked whether there was anything that could help improve her immune system and she said that maybe fish oil possibly, and that whatever was good for the immune system in humans would probably work in dogs although not much research had been done in that area. She said that I was probably more knowledgeable about that than they were. They didn't know what to expect in a dog who'd survived Distemper.

I told her that I did remember from my reading on human immune issues that Magnesium was one thing that would help strengthen one's immune system. Apparently Pet Tabs do contain that, so I added that to the other stuff they were giving me.

Dr. Brantley should also know which things have that effect in dogs. I'll see if I can get him to resopond back now that she's had the procedure and this is something in his area of expertise. If we can manage to improve her immune function maybe that will prevent her from getting any more medical issues which are autoimmune.

Today's visit cost about $160.00, and there is more to come, so keep those donations coming, buy jewelry, or buy an ad on my blog. Carmella is going to need your help for awhile before she's home free. My natural gas bill is ridiculous this month and a possible cut-off looms on the horizon if the gas company is not satisfied with whatever arrangement I can come up with, but I also want to pay off as much on Carmella's vet bill as I can.

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Seedpods and Sowing Seeds

I've been catching up on some things I haven't had time to do while I was looking for a vet to finish Carmella's NDV treatment. Updating the blog for the art jewelry team I run, The Art Jewelry Collective, posting about the latest trend among jewelry supply companies to cut corners in response to the failing economy, and working closely with my Website Committee chairperson to arrange for what we need to do to get our new e-commerce site up and running in time for holiday shoppers. This is a big deal especially because sales on Etsy have slowed, not only for me but for others as well, and we really have to ramp up our marketing strategy and have everybody pull together to make this season profitable for all. We will be fighting increasing gas prices, higher food costs, lay-offs, and foreclosures; all events that cut deeply into the budet of our potential buyers.

It would be the easy way out to do the same as the supply companies are doing but I won't and I will encourage my team to stay strong and believe in themselves even at times when one can hear a pin drop. I am wearing a little thin with the latest dry period myself, but I know that the last time this happened I began to make my most expensive line and lo and behold somebody bought two high-end bracelets within just 2 months of each other. I'm sure there were some who thought I was nuts for taking such a risk, but it paid off in the end because although I have jewelry in price-ranges from $8.50-$900, it was not the line at the lower end that people wanted (although I made that line with the same standards of workmanship as the other).

With a little thought and planning I feel that I can do that again this year with my new pictorial line and the seedpods I'm currently working on, and if the team follows my lead and comes up with their own exciting and daring designs they too will see the fruits of their labor. Once the website is completely built and up and open for business then all members will need to throw the skills they have into the common pot to advertise and promote it. Then we may be pleasantly surprised at the kind of sales we bring in. Our street team is growing larger and larger and there is alot of manpower there to be tapped into if each member gives of themselves.

My seedpods are coming along, although right now they are very delicate with their paper lantern-like covering. They need to be coated with 15-20 layers of fine silver (metal clay) slip and must be fully dry between each coat so that previous coats don't flake off. The drying time is what is the most time-consuming. Right now I have 3 coats on them.

You can see them from several different perspectives here, from the side, from the top, and head-on. If you have never seen metal clay in its un-fired state it looks alot like spackle or plaster.

The wet slip is applied with a paintbrush over an organic item from nature such as a leaf, stick, or pod. It is best to mix in just enough water to make a mixture that's about the consistency of thickening pudding or slightly thinner depending on what you're trying to cover. You want it to be thick enough to adhere well but not so thick that the surface is too lumpy or loses the detail you want to maintain of the object.

If you want to fill gaps and perfect the shape of the piece you're working on you will need it thick enough so that it does not roll off the gap; just the right thickness to fill it in as it dries. Using a hair dryer can help dry your object faster, but if your slip is fairly thick it may still need to dry for a few hours or even overnight to be sure it is dry underneath as well as on top where you can see it. Often it looks dry but moisture can sweat through and still come to the surface over a period of time if you're not careful. As the water dries the layers compress and it seems as though you've made little progress, as each layer when dry is quite thin, but after about 3 or 4 layers you will notice the piece taking on some weight.

Doing hollowforms can be tricky and takes practice, and firing them can be challenging, the deeper they are the more diligent you must be in making sure all sides are heated fully. Some people use several microtorches at the same time to do this if they do not have a kiln. When firing on a stove on top of a metal grate or screen the piece must be turned periodically. If you're adding other parts to it, multiple firings are necessary to ensure durability.

I still have not heard back from Dr. Norwood regarding the anticonvulsant for Carmella and whether he made contact with Dr. Sears or Dr. Muller.

On one of the Distemper messageboards there's a woman from Texas whose dog has had the NDV given to treat the body but now he needs to have the part Carmella just had; in the CNS. I've been in contact with her and am trying to get her hooked up with Dr. Muller so that he can talk her vet into it locally. She doubts that she can travel to Atlanta, but may do that if there is no other choice and her dog gets worse. She thinks her vet can be talked into it if Dr. Muller explains that it was not any harder than doing a spinal tap, however I had one or two vets I thought would say yes eventually and they didn't. Had I not found Dr. Muller when I did I may have only had two choices; Indonesia or the Phillipines (and there would have been no way I could have come up with the money fast enough for such a trip). Even so, I would have traveled within the US just about anywhere if that's what it took. I hope that this dog will make it and end up another success story like Carmella. Apparently Dr. Muller is out of the office until Monday, but I hope he'll get back to this woman and her local vet soon.

Carmella has been very feisty today and wanted to wrestle so I figured I'd indulge her so that she'd get tired and calm down. She was tackling my foot and chewed a hole in my pants leg. Luckily these pants aren't new or I would have been pissed.

I took some more pictures of her tonight in the kitchen, most of them of her with her mouth gaping in one position or another, or of her chewing on her rawhide chew stick.

After about an hour, finally she was exhausted and crashed. She sacked out below the oven, her right paw jerking.

Even so, I think I notice a slight little bit of improvement! Usually when she has been asleep for a long time it is really severe, but tonigh I see a slowing down of the movement and some pauses in-between. It goes through periods now where it is not as severe. If so, then we are already about 3 1/2 months ahead of predicted! Keeping my fingers crossed that the improvement continues! Be sure to watch Carmella live on Carmella-cam!

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Document, Document, Document

Now that Carmella is beginning her recovery stage I've been giving some thought to what needs to be done to document her improvement for the medical journal article to come. I am so excited that Carmella is going to be a part of saving other dogs' lives and want us to do this right so that her case history will be taken seriously by the vets who will be on the review panel of whichever journals it will be submitted to, and vets in practice, after publication.

We're still trying to locate a lab in the US that can test the strain of Distemper in her spinal fluid. The portion for that test is still sitting in Dr. Muller's refrigerator or freezer while we try to work out the logistics. Luckily frozen it can stay viable indefinitely.

I spoke with the pathology lab at UGA and got a much better reception there than we had in the clinical section earlier. There happened to be a vet there who has spent most of his career studying Distemper and he was quite interested when I told him about Carmella and the treatment she had. Although he didn't know anyone but the same Italian source I had who tests for the strain, he seems to have relationships with several major Veterinary research centers around the country and he may be instrumental in pitching this treatment to them, which in turn could get somebody interested in doing clinical trials. I gave him Dr. Sears' e-mail and the link to his dog-based serum and we exchanged e-mail addresses.

He was unaware that the CDC had Canine Distemper on their list of Bioterrorist agents or that they'd documented 13 seperate strains, and was a little shocked, stating that they are mainly an agency for humans and that Distemper can't be caught by humans. I said that was my understanding too, but I have always wondered why they had that on a bioterrorist list. Who knows, maybe it was about potential threat to our food supply, not directly to us. I'm not sure if cows and chickens catch it or not.

Then I called The University of Tennessee. It took a few calls back and forth to reach the right person, but a woman vet called me back from their imunology lab and told me that they don't do the test there either but that she'd try to help me find a lab that did and that I should hear from her tomorrow. She thought she remembered something being done along those lines in Colorado. I hope she does have a good lead there because that would be much cheaper than sending it all the way to Italy!

This blog will keep an important record of Carmella's progress, but I have been thinking also that in addition to the other tests Dr. Norwood and I spoke of the other day maybe she should have regular MRIs to show any changes in her white matter that is damaged by the disease, causing the jerking. If brain and nerve tissue can be regenerated then advanced imaging techniques such as MRI could really show dramatic improvement, and one thing about pictures is they are hard to dispute.

Carmella was bursting with energy today. I think she felt better than I did as the first half of the day I was feeling very groggy, had junk draining down the back of my throat, a headache, and my stumache was churned up. I had this achey, itchy feeling too throughout my body. I needed to stay in bed to get that under control and Carmella was especially feisty and kept wanting to go out of the kitchen.

She was chewing on me again as though she had such an insatiable urge to chew that her toys and sticks weren't enough. My bare feet seemed to be a magnet for her needle-sharp teeth. Sometimes she reminds me of a shark always with her mouth open looking for some flesh to bite into.

I went out several times with her into the back yard and threw sticks for her to fetch. Eventually she grew bored with that and set her sights on chomping into an arm, hand, or leg.

She seemed to have lost her chew stick that she'd been working on for the past month, so I got out another one for her and she set about breaking it in.

That baby bird smell is gone now. It seemed to last just about 2 1/2 months. Too bad because it was a nice smell. She doesn't smell bad now, but the baby bird smell was especially sweet.

The necklace donated by Tracey sold on Ebay on Sunday night for $22.00, and another donation came in via the blog donation button yesterday too. I sent off another payment today toward the vet bill.

Those of you thinking of doing some advertising, don't forget you can purchase ad space on my blog for only $5.00. Those little banners stay there until they bump one by one off the list, and there are lots of slots left to be filled.

The woman from the rubber stamp company got back to me and I sent her the specs I wanted to see some of my pictures in round and some in square or rectangular shapes.

I'm really looking forward to getting started on my new line.

In addition to the pictorial fine silver jewelry I'm planning with Carmella on it and some other scenes I found some really neat seedpods on a tree over the weekend that are going to be covered in fine silver and made into jewelry as well. They are great for Halloween, as they look like lanterns or gourds of some sort. Their natural color is a kind of burnt sienna or burnt umber which I think I will try to re-create with liver of sulfer when I put on the patina at the end.

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