Clayton Hill Studio

Posted on June 16, 2011 by claytonhill

(Yet another) new hobby is born …

I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it …

The heat press came today – YAY!! Meet Mr. DC16AP … isn’t he cute? We did some rearranging in the studio to give him a good home. And even though my much needed ‘heat tape’ has not yet arrived, I couldn’t wait to play, but first … Here’s the rearranged studio – I like it, and it gives me additional storage for ready-to-slump wine bottles:

And – here are my first attempts at dye-sublimation. Sophie is crooked, Zeus is off-centered (which wouldn’t happen if one used heat tape) … but I love them! They’re 2 inch tiles, and will look cute on my fridge. They’re inexpensive, so a great place to start the learning curve … I can’t wait to make some amazingly cool stuff! Smile

Meanwhile, I ran both kilns last night: Mobile centers (big medallion-y things) and a new pressed glass blank. The black in it reminds me of Japanese symbols … kinda neat!

And – I did get some work done today too … the front garden beds are weeded and mulched. Looking much better and ready for summer! I plan to get more of the yard work done tomorrow – in between playing with the heat press … Smile

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Posted on June 14, 2011 by claytonhill

A new me … for the moment

Having slept 14 hours … I feel like a new me – for now. Smile

My heat press arrives tomorrow. I’m excited – and rearranging the studio to accommodate this new toy. I’ve already received some substrates in the mail – I’m all set to play. (To which, I need to remember the next time I’m annoyed with DH – he has not questioned/complained once about all of the packages that keep arriving …) Angel

Ran both kilns yesterday … have more mobile parts cookin’. Here are some of the pieces … I need to decide what ‘string’ I want to use, and pick some up (heavy duty fishing line vs. a wire of sorts) …

As a wine maker and wine bottle recycler/’artist’ – I didn’t feel like our yard was complete without a Wine Bottle Tree … Here it is, outside my studio next to my lilac bush, complete with weeds …

That’s it for now … my next post should have dye-sublimation news …

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Posted on June 13, 2011 by claytonhill

A Cure for Insomnia … AKA Weekend Wrap Up

OH MY GOSH … What a weekend! Pneumonia, DKA, hyperemesis gravidarum, S/P Cardiac Arrest (talking and smiling, no less), overdoses, alcohol poisonings, anoxic brain injury, R/O peritonitis, COPD exacerbation, GI bleed … and that’s just Sunday night! Every patient I touched was sick (admitted or transferred). This is my little country ER – not some big city (high volume) hospital … By the time I hit the 3 hour mark of my shift, I felt like I’d already put in a full 12 hours! Oh – but there was so much more fun to be had! In the back of my head, as I was walking briskly to the med room (you NEVER run in an ER), all I kept thinking was Danny Glover’s repeated line from the Lethal Weapon movies … “I’m too old for this sh*t!” I made the useless whine at one point, “I want a patient with a hangnail – or insomnia …” It went unanswered.

What [almost] makes it worth it: One patient’s parting words … “Thank you for being so nice.” My reply, “No problem – that’s what they pay me for …” And her reply – “No. Not all nurses are nice.” Awwww! Smile What will complete the missing link, and really make it worth it? Crashing for the next 13 hours …

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Posted on June 11, 2011 by claytonhill

And so it begins …

Summer – ahhhh … But wait …

WE have a houseful of teenagers … As we were sitting at the dinner table, playing some post-BBQ rummy, I was already practicing the art of deep breathing while ignoring my youngest daughter and oldest son bicker like preschoolers. At one point I was waiting for the wailing cry of “Mooomm, s/he touched meeee!!” I predict by summers end, I will either be a ‘Zen-Master’ deep-breather or will have spent the summer passed out due to hyperventilation … Time will tell.

In the meantime, I feel like I got next to nothing completed this week. The two days of 95 degree weather hit me hard. I still have lots of outdoor things that need accomplishing … As for studio news: I’ve received my new printer that takes over my desk, but is needed for the heat press that is coming … I’m also working on the mobile idea – which includes glass letters, marbles and beads (once they arrive in the mail) … I’ll post a photo once I get one pulled together – hopefully this coming week … Here’s hoping it transitions from my head to reality as well as I want …

I’ll leave with a photo of the napping Neo sandwich … Smile

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Posted on June 7, 2011 by claytonhill

Summer Nights and DARN SANE

Weekend update: Just another drunk summer weekend … We had lots of alcohol-involved visits. Probably made the new computer program transition more bearable for the patients. Kind of wish I could have been inebriated too (darn computers anyway), but … a great crew helped!

Had the monthly DARN SANE meeting this morning … on a plus side, it seems like more cases made their way through court to convictions! But still way too many child abuse/sexual assault cases in my opinion (one is too many – but multiple pages worth … WTH???). I’m glad these meetings are only once a month, as I don’t think my checkbook could handle any more … I now have a heat press and special printer coming … [personalized mugs, coasters, key chains, t-shirts, etc.]

I’ll leave with some photos of newly completed badge reels:

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Posted on June 3, 2011 by claytonhill

Busy, busy, busy …

I got a few things done in the studio this week … not as much as I’d like. My dichro badge reels are running in the kiln as I type. Got some 45+ bottles de-labeled and sanitized … I received a new shipment from one of my glass stores – I have a new mobile idea I’m anxious to try.

But – summer is here … too hot to run the kilns round-the-clock. And there are summer chores to handle … acres of hay to bale, grass to mow, flowers/garden to tend … The kids have a week of school left – time to get the pool opened and swimmable … The kids are definitely eager for summer – just not the chores …

Meanwhile, both litters of pups are doing well … eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping – and growing! Mattie’s babies have their eyes open – peekin’ at the world. Sienna’s pups should open their eyes this coming week. My moms are doing great – appetites are back in full force.

And then there’s work tomorrow … We’ve rolled out a new component to our computerized charting. Somewhere along the line it’s supposed to be better, but there’s the learning curve we have to endure first – which means longer patient stays/wait times … That always makes folks happy!

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Posted on May 31, 2011 by claytonhill

Pressed Jewels … ???

I’ve been busy taking pictures … And now I will be uploading items to the shops over the next several days. In the meantime, I need to name each item. This isn’t usually a problem, but … this bowl is giving me grief. It’s a deep purple, sky blue and bright green transparent bowl with lots of clear glass and wispy touches of white … It kind of reminds me of the ‘Decadence’ color scheme (which is heavy on ‘jewel tone’ colors) and it mimics the ‘pressed glass’ technique. With this in mind – ‘Pressed Jewels’ is what I’m coming up with … Does that sound like some weird code for SQUASHED TESTICLES? I would love some ideas on what to name this poor bowl …

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Posted on May 30, 2011 by claytonhill

Happy Memorial Day …

I could do a lot of (justified) whining and griping about this weekend … but why bother? It doesn’t change anything …

So – instead … I will wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day(!) … be thankful for so many things … and focus on the week ahead (away from the ER, patients, families, visitors, coworkers, doctors, policies, mandatory competencies, etc.) …

I came home from a long, fairly painful weekend to some major studio heartache … I fired up the kiln with my Super-Sized Planet Earth blank … only to have it crack into several pieces … OUCH!! Everything else in the slump came out well … and I realize my problem with the piece now … but – DARN IT! Back to the drawing board …

I have figured out the limitations of what I CAN (and can’t) do with my 50+ pounds of glass marbles … It makes me happy – playing with these little pieces that I turn into ‘bowls’ … I have several dichroic cabs ready for fire-polishing. I may get more badge reels listed as early as this week …

The pups are doing well – gaining and growing … My mom’s are going through the phases of whelping recovery in a predictable manner … Michigan is expecting sunshine and warmth – for a few days anyway …

Life is good …

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Posted on May 26, 2011 by claytonhill

It’s Puppy Time …

Whew … Sienna’s pups have made their grand entrance – fashionably late … At 2am Sienna finally entered the last stages of labor – and she wasn’t happy about it. We paced the floors, went outside, came back in, paced some more – then repeated this routine… Just about the time I was starting to get worried – the first pup arrived. We now have 10 new members of the family … and Mom and pups are doing great! And – Sienna is eating (ALREADY!) … SWEET!!

Meanwhile, since my studio was unattended, and Michigan has decided to revert back to pre-Spring temperatures … my kilns have been running. I have 11 new projects to list in the shops … I am IN LOVE with the Super-Sized Decadence bowl!! (13.5 inches) And, I’ll be running both kilns again tonight! Smile

PS – this is my 100th post … glad it was with such happy news! Smile

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Posted on May 25, 2011 by claytonhill

Still holding …

Sienna and I have had long talks now on the importance of relaxing, thinking ‘open thoughts’ … and when those didn’t seem to have any effect, we talked about how much better she would feel is she just dropped a load! Still NOTHING … We’ll be going to the vet later today, just to make sure all is well and talk about a c-section – as I’m starting to fear the pups will be 5 pounds a piece since Sienna refuses to begin her labor!

Meanwhile, so long as I am in her eyesight, I have freedom to move about inside the studio. My bottle slump didn’t fair well … more glass for quenching, whenever I get around to that technique. I do have a bottle plate (prototype) that worked out kinda-neat that I have painted (along with a future spoon rest):

Quick photo of my patriotic night light: Coffin loaded for a de-bubbling/flattening run: And my latest red/white/blue blank: I don’t like it. The red (which has a new red glass in as well as the transparent red) muddled too much. It does look nice when light passes through it – so maybe another night light someday …

And I’ll leave you with Sienna, ‘the horse’ … who seems to be content keeping her legs permanently crossed! On the plus side … I now know I have zero psychic abilities. I have looked at her belly and willed her to start contracting sooo many times … It’s good to know your limitations, right? … Smile