Pushing all the buttons

After the excitement around here two weeks ago, things have calmed down considerably and I am free to pursue my (more mundane) interests like making buttons and light switch covers.  I don't want to say much about this one, except it is different. It is layered like the majority of my other buttons, but has a slight kaleidoscopic effect on one side.  I can't say much more, because one of the other things I am presently working on is making twelve canes for a swap for our guild.  Of course this button isn't exactly the cane that I am making, but rather part of a prototype that I have been figuring out in the wee hours of the morning when I am not sleeping. I don't usually make a lot of canes, or very large ones, as I have no use for three feet of one singular design. The one I am working on has a lot of derivations and interpretations, so at least I am happy that I can use up its leftovers.  I am wondering what the other guild members will be doing with the canes when they get them! Here are a few other buttons I made, mostly from the same cane, except for the central one.

Super Bowl Sunday was once again a chance for us to host a get together.  It was much smaller this year, and rather impromptu.  We only decided to ask a couple over in the morning the day of the game and then another couple, whom we thought were going elsewhere, joined us.  Of course, sports organizer extraordinaire had made his usual pools, but on a much more limited basis this year.  The prizes were smaller and the number of participants smaller, so much easier to look after following the game.  One of the winners of a quarter score opted for one of my light switch plates.  Wonder how she got the notion that they were as valuable as winning a football pool, lol?

Speaking of light switch plates, I met a gal a couple of weeks ago, who wasn't very happy with the painted light switch plates she had in her mobile home.   She and her hubby  had just put new tile in their kitchen  and they opted for the 'stones' type for that room. I was able to match up the colors for the bathroom ones, (see the cool little drinking cup that has the southwest motif?)  I decided not to carry out the theme too much...I could have done a kokopelli and/or a turtle, but she didn't particularly want the animals, so that was just as well with me.  Matching the colors was not much of a problem... just mixed up what I thought would work, baked a couple of samples and with just a wee bit of tweaking, I was all set. They`ve been installed in her place and she was very happy with the match up of the colors.

Now, it's back to the shed to mix up a new batch of colors for my swap canes.  I am basically doing the same 'theme' for them, but rather than do them all with one palette, I have decided to make a few in a couple of different colors.  Hope I am not bending the rules of the swap too much...making them all the same might be easier, but this way I can make them in small batches rather than one huge operation.  And it saves my `cranking`arm not having to condition entire packages of clay.  I don`t have a motor...woe is me, I didn`t get my Christmas wish, and since I have burned out three of them, I think Santa must consider me a risky recipient when it comes to dishing out pasta machine motors. So I just do my work the old fashioned grunt way...No, I don`t just use the straight sided drinking glass  except for the odd beverage.