Chasing my tail and leaving no trace

Chasing my tail again a bit but who's worried about that?  I am up to date with necklaces now in both reality and blogdom.   Necklace #6 (the mauvey one with the resin focal bead) uses old Premo spiral canes.  I experimented with different bead shapes and liked this sort of repeated saddle shape.  The beads snuggle up together nicely. Necklace #7 doesn't technically fulfil my self imposed use old stuff rule but it does fit the spirit of the challenge!  And it arose, I think, from a sense of beginner's mind that last week's mindfulness challenge created. I spent a lot of time last week getting ready for my class on Saturday.  I mix a lot of clay (I may have mentioned this before-please adjust my halo) and I do go through each step very carefully before hand.  Cooking demonstration slices on the way.  This is to create a visual step-by- step presentation of the class to run through at the beginning so the punters now what to expect.  And it ensures that I am giving each participant what they need and as much as they need. Last week, in a moment of being a little less than mindful, I ran a required two layers of clay through the thin setting on the pasta machine rather than the medium.  The less than beginner may have sworn and used the clay as very well mixed and colour coordinated scrap but the mindful beginner within asked How would it look if I....? and Would it be possible to....?" without immediately deciding NO!I sort of ruffled the thin layers of polymer, leaving gaps, and sometimes including bullseye canes from the class.  Then I left the resultant strange, open canes to rest.  When they were cool, I sliced them, baked them and put them together with other bits and pieces and wore the necklace out immediately.  Really liked it and will do more like this.  I can see a market for straw shaped ice cubes for the polymer artist. It would make retaining the gaps easier I think.If you read Amy's blog, you will be able to see more mindfulness challenges but I am reading mindfully and am only up to the second challenge in the book and I know his will challenge me.  WOOOBABY!  This one is to Leave No Trace.   Mmmm.  Bays suggests choosing one or two places to leave no trace.  Surprise, surprise-I am not going to even try in my studio but have selected the bathroom and the car as my places to try and leave no trace.  It will trulychallenge me (much more than using my non-dominant hand did) but I am sure I will be more mindful of my propensity to dump.  I'll keep you posted.