Do you have a training class coming up? Well, let us know and we’ll add it to our Hands-on Workshops webpage.

Have some other cool event planned? Go ahead - toot your own horn - send us all the information - where, when, what time, and a sentence or two summarizing the event - and we’ll put it on the website and newsletter!

One of the most common questions we hear is, “Where in the area can I see American Clay?”

We try to keep up with the beautiful places that have American Clay on their walls - but we don’t know all of them. Do you have a great photo? Or know of an application somewhere?

If you answered yes, send us the location and a photo or two if possible.

Also, if you have a beautiful or unusual American Clay application in your home or business, we would love to hear about it and feature it as our Project of the Month in our newsletter.

Email all information and pictures to hayley@americanclay.com.

We have added some new documents to be downloaded from the Product Application page of our web site:

• Overview of American Clay Products, Application Systems & Application Instructions
• Condensed Instructions for Traditional Application
• Condensed Instructions for Dos Manos Classic
• Substrates Preparation
• Troubleshooting Guide

These are in addition to Full Application Instructions (in English and Spanish), Dos Manos Systems with Mud Glue, and Product Information Movie which were available previously. We think these new instructions will help you understand American Clay products and applications even better, by putting information into a new format.

The Product Information Movie is a free download of the introductory portion of our American Clay DVD, a 65-minute application video which is for sale under “Shop“. Our Shopping page also offers 2-lb and 5-lb packages of pre-colored dry plaster, your choice of color and plaster; just add water and make your own sample boards or plaster a small area. There is a 5-lb Loma Base Coat with Mud Glue, the perfect first coat for your samples. Another way to experiment with our plaster is the “Try-it Kit”. Already-finished samples are available in 3″x6″ or 8″x8″ boards, while the Fan Deck shows all our standard and accent colors in all three plasters.

Don’t forget that the Common Questions has an extensive and growing list of answers! We want you to be successful using our plaster, so we have provided all the information we can. If there is something else you need to know, just phone or email us.

The folks over at The Daily Green have some great advice for keeping your 4th of July celebrations environmentally kosher this year. From fireworks to grilling they’ve covered it all, ensuring no excuses. Can’t imagine a 4th without the fireworks? Well check out the alternatives to see how it can be done.

Still need some inspiration? Read their short article, provided below, for a patriotic push.

This July 4th, Declare Your Independence

When in the Course of Human Events, It Becomes Necessary to Go Green…

Revolution is sometimes necessary, if never comfortable. Thomas Jefferson knew this when he and his revolutionary colleagues laid out their grievances before dissolving the bands that connected them with the King of England. We celebrate the success of that revolution every year, and for good reason.

This Fourth of July, 232 years later, there’s another revolution afoot, with the potential to shake up the way America does business, interacts with other nations and pursues happiness. “Green” is more than a buzzword. It’s a path forward for a great nation seeking to produce its own energy, shore up its security and provide sustainable prosperity for its people.

Jefferson didn’t spend a lot of ink on energy policy in the Declaration of Independence, but a selective reading of the document almost sounds like a treatise on sustainability. (At least, the whole argument for untangling ourselves from that rotten King of England is framed as aligning human behavior with natural law and the “powers of the earth.”)

So, this Fourth of July, start participating in the next revolution, one that embraces good-old American ingenuity and hard work on the path toward a brighter future for our great nation.