Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Holiday Trees



New ceramic creations completed 

just in time to decorate for the holidays.







MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


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My personal favorite!

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Glitter and garden clippings


Snippets of branches, leaves and berries are clipped from the garden




then twisted and intertwined...




and a few more added in, to create a holiday wreath.




These are the products that happened to be handy 
and what I chose to experiment with.




I'm certain the intended use is not for plants, ha ha!



First I did a light spray of the white primer,  
followed by the metallic aluminum paint




 and quickly, before it could dry 
I sprinkled silver glitter on top of everything!




Then for the pièce de résistance....




I happened to have a few sparkley items 

that called out to be part of the merry mayhem.




"Creativity is contagious. Pass it on."

Albert Einstein


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving




“I am grateful for what I am and have. 


My thanksgiving is perpetual."




 Henry David Thoreau





{a snapshot of the little mantle above the fireplace in the breakfast room}



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Thursday, October 31, 2013

One thing leads to another…



I was still on a creative roll playing with vintage doilies and clay,

 and was using a large ruffled doily on another vase design.

The center of the doily needed to be cut away before firing,

so I clipped the threads away and set the lace scrap on the edge of my work space,

and continued shaping the lace and attaching it to the vase.

Then glazed the inside and cut holes to insert the satin ribbon bow into after firing.




As I was cleaning up, I discovered at the edge of the sink, 

a small pillow shaped vase I had previously wrapped in plastic
 to keep it from drying out.

To my surprise and delight I realized it was the perfect size 

and shape for the bit of doily remnant from the vase I had just completed!

It instantly read spider web to my imagination, 

so I glazed the little vase with a black background

before attaching the snippet of crochet and putting it in to be fired.




A. A. Milne's quote comes to mind…

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly

 making exciting discoveries."


It certainly worked in my favor here!





HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tea time at the seashore


Created for a special occasion…



 then used for every day.




The woman's club in my little seaside town was celebrating it's 90th year
 with a high tea luncheon.



I was asked to participate and bring a favorite teapot.

I chose to bring one of my own creations.




Four of the women attending were in their 90's
and had some amazing life stories to share.

It was inspiring!


As Margret Meade said, 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people

 can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

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I'm thrilled to have Stampington and Company share the creative fun 

with their readers in their Somerset Home Magazine!





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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Vintage doilies and clay creations


I've been collecting vintage doilies for some time now and love using them for embellishing clothingtablecloths and yes, even ceramic creations.





When they are covered in liquid clay and attached to a clay form the cotton burns away in firing and you are left with the beautiful  lace pattern. 




before firing



Here is an example of how I am using the doily as the pattern to cut varying size holes in the clay forming a flower frog.






This is a great way to repurpose damaged doilies.

These pieces had stains and the two small ones were ripped in the center.





When it came out of firing,
 I liked the white matte finish so well that I chose to leave it and only glazed the insides and bottom to make the pieces water tight.





This is a creative way for repurposing someones handcrafted pieces beautifully 
and preserving the past.



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Just out of firing...


my latest creation
inspired by where I live 






   and by the William Morris quote,

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”








It measures 10" X 3" and is replacing my old colander 
that is seriously dented and rather unattractive.





Creative fun, using barbecue skewers, chopsticks and drinking straws 
to create the holes in the clay form before firing!


And another one created to donate to this worthy cause

World Hunger Bowl



Saturday, September 7, 2013

It's a girly girl thing,


a sweet little tussie-mussie
created with eyelet lace and clay.

This tussie-mussie was fashioned as a bottle stopper for a small bud vase,


so when there are no fresh flowers, it is still filled beautifully.


And since several friends that were with me 
when I was fashioning it, had never heard the term before,
here is a brief description.




A tussie-mussie is a small flower bouquet, 
typically given as a gift.




The term tussie-mussie comes from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901),
when the small bouquets became a popular fashion accessory.
Often they would include floral symbolism from the language of flowers,
and be used to send a message.





Sending floral fun your way…



Friday, August 30, 2013

Margarita salt dish design


Here is one of my fun ceramic creations, 
just in time to celebrate the end of summer
and the holiday weekend with friends!




I created this little number because I couldn't find anything on the market to hold the margarita salt that was both beautiful and useful.

I created the lime mold and used it to attach a half lime shape to the center of a simple plate design to keep the salt in place.

I had help creating the rhyme.




original margarita recipe



Here is my version...

Pour the Diamond Crystal kosher salt into the cool dish with the lime in the center.

Rub the lime wedge on the outside of the cocktail glass.

Holding the glass at a 45 degree angle, dip the outside rim in the salt, rotating as you do.

Fill the glass with crushed ice and place it in the freezer to chill.

Add the tequila, triple sec, a splash of Grand Marnier with the lime juice to a cocktail shaker and fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice. 

Shake well until the outside turns frosty.

Strain the margarita into the chilled glass and garnish with a lime slice.







SALUD! 


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Seahorse Vase



Celebrating summer at the seashore with another hand built clay vase.


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Layering seashells on top of seashells and the seahorse as the focal point, 




and adding a little luster glaze for interest.


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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Seashore Assemblage




Created using a small 5" square canvas as the backdrop
and adding a bit of turquoise paint 
haphazardly for the background,
a ripped piece of paper decoupaged at the base for texture
then rummage through the studio for small treasures 
to continue the creative venture.

Beginning with gluing on the sand dollar and seahorse
the rest just called out to be added in 
and just seemed to fall into place.

Ceramic seashells, pearls, bits of sea glass 
and the charming heart with the crown
became my favorite.





a little creative fun while at the seashore



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Little works in progress...


working in my little sketch book

on new designs



 

doodleliciousness







and then playing with the designs on a bisque vase



just a little weekend fun!




To be continued...

HERE




Thursday, July 18, 2013