Happy New Year!!!!

2011 was a great year.  I have learned so much this past year and it really has helped me continue to put things into perspective and continue to help obtain the balance between my life, my career (as a Executive Recruiter) and as a crafter.

We had quite a few deaths and illnesses in our circle of family and friends in 2011 which has helped me re-evaluate what is really important in life and what is not.  Going through this process has taught me a lot and even though it was a tough year at times, I feel that what I have gained so much on a personal level, something I can carry through my personal life, work life and in my pottery and crochet creations.

My focus for my creations has also changed for 2012.  My focus will be to spend 2012 experimenting and creating new things, things I have been wanting to try or struggling with.  I am not going to “pump out” a lot of “stuff” to sell, just focus on making unique, quality items.  Instead of craft fairs and art shows, which are exhausting especially when working full-time, I am going to focus on creating quality products which will be carried by two retail stores, Stock Home Design here in Squamish and One Earth Collection in Pemberton.  I will also have one or two studio sales a year to clear out stock like I did this past Christmas.  It proved to be a very warm and inviting way to sell my creations locally.

I’ve had a lot of support for my creations since day one and I am grateful to my friends, family and buyers.  Your feedback is always important to me because many times I am just too “close” to what I have made to be objective to be able to see if it is great or if it just sucks!  LOL!  I need your feedback, the good, the bad and the ugly.  All of it!!!

I am extremely excited about 2012 and I feel fortunate that I have learned a lot this past year on all levels and I am looking forward to learning a lot more with my renewed focus!  Happy New Year everyone and thank you again for all of your support!!!!

Don't forget about my HUGE Christmas SALE this Sunday December 18th, 2011 at my studio - 38069 Guilford Drive (Valleycliffe) in Squamish.  11am - 3pm.  As I have been getting ready and realized I really do have a lot of stock that MUST go!  I have run out of storage space.  Since I have so much stuff and need to get rid of it my prices are super low.  Lots of sticking stuffers too!!!!  Hope to see you there!

I just finished off a doggie coat for my Little Lucy last night.  Isn't she cute?

2011 Christmas Craft Fairs

It's been a busy fall preparing for the craft fair season!  This year you will find my pottery and crochet creations at the following fairs:

Bizarre Bazaar  - Telus Conference Centre, Whistler, BC - Friday November 25 (3pm - 9pm) and Saturday November 26 (10am - 7pm)

A Handcrafted Christmas - Howe Sound Inn & Brew Pub, Squamish, BC - Sunday November 27 (10am - 4pm)

Studio Sale - Clearing out the rest of my stock to make room for 2012 so everything must go and will be priced ridiculously low - My Studio, 38069 Guilford Drive (Valleyclife) Squamish, BC - Sunday December 18 (11am - 3pm)

 

First ferns, now wood!

The ferns have all wilted and died.  Soon they will turn back into the earth in which they came from.  But while I wait for the birth and renewal of spring the creating must continue!  My newest creation are my "wooden" mugs!  I love how these turned out!  Must get back into the studio and make more "wood"!

New Handbag Design

Another new design.  I made this bag a little longer but more narrow than my original design.  More bags to come!

Christmas Crunch!

7 weeks until the 3 back-to-back days of craft fairs and I am feeling the crunch!  I will be selling my fern platters and wall hangings as well as my new mugs and pitchers which are turning out really great.  I will also be selling my headbandz in many new colours and yarn selections as well as some new felted handbags.  Below are some of my new bags.

I'm on TV!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Nicole Fitzgerald from "The Express" on Shaw TV which is a local news show that airs 4 times a day sharing news about people and events in the community.  They came to my studio/home a couple of weeks ago and filmed me doing pottery and crochet.

Christmas Craft Fairs are Around the Corner!

I have two months to prepare for the 3 days of craft fairs!  I will have my fern platters and wall hangings available as well as mugs and pitchers which will be my focus for the next two months.  I will also have an assortment of tree, fish and snowflake ornaments.  I will have lots of new headbandz and my felted handbags!

The craft fairs I will be attending this year:

Bizarre Bazaar  - Telus Conference Centre, Whistler, BC - Friday November 25 (3pm - 9pm) and Saturday November 26 (10am - 7pm)

A Handcrafted Christmas - Howe Sound Inn & Brew Pub, Squamish, BC - Sunday November 27 (10am - 4pm)

and then after that I am going to fall down!  LOL!

Brackendale Fall Fair

The Brackendale Fall Fair is one of my absolute favourite annual local events.  This year I will be participating as a vendor.  I will have numerous leaf platters and wall hangings as well as 60+ headbandz, buttons and necklaces with ceramic pendants.  All new items with some special surprises!  Come visit me on September 10th from 10am - 5pm.

Buttons, buttons and more buttons

New buttons fresh out of the kiln.  I will be selling buttons at the Brackendale Fall Fair on September 10 but you can purchase my buttons at Stock Home Design on Cleveland Avenue in Squamish.

Headbandz!

I've been busy.  Here is what I have in stock as of today as they have been selling like hot cakes!  Let me know if you want one!  I will be selling these at the Brackendale Fall Fair on September 10.

 

 

Fern Wall Hangings!

Perfect for gift giving!

New Studio

Our vacation consisted of painting the studio since we had to wait for the weather to cooperate.  Looks a little like a gingerbread house!  We still have a couple of things to finish plus hang my sign but it looks great!

Deer Ferns

I absolutely love ferns and living in a rain forest we have tons of ferns. Mainly Bracken Fern and Sword Fern. A couple of other ferns which are also popular in this area but not as easy to find are Maidenhair Fern which leaves look like ginkgo and Deer Fern which looks very similar to the Sword Fern but much smaller.  I have been using all of these ferns lately in my platters.

Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) is an interesting fern because it has two types of leaves. The sterile leaves have flat, wavy-margined leaflets 5 to 8 millimeters wide, while the fertile leaves have much narrower leaflets, each with two thick rows of sori (spores) on the underside.

In the two photos below (click on the photos for a closer view), the fertile leaves at the upright leaves in the photo on the left.  You can see the difference on the square platter on the left.  The sterile leaves are the flatter leaves at the bottom of the plant as seen in the platter on the right.  There aren't too many deer fern where I have found them so I was careful to only pick a few of the fertile leaves otherwise they will not have a chance to reproduce.

Headscarves! NEW!!

I know it is July but it is more like Julember here in the Pacific Northwest this summer. Last winter my friend Sandy suggested I make head scarves  as they were selling like hot cakes in Whistler! Perfect way to use up all those wonderful balls of yarn for which I do not have enough to make a sweater.  This headscarf allows you to wear your hair up or down while keeping your ears warm and preventing heat from escaping from the top of your head plus you will be oozing with style! They are adjustable with 3 button holes on the back so they will fit any head size or hairdo.

Each one will be unique as I have so many individual skeins of yarn as well as some will even have my ceramic buttons on them.

$15 for yarn blends and $20 for 100% wool

Pottery from one of my Favourite Potters!

I have been following Charles Hughes' pottery for 7 or 8  years now.  I was instantly drawn to his glazes.  Charles and his lovely wife Rowen Rose as well as his son Morgan, has been involved in pottery for years. It is a tough way to make a living as it is very labour intensive with very long days and for Charles and Rowen, usually 7 days a week.  But they do  it out of love and not many of us are fortunate to love our jobs like Charles and his family.

Take a look at the French Butter Keeper that just arrived in the mail today!  I am so honoured to now own one of Hughes Pottery's creations!

For more information about Hughes Pottery you can visit their website, Facebook Page or the online Etsy store.

Piggies!

This has nothing to do with yarn or clay but I'm on vacation this week!  This afternoon I had the pleasure of assisting with some pig wrangling at Rojo Pez Ranch in the Squamish Valley.  Although I had the easiest job of all just making sure the piggies didn't escape their pen and take photos!  What a great day!  Listen to this little squealer!

New Retail Location!

Here are some pictures of my pottery in the front window of Stock Home Design!  We walked by when it was already closed but Elisa is great with merchandising!  Click on the photos for a closer view!

Exciting News!

As of today you can purchase my pottery locally here in Squamish at Stock Home Design!  I dropped off over 20 platters and bowls in my leaf prints, fern prints and skunk cabbage leaf platters as well as 8 dozen large and small ceramic buttons!  I hope that this becomes a permanent location for my pottery with new pieces every month.  We'll see how it goes.

Stop by the store as Elisa has lots of wonderful items to decorate your home.  A great place for the summer wedding gifts!

New Sign for my Studio

I just received a photo of my new custom sign for my studio!   Check out Coral's Esty Shop TheSnowShoeLoft in Kelowna, BC!

Ferns, ferns and more ferns

Sometimes just staring at something all day a new idea pops in your head.  I left this on the kitchen table all day after unloading it from the kiln.  I am loving my leaf platters!  You can see more photos on my Facebook Page.  I am thinking tomorrow day in the studio will consist of long leaf platters like this one but made into wall hangings!

Mason Stain Experiments

Instead of going big like I always do when trying something new, I thought I would start small with one colour of mason stain to see how it would work out.  I purchased 1/4 pound of black-brown mason stain and mixed it with slip.  1 cup of slip plus 1 tbsp mason stain.  The colour ended up being a dark charcoal grey.  I chose a darker colour as my glazes are quite opaque so I wanted it to at least show through.  My experiments showed it was bland behind brown.  Kind of interesting behind green but when it was behind my blue glaze it turned into a really funky brown-gold.  We'll see what else come out of this one mason stain before I buy some more.  Below are some of my test tiles.

Green that is both Lovely and Gross

My green glaze is absolutely wonderful flat and just an ugly mess vertical.  I have been calling it my acne glaze.  I have resigned to the fact that maybe it can only be used on flat pieces.  Click on the photos to see them larger and you will see what I mean.

Before and After

Some shots before and after felting a bag.  The green bag on top of the purple gives some perspective of just how much it shrinks during the felting process.

New platters out of the kiln this week!

The first photo is using a skunk cabbage leaf and the second using a fern.  To see them up close click on the photo.

Always Learning and Growing

... not that I ever expect to stop learning or feel like I have mastered a craft because there will always more to learn. It also seems like the best way to learn is by making mistakes. Mistakes are so frustrating and it always feels like a step backward but even the dumbest mistakes are the best learning experiences.

I now know what happens when you rely on your pyrometer and over fire a cone 5 glaze firing to cone 8/9! I have never seen my clay blister before! I over fired by 120 degrees C! Yikes! But not all was lost. Besides I can always say "I meant for it to turn out that way!"

It has been 6 months now since my studio was completed. I messed around with new clays, glazes and equipment. I absolutely LOVE my new slab roller and extruder. Two pieces of equipment I have wanted for years and awesome for my hand-building.

I finally feel like I am getting into the groove. I am finally just letting it happen and using what inspires me that day to influence what I am making. Things are finally happening and I am creating new and unique pieces. Now that spring is here I am inspired by all the new growth and incorporating leaves into my pieces by pressing actual leaves into my clay before forming them into something. Skunk cabbage and fern leaves have been what I have been using but NOW I can't look at a leaf the same anymore and when I go for a walk I am forever staying at the different types of leaves and I live in a rain forest so there is a lot to stare at!

Above is a photo of my first attempt making a platter using ferns. This was one of the salvaged pieces from my over-firing last week. I am running another load of platters in the kiln tomorrow and I am excited to see the results!

My next experiments will be testing out slips using mason stains which will be applied on the clay during the leather hard stage. Should be fun!!!

Cleaning Your Home Naturally with Essential Oils

I am tired of all the gross, chemical laden cleaners out there.  Vinegar and water is always a tried, trusted and true solution but I wanted something with a little more strength and found the following information.  I mixed up a blend with Eucalyptus, Pine, Frankincense, Lavender and Tangerine essential oils and so far so good!  I think I will also make up a degreaser blend next with Lavender and Citrus Oils for the kitchen and bathroom.

All essential oils are antibacterial by nature, although some are more so than others. They are also highly concentrated, so only a small amount is necessary. Be sure to use therapeutic grade essential oils for the most powerful, antibacterial effect. 

• Tea tree oil is particularly effective for destroying bacteria and preventing the growth of fungus.
• Eucalyptus oil is a great antiseptic and disinfectant; it also repels insects.
• Pine oil is anti-viral and antiseptic.
• Cedar wood oil is great for dealing with mold and mildew, and acts as an antiseptic.
• Frankincense oil is an antiseptic with a purifying nature.
• Lavender oil is antiseptic, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial.
• Lemon oil, as well as all citrus oils, act to emulsify and disperse grease, while also inhibiting bacterial and fungus growth. 

A simple solution of warm water and pure essential oil is all that is needed to make a natural all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar and baking soda can also be used to add a wider range of antibacterial properties and cleaning grit. 

• 32 ounces warm water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 10 drops of essential oil of choice (use one or a combination) 

Mix all ingredients in a 32 ounce plastic spray bottle and shake well. Take a cleaning rag and clean all surfaces just as you would use a commercial all-purpose cleaner. Enjoy the aroma of the essential oils and the security of a safe, environmentally-friendly cleaner.

Catching Up!

I have been spending as much of my spare time as possible in my studio (when I am not working, cooking, cleaning, dog walking....) and have managed to get into a bit of a rhythm.

I finally got my large photo tent and spent the day photographing a bunch of work and posting them on Etsy today.

Updates from the Studio

I keep updating my Facebook Page but I keep forgetting about my beloved blog!  To keep up-to-date on what is going on in the studio Facebook is the best place to find me!

I am currently working on a new crochet design.  I am making it up as I go along and should really start taking notes in case I want to duplicate it.  It is called my Artsy Fartsy Hippie Tunic, LOL.  I am using a spectacular yarn I have been dying to try for eons and bit the bullet and paid for the crazy shipping costs from the US.  Lions Brand 'Amazing' is the type of yarn I have chosen for this project.

As I write this I am currently doing a glaze firing.  I am still trying to master these new sets of glazes in hopes that today's firing schedule will do the trick.  My kiln is 100% manual which means I really cannot go anywhere during the 9 - 10 hours of the firing but at least I work from home (my real job) so I can run out and turn up the temperature even if I am on the phone with a client.

I have been working on serving platters, butter dishes and bird feeders.  I also picked some skunk cabbage leaves yesterday and will make some platters using them this weekend.  They are sitting in water in my studio right now and my entire studio smells like skunk!  I actually like that smell as I have many very good childhood memories with the smell of skunk in the background.

Photos to come soon!!!!

Fresh from the kiln!

Love my new leaf plates and how the brown and blue really works well together creating a cool green where they overlap.  Some lanterns and bird feeders too!

If It Ain't Broke.....

Well I gave it a try and it is clear now that I chose the wrong clay.  I love the feel of porcelain and know it will probably be lovely on the wheel but right now 100% of what I do is hand-building  because that is what I love to do.  The porcelain totally sticks in the slab roller, stretched right out of the extruder and fell on the floor and doesn't like to be manipulated like hand-built pieces sooooooooo I am going back to a clay that I know works for everything I do.  Why fight it?  Back to Seattle Sex Mix 5.  Which also means another 3 hour round trip to Langley, BC but I am supposed to be enjoying myself in the studio right?

Below is a photo of two porcelain-like clays that I was testing Plainsman M350 (brown) and M370 (white).  Not only did they crack, they blew apart! I managed to figure out what I did wrong but once I realized I can't even use these clays in the slab roller or extruder it was time to make a decision.  I tried working with these clays for two months but now I am going back to a true, trusted and true clay.  I am keeping the Plainsman M370 for when I do plan on messing around on the wheel but I will be picking up a car load of Seattle Sea Mix 5 this week as a birthday present to myself!

New Wool

I have been trying out some new yarns for felting.  This 100% wool from Italy is really nice.  It seems like my local yarn store only has a limited supply but for now it is fun!

Custom Order Hand Bag

Here is a felted hand bag I just completed for a custom order.  It was fun picking out the colours and altering my original design to suit what my customer was looking for.  I hope she likes it!

Quiet in Blog Land

Pottery Update - My blog might be quiet but the studio is active.  Productive no, but I have been going through a huge learning phase.  7 weeks ago I made some new glazes and they have been a challenge but I'm getting very close to fixing them.  It will take a little bit of tweaking over the next few months but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

I  finally ran out of clay and had to switch brands which is proving to be a whole new set of challenges.  Luckily I have lots of online resources and wonderful potters who have been giving me tons of very useful advice that is making all the difference.

Needless to say, I do not have any pictures of new work to post.  Oh I have lots of pictures of my disasters that I have been sending to people for advice since a picture says a thousand words.  What would we do without digital cameras and the Internet?

Crochet Design Update - I have just completed a commissioned felted bag.  As soon as I sew on the button I will post some pictures.  I haven't been crocheting as much lately because my pottery dilemma's are eating up a fair chunk of my spare time.  But I have ordered some new 100% wool which should felt nicely.  Another experiment, just like my pottery, the experimenting never ends.  Who said that hobbies are supposed to be calming and relaxing?  *sigh*

Work has been busy and my spare time a little stressful but I keep telling myself it will all pay off when I get it figured out.  Wine helps too.  Sometimes a lot of wine.  And when I am feeling really frustrated or angry all I have to do is turn on the news and realize that my little problems are so completely insignificant to everything else going on all over the world and I should just be grateful I have a home, a job, a family, a safe place to live and spare time to create with clay and yarn.

Switching from Stoneware to Porcelain Clay

Who knew that switching from Seattle Sea Mix 5 Stoneware to Plainsman M370 Porcelain could be so drastic!  Porcelain is so silky and smooth that I am considering making a lovely facial mask out of it!  LOL.  It is way more plastic and durable BUT will it hold up to the strength I need for hand-building?  Time will tell and I have asked for feedback from the experts as I never realized that one clay could differ so much from another.

I was always too afraid to switch clays because the Sea Mix was what I have been using since day one.  I finally ran out of clay from a local pottery supply store that is no longer in business so I had to make a change.  I choose Plainsman because it is a Canadian company and I always try to support the local economy when and where I can as well being local (Alberta, BC) the price was better.  I am also hoping I am doing my part in cutting down on green house emissions since the clay does not have to travel as far and at 40 - 50 pounds a box, it is heavy!

For the last month I was fretting about my glaze disaster and now I am moving on to fretting about my choice in clay.  Eventually I will have everything worked out and be on my merry way but every time I learn a little bit the more I realize I have sooooo much more to learn.......

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