Succulents & Pottery

I love how the plants bring out my pots!  Will definitely be making more of these.  The 6 in the bottom photo will be available at Stock Home Design this Friday.

New!

Bamboo imprinted platters and a 100% wool felted handbag.  Both available at Stock Home Design (on March 9).

Succulents & Pottery

I keep neglecting my blog!  All the action happens on my Facebook Page so please "like" it if you want to see what I am working on!

I love succulents and I love pottery so I have been making some succulent pots.  At this moment they are still about 1500 degrees F and cooling in the kiln.  In another 14 or so hours I should be able to open up the kiln to see how they turned out!

I also have some succulents on the go and more on the way!  The grow light has been installed today!  Once some of my mother plants start having "babies" I will be transplanting them into my succulent pots for sale both directly from my studio or at Stock Home Design on Cleveland Street in Squamish, BC.  Stay tuned!

Owl Hat

I forgot to post this because it was a present for wee Melia!!

Yarn Bomb #1

Is it art or it is graffiti?  I've always loved the idea of yarn bombing.  I think it should be tasteful, fun, colourful but mostly makes people smile or laugh.  It can be creative or whimsical or carry a message.  It is a conversation starter amongst strangers.  It can brighten up a dull space.  There are many websites dedicated to yarn bombing as well as even larger art installations like the one in Melbourne, Australia later this month .  Yarn bombing can be knit or crochet or even hand knit items.

Here is my first yarn bomb called "Winter Blues"

CONTEST - The first 3 people who identify where the yarn bomb is wins their choice of one of my ceramic fern impressed wall hangings.  BUT there is a catch.  You must take a photo of yourself standing beside the yarn bomb and post it on my Facebook Page.

New for 2012 - Ribbed Twist Cowls

New 100% wool ribbed twist cowls available in 16 different colours.  $25 via my Etsy store.

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.