An Award: So A Little About Me...

The fabulous Pam at Indian Creek Studios was very nice and gave my blog an award. (Thanks Pam)

So, some things you don't know about me...

1:  I am addicted to supplies that come in colors.  Beads, Clay, Glaze, Glass, Fabric, Wool Felt, Buttons, Sequins, Yarn....the list is endless and I must have every color available to be happy which is why I am expecting to be featured on hoarders buried alive at any moment - my supplies are getting a tad out of control.

2:  I am the youngest of five.  1 older sister, then 3 older brothers.

3:  I love working with my hands.  I like traditional methods (no machines) of art.  Have been a hand quilter, spinner and  knitter, embroiderer, and beader for many years (forever really).  Wanting to use my own beads and buttons in my art quilts and knitting brought me to clay.  Working with clay brings together everything I love: working with my hands, texture, and color.

4:  I met my husband in an English class in college and we have been married for 20 years (will be 21 years on April 7).  I have been a stay at home mom for 19 years to 4 terrific kids.

5:  I am a Leo.  My birthday is August 19.

6:  I'm funny.  I laugh at my own jokes all the time.

7:  I give great advice! (Molly, you can thank me now for staying up until 1AM last night giving some of that great advice - how we were able to get up in time for school today I will never know)

8:  Howard is my great dane.  He was my birthday gift 3 years ago and he is hilarious.

9:  I have lived in Maryland my entire life.

New Things To Play With...

Most of my cookie cutter order came yesterday - the rest comes today.  I am addicted to these tiny cookie cutters.  I'm going to have to reorder several of them to actually use to make cookies!

I had to show you my favorite new one -

It is the tiniest little 1 inch squirrel cookie cutter!  I love it!  I think it would make a great button for a fall journal.  Anyway, speaking of love...This is my new favorite tool!

It gets in all the tiny little places for cleaning edges.  I know it's probably not new to anyone else for this use, but it's new to me - and I'm crazy happy about it!  I tried using Q-tips but that wasn't working out well at all.  and what isn't making me happy you ask?...this guy-

he knows...(shameful beast!)

Lets just say that I'm going to have to invest in one of these...

because conditions are becoming quite toxic!  I'm expecting birdy to fall off his perch feet up at any moment. 

I'm going to go hide from him so I can play with these new cookie cutters.  I hope you have a great Friday with blue skies and clean air!

Shop Update - New Item!

I really like working wit Irish Waxed Linen Thread for beading and for journal making.  I have decided to offer it in my etsy shop.  I currently have 21 beautiful colors available with more color choice coming soon.

I am selling the thread on cards in lengths of 5 yards and 10 yards with a discount on orders of multiple colors.

I will also be adding Waxed Polyester thread to the shop soon.  It's a nice thread, very strong, I use it a lot for journal making, but it does not come in as many colors as the Irish waxed linen.

Ahhhhhh! Oh Happy Day!

I decided to clean up my studio so that I could start something new and guess what?..........I found the button!!!  Happy Happy Day!  Guess where it was?  in the button box - if you can believe it.  I didn't look in there because, ya know, why would I have put the button away properly - that's not how I do things. :O)

Never would I have thought that cleaning could be a good thing! :O)  Oh happiness.  Oh joy.  Oh bliss. lol  I'm off to make something.  I hope you have a great day too!

Out Of The Kiln - Earthenware Part 3

Last of this batch of earthenware/low fire clay.  Mostly buttons in this.

 I was trying to take a few photos outside for better light and this crazy wind we are having flipped my box and now this is broken! Darn.

Here are some closeups of the ones I like the most...

How I love this green!

I like everything in this batch!

I am so glad I finished firing everything yesterday.  This wind today is crazy!  If we don't lose power it will be a miracle!

If You Hear Uncontrollable Sobbing

It's just me because you see my all time ALL TIME favorite antique button (the one with the fantastic clover)

seems to be lost forever.  I have torn my studio apart looking for it.  I was using it last week with the red clay and I think I accidentally threw it away when I was cleaning up.  I am beyond sad about this.  That's exactly what I get for not making a master copy with plaster.  I have the plaster.  I've had the giant bag of plaster for weeks.  Did I make the mold?  Oh hell no!  I just kept using the one and only button because I love it so and now it's gone.  So I'll just sit here and cry.  all day.  uncontrollably. I guess It's frozen pizza for dinner tonight. Can't possibly cook or clean now! lol

Out Of The Kiln - Earthenware Part 2

There are a lot of buttons in the batch, and more to come because I couldn't fit them all in.  I love the buttons from this clay/glaze combination.

I'm not usually an earth tone kind of gal, but I really like the dark pieces in this.

I love this button shape!

and this is that light green and cream combination again.  I'm going to have to make a note that these two don't work well together.  I like these two pieces but I really wanted that green to come through more.

Did you watch to dog show last night?  I just happend to come across it as they were starting the working breeds and guess what ... the great dane is considered a working breed! lol I had no idea.  My Howard definitely missed that memo.

  I had to watch just to see what his job was exactly because I've never seen him move off of the big comfy couch unless it was for a treat!  I had to wake him up "Howard! focus - you might learn something!"

Out Of The Kiln...Earthenware

I unloaded the kiln this morning with the glazed earthenware pieces.

 This is everything from this batch.  Lots of pretty colors.

 These are my favorite pieces.

 I was hoping for more color on this dragonfly.  It measures 1 1/4 x 1 3/8 inches.  I thought it would be fun to use on the side of a necklace.

 This one should have had more green in it but the white was a little too overpowering for such a soft green.

 Here are two pieces from the custom order that was in this firing.

 I love this blue!

That's it for today.  The kiln has been reloaded and started for the second half of this batch of earthenware clay.  I have a bunch of porcelain to glaze today - a few orders in there that need to be finished before Friday.

I blogged this rock that Kellie found at the beach on my other blog today, but it's so cool that I wanted to post it here too.

Isn't that the coolest rock?  She found it in the surf with a bunch of shells.

I Really Like Red Earthenware Clay...I do.

I don't know why I haven't worked with this clay in months.  I really like it.  I unloaded the kiln this morning and plan to spend today glazing all of the red pieces.  I want to glaze fire them tomorrow because there are several orders in here.

 and a few porcelain pieces.  I really like this pattern on the clay.  I won't be glazing these until later in the week but I thought I would show them to you anyway.

 I'm really like these pieces, especially the buttons.

 This is one of the big shank buttons I made for an order.  The pattern is from a piece of lace and it really came out clean on this one.

 and I love wonky bowls so I made a few out of porcelain too.  They will also be set aside until later in the week when I'm ready for another code 6 firing.

That's what I'm working on today.  I hope you are having a nice Sunday.  Looking forward to Tuesday morning when I can see how the red pieces come out with the glaze.