When Life throws you a Curve Ball!

 Well, I was creating, as I mentioned in my last post. Unfortunately, 2 days later I tested positive for COVID and was unable to create anything more before Christmas.  I just did not have the energu or motivation to work on things. Once I started to feel better, I was able to finish glazing some things that were ready and then fire them and add gold afterward. I did get one more shipment out just before Christmas. (The recipient knew it was late getting out and they were OK with it.)

I am hoping to get some things made this week, but they won't be finished until after 2023 rolls in. I am feeling a LOT better, but the cold weather (unseasonably cold for SC) and drying time will keep me from finishing all before Sunday morning.

I made over 700 pieces of Gnomes and Friends in 2022. WOW!  And there are not a whole lot of them remaining in my posession. THANK YOU ALL! 

Here's to a 2023 that doesn't throw us those cruve balls and is void of anything but good things. (I know, life isn't that way, but one can hope, can't they???)

Still creating for the holidays!

 

I am working on filling a few special orders and also building stock.

It is the busy season at work (retail does that) and my energy in the evenings isn't always there. I tend to create more in the mornings.

Last weekend, and the next two, we are open until 8:00 PM both Fridays and Saturdays. There is a Christkindlmarkt out on the village green those evenings and it only makes sense to be open.

This particular piece is already sold, but I am making more! And more angels are in the works too...

If, by chance, I do not get back to the blog before then, I hope that all of you who celebrate have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy 2023! It is unknown territory for us, being the first without both Mom & Dad. The most important thing is that we do have eachother and each of us has a circle of friends who are like family as well.

Thank you all for your support, it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

I had a wonderful Mistletoe Market. 

Thank you to all who came and adopted my creations.

I am posting in my group on facebook (Cindy's Gnomes & Friends) what I have left so non-locals (and those unable to make it to the Market) can pick. I am making more!  I have wish lists for more that what remains. That makes me smile.

I have taken the week off from creating because I needed a little break. 

Again, thank you to all. I appreciate you and am humbled by how much people love my creations. I get so much joy out of their creation, and even more joy seeing the response and knowing they are going to loving homes.

Ready or not...

 I unloaded the last glaze firing destined for the Mistletoe Market this morning.  I just need to add the accents and sign, number, and price them all. Easily done.

I started more packing of product for Friday. It is amazing how many gnomes, snowmen, etc. fit into one of my cases compared to mugs and coffee pots...

I'm ready. I'm looking forward to this wonderful show.

Home Stretch

 Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum is one week from today!  EEEEEEEEEEK!

That being said, I am 95% sure I am ready.

Some of the hand painted wood ornaments I will have this year.

This piece is sold, but I can take orders. It is larger than the rest and the tree is attached to the snowman.

This piece is also sold. Again, it is larger and the tree is attached to the Santa Gnome.

A few of the friendly snowpeople.

A close-up mug of the newest friends of the batch - Hedgehogs!

Some of the trees (and a few cardinals in the background).

I am excited. I love, Love, LOVE this show! 

The organizers are wonderful, the customers are too! 

And the other creative folk showing are fab-u-lous!

I have most items that are finished already priced, some packed, some in progress still, but I only have 2 - 3 more kiln firings, one glaze firing tonight, and maybe just one more glaze firing, I think it will all fit. If not, 2 glaze firings, I have time for that. 

(And time to add the gold and other acccents, sign and price them.)

I wish all of the exhibitors at the show a wonderfully fun and profitable time!

I thank the museum staff and volunteers for all they do to help this be such a great show.

See you Friday!

Life

 

I am back creating the Limited Edition Autumn/Halloween Gnomes. It was difficult to jump back in, but I know it was the right thing to do, and putting it off was not in my best interest.

The 40 in this limited edition are all spoken for, and are all shaped. I have bisque fired half of them, the others are drying. I will begin glazing this week.

I also will be making some commemorative pieces for my family. When Mom was half way through her treatments in 2000, a tree was dedicated in her honor at the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson. At the time of her passing in 2011, we took a few tablespoons of her ashes (at Dad's request) and sprinkled them at the base of the tree. we did the same with a small amount of Dad's ashes last week. We also took a few snippets of leaves from this gorgeous Japanese Maple. I will impress them into clay and make ornaments for my siblings. I will share photos when I get them started.

Below is the labor of love my family contributed to and my nephew's wife put together for the funeral. A life well lived with much love. He will be missed but we all must continue on with life.

Goodbye Dad

 

Last Wednesday was a gorgeous day outside. The day progressed as any normal Wednesday, I did the grocery shopping (so Dad could take advantage of the Senior Discount), Dad helped me put things away, and our day moved on as usual, I went to work and Dad stopped in twice that day to have a cup of coffee, and we had a nice turkey dinner. After dinner, I gave him his evening eye drop and as I headed into the other room to cut some things for customers on the computerized cutter, he said he was headed out to the shed to do his exercises. (He had his knee re-replaced several years ago, and he still had difficulties with it. He often did stretching exercises he learned at the physical therapist. He had set-up an exercize spot in his former wood shop.) 

The cutter is a noisy machine and I cannot always hear things going on elsewhere in the house.  When I was finished, I went into my room. I could hear the tv on in the sunroom, as is normal. I fell asleep early that evening with my tv still on. I awoke around 1:00 am to use the bathroom and noticed the light over the stove still on. He would periodically forget to turn it off as he went to bed.

In the morning, I went out to the kitchen to get my breakfast. Dad was not up yet, but once in a while he would sleep in. I then went out to the sunroom to open the blinds and that is when I saw his rollator.  He used the rollator at night so if he needed to go to the bathroom, it was steadier for a sleepy person who is a bit unsteady on their feet. As soon as I saw that it was still in the sunroom, I started franitcally calling his name. I looked in his bedroom and the bathroom. He was nowhere in the house. I ran out the door and found him lying on the ground at the door to the shed. He was not breathing.

My next instinct was to call my sister, who lives a couple of blocks away. She arrived and called 911. 

Thankfully the coroner said that he had had a heart attack and was deceased prior to falling. That helped my mind a little, knowing that although his body, unbeknownst to me, was out there all night long, he was not suffering. He had not suffered at all. His death was instant.

My world is turned upside down. I don't know how I am going to make ends meet. I don't know how the house will be once all of my siblings have gone to their respective homes. The funeral is tomorrow and the last of the out-of-town family leaves Sunday. 

A New Limited Edition Gnome

 

The Autumn/Halloween Limited Edition Gnome is ready for pre-orders. I drew the concept a few weeks ago and shaped the prototype this past weekend.

Pre-orders will end at 11:59PM on Monday, August 22, 2022.

Choice of hat color will be purple (as on the gnome to the left in the photo below) or green (as on the angel in the photo below).

Once pre-orders end, I will make 10 more than the amount pre-ordered. 

They will all be signed and  numbered

There will be no more like them made in 2022.

As with any of these handmade pieces, there will be variations from one to the next, 

no two will be exactly alike. 

When completed, they will be ready for shipment/pick-up no later than mid October.

Keep in mind that I am also preparing stock for Mistletoe Market the beginning of November.

Some new Friends added

 I have been making the Angels for 8 years this coming November.

 I started the Santa Hats a couple of years later, but only made them for 2 years. I have brought them back this year. Now stoneware rather than porcelain, they will be easier to make. (Porcelain can be finicky to work with.) I just need to figure out a better way (in my view) to create the hooks.

I started the Gnomes last fall, introducing them at Mistletoe Market in early November. Since then I have made over 300 of them, including some limited edition ones and some custom requests. 

I have added new since then... first the Mushrooms. They come in all sorts of color combinations.

Now I have addes Owls.

Snails...

Penguins...

Cats... (including a couple of custom ones to look somewhat like specific pets.)

And I am making a sample Fox! Who knows if I will make more or not...

The Fox is still drying and I have not figured out exactly how I will glaze it... 

I am also painting some wood ornaments to add to the price variation for those who may not want to spend 10 - 20 dollars on a Snail, Gnome, Angel, or any of the others thus far...

Checking in

This is Jeffrey. He is my newest pet-sitting sweetheart.

He loves scratches behind his ears, he loves to sit in your lap, he loves food (what cat doesn't).

His mom and dad will be back the beginning of next week. I am just stopping in twice a day to make sure he is fed and his litter box is cleaned out... 

 

I got in!

 I received my acceptance email for Mistletoe Market!  Now I no longer need to stress about it this year!

I will send my booth fee out tomorrow!

Out with the old...In with the new

 

My old vehicle (blue) needed a new head gasket. It is 15 years old (I owned it for 10 1/2) and has 122,000+ miles. A new head gasket would start at about $3,000. It was time to take the money and invest it in something that will hopefully last me another 10+ years. 

So here is the new-to-me, 3 year old (red) vehicle to get me around as needed. A pretty little Buick Encore. It is a little bit smaller, but still big enough for me to fit show supplies in (should I be accepted), as well as being able to transport more than one passenger at times.

It is a bit daunting having car payments again  after a few years without them, but, it is worth the investment.

These little owls are the only 6 remaining after an initial batch of 15. The rest have flown off to their new homes. I am making more!

This little turtle was a headache to make, I love it, but need to find a way to make it less fiddley. For now, it is a one-of-a-kind. I have at least 5 or 6 people interested in it... 

I hope you all are having a good Spring, Summer is just around the corner. Time has been flying by so fast! I have cats and snails and gnomes and this turtle to start glazing tonight... It keeps me out of too much trouble! Behave yourselves 'til next time... - C.

Keeping busy

 In my "off" time from my full-time job, I try to find times to create. The gnomes and angels have been well received. The mushrooms are a little slow on the uptake, but still moving. I do plan to bring back the Santa Hat ornament this year. 

That being said, I have worked on some new ideas that seem to be doing pretty well, and they have not even been finished yet! The owls are leading the pack at the moment with a few requests for them already. The first two are in the glaze firing now to see if I like the glaze technique I used. The kitties have had a few requests as well. The snails have been a little sluggish... (OK, you don't have to laugh or even grin at that.)

Here are a few pictures of some of what I have done the last week or so... 

A painted gnome on a wood plaque.

Gifted to a friend.

Some of the Patriotic Gnomes after they arrived at their destination.

Bride & Groom Gnome

Shipping box art.

New friends...

A few more kitties.

Some fun things...

 A few things I have been working on lately:

Mushrooms

Owls

The inside of the shipping boxes for the Patriotic Gnomes 

(limited edition gnomes - sold out.)

The Limited Edition Patriotic Gnomes

Sold-out

owls (angels in the background)

I am thoroughly enjoying the process of making the gnomes still. 

Each of them has their very own personality.

About two months ago, I started with the mushrooms as well, and then recently have begun work on the owls. They are not finished yet.

There are so many additional ideas for decorations on the hats of the gnomes, and ideas for other things to add to the collection of friends that are floating around in my head. (As you can see in the background, I am still making my angels as well! I will also be bringing back the Santa Hat ornaments.)

Recently, I submitted my application for the Mistletoe Market at the Museum (Anderson County Museum, Anderson, SC) again for this year. I am always on pins and needles waiting to see if I get juried in or not. I understand the process, and the fact that the jury may be different people each year.

I hope the year has been good to everyone so far. We have been busy at the store. I am still the President of the Pendleton Area Business Association. Dad will be 91 this August. My car unfortunately needs a new head gasket... the possibility of buying  new-to-me car is out of the question right now. 

Busy weekend ahead

 The first full weekend in April for these last 45 years has been Historic Pendleton's Spring Jubilee. 

This is a juried art festival with over 70 artists displaying their creations. There will be entertainment, food vendors and what appears to be beautiful springtime weather. 

We have a store full of fun things for all ages, including not only my gnomes and angels, but Terri's fused glass jewelry, toys, games, bulk candy, candles, gourmet coffee beans, and more.... We will also be open on Sunday (when we are normally closed).

Many years ago, when I was still making the Ebonyware mugs and table ware, I was in the show twice.

 It is a wonderful show and if you are ever in the area the first full weekend of April, stop by and check it out.

Gnomes!

 I have been busy, busy, busy making mini gnomes since November!

I made 40 for the Mistletoe Market and then they started flying out of the store. By the end of December I had made 94!

I then decided to make some limited edition ones for Valentine's Day, St. and Easter because a friend had asked me to. Silly me didn't think they would be in high demand, so I made a limited run of 12 each. I now have people waiting in line for me to finish any gnomes!

None of the ones in any of these photos are still available...

they have all been claimed or sent to their new homes.

The only ones I have that are not claimed yet are these 30 every day gnomes that are not finished yet.

I am not complaining at all! But, I do need to get some more angels made as well, there are only 4 of those left.

Thank you all for appreciating my creative venture. I appreciate you!

PS: The facebook group Cindy's Gnomes & Friends was started to help people see what I have available and to let people know a little more about my process.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1302988350199628