Progress report

I have no photos to share.

I do however have 60 angels glazed and ready for the glaze firing tonight. I have 16 additional angels, 12 Santa Hats, assorted soap dishes, bowls, and a few pumpkins to glaze tonight and tomorrow night. They should fire Wednesday morning. I will be adding gold accents, heads, and halos to the first batch while the firing is being done.

Mistletoe Market begins Friday evening and I should have everything completed by Thursday evening.

Thank you for your support of my artistic release.

October

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Don't just wear pink and think that it is enough. Everyone be aware that this evil disease is out there and does not discriminate.

Mental Health Awareness month is also October. There are many different mental health issues out there and most likely, you know several people who deal with them on a daily basis.  It is not always evident on the outside looking in.

All in all, just be aware that people the world round are dealing with things you may not know about, no matter your relationship with them. Not everyone shows their suffering on the surface. Treat everyone with respect and be nice.

OK, down off my soapbox I step.

I need to get back to work and create more things for the store and for Mistletoe Market.  I want to get some pieces finished so I can send photos for promotions.

Out with the old and in with the new

It has been a busy year.  I have been working at our store, which consumes 6 days a week, and I have been busy with house/pet-sitting as well.  My one regret is that I have not had as much time to put into my clay creating as I had wanted to, for a number of reasons, including not being home in the evenings while house sitting.  I also was just not in that frame of mind for a bit and it took a lot to get myself back into the groove.  I hope to not have that happen this coming year.  (I think I say that EVERY year!)

One thing I did do was make a family favorite treat at Christmas time: Strufoli.  It is an Italian treat, from what we can tell, it probably is Sicilian.  I had not made it since the 1980's!  My intention was to make it last year, but the very night I was planning to make it was when I got so sick.

It started with Mom's recipe:

This is not the copy we used to use in her cookbook, but it is in her handwriting.  The "original" was long ago stained with oils and probably honey as well.

Then, after mixing the dough, I rolled it into small balls:

Once I was about 2/3 of the way through rolling them, I started heating the oil in a shallow pan on the stove.  I also started to heat the honey mixed with the orange rind.  I added the surplus lemon rind I had grated for the dough.:

Once the dough had been fried to a light golden brown, I drained it on paper towels, along with some slivered almonds I also had lightly toasted in the oil:

Into the infused honey they went, and then they drained a bit before placing them in the serving dish:

Once in the dish, they were joined by the almonds (which had also gone into the honey bath) and sprinkled with colorful non-pariels:

It was sooooo good!  Memories of Mom & Nana came flooding into my head as I taste tested the first piece.  Brother Rick and his wife Alice were visiting over Christmas and he approved of the taste.  We also brought it down to our niece Karen's house the day after Christmas and our Sister Sue approved.  Karen and her brother Bobby and his wife Shelly also approved, although they don't recall ever having it before.  I was sure to leave some with all of them.  I then brought a bit into the store yesterday to share with our friend Marissa (who had made it before) and she liked it.  (Her 2 year old son loved it so much he stole all of the leftovers from her!)   I just wish I had known her mom Rose was going to be in the store on Christmas Eve, I would have brought some for her to try, it is one of her favorites.

If you have never had it before, it is not an overly sweet treat, the sweetness comes from the honey, but it is delectable!

My next project is to get a sample puffed heart wall hanging done out of porcelain for a class I am teaching in January.  And also pull out the Teapot mold so I can make an Ebonyware teapot for a customer who received one in the 1990's and had broken it.  It was such a surprise to open that email and read that she had looked to see if I was still out here and still making pottery.

May 2017 be a year of healing and of joys.  I was horrified at how nasty all sides got during the US presidential election.  I can only say I did not like any of the candidates from the time the first one threw their hat into the ring.  But we must persevere and try again next time to find a cast of candidates better suited to the job at hand.  I know some of you may disagree with me, that is fine.  If we all had the same tastes and same opinions, the world would be a very boring place.  It takes all to make things work.  And a lot of the politicians on both sides need to learn how to work together and compromise.  This all or nothing attitude has made the work of our presidents difficult for many years, through several presidencies.

Ok, my semi-rant is over.

Peace to you and yours.

A Fitting Tribute

Dogwood trees and blossoms were a favorite of my mothers.

While growing up, we lived in an area that Dogwood would not grow.  When my father retired, they moved South and Mom was finally able to enjoy Dogwood in her own yard.  Although the photo does not show it, in addition to the large pink Dogwood in the yard, up closer to the house are several young white Dogwood that were no longer in bloom when I took this photo (a few years back).

Pink Dogwood in the side yard... Mom's favorite tree in the yard.

Mom passed away nearly 4 years ago.

In our area there is the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail.  A group pf people create quilt "squares" out of wood (or now aluminum) boards & paint to copy a fabric quilt that already exists.  They are then mounted on buildings and added to their web site with map coordinates so people can find them.

Fabric quilt made by Sue Congdon (my sisiter).

I noticed that there was currently only one such quilt square in our downtown area.  (Since then 7 more have been added with 2 more to come, that I am aware of.)  I talked to my sisters (I have 3) and we all decided that it was a great idea to commission a quilt square to mount on the side of the building that our store is located in.  And we all decided it needed to be Dogwood blossoms.

I scoured images of Dogwood quilt patterns and nothing really "spoke" to me until I saw this one (design by Annette Ornelas).  The fabric quilt pictured above was made by my oldest sister Sue.

We raised money through family (I also have 2 brothers), including my father, one of my mom's sisters and a close family friend.  Then, I filled out the paperwork and sent them a check so they could begin the production process.

They borrowed the fabric quilt to use as a guide and they chose paints, drew templates and started taping off areas to paint.

 The painting was done once a week (or so) at a facility about 15 miles from us.  Because of work, we were not able to make it to their painting sessions, although we (and anyone else) were welcome to help.  But they were sure to send photos of the progress.  (See the fabric quilt on the table in the background?)

Once they had put marine grade varnish on all surfaces to seal it, they delivered it to us and we waited a few days until the installation crew could come by.

Blue Ridge Electric - you guys know your quilt installation "stuff" - Thank you!

With my sister Terri Brooks on the day the square was installed.

Once the installation was complete, the 4' x 8' copy of the approximately 2' x 4' fabric quilt looked quite small...


We know Mom would have loved it.

Creatively, all I did was find a pattern I liked & asked if my family agreed.  The rest was completed by others.





Here is the wooden quilt :

Sun & Sea Creative Bead Chat Challenge 2012

I have been part of a group on facebook called Creative Bead Chat.  Bead lovers from all over share their creations and tips and all sorts of things.  They are a wonderful support group, personally as well as creatively.
I was chosen by Random.com to be one of the recipients of the beads for the Sun & Sea challenge.

Here is what I started with.  I pulled together some things I thought would go well with the ceramic, polymer, shell, copper & glass I was provided with.

My own textured & patina'd copper sheet & wire with the challenge goodies.

 The first item I made is this double strand copper necklace & earring set.
I took 1/3 of the sheet of copper & made it into charms.  The bail of the donut is embellished peyote stitch.  The copper ear wires are hand made by me.  The beautiful copper clasp provided is on the back of this piece.

Ocean Breezes

Ocean Breezes Earrings

 This bangle was next.

Shell We Dance

 Adding some pearls, aquamarine & sponge coral helped set-off the beautiful components provided.

On The Boardwalk

 The glass beads were beautiful enough that I wanted to spotlight them on these hoops.

Sunrise

I had so much fun creating with the items supplied by some very talented bead artisans.

My pottery is still my first love, but beads and creating things with them come in a fairly close second.

Thank you to all who organized this challenge!  And thank you to all of the others who have participated.

Feel free to comment below, I won't know what you think (good, ambivalent or bad) unless you do.  And, I don't bite!

Please visit the other blogs that have participated in the challenge.

Most of all, have fun!

http://www.yayjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://cswdesignsbyhehe.blogspot.com/

http://alice-dreaming.blogspot.com/

http://blog.aimeesjewelrytreasures.com/

The LOOT

This is the first of Marsha's pieces that I won...

And this is the second one...

And this is the custom Worry Stone I won  from Kelley....

The quilt magazines and fabric item I won from Jill have been designated for her to send to my sister Regina.

I unfortunately did not win either of the last two giveaways I entered, but there were sooooooo many more entries that my chances were really slim.

(I'll plug in the links to these wonderful artisans tonight, when I have more time...)

His Art teacher says he's talented!

This is DragonBen and his watercolor painting.

His painting was one of 5 chosen from his school to be on exhibit for National Youth Art Month. All of the schools (public, private and home) in Anderson County were displayed at the Anderson Arts Center Warehouse (a gallery).

The opening of the show was yesterday and we went in the rain/snow/sleet mix. There was a wonderful turnout despite the weather.

We are so very proud of DragonBen and his talents.

And I bet he has no school today because of the snow! I have not checked. They are listing colleges on TV right now...

(The title of this post is a modification of the saying on the t-shirts the young artists could buy 'My art teacher says I'm talented'... and they were the only ones who could buy them.)

Pyrography

This is a photo of one of my favorite pyrographic pieces. In other words, it is one of my wood burnings.

I have always loved Great Blue Herons, this picture was done in 1984. Even today, when I go walking with my friends at the track in Clemson, we are ever on the lookout for Herons. You might call them our mascots.

This was the second Great Blue Heron I did, the first was a clock. Both were burned onto maple.

I don't do a lot of pyrography right now, I spend more time with my porcelain and jewelry instead. But nothing compares to the smell of the wood burning. It is not an overwhelming smokey smell, but one that entices you like a good cookout, or a pot of soup simmering on the stove.

I finally got started scanning a photo or two to add here from the days before digital photography. I only scanned 2. But I have more to sort through to find the ones I'd like to share.

Off to work on another project... I just wanted to be sure to get a new photo up for all of you to see.

Oh, a follow-up on my friend Mike and how he is coping with the loss of his sweet Savannah. He still misses her and feels the void without her around. But to help fill his time and keep his mind occupied, he has welcomed a new addition to his family. Her name is Sandie (as in Pecan Sandie). Sandie is an adorable handful of a Yellow Lab puppy. I think she is maybe 4 months old... I am not positive. I hope to get a photo to share sometime soon.

Also, I need to figure out how to link you to Bunspace, a blogging forum for bunnies all around the world (and their owners) that Sharon has been sharing with me. But I need more time than I have right now.

Later...

creativity is in the blood

I know that I have been talking about the creativity among my immediate family, but I need to show how that creativity is in the blood.

In July of 2005, my neice got married. Terri's son was the ring-bearer. At the time, he was 5 1/2. At the rehersal, he didn't want to reherse. 'Mom, I know how to do it!' Instead, he sat in the church and drew this picture of the wedding. Remember, this was the rehersal, and yet he has the bride & groom in full wedding garb, as well as himself in the picture.

His mom is a very talented illustrator and at one time had her own rubber stamp company where she designed and manufactured them. When she moved back to the US from the UK, she gave up the company. She continues to do incredible illustrations. The 'Happy the crafting crab' on our store's web site ( http://www.themercantilestore.com/ ) is one of her creations. The one pictured is a digitised version of a wooden one we have on a message board outside the store.

As he has gotten older (he is now 8) he has continued his love of drawing. And his drawing technique is amazing. I'll have to take some time one day to figure out how to describe it.

My oldest nephew is in Graphic Communications with a degree for Clemson University (4 miles from here) and now works for International Paper in Clemson. His wife also works there and is a wonderful potter.

The others in that generation are also very creative. But when I came across this drawing yesterday, I had to post it. I'll get back to my siblings next.

Speaking of siblings, Bill & his family are arriving sometime today. That is why I wanted to get so much done with my porcelain so I won't seem like I am being antisocial.

Counting today, there are only 4 more production days to go. And work a full time job as well. I will be ready!