A bit of production

As I was working with the clay this past weekend, it told me in no uncertain terms that some of it needed to be ghosts. So, I now have added Ghosts to my Gnomes and Friends!

Happy 92nd Dad

We miss you so much. Making sure to have some peanut butter and cheddar cheese in your memory today.

Therapy!

The house listing went live Saturday morning (6/10/23). I had some free time on Sunday and I gave myself a small dose of clay therapy.

I only ended up making 6 gnomes, but it was so restorative to my peace of mind. I was house & dog-sitting over the weekend so I couldn't spend the whole day creating, but those few gnomes made a LOT of difference! Here is the listing for the house, in case you want to see it. (Hover over "house" and click there for the link.)

FINALLY!

The long, emotional haul is nearing the end. The house should be listed by tomorrow. I don't have the kind of attachment to this house as I did to the house I spent most of my growing-up years in. Although, I have lived in this one longer. This was a safe place to land when my world was turning upside down. There are memories of my looking for a job. Memories of my marriage breaking up. Those years of Mom in cancer treatment (as well as all the wonderful years in between). Memories of finding Dad after he died. Memories of the emotional struggles I went through in the 23 1/2 years living there. There has been quite a bit of anxiety laden times during the cleaning and packing. I am more than ready for a new, fresh life in a new-to-me home... wherever that may be.

Still packing...

I can fully understand why moving is often on the list of most stressful activities. (The Top 5 Most Stressful Life Events: 1. Death of a loved one, 2. Divorce, 3. Moving, 4. Major illness or injury, 5. Job loss.) I am STILL packing! I will work for hours, fill boxes and turn around to see that it appears I still have the same amount to go. FRUSTRATING! On the up side, I did fill out my application for Mistletoe Market. Again, I won't know for sure I'm in until the jury makes their decisions. I am eager to get the house sold, move to a new-to-me home and get creating! I miss it so much!

Moving on to the next holiday gnome...

2023 Limited Edition Easter Gnome

I have the prototype finished and started taking orders on Sunday. I take orders for 2 weeks and then make my decision on how many extras over the pre-orders I should make. Once I reach that pre-determined number, I stop making them, afterall, that is what Limited Edition means. 

With these, the hats will all be the same color purple, but the eggs patterns and colors will vary.

Mouse #1

The mouse was made for a special order. It is my first mouse, but I love how it turned out and I will make more!

Valentine flowers

Being single isn't always easy on Valentine's Day. Some friends invited me over for dinner and gave me the purple Daisy Mums. I added the Jonquils from the garden at home. 

2023 Limited Edition St. Pat's Gnomes ready for glazing

I have a total of 35 LE St. Pat's Gnomes to complete this year. I started glazing them yesterday and will hopefully finish before the weekend. My deadline is to be able to send the ones that need to go travelling to their new homes before the first of March. I am on schedule for that time frame.

My younger sister is coming to visit next week to help me finish sorting, cleaning, and packing up the house and getting it ready to sell. 

I found a house I would love to buy, but haven't heard back from the bank yet... many years with NO credit, I am having doubts that I can get a loan. This has my anxiety level quite elevated. I will most probably miss out on what I consider the perfect house for me, which will make me very sad. I haven't seen anything else that even closely fits my needs and budget (from the proceeds of Mom & Dad's house).

 

Limited Editions...

 

I have the photo of the glazed Valentine Gnomes. I had pre-orders for 25 and made 41. I only have 4 left that are not spoken for. Not too bad in my opinion.

These are photos of the prototype for the limited edition St. Pat's gnome. I have pre-orders for 24 (the cut-off date was 1/28/23), decided to make 35, and have had 4 additional ones ordered from that surplus. Again, not too bad, in my opinion. 

This guy has a red/brown beard to be close to the traditional depiction of Leprechauns.

Today I received the glaze I want to try for the upcoming limited edition Easter gnomes. The prototype is on my to-do list.  I will have pre-orders start in mid to late February. I usually make 10 - 15 extras, depending on how popular they seem to be.