Handmade Gifts for Mom

If you want to show your appreciation for mom but don’t want to go the mass produced route, check out these two Etsy shops.

Open Door Handmade shop is full of bright, cheery hand painted gift tags.


This group of tags is “perfect for tying to a bottle of wine, tagging a gift bag ... or just to celebrate your friend for his/her special day!... you can adorn them with your own ribbon or twine.” Or you can “frame them and they can become your little instant collection of original affordable art.”

The Domestic Nest has some cheerful reclaimed leather bottle covers to present a bottle of wine to mom or if she doesn’t drink alcohol a non-alcoholic beverage or fine bottle of olive oil.



For a chance to win one of these lovely reclaimed leather bottle covers go to The Domestic Nest Blog and follow the instructions. Your chance to enter the giveaway ends Tuesday, April 27th at midnight.

Happy Shopping!

Handmade Gifts for Mom

If you want to show your appreciation for mom but don’t want to go the mass produced route, check out these two Etsy shops.

Open Door Handmade shop is full of bright, cheery hand painted gift tags.


This group of tags is “perfect for tying to a bottle of wine, tagging a gift bag ... or just to celebrate your friend for his/her special day!... you can adorn them with your own ribbon or twine.” Or you can “frame them and they can become your little instant collection of original affordable art.”

The Domestic Nest has some cheerful reclaimed leather bottle covers to present a bottle of wine to mom or if she doesn’t drink alcohol a non-alcoholic beverage or fine bottle of olive oil.


For a chance to win one of these lovely reclaimed leather bottle covers go to The Domestic Nest Blog and follow the instructions. Your chance to enter the giveaway ends Tuesday, April 27th at midnight.

Happy Shopping!

The Power of Home

Home is one of those places that often conjures up thoughts of comfort, warmth, safety, and joy.


I've always lived in a newer tract home, you know, the plain kind that lacks individuality. It doesn't have the character found in the lines and details of a Victorian, a Craftsman, or even a Mid Century Modern.


So when I make representations of home, whether it is in ceramic or fabric, the depictions are literal like these pillows.


I like those renditions of home but they're so literal. So now I'm thinking about creating some ceramics that evoke the feelings of home but don't necessarily have a traditional house shape. Here's the beginnings of a piece that is currently in the forming stage.


My intention is to represent the ideas and feelings of home like softness and containment. I plan to fill the holes with soft textiles that entice the viewer to become more intimate with the piece through touch. My goal is to evoke feelings of peace or pleasure in the viewer.

Shoe Trees

Have you ever seen a shoe tree?

Pretty interesting, don't you think. Imagine driving down the highway and out of no where you pass a tree full of shoes hung by their laces. After seeing one just outside of Reno, Nevada I discovered there are more of them around the United States.

Finding Raw Clay for Pottery

Most of us probably don't think about how our ceramic plates, mugs, and bowls were made and less so where the clay came from. When I first started working with clay, I just took it at face value and never thought about where it came from.

That is until I read about American Indians and other cultures around the world who dug their clay from the ground and fired it over wood fires and in pits dug from the ground. Believe it or not, there are still individuals who go out and dig their own clay today.

So, it was so much fun to discover a place where I can collect raw clay.

Here it is! The brown streaks are dirt and the dark lines are probably roots.

Here's some of it dug up.

And here's a small ball of clay that I wedged (kneaded) and patted into a slab.

Pretty amazing!

But I don't know if this clay will even fire properly. It could melt all over the kiln if heated too hot or maybe it will do the opposite and never fully vitrify (harden). So I can't wait to test it and see what happens!

This clay is in it's natural state, unlike the clay that most dinnerware is made from. The clay used to make our plates, cups, mugs, and other ceramic stuff often includes several types of clay plus non-clay additives that help make it easier to work with and allow for firing it at higher temperatures which translates into less porosity and greater strength.

Finding Raw Clay for Pottery

Most of us probably don't think about how our ceramic plates, mugs, and bowls were made and less so where the clay came from. When I first started working with clay, I just took it at face value and never thought about where it came from.

That is until I read about American Indians and other cultures around the world who dug their clay from the ground and fired it over wood fires and in pits dug from the ground. Believe it or not, there are still individuals who go out and dig their own clay today.

So, it was so much fun to discover a place where I can collect raw clay.

Here it is! The brown streaks are dirt and the dark lines are probably roots.

Here's some of it dug up.

And here's a small ball of clay that I wedged (kneaded) and patted into a slab.

Pretty amazing!

But I don't know if this clay will even fire properly. It could melt all over the kiln if heated too hot or maybe it will do the opposite and never fully vitrify (harden). So I can't wait to test it and see what happens!

This clay is in it's natural state, unlike the clay that most dinnerware is made from. The clay used to make our plates, cups, mugs, and other ceramic stuff often includes several types of clay plus non-clay additives that help make it easier to work with and allow for firing it at higher temperatures which translates into less porosity and greater strength.

Vintage Inspired Easter Blocks Giveaway!

Photo from Maleah Matthews Photography and Gongy and Squish.

Win these handmade, vintage inspired Easter blocks made by Gongy And Squish!

My favorite Gongy And Squish item is the Vintage Easter Joy Blocks, shown in the picture above.

Maleah Matthews is sponsoring this March giveaway on her blog, Urban Design Photography. To learn more and enter your name in the hat go to Maleah Matthews Photography blog and follow the directions.

And while you're there be sure to check out the beautiful photography by Maleah Matthews!

Ceramic Planters

I've been trying out recipes that call for fresh ingredients, mostly fresh herbs. They can get expensive to buy at the store. So I decided to grow my own indoors. However, all I had to grow them in were so small ceramic cups that I made for glaze experimenting.


One problem with the cups is they don't have drainage holes and that makes it easy to drown the seeds in soggy soil. After checking out some planters in the store I decided I would make my own.

One type of planter that caught my attention was the wire basket lined with moss. It got me thinking about how I could throw a pot on the wheel and cut out openings that would have moss poking through.


I decided the openings should add a decorative quality to the pot. So why not try both words and images. I've like the shape of a heart and the word "love" would make a perfect compliment. And of course it needed a cute little saucer to catch draining water.

Springtime!

I love spring! It's such a beautiful time of year. All the dormant plants are showing off their brilliant colors as they come back to life. And, yes those lovely blooms are creating misery for those with allergies.

The daffodils started popping up in February and just today, on my walk back from watching a gray squirrel munch on greenery, I noticed the vibrant red tulips.


Another joy, or maybe it's just an annoying adjustment, of spring is daylight savings time. The night we set our clocks forward I feel like I'm cheated and for a few weeks it feels like the days move really fast. The next thing I know it's 7 p.m. Anyway, another week or so and it'll be great.


In the meantime I'm opening the windows to get rid of the stuffy indoor winterness.

Rainy Day Beginnings

And so I start blogging . . .

It's raining pretty hard outside today. So I decided it's the perfect day to start writing about anything artsy, creative, or inspirational.

I'm easily entertained, especially by nature. I like to stand out in the rain and feel the cool wet drops falling on my skin. So I stood out in the rain with my cup of coffee and watched a little singing bird perched on the very tip of the tall pine tree across the street.

And then I admired the brilliant color of the trees in bloom.