Angels and Cherubs

No, I did not take a break from creating with clay this weekend.  Lots of orders, and lots of ideas.

Angels and cherubs were the theme.

I tweaked my cherub plaque a bit.  A natural finish with a little more detail around the edges.

Cherubs on hearts.

Okay, I did something other than angels and cherubs.

Won't be taking many clay breaks anytime soon. However, I'm making a tiny bit of progress with my living room.  Maybe I'll have it finished by Christmas.  Ugh.

Sharing With:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
At The Picket Fence: Inspiration Friday
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday

Stoned Peat Pots

My peat pots are stoned.

I was making a few of my fleur-de-lis peat pots,

and decided to, not only make a cameo one,

but give them both a little more depth.  I gave them a wash of grey, followed by a dry brush of white.

Now they have a look similar to weathered stone.

I love playing with these.

Sharing With:
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday
The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday

Remember Me

That's what I think my house, hair, and everything else has been whispering to me.  I took a break from my tags to breathe a bit, and made one of my lavender sachets.  Cause, lavender calms me.

You can check out my tutorial for "Printing On Fabric", to see how I did it.

A simple reminder to take a break every now and then.  Stop and smell the roses...that smell like....lavender?

Glad I took this break, because it gave me an idea for another redesign.  I'll share soon.


Sharing With:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

Let's Play Tag

The unexpected (but welcome) popularity of my clay tags has kept me from my usual blog land routines.  Rather than disappear into a lump of clay, I figured I would at least keep you up to date on what I've been doing.  So, you can tag along with me.....Sorry.

I've started wholesaling my tags, in addition to retail.  Thus, the amount of production has increased.  I'm getting orders by the dozens.  I'm grateful, but I'm literally working night and day. I've had requests for the natural finish you see here, and pieces without holes.  Magnets, appliques, etc.

I'm working on new designs( I'll share them soon.), customizing finishes, and playing with plaque ideas.

Hopefully, I'll have time to take another clay break, and share a few other things I have going on.  Including my living room makeover, that has been on hold for, oh, about a month.  Till then, I have a few deadlines to meet.  See ya soon.

GIVEAWAY #10: HEAVENLY VIGNETTE WINNER

Once again, I am so thankful to all of you for entering. Giveaways are a way for me to express how much I appreciate you as followers. I would like to give a special thanks to all who shared.  I'm planning more giveaways soon.  As I create , I will be setting aside pieces I think you'll appreciate. Now, the winner of GIVEAWAY #10.

The winner is,

Roxanne Reinhart @ Forever Dreaming.

Congratulations, Roxanne.  Email me with the address you would like me to send your HEAVENLY VIGNETTE.

Thanks again everyone.

Fleur-de-lis Peat Pot

How do you like my fleur-de-lis peat pots?

While finishing up some of my fleur-de-lis tags,

I had the idea to add one to peat pots.

I used my terracotta clay. Aside from the fleur-de-lis, I smeared extra clay all over the peat pot.  I finished with a mix of paint and plaster.

 

 

Still extremely busy with my clay tags, and other redesigns.  I'm already filling Christmas orders.  So, back to work.

Sharing With:
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Shabby Art Boutique: Shabbilicious Friday

Full Circle

While heavily immersed in clay, paint, and plaster today, I realized something.  It seems I've come full circle.

The very first handmade item I sold was made of clay.  I sculpted a human hand in grade school, and sold it at an art fair.  Now, here I am, decades later, taking orders for handmade items I created out of clay.

I'm working on various designs, and finishes.  Although I like working with white clay,

terracotta clay works really well as a base for my "Old World" finishes.

That's not to say that I can't get a nice aged finish with a white base,

but I love that extra hint of color terra cotta adds, after I wipe back the finish a bit.

I'm truly grateful for those of you who have encouraged me to continue working with clay.  It has helped me rediscover one of my earliest loves.

I have more to finish.

See ya soon.


Sharing With:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
At The Picket Fence: Inspiration Friday
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays

Paper Wings

I've been VERY busy making, and shipping my clay angel wings.  However, I needed a little clay break.  Still in angel wing mode though.

When I picked up a bunch of handmade paper at an estate sale I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I had an idea kicking around in my head that they would make great angel wings.  I used two different kinds.

I cut out my angel wings with one, and tore strips with the other. Then I layered the strips onto the wings, overlapping, and gluing them.  Next, a little trimming.

Beautiful.

I love the way they look with the light shinning through.

I have a few different shapes I'm working on.  Ahhhh, a brief clay break.  Very brief.  Back to work.


Sharing With:
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

My Pedestal

I almost jumped out of my van before stopping when I spotted this large wood pedestal at a garage sale.

It's four feet tall and nearly two feet wide at the top.  I'm not planning to change the chippy finish.

I think just about anything would look good on top.  Right now it's holding a few of my angel bottles.

LUV it.

Sharing With:
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday

 

Anaglypta Stamp

Did you know that anaglypta wallpaper makes a great stamp?  Anaglypta is a Greek term meaning "raised ornament".  Well, that raised ornament is perfect for adding a decorative flourish.

 

That's how I got the faded image you see behind my angel.

Just ink it, like you would a regular stamp.  I actually slid mine across a large stamp pad, because I was using a good size piece.

If you were using a small section, you could just paste it to a board.  I didn't.  I was just careful to lay it down straight, before I stamped it on.

Here's another piece I used it on.

 

 

One more way to add a little flair.

Sharing With:
The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays