Meet Amelia

So another feline has found there way into our home. Actually, it's more like I needed another cat and she happened to be the one who picked me, in a matter of speaking. Regardless, this is Amelia Earhart, maybe not world traveled but from a neighboring county. I began my quest shortly after Alexander Hamilton decided he should return to his original home (that's what I'm telling myself) and bid us a fond farewell.

Amelia was placed into a drop box at a nearby shelter on Thanksgiving day. Not a great way to begin a holiday devoted to thankfulness.  I found her on a website and decided to go check her out.

With so many felines to choose from and not knowing her from anything other than a picture once might assume I would have a difficult time making a decision. NOPE. She was definitely the one for me. She was very friendly, a much needed change from the "others", no offense kids and she was starved for affection. Not that most all of the captives aren't in that sort of environment. A little background on the way animals are acquired in our house. It's always a covert operation carried out by myself and one never knows when a mission will surface. This wasn't any different.

The only reason I think this went as smoothly as it did was because Jacob decided to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Needless to say, a kitten served little more than a distraction and not so much an issue.

Apparently Margarite needed her more than we did. She thinks she has a new baby! So even though this isn't a craft post per se, it was definitely a work of craftiness. If you are finding yourself needing something a little more inspiring might I suggest this video gallery on Sakura's website. Happy "crafting".

Pottery

I've been taking another ceramics class over the last 4 weeks. My work seems to be progressing in small increments.  It has helped having a wheel at home but it still seems awkward at times. I've been trying to make things for Christmas gifts. This too has been an aggravation. Not having a kiln at home and having to rely on someone else (who isn't always careful with your stuff) is truly irritating. The above pots have been bisque fired and were glazed today.

Glazing in a bizaar thing. You paint on these matte shades of red, green or some ash variation. Once they are fired they have these lustrious colors and can really change something you had doubts about into something gift worthy.

Blue rutile with a chowder glaze.

Oddly, I can't remember how this color was described on the bottle.

Midnight blue over blue rutile.

Bamboo Art

 

A few months ago I spent the afternoon altering a bamboo pole. I used paints, papers, fabric, yarn and ribbon to embellish the bamboo for the purpose of making a decorative piece of  wall art. Andrew loved it so much he thought the most appropriate place for it was his room. I think he was right on this one.

The process was a little time consuming because there were so many different designs and alterations to the pole but I love the randomness. It's always so therapeutic to immerse yourself in something that requires nothing more than your creativity. Next time you desire to be creative but don't have a plan make a trip outside, you never know what can spark inspiration. Happy crafting!

Unassuming Beauty

More Mud

I was able to spend a little time throwing (attempting to throw) some pots this morning. I woke up at 5:30 so I thought this was an excellent time for pottery. 

 I continue to have some difficulty with making functional items. Things are either warped, to small, or for lack of better terms, just plain ugly.

 However, today I was able to make a few things that have the potential to be useful items. I don't own a kiln so I take my pottery to a town 20-30 minutes away for firing. Currently that isn't a problem for me, I think trying to be a skilled potter and worrying about the firing process would be a bit much. I'm hoping I can drop these pots off and glaze the ones I recently had bisque fired. :) I think a constant stream of firing and glazing will continue to keep me interested.

Even at 5:30 in the morning a critic lurks.

Random Beauty

I probably own 100 craft books. Yes it's my addiction, don't judge. In one of my books was an idea for making art when you are having a mental block. Basically, you close your eyes and make marks/lines until you decide to stop. Once you open your eyes it's up to you to determine what will develop from those random marks. When I look at this picture I see a couple of things. First, I see how it may look if the creature was in the process of developing an identity or learning to overcome the adversities of life and finally is able to stand tall. Or I see how many bow to one in the midst of chaos.

Mud Slingin Part 2

Last month I finished my first pottery class and since then I have went through about 75lbs of clay. I have produced a lot of mistakes and many things that have fallen apart in the process. I'm actually fine with that. I secretly told myself I could screw up 4 boxes (I have now purchased my 4th box) of clay before I expected to produce quality items. I finally had a few pieces that I felt were worthy to make it to the next step, bisque firing. I had forgotten about the other pieces I glazed the last night of my class and this was a nice surprise! It gave me  renewed hope to see some items I made and to be half way pleased with them.

I actually have 6 pieces but I wasn't crazy about two of them so they may need to be turned into mosaics (hint hint Jil) by the end of summer. A medium size bowl, a tiny cup, small plate and a something or other. I really don't have any idea what the clover shaped dish is but I like its uniqueness. I guess it could be an earring holder or useless ditty.

I've learned a few things, and I'm not talking about how to do pottery, clearly that still needs some work. Give yourself a learning curve when trying something new, messing up is part of the learning process. Don't be afraid to let the medium guide you instead of the other way around and accept the tiny victories as well as the colossal failures.