A freaking year & Elbows Up!

I had something I wanted to share and so I blew the dust off this old blog. It's difficult to believe that my last post here was just over a year ago.

A year.

A FREAKING YEAR!

To be honest I haven't been making much. Little things here and there. A few bigger projects got sidelined by squirrel moments. And you know what? That's ok. I haven't been in the right headspace, my heart hasn't been in it. I've just been kind of puttering through life and whatever has been tossed my way. But tonight I turned on my Cameo and set to work.

The world is pretty topsy turvy at the moment. I live in Canada and I am grateful for that. I'm grateful for the swell of pride and togetherness that the vast majority of Canadians are showing in this weird, batshit crazy timeline. I wanted a little tangible piece of the Canadian spirit that I feel all around me, something positive to look to. So, I made a few decals for our travel mugs with "Elbows Up" and a maple leaf. It's a little thing, but little things matter.

If you aren't familiar with "Elbows Up", it has become Canada's patriotic battle cry. It's a Gordie Howe hockey reference. There's Mr. Hockey (AKA Mr. Elbow's) below.

Gordie Howe with one of his well-known elbows in 1978. (CP PHOTO/Doug Ball)

Here's a quote from British Columbia Premier David Eby which sums up the meaning nicely:

"Elbows Up means the other team is trying to take advantage. And if they come at you, they’re going to feel it. You know as Canadian we have a reputation for politeness. We’re polite, sometimes to a fault, but it is a grave mistake to see that politeness as weakness. We will always be the True North, Strong and Free with our elbows up..."

Seemed a bit silly to make a decal for a few mugs, to keep it to myself, when I know there are plenty of creatives and makers that might want something of their own. So, I've posted the svg and cameo studio files in my drive, you know, just in case you are inclined to slap this on every single thing in sight.

Cameo Studio 3 file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZR_bOpdsyP33h5CBceldODe0lH29ghN/view?usp=sharing

SVG file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7-r9L5mCOKk15qIVmCXk-gH66qdP55R/view?usp=sharing

I'm crossing my fingers that these work fine and dandy for you. They may require some fiddling.

Anyway, I hope you're well. I hope you're hanging in there. When this madness is over let's have some  beer and pizza, ok?

Fairy Potions and Goblin Poison

I'm obsessed.

Clay and glaze and tiny pottery makings have taken over my studio, the kitchen table and part of the garage.

100% worth it.

Check out these tiny little pots and jugs! I'm so happy with them.

I mean, just look at that sassy little face jug.

I've been watching a lot of 'Time Team'. Have you seen it? It takes a team of archaeologists who then spend three days on a dig, most often somewhere in the UK, often looking for specific archaeological evidence. It's a lot of fun. 

I've always loved archaeology, and history. I very seriously considered studying archaeology when I was younger (thanks Indian Jones!). Museums are some of my favourite places and chocked full of inspiration.

These tiny jugs remind me of little historical artifacts.

They're like vessels made by old fairies for their potions, or goblins to store a drop or two of poison.

I am head over heels with the face jugs especially.

Do you know about face jugs? Vessels depicting silly faces can be found in all sorts of cultures throughout history. There are ancient Greek examples. They were popular in medieval Germany and England. They eventually developed into the modern Toby Jug... but truthfully, I kinda love the old dudes.

There are also African examples which (from my very limited understanding) evolved from Nkondi. Nkondi were sculptural figures that housed spirits, often protective... sometimes not so much. These  evolved into the African-American face jugs created from the mid 1800s, which continue to be created today.

I've made my wee jugs from white Earthenware, terracotta and a super groggy raku clay.

The jugs are hand-built with one of those clays, dried, fired, glazed (or stained) and then fired again.

It's a long but lovely process that I've been savouring.

Want to snag some tiny pots for yourself? I have a bunch of sets listed in the etsy shop HERE

Hope you're well. Behave yourself (but not too much).

Tibetan Flowers, AI, and Clay Bells

These sweet little clay bells were inspired by a picture floating around social media of 'Tibetan Bell' flowers.

After seeing the image below someone said I should make teacups or bells that looked like them. Because I am an easily influenced person, and because it was an excellent idea, I totally did as was commanded.

But... are these REAL flowers? I suspect this image is actually AI generated. The only examples of this plant that I could find were from questionable seed sellers using this exact same image, and slew of AI sites. I could totally be wrong, but I'm leaning toward these being beautiful, but fake. Booo! The closest real flower is maybe a Fritillaria imperialis? While still beautiful, lacks the blue details. Searching 'orange and blue flowers' yields no relevant results. What do you think?  Whatever the case, we're living in weird, weird, times.

Whether these little bells were inspired by fake flowers, or the real deal, I like them well enough. I bet my fairy folk will be tickled with them too.

Tiny Clay Cottages

I have been having far too much fin with my little mini microwave kiln. That thing has been put through the ringer over the past month! It's absolutely given me a kick in the creative pants. I'm completely and totally enamored.

My latest completed pieces are a slew of little clay houses.

Here they are freshly made. Once completely dry they're popped into the kiln for their first firing.

Here they are after their first firing and with glaze drying. They look dull and muted, but once they're fired again, the colours come to life and they have a glossy finish.

I mean, how cute are these finished fellas?! It's magic.

Handmade from white earthenware clay, bisque fired, glazed, then fired again for a shiny finish.

I've learned soooo much while making these.

Each of their imperfections is a lesson learned.

How much glaze to apply. How to achieve a flat edge. How to properly affix those little chimneys. How long to fire. How... how... how... So many variables to figure out!

And while the next batch will absolutely be closer to 'perfection' this big batch of cottages are utterly charming with their dents, wobbles and drips.

If you'd like to snag some of these little cuties, I have ten sets available in my etsy shop. Each set includes 5 ooak houses in a variety of sizes and styles. Scoot on over HERE to grab a little fairy-sized town of your own.

Microwaves, kilns, and learning curves

Mr. Pixie gifted me a microwave kiln for Christmas.

'The heck is a microwave kiln' you ask? Its a little round chamber you pop in the microwave that heats up and allows you to fire pottery, metal clay, and glass fusing.

When you get a microwave kiln that also means you need a microwave, clay, safety gloves, glazes, kiln paper, a million little bits and bobs and a whole whack of patience.

Earthenware buttons bisque fired in microwave kiln

It seems unreal that you can create little clay objects and successfully fire them in a microwave, and to do so in a fraction of the time it would take in a regular kiln. And yet, fire it does.

There's definitely a learning curve and much experimenting, and trying, and practicing, and failing! But there's a joy in that part of the creative process, and so much satisfaction when you manage to pull your experiences together and say "Wow! I learned a new skill!"

Glazed buttons ready for second firing.

I'd read a bunch of posts/comments that said that glaze firing would be impossible in the microwave, that temps required would not be possible... but I've seen loads of projects that prove the contrary, and managed some really cute results myself. Just look at the shiny happy buttons below

Finished glazed handmade buttons.

While you'll be seeing clay projects pop up in my timelines, I probably won't be doing any tutorials for using a microwave kiln. There are just too many variables to consider (clay type, humidity, kiln size, microwave wattage, direction of the wind, alignment of the planets) and that makes tutorials difficult when many people need/want specific direction.

All that said, if you've been considering grabbing one of these hot little gadgets, go for it! I've had soooo much fun with mine over the past couple of weeks. If you're a craft nerd who loves the process of learning, you'll likely find this a rewarding addition to your creative arsenal. 

Be safe & have fun!

Tattoos, Lil Peep, and Homemade Gifts

Every year I make my kid at least one gift for Christmas. In the past I've made a needlefelted sasquatch, a miniature brick wall for graffiti, a needle point that read 'Liquor and Whores'... I try to make a little something that reflects something he's been interested in that particular year.

This year my son has been on and on about old school tattoo flash. I saw some super cool examples of wooden artist hand models that had been painted with tattoos and knew that was just the thing to make this year.

Then my kid shared his Spotify roundup and his top artist was Lil Peep. I actually painted a portrait of Lil Peep for his Christmas gift a couple of years ago so I knew that he's one of my sons favourite artists, and that he was heavily tattooed. I figured I'd include a nod to him too in my little piece. 

I dabbled with the idea of replicating Lil Peeps hands as they were covered in tattoos, but then the issue became displaying the hands. The model sits on a flat base, fingers pointing up. This would mean that any wording on the hands would be upside-down when displayed. Instead of being faithful to the inspiration, I made a mashup of old school flash and tattoos that adorned Lil Peep.

Many of the Lil Peep source photos I used showed his nails painted bright red, so I included that detail too.

I'm pretty happy with how this piece turned out and hope my kiddo loves it. Making people things that reflect their loves and likes is such fun :)

Hope you had/are having a lovely holiday, sweet friend. And now, I, for one, am going to have a much deserved nap on the couch.

P.S. You have no idea how many times I typed Lil Poop while writing this.

Victorian Inspired Gilded Walnuts

I've been feeling inspired lately and there were LOADS of holiday projects on my to-do list but the days are quickly running out. I've become rather partial to a slower pace, to investing time rather than running myself ragged, and so I'll cut my holiday list short and just post one last project.

But it's such a cute project.

I think you're going to like it :)

Can you even?! I cannot!

This isn't the first walnut project I've done, but I was inspired for a revisit after watching THIS youtube video from Serena Dyer that featured instructions for Victorian gilded walnuts. I ask you, who doesn't need something shiny and precious? How could I help myself?

I made some modifications from the inspiration video, and learned a few things along the way. I've made a video of my own process which you can find HERE but here are some of tips that you'll want to keep in mind if you want to make some of these beauties:

• I had the best results using a butter knife to split the shells

• Don't get hung up on how many shells don't split perfectly (I had about a 40% success rate) Buy extra nuts and don't worry about it.

• Keep your shell halves together so that you don't have to search for matching pairs later on

• Tape the halves together while your glue sets to keep everything in place

• Be careful when removing the tape! Pulling it off too fast can cause the two halves to twist slightly and put strain on the hinge 

• Consider using gilding paste, it makes a BIG difference when applying the gold leaf

And while I did make some of these lovely trinkets with a vintage Christmas feel, these don't have to be just for Yuletide. How lovely would these be to hide a love note? A birthday wish. Maybe a little something made for no reason at all.

Here is the supply list (exact products linked but feel free to substitute):

• walnuts
• tiny hinges
• gilding paste
• gold leaf
• flat back nail rhinestones (I believe I used 1.5mm)

• model glue 

• ribbon (optional)
• miscellaneous items for filling: acorns, mini vintage images, faux greenery/plants, coins, love notes, rings, jewelry, moss, faux mushrooms, mini eggs, treats/candy, bells, mini vials, fake snow. charms

Now, off you pop! Go! Make some beautiful golden treasures :)