New work: Summertime Mermaids

She's just out of the kiln - a little mermaid painted in glazes on eathenware clay.

I love these Amaco Gloss Decorating Colors. They're so bright and pretty.

Here's a soap dish I built over a hump mold. I added four feet to the bottom.

Pendants in the mermaid theme, too. So shiny and perfect for summer.

What would you sew this pretty button on? I think of a beach cover up, or a summery top ~ maybe even using it in a crafting project or a scrapbook page.

Just a few new things...

I haven't posted in a few days- but I've been busy. I had a to finish up a custom order and decided to add a few pendants and buttons to my kiln load.  My usual palette is more muted and earthy looking, but Spring is in the air so I felt like brightening things up a bit. 

These are unfired, and when they come out of the kiln, they'll be even more vivid, shiny, and colorful!

Double click the photo for a zoom view of all my goodies :)

Making a Custom Button to Link to Your Blog

I finally figured out how to make a "link to me" button for my blog. Thanks to Blog Designs By Sheila , I got my Iktomi button up and working! Yay! Photobucket is my new friend, and my albums there are full of junk, avatars, ads, etc - nothing good you'd want to look at -- but at least they let you put in commercial items, unlike Flickr.

So if you want to add the Iktomi button to your blog or website, just look on the right and find the button and copy the code. Let me know if you do; I'll exchange buttons with you! 

Handmade Ceramic Buttons

Birdy button in coral

When I was a child, my mother had a big button jar. We used to dump it out sometimes and ooh

and ahh over the various treasures. Some colorful, some sparkling with rhinestones, some antique. 

Tropical button set

I don't have a button jar in my house. Maybe it's one of the things that's going the way of the dodo. Who sews much anymore? Most people don't and then, it's mainly for quickie crafts or holidays. So sad.

Just like a real seashell, I pressed the back of a scallop shell into the wet clay...

Perhaps since I miss it,  I've felt compelled to make buttons. I don't think anything makes me feel more nostalgic than a good, old fashioned, handmade button.

Another birdy button in turquoise blue.

Pinky-red buttons impressed with antique lace.

I'm a fan of buttons, and if you are too, come by my Etsy shop to take a look ot two.

Friday Humor to Start Your Weekend

Truths For Mature Humans (Old People)

1. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

2. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Garmin really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

21. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in

22. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

23. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

24. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my *** everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Have a Nice Friday.

Feel free to pass it on - these made me laugh so hard!

Painting + Pottery = Majolica

Majolica is a pottery decorating method that combines the best of both worlds, painting and ceramics.

With a coat of white glaze as a canvas, colored glazes can be painted much like watercolors. 

True majolica ware is earthenware clay glazed with white tin glaze, painted with metallic oxides or fritted

glazed.  The oxides were painted on the unfired tin glaze which absorbs pigment like fresco, making errors impossible to fix, but preserving the brilliant colors.

 My version of majolica is created with stoneware, in addition to earthenware. I also use a 

white glaze instead of the traditional white tin glaze.

I like to see pottery that retains the hand of man, or in my case, woman; imperfect, crafted, - original.

I sometimes have to remind myself not to try for perfection when creating my pottery. I don't want

anyone mistaking my hand built work for something poured from a mold. These plates enjoy a real handmade look.

To someone who loves to paint as I do, making majolica ware is the perfect blend of pottery and painting.

Some of these items are available for sale in my etsy shop - Iktomi.