Flowers, Seed Pods and Teeny Vases

I love this time of year here in the Mid-Atlantic United States.

There is a lavender farm in Milton, DE called Lavender Fields which I visited a couple of weeks ago during peak bloom. It was magnificent!

And in my own garden here in Delaware, the annual poppies are finishing their blooming period and are putting their seed pods out to dry. Both of these plants are favorites of mine to dry out and use in my teeny ceramic vases.

I also had some Hellebores that have put their seed out and now they are drying up on the stem.

I am quite fond of these garden finds...

I just find a small brad nail and put these up on a wall somewhere (the one below is on a door - I wanted to see how it looked against the brown background).

And here are a bunch of the teeny vases on display in a little Art Shop called Bellefonte Arts where I have a small display case to sell my artwork. I like the set-up in person, but looking at it in a photo really does not show off the pieces. So I will need to keep working on that - maybe a large frame with a painted background and little nails for these to hang from. 

I would like to also work on making these a bit more wearable as a necklace focal or brooch.

Maybe not for such delicate dried flowers though...

Always a work in progress...

Where Does The Time Go?

It seems like just last week I was making tons of beads to fill trays for the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, WI.

Here is a quick shot of some of the table where I had my work (shared a corner booth with Nikki of Thornburg Bead Studio). 

I just loved all of the colors on our tables!!!

And Brenda Schweder (Now That's A Jig) had a huge display on the 2nd floor displaying collaborative works from many artists. Loved this one a lot!

I got there early in the morning, and the sun was shining bright through the windows so I didn't get a really great shot of Staci Smith's award winning designs. But they were stunning!!!

After a week of travel to see family after the show, and home to have summer camps starting, I am trying to find the time to make more of these flower inspired mandala beads with multiple colors as they were a huge hit at the show!

And I have some custom work to get underway and had to make sure to recycle some chocolate clay to make sure I have enough ready to go and workable... Break down, spritz, smoosh back together when it is wet enough - messy but fun work!

And here are some of the porcelain see pod collector vases. 

Lots went home with people at Bead & Button and I am curious to see if anyone has them hanging yet (or maybe using them for a different project). 

The shapes really remind me of tornado funnel clouds as I am trying to figure out a way to categorize them so I can get them up onto my website.

I love that time flies by when you are indeed having fun and have your health...

But I really look forward to some time to actually sit and focus for a few hours at a time instead of a broken up hour here and there. I love the energy of coming back from a show with so many ideas and potential collaborations!

Oh, the possibilities...

I'm off and running! Hope you all are in good health and getting some creative time in!

And maybe an Etsy shop update in a couple of weeks once these are glazed...

Components, Finished Pieces, and Growth

As a ceramic artist, gardener, and mother, there is something a bit extra special when you receive a gift of freshly picked flowers from a young child.

These flowers may be something you have been trying to grow or something that is plentiful without any effort at all. Either way, that special feeling that those were picked because that child thought of you and how you may enjoy those flowers - no matter how teeny the stem is once picked - is just beyond words...

As a ceramic bead maker, I started making some cone beads, which then changed into these larger cone shaped pieces, which I put two holes on the side so I could then hang them with wire.

I call them "Seed Pod Collectors".

Purely because of my daughter - the collector of anything in the garden...

And my good friend Jenny Davies-Reazor, a ceramic bead maker and mixed media artist was over one day for lunch, and I gave her one of these to fiddle with.

She had the brilliant idea of stuffing polymer clay into the bottom of these, adding some of my ceramic headpins and extra wire, then baking it to cure the polymer.

I love the way she added wire and a couple of spacer beads to the sides too.

And below I was creating layered porcelain beads and started putting some of the handmade glass headpins from my friend Nikki Thornburg to see if there was potential there for some fun pieces.

My brain just fluctuates between making bits and pieces - components...

Or trying to make finished pieces that could in my head, will hold special memories for that person that ends up with that pieces.

Either way, my work deep down, is never really finished when I am letting it go through selling it or by gifting it, it goes on and finds it's future path.

Right now I am getting into production mode of ceramic bead making for the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, WI (June 6 - 8, 2014). If you happen to be in the area for that show - make sure to stop and see me in Booth #610 with Nikki of Thornburg Bead Studio!