Friday, March 23, 2012

Clay Play, And Some Sweet Vintage Embroidery

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ost Fridays, my friend Kathy and I get together for what we call an "Artist Date". It's a fun way to stretch our creative wings, discover creative inspiration, and to simply have fun. Recently, Kathy and I had the opportunity to play with clay! Kathy has access to a kiln, so we have been excited to try our hand at sculpting. Above is my sculpture. Can you tell what it is??



Is it easier to tell in this photo? It's a pincushion! You know, the classic tomato with a strawberry needle sharpener. I used white clay, and decided to glaze it clear. I thought it would turn out with a more of a matte finish, but it's a bit glossy. I had hoped that the "fabric texture" would show more too. The strings came out okay though. (Okay, okay, okay, I'll stop the critiquing...)



Although I learned so much on just this little project, I have so much more to learn. This little pincushion was so fun to create and I'm really looking forward to the next project!






I love this little vintage embroidered dresser scarf thingy-- did you notice it under the pincushion? I collect vintage embroidery pieces here and there, and this is one of my favorites.






Each stitch is so perfectly stitched, and the images are so sweet. I love this mama duck and her little ducklings. Check out the baby duck butt-- that little duck is diving for something!



I love the trees on this piece also. They used two shades of green, and they look great.



Such a sweet stitched scene!



Hugs,



Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy Little Cottage

I love Etsy. I love that it's such a great way to shop for fun, unique homemade and handmade items. One of my favorite bloggers, Debbie from Happy Little Cottage, recently opened an etsy shop that totally reflects the style of her cheery, happy blog. I love her style, her choices in color and patterns, and now I know I love her craftsmanship!

Will you look at how cute she packages her pincushions!? I love this! She stitched the bag closed! So clever! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how I love creative, special packaging. Love. It.



Debbie's great style is easy to see in all the other charming sewn items in her shop. Please visit her etsy shop here~ you'll be so happy you did!

Hugs,