The light bulb of creativity

I think mine just switched on – look what got put together this morning – a Scarf Shard! I made this last night thinking I would put the beaded face pendant on a strand of beads, but then a eureka moment struck me. This is pretty, and it feels soft around my neck. The wrap stays amazingly secure – I think I’ll make some more for the December 1st Open Studio/Open House (hope it’s on your calendar). Carol Sue, can you see possibilities in this with your fiberarts? Hope so!

 

Cheap, Fast, Good

As my printer friend says when talking to her customers, pick any two – but these candle screen holders are all three – great idea. they’re made from waxed paper and use (of course – duh) electronic candles. I saw this on Design Sponge and plan to steal the idea immediately. Want to steal it, too? Check the link.

Animal Spirit Faces in Mosaic

I love seeing how other artisans use my shard faces in their work. These are some photos posted by Dos Manos Mosaics with a note to me from Connie Stout, the force behind Dos Manos. She’s doing some amazing and inspired work.

 

The end is (maybe) in sight . . .

Tonight I finished the 22nd painting in the 30 Shades of Twilight series. That’s good, but even better is that I like them all, some better than others, of course. But for the first time, I laid them out together in some sort of order, and they made a good, strong visual statement. So, whew! Eight more to go but those will happen at a more relaxed pace. Here are three that are current favorites, although that changes. Dang, thirty paintings is a lot.

 

Rune and Relic

The new “Rune and Relic” finish on my little face shards has been a hit on the EarthShards Etsy shop – it’s so easy, too. The trick is to use one of my favorite substances, walnut ink, on the unglazed clay. The Terra Cotta ink goes on the terra cotta faces and the Eucalyptus ink goes on the white faces. Voila! If you are not familiar with Walnut Ink, it’s great stuff. You can get it lots of places, including Michaels, in a four-pack of spray bottles. Use your 40% coupon, and it’s only about $12.

Rune and Relic finish

Save this date – free food and art!

Do you ever commit to a great idea, then realize how close it’s getting? Well, here I go again – it’s open studio time, and I’ll have lots of new ScentShards, SprigShards, spirit pins, shard faces, journals, votive screens – at least that’s the plan! If nothing else, there will be lots of food with Chef Mike in charge of the cooking.

Please plan to drop by – I know there are a zillion things going on in December (like the King William Home Tour on this same day) but we would like to wish you a happy holiday. Whether you go home with some artsy gifts or just a full tummy, we’d love to see you.

But wait! There’s more – if you subscribe to my new blog, Shards, (see form on right) I’ll put your name in a drawing for a custom magnetic shard adornment pin. You don’t need to be there to win – I will get someone to do the drawing during the event and email you.

Journal Delight

At the Trinity Alumni Artisan Show yesterday, my friend Bonnie Flake requested three new journals for her grandchildren – what a delightful task! It had been a while since I worked in “journal mode” but I put one together in the studio last night. It reminded me how much fun they are. They are like little stories in themselves. The title of this one is Claire Luna and is is a 5×7″ collage cover on an existing bound plain lined journal base.

Blog change – kinda scary!

I’ve just switched from my old blog on Blogger to a new site – my blog is now on my own domain site, EarthShards.com!

The Trinity Alumni Artisan Show

This is always an enjoyable event – it’s not a particularly good “buying” group, but seeing former grads at the lovely Holt Center gardens is fun. Here’s a short video of the show. It lasted just two hours and was held in conjunction with the Alumni Picnic. Some of my favorites from other artisans were Tina Barajas’ clay Whistkulls and Cathy Geib’s giant cow done in pastels.

New Ornamental Shard Pin Collages

It’s been a while since I’ve done these little shard pin collages- I love working in this format. Here are ten new ones from the studio. They will go with me tomorrow to the Trinity Alumni Artisan Show. If you haven’t seen these before, they are clipped to the frame interior matboard with a strong bar magnet so they can be taken off and worn as a pin. There is also a clear straw “channel” on the back that a cord can go through so the construction can be worn as a pendant. They also look cool on a hat – or a lampshade 🙂 I’ll have more of these at my December 1st Open House/Open Studio event. Invitations will go out next week and everyone is invited!

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