Fairy Dust Magical...and a Place to Express My Dreams...

Look what came in the mail yesterday!! This felted covered book created by Marian of Beautifulplace.etsy.com... is filled with blank pages for writing and painting and sketching my deepest dreams. ..
Marian says of this piece..."From the land of sparkling forest moss and winding woodland paths ... an eternal tree of life...


needle felted from hand dyed wool and wool curly locks. ~ 60 pages of heavyweight watercolour paper suitable for writing, drawing, painting and inks as well as drawing paper in ivory and a nut brown shade. Cover and end pages of natural, unbleached, botanical handmade paper are included. Pages are torn to size and stitched with a sturdy golden thread. Pages have been slightly edged with flame.

A little leaf bookmark is felted in place. closes with a handmade ceramic button with red headed woodpecker and a braided tie of handspun wool with sparkling leaf and berry embellishment."

This treasure measures 6" x 9" / 15cm x 23cm

It is a magical and earthy book for recording the eternal now...and dreams of the future!

Other etsy shops that have work incorporated in this one of a kind book are both... beautiful hand dyed wool from headleygrange.etsy.com and handmade bird ceramic button from meltinmuddstudio.etsy.com

This one belongs to me....yes..dance a jig happy!!! The good news is, Marian has other books and treasures in her shop just as over the top magical as this piece. Click on the title above...and be transported to another world!!!!! Tell Marian I said Hi!!!

Oscar Crow Steampunk Jewelry and Artful Curiosities

As you know, I so enjoy sharing with you the creations of other artists who use my little treasures in their work. Harry of Oscar Crow is one such artist.
His unusual Steampunk piece featuring one of my raku scarabs has been wired to a sun like gear and riveted to a vintage piece of rhinestone. A little over 2 1/8 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches high it is suspended on a goldplated chain of 20 inch length. A little gem in raku, brass and glass this piece evokes the late 19th century fascination with Egypt and the afterlife. An escapment wheel represents the sun god Ra and the sacred scarab completes the package.


Harry says in his Etsy profile "I have been an artist all my life. BA in Fine Art and Photography. Worked as a commercial jeweler and goldsmith then as a photographer. Lately I have been teaching school and making steampunk and other curious artifacts from metal stone and wood. I've studied magic and metaphysics and like to incorporate these elements into my jewelry."


Click on the title above to be transported into his world of Steampunk art and shop on Etsy. Enjoy your visit with his creations!

I'll keep my eye on you to see that you do:)

Visit if you dare...Wondrous Strange Designs

This is an experiment...I love trying new things! This is my first post to Youtube...very easy to do. And now that I have this basically figured out...I may try a video tutorial. Are there any suggestions for my first tutorial??

This montage was created at One True Media. It is a free service and there is an option to buy a premium account that does more and stores your work. One True Media guides you through what you need to do to add to Youtube. It was fun playing around with this! Hope you will try as well! Let me know if you do and I'll add a link to your Youtube video! So much fun!!!

Watch For Snakes in the Shed!! Adventures at the Pine Knoll Shore Aquarium

I go to the aquarium to see fish! Imagine my surprise to round a corner to see this colorful but horrifying display amongst the large fish tanks:) I was mesmerized at at the variety of color in this one kind of snake...a Corn Snake.
Now, I can appreciate a snake and how he makes his living. And being a surveyors wife, I understand the good guys and the bad guys. We try to give all snakes a wide birth, but there are times when the bad guys just will not back down. Little do they know there is a man with a 6x12 inch very sharp blade at the end of a five foot stick ready to do battle.
We have a little rhyme we go through...Red to yellow, kill the fellow. Red to black, friend of Jack. Does not always apply to the snakes around here:) We mostly look for a diamond shaped head.
The good guys we take more effort to shoo back into the brush and not hurt them. These good guy corn snakes make it hard to shoo instead of chop:) Especially the Copperhead imitator here. Sometimes you just react rather than try to sort out good guy or bad guy! Some say the only good snake is a dead snake...I say ...
the only good spider is a dead spider!! I'll take a snake any old day, good guy or bad guy, rather than a spider....ugh!!! Webs to ensnare you, eight legs to touch you...and the bites...shake and shiver, ugh!!!!! Happy Halloween!!!

The Mummys Revenge...a Pastel Halloween Offering

I really enjoy creating these raku and stoneware collars. This one is Halloween/Egyptian themed. Talk about a pastel Halloween!!

Egyptian themed raku collar with gentle curve. There are two holes on either side to pull ribbon or cording through. Approx. 5 1/2 inches x 2 inches at widest point.

Metallic pinks,blues,burgundy,copper,dirty silver,gold.

I have several of different themes listed in my Etsy shop:) Thanks for looking:)

Scary Is...As Scary Does

This turned out to be so much fun to collate. Partly because I was inspired to introduce a new Etsy shop...that of Jay King, www. tinycgolems.etsy.com. His creation leads the treasury with promises of more weirdness to come:) I had not an idea that there would be such a grand collection of Scary Is...with in moments of fingertips reach. Every shop was a delight to look at and choose just the right piece. Some were shops I visit often to see just what the artists are up to...others were new and a delight!

I hope you will go to this treasury and take time to visit each and every offering. You will not be disappointed. If you need inspiration to get you in to the Halloween mood...these artists will put you there:)

But, back to tinygolems....to truly appreciate Jay's creative genius , you must visit his blog...http://hiddenmissives.blogspot.com/. Each of his faces are accompanied by a moniker and a brief supposition of his creations personality. I dare you to look at only one! His tribal collection is astounding! Like reading the cast of a grand novel, you have to wonder where each face will fit into the storyline...who will be your favorite character.

I happen to have in my possession six of his charactors...they stare at me from their little glass box begging to be held and offering whispers of who they want to become. Welcome to the world of Hidden Missives! Enjoy your visit there!

As Promised...The Daylight Hours Protect from the Visitors from Transylvania

Another great couple of firings...these guys are splendid...if I do say so myself:)
I love the color shifts and the out of character Halloween colors of pink and purple.
I think Sons of Anarchy must have inspire this piece....still a fun Halloween or Goth piece.
This button is my favorite so far! I'll be adding new items this weekend from the next firings. Hope you enjoy these...as much as I am enjoying creating them...and showing them off:)

Halloween Will Be Here...Before You Know It!

I am working on some Halloween themed items and this little guy really took on a personality of his own. I named him Bats in Outer Space...looks like outer space to me:)
I have several new designs firing today and tomorrow...if they turn out as cutesy as this guy, I'll share with you! The leaves below would make a great addition to a project using this Bat From Space!

Can't wait for the sun to come out tomorrow so I can photograph more of this collection! The muse was amused while playing in the clay:) Till tomorrow!!

The Words I love to hear!!!..."Just wanted to show you what your leaves inspired :)

A beautiful Fall is in the Air creation from fellow Etsian KimCreative using four of my little raku leaves.

When I first started taking pottery several years ago, one of the hardest things to adjust to was loosing a piece I had worked so hard on to breakage, or a crack after firing, or just plain ugly glazing from my inexperience! My first teacher, Sally H, tried to get us used to loosing work and her favorite saying to help us cope with such disasters was..."Dear...It's just mud and water." Somehow that helped:)

Kim has taken my little mud and water offerings and created a true treasure!
Kim created this Autumn Statement Felted Bib using a crocheted/felted base of orange, purple, burgundy and lime green, which measures 18 x 1 inch.
She completed the look using copper wire, copper toggle clasp and vintage copper beads as well as tiny filigree brass beads.
It is wire wrapped in a vine inspired design. Kim says the finished necklace is so soft and lays perfectly on the neck.

Kim Etsy profile offers this... "You have entered a little piece of my creative world. I have a wide range of creative loves!! From crocheting and knitting to jewelry making and bath products. I love to learn new things then put my own creative twist on them! You will find a good selection of Vegan items in my shop. I am partial to them myself, although I am not vegan, I am a vegetarian and can see the need for these items. Please don't hesitate to contact me for any special request, if it is within my abilities, I will surely create!!

Hope you will take time to visit Kim's shop and browse all her beautiful work. Just click on the title above and you will be transported to her creative world! Enjoy!!

Sells were good today...so I get to list some new raku pieces!!

Sells were brisks today...isn't art grand! So I get to list new items to replace those sold:) That is always fun! I love the way the glaze makes the expression on these two face pendants even more ethereal!
This group of three are bead caps. There is a faint image of tree branches on one, a serpant, or dragon on one, and a Screaming Man on the third. I am thinking about calling the collection "Adam's Eden".
These Celtic design hearts over a domed ceramic are also bead caps. They have an interior diameter of approx 3/4 inch.


These are a shop favorite...leaves of different shapes and sizes. I try to keep sets of five to nineteen of varying glazes in inventory. But it is time to get back to working with the clay again:)
This pendant is so pretty with its pale green and dirty copper details. I hope to add a ribbon to this to sell as a finished necklace.
I have a kinship to rabbits. As I offer in the details for this rabbit..."I raised a family of week old orphan bunnies several years ago. Middle of the night feedings, foraging for clover, I gave it my all...and was rewarded by three of the four little ones reaching maturity. I tried hard not to humanize them, only holding when necessary. And that was a hard thing to do:) The strongest of the four I named Peter the Great. After a month of careful watching...they were released into the wild near a pond and a wonderfully thick brier patch:)
I have had several copper firings lately...trying for all copper with red flashes...but this pendant took on a life of its own. I love the detail and soft colors.
I did get a complete copper firing....but this was supposed to be blue/green flashes with copper. The Kiln God does as she wishes....I have learned to love what ever comes out. Sometimes the least likely color becomes a real favorite with my shop visitors!

Some of these items are already listed...others I will get to soon. I am passionate about Raku! I love the surprises and gifts the kiln offers. And I feel so privileged to have artists who come back time and again to buy from me! Their work takes my offerings to such a higher artistic level. "Ain't Art Grand"?

Health,Happiness and Abundant Creativity to you all!!