A break from the studio.

A little friend of mine had her first birthday today and, not being one to buy much of anything, I made her a birthday present. Her mother mentioned once that she liked birds and I had this pattern that I found online awhile back that I've been wanting to try so, on a little break from the pottery wheel, I sat in behind my sewing machine and made this. It was a bit of a pain to put together, and a little rough as a first attempt, but the I think the outcome was worth it. I hope she liked it. I might make another one for my little's ones first birthday coming up at the end of next month.

I've been trying to post a link to the original pattern but am not able to get it to work for some reason (note to self to figure this out). If anyone is interested, just type in 'spool sewing bird pattern' in your search field and you should find it quite easily.

Love, Me Boutique

My first order has gone out so I now have work selling at Love, Me Boutique in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is a great shop with a fabulous owner who really cares about promoting Canadian artists by "providing handmade, small-run products for wearing, living, and giving." I am very excited to be a part of this boutique. If you're ever in the Halifax area, check it out. It looks great - I can't wait to get there myself.

http://www.lovemeboutique.ca/

Not tonight.

I should be getting in the studio. I have mugs that desperately need handles. The thing is, it's almost 10pm and I've just spent the last two hours trying to clear drains and fix plumbing problems in my bathroom (thanks Nana!) and all I can think about is going to bed with some of that chocolate frozen yogourt in the freezer.

Never enough time!

My days now start at about 6:30 am and end just before midnight - and I actually get to sleep through on select lucky nights . I've completed my first order but made a little boo-boo (can you tell I spend all my time with children under the age of 3?) with my firing schedule when I thought the whole order would fit into one kiln load. It was soooo close, but no matter how I stacked it, and unpacked and repacked it, there were just a few little pieces that I couldn't get in. So, now the order is going to be a few days later than I expected because I need to get in a second firing. I'm pretty embarrassed about the whole thing...maybe I should have anticipated the problem? And, of course, there is the issue of doing it all at the last minute but everything around here only gets done at the last minute because that's the only minute I have! Oh well, I guess it's all a part of the learning process...

I hope the woman on the other end is understanding (and just a little bit forgiving!). She seemed really nice when I met her and talked to her on the phone the other day.

It's been awhile...

I've been working hard, accomplishing lots, and spending more hours awake and less hours sleeping than I would like. I haven't been procrastinating as much as usual (yay for me!) which pretty much means I haven't been spending as much time on the computer as usual. And, when I am online, I've taken to playing around with this new website I've come across that is all about colour and pattern! Yes, there are others like me! So many in fact that there is a whole networking site based solely on creating colour palettes and playing around with colour design and looking for colour inspiration. I can see this being a huge time-waster for me if I'm not careful.

Check it out: www.colourlovers.com

I must say though, it sure is nice to see the pots piling up in the studio. My first order goes out next week!

My birthday!

In my beat up, old baby album there is a yellowed and fading newspaper clipping that my mother cut out of the horoscope section predicting my future (and all others born on this day). It's in French, but here's what it says:

'Si vous etes ne aujourd'hui: Vous avez le don de l'expression ecrite et etes souvent attire par les arts. Vous trouverez a la fois success et bonheur comme acteur, peintre, dessinateur, danseur, ou decorateur. Votre faculte de creer n'est pas limitee seulement aux arts, mais s'etend a d'autres secteurs. Dans les affaires, vous vendrez et reussirez dans les relations publiques, la publicite, la Bourse et la banque. Vous etes aussi inventif et decouvrirez ce qui peut etre benefique a l'ensemble de la communaute. L'enseignement et le service social vous conviendront aussi.'

For those of you who may not understand, this says that I have a gift for written expression, and will be attracted to the arts. A career as an actor, painter, illustrator, dancer, or decorator would suit me. It goes on to say that my creativity is not limited to the arts but that I could find success in public relations, the media, teaching, and social services. It also says that I am inventive and may discover something that will be beneficial to the community at large...

What a thought!