Creative furniture makeover

I've been working on a fun makeover for 

LOCA's fun funky furnishings fundraiser

being held next Sunday, May 4th, here in Laguna Beach.

My girlfriend Trudy had this dresser she was willing to donate to 

the cause and she even offered to prime and paint it white.

Then she dropped it off for me to play with!

I created new ceramic seashell drawer pulls for it,

and went with an ombré effect using a Tiffany blue color scheme 

on the drawers.

I chose to edge the drawers with a white border and add 

a trim of the Tiffany blue along the bottom wavy edge 

to show off the detail and a small border along the top 

to accent, the little hand-painted sea creatures,

that will be embellishing the top of the dresser.

If you're in the area try to make it by, and bring your friends,

 it's for a great cause, so bid generously!

(hand-painted detail on the top)

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Simple Summer Slipcover

I needed to cover the classic white sofa in the sitting room,

the solution...

created with the purchase of 2 matelasse king size quilts

( I chose the matelasse because it was so thick and durable )

brought it home and laundered in very hot water

and then dried it on high for major shrinkage,

and sent it out to the upholsterer to create this slip cover.

He did a great job on fit,

and the best thing is

it washes and dries beautifully

and no ironing is needed

and it slips right back on !

Perfect for summer entertaining!

Seashell Teapot

My latest creation is just back from bisque firing

and looking so lovely all in white !

I am happy with how the placement of the seashells

on the lid disguise the opening,

and fit beautifully together when it is closed.

A little seahorse sculpture at the handle adds interest.

Summer fun and creativity continues at the Cottage by the sea.

To see it glazed and finished click here

New Ceramic Tile Mold

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Created with plaster so I could use it over and over again,

even attach additional seashells while the clay is still wet

making each tile uniquely different and having the opportunity

to experiment with different color glazes on each one.

This one is embedded in the exterior wall at Summerland Cottage

in Laguna Beach, California.

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Published...

Yay ! I received my complimentary contribution copy

of Jewelry Affaire today, another beautiful issue

thanks to Beth Livesay

the Stampington crew and all the artists

I am honored to have my work published

along with so much other talent !

these are the hand crafted jewels you will view on page 112.

to read more about the process click here

One World One Heart ♥

Thank you to Lisa @ a whimsical bohemian for hosting this

fun world wide event for bloggers to participate in

What a great way to discover

and meet kindred spirits from all over the world !

I LoVe meeting new people,

bonding with kindred spirits,

sharing joys with like minded friends,

fellow artists, writers, photographers, designers,

seamstresses, crafters, collectors & creatives of all sorts ...

As a bonus to each blogger participant

for dropping by to view my world,

and leaving a comment

I would love to know what part of the world you are visiting from and what inspires you !

You will be entered in the drawing for this door prize,

Limited Edition Giclée of Original Oil Painting -- Laguna Beach California, Shoreline

for description click here

The drawing will be held on February 17 th, 2011 and a winner will be selected.

Purple sea urchins

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inspire my latest ceramic designs

Sharing is good

Yesterday I had the good fortune of having the opportunity to share Summerland

Cottage as a location, with an amazing group of artists, who asked to use the guest

cottage and gardens at Summerland for a Body Glove bathing suit photo shoot.

Even the weather was participating with 80+ degrees

and cool ocean breezes in November!

The swimsuit designers Carolyne Deshaies and Alicia Barrett met their photographer

Dominic flown in from Canada, along with the talented and inspired makeup artist

Dehx from Huntington Beach California to bronze and beautify the models,

Elizabeth Crompton from Los Angeles and Tyrie Rudolph who flew in from Florida.

Here the models pose in front of one of my largest creative ventures

at the entrance to Summerland Cottage

a higgledy piggledy vintage brick wall with my ceramic seashells

embedded throughout

it is more than 60' long and over 10' tall

Life is good!

 Tyrie liked this photo I snapped of her well enough

to use as her new face book profile photo.

The cooperative creative energy with all the varying artists was amazing,

everyone had such fun working together

it was a great day and new friendships were made...

you could say it was magical!

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Fun & camaraderie

sharing talents with each other

{ hand made goodie bag gifts }

Last Saturday I hosted a workshop with Julie Nutting here at Summerland Cottage.

Since the studio is a bit messy we enjoyed the fun alfresco in the courtyard.

Julie taught us how to create the mermaid decoupage you see above.

Always in art classes you will find each piece is as uniquely different as the individual,

and though I share it in this photo I still have work to finish on mine.

After a delightful lunch I had the opportunity to demonstrate painting on a bisque dish

and encouraged adding values to give it depth and add interest.

sample dish

Every one had such a great time, the weather was perfect,

and all have creative seashore inspired tokens from our day spent together.

Sweet Beth's creative writing talent and telling of the day we shared surpasses mine,

and she took the time to take photos,

so enjoy reading and viewing much more on her blog couture over coffee

Seashells and Teapots...

My latest concoction created with clay...

the view from the front,

and the other side with the lid removed.

You can see it before glazing process here!

Playing with pink

polka dots prevail ...

on my new ceramic creations

A tiny corner of my world...

Where I have vignetted some of my seashore inspired creations

The lamp began as a vase,

then evolved into a lamp

( funny how that happens )

It was the perfect addition to the corner of the sitting room,

my favorite place to curl up in the evening hours

to read, and write in my journal.

Assemblage in a box

I painted the background paper

and pulled out a tray full of beauties,

then...

It's almost as if the little hand crafted ceramic jewels climbed in and assembled themselves.

I love when that happens !

It's titled Twin hearts

in memory of my twin brother

Ceramic wine cooler

created using crackle glaze

a custom mixed ink stain

clear glaze and platinum luster

to create the look of a silver base.

I love experiments

especially when they are successful !

Summer entertaining continues at the seashore...

Platinum jewelry pieces

created with clay,

using platinum luster,

looking like little silver adornments from the sea ...

These little gems were inspired by my surroundings

and my fascination for the sweet finds glistening in the sunshine

discovered on the wet sands of the seashore.

For this project I began by sculpting a mould out of clay using typical sculpting tools

and a dull pencil lead for grooved details.

Once it is done it is fired and I then have a mould to work off of.

I created numerous press moulds that can be used repeatedly.

Rolling a small ball of clay in your palm and then pressing it into the mould,

then pulling it out gently and setting it aside to let it dry completely before firing.

After the 1st firing I added a clear glaze and re fired.

Then it is ready for the platinum luster glaze application and the final firing.

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Now the possibilities are endless...

they can become jewelry pieces such as the lapel pin

using a magnet to attach it to clothing

( so as not to harm delicate fabrics )

or by attaching jewelry findings they can become necklaces,

charms for bracelets or key rings.

They also make wonderful decorative buttons!

later...

playing with package design ideas

using paper scraps found about the studio

Being curious about everything and living to create

there is always a new projects covering my large studio work table

that faces out to the sparkling Pacific Ocean.