One of a kind aprons

 I've been on a creative role, making new aprons 

that are unlike any that I've ever seen!

Appliqué designs added to each.

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Coastal cool re-created with paint

I sold one of my all-time favorite creations 

that I created with tumbled glass. 

I’m pleased that it has a great new home in Florida.

But before I could let it go, I decided I needed to create a piece similar as a remembrance. 

Since I don't have the same glass, as shown below, 

I've re-created it the best I could with paint.

I used painters tape to mask off the squares.

Then I worked with the paint, 

going from dark, at the bottom, to light with an ombre effect.

Remove the tape carefully, and voila!

.You'll have to trust me that the variations on the colors shown up much better in person, than the photo!

Creating ceramic heirloom pieces.

 For a friend's daughter's wedding, I incorporated a couple of 

vintage doilies, made by her grandmother, into ceramic vases. 

Carefully dipping the vintage lace into clay slip and draping it creatively

 onto the wet form, before kiln firing.

 

    

I love how the lace looks like it is still cotton, 

even after it has been fired.

You need to touch it to realize the difference.

Another fun experiment using a vintage appliqué

on a vase form.

And now her daughter has an heirloom piece that 

she might actually use, considering that she is not fond of doilies on dressers!

...

Hand painted apron design

My latest creative endeavor, 

hand painting a piece of Belgium fabric, 

and creating a new apron design.

I pulled out my Plaid Fabric Paints and custom mixed 

some fun colors to embellish the graphics.

It was just a remnant of fabric, so perfect placement

 wasn't an option. I did find a scrap of brown pinwale corduroy

 that was perfect for lining.

Closeup detail of painting in progress.

 It's super comfortable and an easy peasy pattern.

Upcycling a tweed blazer during quarantine time

I found a simple wool tweed blazer at a recycle clothing shop, 

and it still being chilly weather, I took it on

as my latest project during quarantine time.

Below is a before photo, of the forlorn-looking jacket, 

so that you can see what I started with.

I began embellishing it with embroidery thread using a simple topstitch, in a complementary color, along the collar, pockets, and front panel.

 

Then I foraged through my stash of vintage trims and lace,

and found some great treasures to continue the project with!

I chose bits of vintage lace for the cuffs 

and fabulous embroidered fabric 

that I cut out and hand appliquéd into place! 

I had just enough of this ornate vintage trim to embellish one cuff 

and one pocket.

Then I pulled from my stash of embroidered fabrics 

to continue hand appliquéing pieces along the shoulder 

and back of the blazer.

The finishing touches were added after perusing through my button collection for some fun finds.

Did you notice all the additional vintage buttons 

that I added along the front to add quirkiness?

Yeah, that's just my style!

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Learning a bit about jewelry making

I LoVe when artists share their talents with each other!

I had the good fortune to learn a bit about crimp tube beads

and 49 strand .024 wire used for jewelry making

from the talented Sherry Salito-Forsen

who shared some of her collection of beads and baubles 

along with some simple techniques on basic jewelry making.

Here is the result of my first piece, feeling thankful.

I love teaching and I love learning new things!

And thrilled to have it published in Jewelry Affaire Magazine!

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Happy Easter Greetings

with a few of my latest lovelies out of firing...

a ceramic lace covered bunny,

a yellow striped bowl,

a tiny bunny box 

and my favorite,

a yellow lustered flower frog with vintage doily embellishment!

One of my all time favorite designs,

It is beautiful and useful,

quirky and fun

and like nothing I have seen before.

 photo by the talented John Ellis

I was desperate for storage, 

as the historic beach cottage I live in was not built with closets in the 1920's

The design challenge was the very narrow 
and small space available to build in the stairs.

photo by John Ellis

The lower pullout was created to accommodate 
the additional steps needed to reach to the top.

photo by John Ellis

All the drawers are real and being used 
to store treasures and practicalities. 

Clients bolts of fabrics, misc. art supplies, 

 my sound system and Cd's and tapes. 

One of the small drawers that is above my head 

with the sea star handle created out of clay,
I designed to open from the top as it is more practical to access.

 The steps give me access to the loft, my little perch

 overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean,

with a cool bay seat created with an extra long twin mattress 

for additional sleeping and a great reading space.

 They say necessity is the mother of invention,

certainly true in this case!

(previously there was a ladder to climb upstairs) 


Grateful to have it published in 

Small Room Decorating Magazine!

Vintage Doilies

This idea has been spinning in my imagination for some time now.

 I knew exactly which table cloth I wanted to experiment with.

It's a small square table topper in a cream color fabric 

that I created to lay over a lush green velvet covered round table.

I pulled out a stash of vintage doilies 

and began laying them out along the edge.

You can hand stitch them in place once you have positioned them.

I'm not done yet, I need to keep adding to it.
I need to find some square and oval shapes too.

I just wanted to get the post up and share the fun.

This is a super easy DIY project 

and a great way to enjoy your favorite vintage doilies.

Here is a little tip, if you don't have enough to go all the way around,

 you can cut them in half and sew the raw edges carefully into the hem.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Roses continued

in yet another ceramic vase design...

using ripped cotton sheets with clay

and a little watercolor effect with glazes

adding to the collection

of fun experiments in ceramics

beginning to take over my studio

Grateful to share the fun in Somerset Home Magazine!