Mosaic vest

Remnants laid out for design ideas in my art journal.

From being in the design industry for so many years, I have 

amassed an amazing stash of discontinued upholstery and drapery 

fabrics all sorted, folded and stacked by colorway in my art studio.

While adding to and pilfering through the stack of indigo blue 

swatches I had the inspiration to create a vest to wear with blue 

jeans. My favorite fabric was a costly crewel floral fabric

 in multi-tones of blue on a cream background and I chose to use it

 to create a large shawl collar and part of the front panels. Cutting it

 out can be challenging as many of the swatches loaned to interior

 designers have a large grommet placed in the center of the sample. 

I created my own pattern out of an old cotton sheet and used a 

mannequin for fitting as I had created it with ten separate pieces so 

that I could incorporate some of the smaller swatches of fabrics into

 it. I selected a solid cotton blue to trim the collar with, creating a

 half inch border around the edge to set it apart from all the other 

fabrics that were chosen. I selected a two-tone blue lattice effect with a cream 

background for the upper back and found a fun border fabric with

 large indigo blue X's on it for creating a wide waist panel on the back

 and a found a heavy cotton with uneven stripes for the lower 

portion and intentionally left the hem with the unraveled selvage

 edge. I chose to put pleats in it and sewed the tops down for a more 

flattering look below the waist.

Dark colors on the side panels always create a slimmer profile so I

cut up an old Levis jackets' sleeves and used them with the existing

 slit opening at the bottom for a better fit and then cut out the two 

pockets for the lower half of the front panels and found some cool 

vintage buttons to replace the ones that were missing. I attached 

them to the top portion at an angle just for design fun. I chose blue

striped pillow ticking and cut it on the bias to finish the armholes

and inside the collar. 

Grateful to have it included in the latest 

Altered Couture Magazine on newsstands now!

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Ceramic pedestal

The latest creation is a ceramic pedestal in chocolate brown 

with a doily effect

and using brown invasion glaze on a couple of 

sweet little dish designs as an experiment!

Perfect for serving chocolate cake!

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Butterfly bowls in sherbet colors

I was playing with a lace butterfly appliqué and clay,

and created these charming ceramic bowls in sherbet colors.

This pale turquoise color is my favorite!

Perfect for serving summertime fresh fruits and desserts.

Vintage doilies and clay creations

I've been collecting vintage doilies for some time now and love using them for embellishing clothing, tablecloths and yes, even ceramic creations.

When they are covered in liquid clay and attached to a clay form the cotton burns away in firing and you are left with the beautiful  lace pattern. 

before firing

Here is an example of how I am using the doily as the pattern to cut varying size holes in the clay forming a flower frog.

This is a great way to repurpose damaged doilies.

These pieces had stains and the two small ones were ripped in the center.

When it came out of firing,

 I liked the white matte finish so well that I chose to leave it and only glazed the insides and bottom to make the pieces water tight.

This is a creative way for repurposing someones handcrafted pieces beautifully 

and preserving the past.

Just out of firing...

my latest creation

inspired by where I live 

   and by the William Morris quote,

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

It measures 10" X 3" and is replacing my old colander 

that is seriously dented and rather unattractive.

Creative fun, using barbecue skewers, chopsticks and drinking straws 
to create the holes in the clay form before firing!


And another one created to donate to this worthy cause
World Hunger Bowl

It's a girly girl thing,

a sweet little tussie-mussie

created with eyelet lace and clay.

This tussie-mussie was fashioned as a bottle stopper for a small bud vase,

so when there are no fresh flowers, it is still filled beautifully.

And since several friends that were with me 

when I was fashioning it, had never heard the term before,

here is a brief description.

A tussie-mussie is a small flower bouquet, 

typically given as a gift.

The term tussie-mussie comes from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901),

when the small bouquets became a popular fashion accessory.

Often they would include floral symbolism from the language of flowers,

and be used to send a message.

Sending floral fun your way…

Margarita salt dish design

Here is one of my fun ceramic creations, 

just in time to celebrate the end of summer

and the holiday weekend with friends!

I created this little number because I couldn't find anything on the market to hold the margarita salt that was both beautiful and useful.

I created the lime mold and used it to attach a half lime shape to the center of a simple plate design to keep the salt in place.

I had help creating the rhyme.

original margarita recipe

Here is my version...

Pour the Diamond Crystal kosher salt into the cool dish with the lime in the center.

Rub the lime wedge on the outside of the cocktail glass.

Holding the glass at a 45 degree angle, dip the outside rim in the salt, rotating as you do.

Fill the glass with crushed ice and place it in the freezer to chill.

Add the tequila, triple sec, a splash of Grand Marnier with the lime juice to a cocktail shaker and fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice. 

Shake well until the outside turns frosty.

Strain the margarita into the chilled glass and garnish with a lime slice.

SALUD! 

Seahorse Vase

Celebrating summer at the seashore with another hand built clay vase.

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Layering seashells on top of seashells and the seahorse as the focal point, 

and adding a little luster glaze for interest.

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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!

Everything is coming up Roses

Thank you Romantic Home Magazine for including my 

yellow roses in your yearly Rose Issue.

It is such a thrill and honor!

It is a little article showing how this piece is created.

This sweet pink vase was created with the demo.

Seashell sconce shelf

created out of clay 

with a simple shape

and lots of seashell add ons 

then a soft satin glaze

and a subtle touch of color

 close up details

...just a little fun hand building with sweet results!

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