Daydreaming and doodling...

a new ceramic pedestal dish design...

while listening to a lecture

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

Summertime entertaining

.Super simple and quick,

delicious and healthy !

Here are the ingredients, all found at Trader Joe's.

Organics baby spinach

Seasoned mahi mahi fillets

Organics mixed medley cherry tomatoes

Hawaiian sweet onions

Fresh Garlic

Olive oil

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper

Fire up the grill and while it is preheating

wash the spinach and spin dry

slice the tomatoes, onions and garlic

place the fillets on the grill for 4 minutes per side

Drizzle the salad ingredients with olive oil

sea salt and course ground pepper

add the grilled fillets on top.

I love how this recipe can be served hot or cold

If for some reason you have leftovers,

just slide them into a warmed skillet for a few moments

until heated thru, this is great served on a bed of pasta,

Bon appetit !

.

Poppy Orange

I've been doing a bit of sewing lately and seem to be frustrated

trying to find needles and straight pins.

So I pulled out my old sewing box tucked under the cabinet

and discovered some charming vintage sewing paraphernalia...

using a bright orange Bahia Gold cigar box

I corralled all the needles into the box

then I created a color coordinated collage

with some of the gems on the lid for easy access.

I couldn't resist including the now-famous

orange handled scissors by Fiskars,

first introduced to the world in 1967,

they seemed a perfect fit !

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The creative process

Simple floral gift from lover is inspiration...

a test tile is made...

et voila !

the finished piece

Hydrangeas in bloom

inspire new ceramic creations ...

Playing in Pasadena

after 2 weeks of overcast skies at the beach an excursion inland for sunshine and shopping was planned.
The historic Huntington Hotel now named The Langham was to be home for the next few days.
The rooms are luxurious, well appointed and have amazing views that seem to go on forever.
The service was superior and there were lots of delightful extras !

I loved the hotels pink and gold stationery and matching packaging for all the toiletries.

These are much too lovely to toss, they will be re purposed later.

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I had promised myself to pop in Zinnia after discovering it on Paul Murray's

blog and was not disappointed.
There was inspiration everywhere, and a class in progress that looked like too much fun! No wonder they call it a space for contagious creativity.

I purchased ribbon, and as they call them "doo dads" along with the latest issue of Somerset Home and was delighted to find 2 girlfriends work featured inside.
Check out Julie Nutting's and Christie Repasy's articles and blogs.

Joe was most helpful and advised me on a Golden gel medium that I could use for gluing buttons on mixed media and would also work on ceramic pieces.

Thank you Joe,

It worked beautifully !

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In the 1500 block of Mission Street in S. Pasadena I came across 3 unique shops all in a row.
Marz that sells art, unusual cards, vintage accessories and so much more.
Rue de Mimo that has some amazing jewelry, accessories and the most unique clothing lines.
Camille Frances DePedrini for vintage jewels, adorable shoes and clothing made from delicious fabrics with embroidery and detailing so very feminine.



For lunch,
I highly recommend Julienne's, this place oozes charm and ambiance inside and out.
The meals and the service were outstanding !

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.

Hand crafted gifts

with a sweet gift tag and custom gift box

created for a friend that sews beautifully,

( lives by the seashore )

and is one of the most creative people I have been blessed to know

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Fun in the sun Summer Sandals

.

are enhanced with a bit of embellishing

seashells, buttons, bits of lace, vintage jewelry...

Miscellaneous creativity continues at Summerland Cottage...

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Portofino dish design

has been fired, then a clear glaze added and 2nd firing completed.

This photo taken from the ship upon arrival and was my inspiration

and here is the end result

Inspired by my surroundings

.

and having an assortment of bits of paper, glue and a wood box

among other miscellanies on top of my studio work table

that needs to be cleaned and organized,

I choose to create something new before tackling the task at hand

Going Green

with my color scheme

creating with different shapes and sizes

and one of my favorite colors

glazing my new ceramic serving pieces

in varying shades of green

Mermaid ceramic vase

my latest ceramic design...

accompanied with some of my other turquoise creations.

Italian inspired ceramic dish design

.

Still inspired with all the great photos from my latest adventure,

I've just completed under glazing a dish with a Portofino design on it.

It is in a green ware state so the colors aren't true yet,

they will change in the firing and hopefully it will come out wonderful.

Another watercolor

.

This one I did from a photograph,

unlike the others in my journal that I sketched and painted on site.

I like this one well enough to frame.

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Mediterranean Travel Journal

I kept a journal of all the charming places and people

I met this past 2 weeks

My adventure began in Rome and continued through

some of the Mediterranean's

and Adriatic's most unique ports,

including Monaco in France, Portofino, Sorrento,

Corfu in Greece, Split in Croatia,

Slovenia, the island of Malta and my all time favorite Taormina.

The journey coming to an end with several days in Venice.

While visiting Corsica, France

I had an opportunity to do a water color of the Cathedral

Santa Maria Assunta in Ajaccio

I loved all the architectural details on this building in Portofino,

it is called Casa Dei Leoni

as there are 4 large concrete lions guarding the entrance.

Nearby the town of Monaco is the sheltered bay of Villefranche sur mer

where I painted this view from a shady town square.

The main square in Sorrento is the Piazzo Tasso.

This is my rendering of the statue of San Antonio Abate.

Directly behind the statue is the Corso Italia,

one of the most beautiful streets in Sorrento.

Welcome to Valletta,

Malta with the oldest free standing structures in the known world,

megalithic temples on Malta date from circa 3250B.C.

a mass of honey colored limestone with a history larger than life.

Marsaxlokk is Malta's main fishing village.

It is the best place to see the colorful traditional Maltese fishing boats,

the luzzo, with the mythical eye of Osiris

( Phoenicians' god of protection from evil ) painted on the prows.

With a latte and the waiters ball point pen

a rendering of an ancient cathedral located in Saint Trupiano Square,

Kotor becomes my subject matter.

This was a quick rendering of the coast as our ship was pulling out of port

and circling around slowly with one last glimpse of this ancient town

I step out side the crowded ancient Roman palace

built between 295 and 305 by the emperor Diocletian

as his place of retirement in Split, Croatia

and find a quiet place to paint in the large square

with the beautiful water fountain.

I stop for a respite and latte at a sidewalk cafe

and sketch a rendering of the architectural details

on the building across from the bustling square.

Just having fun with paints and adding the eye of Osiris in the sky...