Lovely Lizards and a Bevy of Bowls

I've just finished 18 weeks that I will cherish for the rest of my life!  My daughter and I took another ceramics class together and had a blast!   This is the second semester we've done this.  I feel so lucky to have a daughter that loves to hang out with her mom.  I treasure every moment of it!  She'll be transferring to a university in a few months.  So, this will be the last time we'll get to do this for a while.  That chokes me up a bit but I know we have lots of new adventures ahead of us.

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you may recall a blog post I did a few months ago about a lizard I had sculpted in class.  I had a lot of fun making it and was pretty pleased with the results.  Since then, he's undergone a bit of a change...glazing.  It didn't turn out quite like I'd planned.  He was supposed to be sort of a greenish color and the cup was supposed to be a deep chocolate brown.  Being the beginner that I am and that the glazes aren't always reliable, I ended up with this...

It's not what I had envisioned but it's kinda cool.  I made it for hubby and he really likes it.  So, that means it's a success.

That lizard inspired others in my class and other classes that saw it.  Someone even called me the "lizard master" one evening during class.  That was fun!   

I enjoyed sculpting the first one so much that I was anxious to make another one and I did.  This time it adorned my very first teapot.  The spout was challenging but I did it.  The lid was challenging too and it came out a bit large.  That made it the perfect place for a lizard to sit!

I chose the same glaze, Winokur Yellow, that I used on my Acorn Mugs last semester.  I usually like the yellow color with bits of rusty orange.  And, it's usually a reliable glaze.  However, it seems that the bag of clay I used on this and a few other projects had a lot of iron in it.  So, they came out of the kiln with lots of freckles!

I'm really happy with the shape of the teapot, the lizard, and the yellow and orange colors. 

But, I'm still trying to fall in love with all those freckles.

The yellow parts are satiny smooth and make the lizard fun to pet!

I'm planning to make a pot of tea tonight.  I can't wait to try out my new teapot!

I love his shape.  So cute!

One of the freckles could be an eye!

I practiced a LOT on the wheel to learn and improve my skills.  The teacher was very encouraging about not worrying about assignments but to just keep working because it's the best way to improve.  I appreciated that.  It made the semester very productive.  I made close to 40 projects!

One of my goals for the semester was to make a large bowl that was big enough to make a salad for the family.  That's not as easy as it sounds.  The bigger the project, the harder it is to make on the wheel.  So, I practiced a lot and made a lot of bowls!

I tried to make a set to go with my Acorn Mugs and Lizard Teapot.  I ended up with three that are almost exactly the same size. I made them with the same bag of clay I used on the teapot and they ended up with a lot of spots.

I named the set, "Funny Freckles".

These bowls were made with a different bag of clay and the color turned out great...more like what I'd hoped for the above projects.  I like it when I can get a perfect little spiral in the bottom and get it to show up. 

 

I had a lot of fun making these.  I call them, "Honey Pot Vases". 

As you can see, these were made with clay from two different bags!

I think they'll look really cute with flowers in them.

Here's another "Honey Pot Vase" glazed in "Woo blue".  I love the blue/green drips.  So pretty!

Woo Blue glaze seems to be a bit unpredictable.  It turned out mostly brown in the vase above.  But, in this bowl, it turned out more blue.  I love that color!  The toasty brown edge is a nice touch.  The inside is solid white.

I named this one, "Zen".

This bowl turned out pretty big.  It'll work for a nice personal salad.  I can't wait to try it!  The glaze I used was supposed to be green but I think i got it a little too thin.  I love the tan color and the simple, natural look of it though.

I have LOTS more projects but I figured this was enough for now.

It seems to have been a very productive semester for a lot of students and the kilns are so backed up that they're still working on firing everything.  So, I don't have my biggest bowl and some other projects back yet. 

I can't wait to see how they turn out!  It still amazes me what can be made with mud and heat!  And, how great it feels to use a ceramic piece that I made with my own two hands.

When You Can't Find It...Make It!

My purse is wearing out and I've been on the lookout for a new one.  I just can't bring myself to spend money on another poorly constructed purse made out of faux leather. They just don't last very long and they're bad for the earth when they fall apart. How many hundreds of years will those things sit in a landfill?!  There are leather ones that should last longer. I spent more money on one a few years ago but it lasted less time than the faux ones. There are fabric purses but I haven't found one I like.  So, I decided to start experimenting with making a purse for myself.

I sorted through my fabric stash and found some great possibilities. One was this wonderful cotton upholstery fabric. It's a sample left over from my designer days.  Actually, I think it was from when I was in school for design. I think I used it for a class project.  Anyway, it was worth keeping. I'd always hoped to find a good use for it.  I love the leaves and that it looks like needlepoint.

I wanted to use as much of the piece as I could.  So, I squared it up, stitched the edges to keep it from raveling out, folded it in half and sewed up two sides.  Next, I folded in the bottom corners and stitched them to give it a box-like bottom.  I made a lining the same way with some leftover black fabric, leaving an opening in one side to turn it all after the next step.  I turned one inside out and put them together with the right sides together and stitched around the top.  Next, I pulled the outside and lining out through the opening in the lining and then hand stitched it closed.  I added a line of stitching close to the top edge to make it a little more stiff to stand up and give it a nice finished look.

I used some lining fabric to make tubes that I turned right-side-out, pressed, slipped through the wood handles, and stitched into place.  The finishing touch was a small bit of Velcro to gently tack it closed.

I've never had a purse quite like this and it's not exactly what I've been looking for but I was able to use most of the fabric and I love how it turned out.  I think it's really cute.  And, it's one of a kind.  I also like that it cost practically nothing to make.  The only thing I purchased was the handles and I had a coupon for that.  So, the grand total for this project was only $3.50. 

This is fun!  I can't wait to see what I come up with on my next purse project.  I have some ideas whirling around in my head.  Stay tuned.

No Saddlebags!

I did it! I finally found the time to finish sewing a skirt I started weeks ago. And, it's just in time for the warm spring weather we're having. I just need to un-whiten my legs a bit and I'll be good to go!

My desire to sew clothes has lead to the purchase of lots of patterns and fabric over this past year.
One of the patterns I bought was Simplicity 2224. 
 I like the look of the skirt and the pockets put it over the top for me.  I love pockets!  
I love this fabric too.  The colors and pattern are so pretty.  It seemed perfect for a skirt.

After sewing the skirt, I realized why the model has her hands in her pockets....

it was to conceal the giant saddlebags!  I wondered if I had just sewn it wrong

but I saw that other people had the same results and complaint that I did when I Googled it.  Ugh! 

The pockets were one of the main reasons for choosing the pattern but they HAD to go!

One gone and one to go.

MUCH better!

I bought a new shirt a couple of months ago that just happens to match the greens in the skirt.  I think it looks ok.

What do you think?  Would you wear this shirt with this skirt?

I bought this cute pair of flip flops recently and I think they might look kind of cute with this too. 

This outfit is looking quite festive and summery.

I just realized that this outfit was pretty inexpensive too.  The skirt and pattern cost less than $10. 

The top was about $10.  And, the shoes were only $6.  That's $26 for everything.  Not bad.

I better get working on my tan so I can wear it.

Salsa's New Toy

Salsa has a new toy. It's a squishy, rubber, yellow, doggie frisbee.
She was so excited to get it...even before she knew what we could do with it.
She even carried it on her walks when we were camping last weekend.

She caught on really fast with how it worked.

She was very focused.

She caught it!

She loves running around in the great outdoors! 

I love how she prances.

Her ears flopped around while she ran and they blew in the breeze.  Whee!

Time for another frisbee toss.  She decided to use her paws a bit this time to help her catch it.

Uh oh...is she gonna catch it?

Yay!  She got it!

Frisbee is so much fun!  She even learned to bring it back to us to throw it again...and again!

Yup...I think she likes her new toy!

Super Sized

Our weekend, mountain getaway had a daily visitor...this super sized bird...

It was standing in the meadow and looked like it was hunting for gophers.

When we tried to get closer for a better look it got nervous and flew away. 

So, all of these photos are from pretty far away. 

They're a little blurry because I zoomed in on my computer and cropped them to get a better look.

We thought it was big when it was just standing there...maybe three feet tall or more...

but, when it flew and spread it's wings we gasped at the large span.

Incredible!

Blushing

We loaded up our trailer and headed up the mountain last Thursday for a much needed, long weekend of relaxation at Hurkey Creek Campground near Idyllwild. The weather was wonderful! The day time temps were close to 70 with an occasional breeze. That was perfect for relaxing and knitting and for my hubby's mountain bike race on Saturday. The night temps were chilly, 30's and 40's, and great for sleeping. Clouds were building on Sunday while were packed up to leave. After we got home, we could see that the mountain was shrouded in thunderhead clouds. We wish we could have stayed up there a little longer and enjoyed the rumbling and possible rain.

There were very few wildflowers when we arrived. But, these started blooming while we were there.

 They seemed to appear quickly and out of nowhere.  An area might be flowerless in the morning but by afternoon be spotted with these.  I'm not sure if I've ever seen this kind before. 

The crisp white petals and frilly centers are pretty.  They start changing their appearance very quickly. 

The crisp white becomes a pale pink.

Next, the petals start turning pink from the center out.  It's almost like they're blushing or getting sunburned.

By the second day, they turn completely pink and start to shrivel and dry up.

Their bloom time is so short that they could easily be missed. 

 I feel lucky that I was there at the right time to see their beauty.

Thrifty Re-Do

Our family room is currently undergoing a little renovation.  It's something we've been thinking of doing for a while and finally dove in.  Hubby is just about finished with creating a built-in entertainment cabinet in the "niche".  Until now, we've just used a piece of furniture for the entertainment equipment.  This is custom, fills the space nicely and looks so much better.  He's also planning to add crown moulding to the room and mounting the speakers up in the corners.  I'm so happy about that.  I won't have to deal with speakers on the floor anymore when I vacuum and the room should have a much cleaner, nicer look.

I've been working on paint color ideas and finding fabrics for the window treatments.  I've been frequenting a semi-local store that sells decorator fabrics at a huge discount.  It's called "Home Fabrics" and they have several stores.  I go to the one in Rialto and my favorite thing about it is their "$2 Fabric Store" next door.  In that store, the fabrics are $1 to $3 per yard.  I'm so happy that I was able to find what I needed there.  I got about 20 yards of fabric just over $50!  I love that store! 

The paisley fabric with the brown background is for the drapes and will balance nicely with the brown leather sofa across the room.  The plaid is for the adjoining kitchen windows.  It's so bright and cheery and has almost all of the colors that are in the paisley.  The red denim in the middle is for some throw pillows.

This fabric was even made in the USA! How amazing is that?! It's hard to find anything made in the USA anymore.

Of course, I had to make room for a yarn project in the room.  And, we could really use a new,

updated throw to curl up with.  This color was perfect!  It's called "Redwood Heather".

It's acrylic but the color is perfect, the price was right, and I even had a coupon to save even more!  Plus, acrylic is easy to care for, durable, warm and I don't have to worry about moths (I've been seeing them in yarn stores lately.  Ugh!).  I bought plenty to make it large enough to wrap up in and get cozy and warm.  I was planning to crochet a throw. 

They're so fun and fast!  But, after lots of pattern searching I decided on a knitted pattern called, "Surrounded".  It's gorgeous and has a built in i-cord that is created as it's knitted.  When the throw is done the edging is done.  How cool is that?  And, the i-cord edging looks really good.  The pattern comes with directions for a baby blanket and a lap throw.  It also has a formula to create a custom size.  I wish it came with directions for a regular sized throw.  The formula was easy, I checked and re-checked my numbers,  and it all seemed to make sense.  But, when I tried to knit it the numbers didn't work.  I tried several times, making adjustments each time, and it finally seems to be working out.  

 I'm just not sure yet if the i-cord on the sides is working yet or not.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm excited to see how the room comes together.  I'm just not sure how soon that will be since life keeps getting so busy and preventing us from working on it as much and as fast as we'd like.  But, I think we've got a great start and I love how we've been able to keep the cost down.

Fun in the Sun

Our kitty, Duchess, loves the living room in the morning.  I do too!  It faces east and is one of the brightest rooms in the house.  In the morning, when the sun is streaming in, it uplifts my spirits the moment I walk in.  Maybe that's one of the reasons she likes to hang out there so much.

A couple of days ago, I decided to grab my camera and take a few pictures of her enjoying the morning sun.

Ahhh....warm, glowing sun!

A shadow!

Hey...that looks like fun!

"Whap" that shadow!

Enough play...it's too much work...back to relaxing in the sun.