Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The not so secret project...

Only a few more sleeps until Anna and I will launch our collaborative jewelry line.
Did I tell you that we started working together on the 9th of August? After a few convo's back and forth, we decided to have a secret chat on Etsy.
Anna send me these visual aids and I was already very impressed...We both were excited about making things together and we both loved to keep you all in suspense for so long. While we are still busy making, we just wanted to remind you to keep an eye on lilarubyking's shop on monday the 4th of January.
Anna will start listing the first item at 1pm Central European Time.
Every first monday of the month, we will list new work. That way we can still keep up the suspense a little bit! :)

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Flickr Favorites

Psst... the new year is in sight! I hope it will be a bit like this mosaic as these pictures represent energy, sillyness, fun & quietness for me.
What would you like your new year to look?

Don't forget to look at my favorite mosaic from last week. It's beautiful in all it's simplicity.

If you like to play this week, make your mosaic and add a link to your blogpost (NOT your blog please) or Flickr in Mister Linky (click on the button below and fill in your name with the link to your blogpost or Flickr picture).
I'll pop over to have a look at yours. Can't wait to see your creations and find new favorites! :)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Studio happenings

Superhappy to be back to my studio after the X-mas days. Here's a peek in my studio on what's happening in there today:
Clean up yesterday's mess from mould making.Sand porcelain pieces for my collaboration with Anna from lilarubyking.Finish piggybanks so they can dry.
Photograph Decopatched singing birds.
Draw happy faces on the happy girls.

That's a lot to get done today, I'm not sure I'll manage but I'll try.
I dread the sanding and there's a lot of it... *sigh*
What are your plans today?

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Crazy about granny squares?

Jip, I finally have the red yarn to finish my Babette blanket but again haven't had time to start yet. So I'll be sharing this picture with you too. Kirsty from Kootoyoo made a granny square necklace & ring. She has a tutorial on the necklace in her blog. Quick, run! :)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I feel spoiled... and loved!

At last I took some time of taking pictures from all the cards & goodies I got for my birthday & from the art exchange I took part in.
Thank you so much Jaimee, Marta, Eva (oops, forgot to add your beautiful card above), Nathalie, Veerle, Krisztina, Nathalie, Heather, Anna, Stephanie, Judit, Laura, Baahar, Ina, Kylie, Kristin, Ayperi, Estella, Colleen ,Stina, Kim and Kirsten.
I hope I have not forgotten someone 'cause my mailbox got flooded! ;)
This beautiful scarf was send to me from Heather & I love it so much. It's a fantastic color and has a very soft touch! It's handfelted from superfine & soft fibers! Thank you so much for sending me this beauty just because...
Then Anna spoiled me with some fantastic artworks. I can't wait to get them framed and give them a nice spot in my studio. The first one says on the back: 'inspired by the Barbie murders'
Haha, my collaboration partner is the funniest! :) Thank you, Anna!
My friend Stephanie send me these lovelies: a wonderful and warm beret and a fitting scarf. The cute little stripey elephant is watching me work in my studio! He makes me smile! :)
Thanks so much for adding more knitted goodies to my Stephanie-collection! :)And yesterday, the postman rang and gave me a big box with these yummy goodies!
Ohh, delish bananabread from Nathalie! NomNom! Thanks heaps, Nathalie!
I'm afraid I'll have to share otherwise I won't be able to go through the door anymore...And today I received the Poufiks I won from Evaforeva's giveaway and I am SUPERhappy with them! I knew it: I needed a Poufik in my life! :)
I'll take pictures from them next week and will make you all jealous again! ;)

And I wish you all a wonderful X-mas Eve and X-mas day, whenever you celebrate.
Let it be filled with joy, happiness and cake! :)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The singing birds are back...

After they sold out within the week, I decided to make a new batch of singing birds.
I'm working on some colorful ones too but they will be listed later on this week.
Of course you can find them in my shop! :)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Flickr Favorites

Today my mosaic is inspired by supplies as I'll be out for supply shopping. I can't wait to get new plaster as I totally ran out and I have some mouldmaking planned. And hopefully they have my red yarn so I can finish my Babette blanket. I also need some colored paper to make new boxes for shipping the singing birds as I have a whole batch that came out of the kiln yesterday.
And of course, my favorite supply: clay! Can't live or work without that! :)
Ohh, I love supply shopping! My shoppinglist is long and wide...

Look at my favorite mosaic from last week: kind of creepy but SO good! :)

If you like to play this week, make your mosaic and add a link to your blogpost (NOT your blog please) or Flickr in Mister Linky (click on the button below and fill in your name with the link to your blogpost or Flickr picture).
I'll pop over to have a look at yours. Can't wait to see your creations and find new favorites! :)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Crochet goodness...

1. 91/365 Do you think I have enough crochet hooks?, 2. zoom sur le travail en cours, 3. Pile of crochet motifs, 4. Crochet Blankets

I haven't had time to crochet recently. And I miss it but I can't do it all.
Next week, I will go and finally buy the red yarn to finish my Babette blanket. Can't wait to finish that project. I have been using the blanket a lot already!
So this week I'm just showing off other people's hook-addiction... Feels good to know I'm not alone! :)

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The secret project... the big reveal!

From the moment we started this project and decided to keep this secret, we knew we had a hard job doing that. But we loved teasing you with work in progress and keep you curious. Since we are both equally excited about making and creating things it has been a joy to work together. From the start, lots of people guessed that I was collaborating with StarOfTheEast. Nope! Other guesses were: Sigmosaics, Kreativlink, Elsita, Karlita, Psarokokalo and Seaurchin. But none of them either...

The person I collaborate with has her very own style. She's incredibly talented and fun to work with. Her creativity seems to have no boundaries.
She's an immigrant in Europe as she originates from down under and she faces the challenge of living in Greece. Besides all that, she's also the European Streetteam's threadmaker on Etsy and provides a fresh chat thread every week.
Jip, it's the one and only Anna from lilarubyking or annarubyking.

The person who guessed it right for the first time is nobody less than the talented bagmaker from Switzerland: IraGrant.
She'll be treated with this gorgeous first creation:
Loop necklace - porcelain
And the runner up prize goes to EmmaLamb who will be send a pack of postcards from Anna & me with the inclusion of some Happy girls.
Congrats to both of you & we hope you will enjoy your goodies! :)

Now that we won't tease you any longer, it's time to show some finished work. The first of our new pieces will be listed in Anna's shop 'lilarubyking' on January 4th with more soon to follow so mark that date to check out her shop & grab one of our creations.
Plant matter studs
Pebbles & leaf brooch
Anna is producing more finished products from the things I send her recently.
And I'm producing other things that we decided on and then sent it to Anna to keep her busy again. It has been such fun to create together and of course we hope that our creations will be loved so that we can make many more together!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Flickr Favorites

1. Hand to Mouth, 2. Jane Wynn- Hands, 3. Sculpting Hands, 4. "Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art"

After being sick the last few days, it feels like I need a few extra hands to get all the work done.
While laying on the couch, there was plenty of time to make my to do list longer.
If anyone feels like sending some extra hands, don't hesitate...

Look at my Flickr favorite from last week... it's a great colorcombo and just makes me smile! :)

If you like to play this week, make your mosaic and add a link to your blogpost (NOT your blog please) or Flickr in Mister Linky (click on the button below and fill in your name with the link to your blogpost or Flickr picture).
I'll pop over to have a look at yours. Can't wait to see your creations and find new favorites! :)

Monday, December 14, 2009

European Streetteam Challenge entry

Last week I won the European Streetteam challenge & I had to pick a new theme for the week.
It was no surprise that I chose 'babushka's' as a source of inspiration I suppose.
Anyway, while I was sick, I decopatched on the couch as not to feel completely useless. Here is my entry for the challenge:I listed the one above in my shop & will list the other ones later this week!
Go look at all the marvelous entries here! I'll pick a winner tonight! :)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Big day?

Is a birthday a big day? Not really when you're getting older, greyer and get more wrinkles...
But oh boy, you spoiled me with all the lovely suggestions I got in the mail!
A very big thank you to everyone who took the time to think about something fun to do and send me a card. I really enjoyed opening the mailbox & reading all these suggestions:
  • A visit to a wellness center and totally spoil yourself
  • A worry free day
  • A spoil-yourself-day, lots of great food & fun
  • Distribute colorful helium balloons with inspirational quotes & wishes to complete strangers
  • Go scuba diving over some coral reef
  • Go to a yarnshop & spoil yourself rotten
  • Visit a museum
  • Bake a cake
  • Paint a picture
  • Call a friend
  • Take a walk
  • Spend time with those you love
  • Go to a fun swimming pool
  • bring food to an animal shelter
  • Go to the movies and get the largest popcorn box
  • Open a special e-mail account & postbox for future birthday messages
  • Visit the Handmade & funky X-mas market in Amsterdam
  • Have a crazy hairday/get a new color
  • Buy cake/Eat cake
So many awesome ideas! But you know what? I still feel sick.
I've been resting all day yesterday in the hope that I would be OK to go out & have some fun. Alas, I feel like a dishcloth, my nose is red, I'm coughing like an old man who smoked all his life & my throat hurts horribly.
So I'll take it easy and go for the 'buy cake/eat cake' option.
That way I can still veg out on my couch , watch some movies and stuff my face.
Anyway, the suggestion came from Anna Ruby King so she can expect the feeling 'special' in her mailbox soon...
Congrats Anna & if there's any cake left, I'll send you some to go with that! ;)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

This week...

The past week, I have tried this:
via I can read

So to let you know why I'm not showing off any crocheting today.
I feel bad not getting much done but it has been one crazy week.
On top of that, I have a swollen throat & don't feel humpty dumpty since yesterday.
Today I plan to get better for doing something awesome tommorrow...

Thursday, December 10, 2009

My creative space

I had a friend visiting my creative space today. This is Kim from Viltalakim who came to glaze her work that she made a few weeks ago in my studio.
Kim was really excited to show me her challenge entry for the European Streetteam.
This week, I'm the boss of the challenge and I chose the theme 'Babushka's'. Read all about it and see all the amazing entries so far here.
Anyway, Kim astonished me with something I have been wanting to make for ages but never succeeded! Waah, you can imagine my excitement to be able to see this all live!
I'm sure she'll post more pics of this in her blog soon so be sure to check 'em out!

What a fun day in my studio today - it's great to have some company to chat and gossip about our team! :)

Want to show you creative space? Hop over to Kootoyoo's to play! It's fun! :)
We'll be taking a 'my creative space'-break until the 28th of January so thursdays will not start with you peeking into my studio for a few weeks! ;)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The secret project... work in progress

Some time ago, my secret partner send me some plant matter. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it & I made a mould of it right away. A bit silly to get excited about some plant matter?
Not at all, when your heart is jippetyjappety happy because of things simple and beautiful.
This texture is just divine...
I used it to make little lichen's out of it.
And after I fire them, I will send them to my secret partner so she can see if they can be used for something.

This will also be the last teasing-post concerning the secret project. And your last chance to send me your guess with who I'm collaborating. Last week I saw the first prototype of a finished product and yip, another skipped heartbeat and instant love...
We can't wait for the big reveal next week & we hope you have patience for one more week...

To know the idea behind the secret project, go read the first blogpost here or click on the label 'the secret project' to see all the posts about it.
Can't wait to receive your guesses but think about it carefully 'cause you can only guess once! :)
You can send your guess to mitsy@artmind.eu and can not change your guess so think about it carefully...

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Flickr Favorites

1. Can you give me sanctuary?, 2. how long how long have i been down? day 90, 3. 136.365 ~ .the escape., 4. Koinobori

Whenever I see amazing edited pictures like these on Flickr, I secretly wish that I knew how to make them. I think that pitures like these must take ages to make and edit & I just admire all the artists who make them. I really enjoy looking at this art: a feast for the eyes and heart!

Don't forget to head over and have a peek at my favorite mosaic from last week! :)

If you like to play this week, make your mosaic and add a link to your blogpost (NOT your blog please) or Flickr in Mister Linky (click on the button below and fill in your name with the link to your blogpost or Flickr picture).
I'll pop over to have a look at yours. Can't wait to see your creations and find new favorites! :)

Monday, December 7, 2009

European Streetteam Challenge

What a fun day this is today! I just got word that my singing birds that I made for this weeks challenge won the challenge! Woohoo! Thanks so much for picking them out of all the amazing entries dear Anna! That basicly means that I can be the boss for this weeks challenge and can pick a theme of my choice. I'd love to show you some pics to get inspired... by Babushka's! :)
I suppose the theme is no surprise for you...

The centerpiece of this mosaic is work from Claudia aka MundoGominola.
I have been thinking about her recently. I 'met' her on the European Streetteam
and unfortunately she passed away last December due to a rare heart condition.
Just a little remembrance of this beautiful person... you are missed sweet Claudia!
1. HAND PAINTED - Matryoshkas family, 2. Small babuschka, 3. ohrringe :::bonjour russland, 4. Matryoshka coasters - decorative objects, 5. Matryoshka ornaments, 6. P1010801, 7. Gingerbread House, 8. work in progress, 9. Moleskine's notebook cover: Matryoshkas, 10. fru muri, 11. Frida under water, 12. big russian doll & russian doll lavender scented sachets, 13. Piquete de mamushkas14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

Can't wait to see all the entries! Make it hard on me to choose my favorite! :)
You can work with lots of colors, russian themed, shapes, drawings, bags, jewelry... whatever resembles of a babushka will do!
The winner of this challenge are the wetfelted Babushka dolls by Viltalakim. BIG congrats, Kim! :)

Challenge entry

I could not be happier with this weeks challenge theme chosen by DeerLola on the European Streetteam. It's been ages since I participated in the European Streetteam challenges. The challenges usually only last a week and sometimes that is just too short to finalize a ceramic project.
This week's challenge was called 'Ode to Anna' aka AnnaRubyKing or LilaRubyKing.
Read more about it on DeerLola's blog:
I've been admiring Anna's work from the first time I saw it and above that, Anna is just a super lovely person all around so it was such a pleasure to make something inspired by her work.

These birds make me smile and even though that they can't sing, they are still called singing birds because each and every one of them is inspired by the 2D birds of AnnaRubyKing.
And I have also made a few to use in a moss terrarium.And I have another idea in mind with these birds but they need some more fine tuning. I might have a new production line in my ceramic factory here! They are available in my Etsy shop.

Woot woot! Thank you so much everyone who casted their vote on the Etsy voter!
My ceramic set has been chosen by the Etsy community as high-end luxury item for the holidays. It has been published in the Storque, Etsy's handmade blog, today. One click on the picture below will bring you right to it! :) I'm thrilled about this - thanks for so much love! :)