Hand leaves

Another glimpse from the North Story...
Not much longer now before the new line will be in our shops!
Happy day everyone!

Tiny diamond

If you were curious what I have been cutting the other day... All tiny images like the diamond above. These screenprinted decals have been applied onto the tiny porcelain discs.
The image designs are from the hand of my collaboration partner Anna (LilaRubyKing). We don't want to spill the beans all at once and give you an overdose so bit by bit, the North Story will unravel... :)

Remember that we asked a while back if you preferred glazed or unglazed jewellery?
Thank you so much for all your response and opinions. It was a very close call and there were only 5 votes difference between the two.
Anna and I both leaned towards the unglazed jewellery so we decided to go unglazed. Such tough decission as decals are much easier to apply to glazed ware. I did run tests on the unglazed ware and it's definately a bit of a challenge but it looks so natural, different & unique that we're all jippetyjappety happy with the result. Not much longer now before we show more...

Cutting

Cutting 'till my thumb hurts... Lots and lots and lots of teeny tiny bits.
It's for the collaboration with Anna (LilaRubyKing).
We're in the final stage of the process.
After I'm done, I'm sending it all to Anna who will finish it off and photograph all the work 'cause she has mad photographing skills.
We hope to launch sometime in September. That's only a few more weeks - can you wait?

Anna's worktable

Today, Anna from LilaRubyKing is treating us with some work in progress. I don't know anything about working with silver and metalsmithing is such a mystery to me.
It seems all so complicated: sawing, soldering, dapping, doming, using a mandral,... All these tools are unneccesary in ceramics as we can form the clay anyway we like - easy!
For some reason, metal and glass are materials I'm not attracted too to work with since they seem so much more difficult to give shape. I would be really frustrated trying to manipulate a material that is so laborious & stubborn. So glad that Anna is working her magic with the metal.
The little bear head is porcelain which I slipcasted from a handmade mould.
The result of the work above can be found in her shop... :)

Sizing

Testing the sizing of the rings. It's hard to determine the size as the porcelain will schrink quite a bit during firing. I'll be opening the porcelain kiln later tonight & I can't wait to see the results of these.

Humpday

I wish I was sharing more creative stuff on my blog lately.
Where is the time were I shared creative projects in progress, shots of my table & my crochet endeavours?
The past few months I've been swamped with work which I am really thankful for as it means that things are going well. On the other hand is it making me feel like a little factory as I can't get around to try out new ideas in my head.
Frustrating sometimes but I still love love love what I do.
It's a fun factory you see.

I suppose it's all about finding balance but it's really hard to choose for the work that is already on my plate and not pick the interesting and fun things that are on the table too. I sometimes feel a bit like a child in a candy store...

I am grateful that I can do what I do and that there are so many supportive and inspiring people out there to help me do it.
Yip, that's you that I'm talking about!
So today, here's a little thank you for all your kind words, your thoughts and support.
Thank you for visiting my space, following my work, love what I do & being part of my community. Even if you never comment or 'talk' to me, I know you're out there... :)

Wishing you a wonderful humpday today! :)

How to make a snowglobe?

It's been a while since my last tutorial. Snowglobes are cool for any occasion but I thought it would be cool to make a valentine themed one.

Here is what you need:
A jar, Fimo, glitters, toothpick, modelling tool,
two component glue and cookie cutters (not on the picture)

Make the Fimo soft by kneading it.
Then make a shape you like, I'm making a bone...
Then knead the red Fimo for the heart.
Place it flat between 2 wooden sticks and then roll over it with a rolling pin.
Press the cookie cutter in there.
Now you have a heart.
Of course you can also shape it yourself but I was being lazy.
Then break a small part of a toothpick and make a hole in the heart and the bone.
Use the toothpick to connect the both.
Bake it in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 110°C or 265 °F.
Apply a dot of two-component glue to the inside of the lid of the jar.
Stick the bone with the heart on there.
Fill the jar with water and add glitters.
If you have glycerin, add a few drops to makes the glitters move about better
Twist the lid on the jar and close firmly.
Now you can shake your snowglobe.

Add a 'I love you to the bones' message for your loved one and you're done!

Workshop results

I had the first workshop in my studio yesterday. I had people come to a workshop before but then I always knew a few of them. So, I was a bit nervous to do a workshop with people I didn't meet before. You never really know what they expect but I did plan to give 'em an awesome day and I think they had...

Apart from nearly burning lunch (grilling + chatting = disaster), all went well and we had a great time. I loved seeing a creative bunch come up with ideas and trying out things that I hadn't even thought off.
I don't show much of any examples when we start as I don't want to impose ideas into anyones head. So I basicly tell people what they can do and let 'em find out the posibilities and limitations of the material themselves. I think that gives fab results and it's great to see that all styles are so different. It's a bit like getting a blank canvas and having to paint onto it: scary in the beginning but once you start, you can't stop...

Some people worked very organic and combined beautiful bold shapes with delicate textures.Others tried painting with pigments and I found that very inspiring as I never tried it myself before.
And another person had a very minimalistic approach and brought and tried lots of textures and stamps. My eyes got bigger everytime she pulled out her little suitcase to bring out another amazing texture - so much fun!This all will look even more beautiful after firing and I can't wait to see the results!

Textured love

Today was probably the worst day of light for taking pictures so I'm sure I'll have to re-take this session sometime but I couldn't wait any longer to add this new heart-ART to the shop.
After all, it's nearly valentine's day.
So here are 9 textured and framed hearts.
They do take a bit after the feelings but it really weren't supposed to be 'feeling'-hearts. But of course they can be if you like 'em to be.
I showed some before when they were bisque fired but I love 'em even more porcelain fired. It gives 'em this beautiful, delicate shine...
And of course I was most excited about playing around with packaging. I love the gingham fabric and for the occasion, I thought a red happy girl would do magic...
You can find 'em in my heart-ART section in my shop.
Happy weekend everyone! :)

Can't work because...

... there is a cat on my lap.
Good excuse hey!
What's yours usually?

Picture is taken by my computer's photobooth - apologies for the quality of the image.
There is daylight in my studio too now - for all those nights that I want/need to work...

Work in progress

A little sneak preview of what I'm working on...These still need to be porcelain fired and mounted but hopefully in my shop by the end of the week...

My creative space

Today will be mainly filled with non creative things. It's a bit sad as I have so much bubbling in my head.
The other day, my neighbor helped me draft a pattern from my favorite dress & I bought fabric yesterday. I had my eye on this beautiful petrol bleu jersey/knit fabric & I hope that I can cut it out tonight after my sewing class. I want to sew this dress next weekend.
I'm way too ambitious when it comes to sewing I think - as I can barely sew a straight line... But then I think: if I won't try, I won't know if I can do it so I just go with my instincts! :)

Hop over to Kirsty's for more creative spaces and play along! It's fun! :)

How to make a spooky fingerpuppet?

These little ghosts are super fun to make for kids and adults.
You can keep entertaining and silly conversations between all of your fingers or just use 'em as decoration for you home, table or as a prop in your product listings.
You can whip 'em up in no time and they make great companions so here's what you need:

Plaster of Paris, Vaseline, little bowl of water,
a permanent marker and a plastic bag to protect your table.

Cut strips of 2cm or 1inch of the Plaster of Paris.

Cut a few squares too.

Put some Vaseline on a finger.

Dip a strip of Plaster of Paris in the bowl of water.

Put a few strips on your fingers.

It will take about 10 minutes to set.
Sit still and relax.

Take off the plaster fingers.

Dip a larger square into the bowl of water.

Place it on top of the plaster finger.Put the finger on the plastic bag and drape the Plaster of Paris a bit.

Let it dry.Draw with the permanent marker eyes and a mouth.

Your ghostly companions are ready for Halloween fun!