Christmas Gifts 2007 ~ Sullivan's Island, SC

Vince's carafe

What I believe to be the final carafe produced in 2007!



Can this mini-panther strike a pose on cue or what?

Vogue, Annie, vogue!
Work it, Girl.

Commissioned Christmas Carafe #2 - Clare

Bohemian Violet Rhapsody

Annie gives this one FIVE HEAD BUTTS UP!

A custom Christmas gift for a couple. I was told that she loves violets and is a bit of a bohemian. Color requests were purple, green and a bit of magenta.

The swan brooch kills me. I could only bear to part with it for a very special piece deserving of it!

Tasteful little purple and pearl brooches, pretty green aventurine beads, antique white grout and metallic amethyst paint.
My (newest) favorite wine carafe EVER!

Another day, another carafe

This one is for the brown transferware fans. I love the sparkly copper beads with the metallic copper paint!

Fruits of the Day

HA!
I thought I was too burned out to post three words, let alone, four, witty, title words.
No -- really.
Here are the two newest. (Holding the third in reserve for tomorrow.)
Please visit my etsy store for the details on materials and patterns.
Thanks!



Doesn't this wine carafe just make you want to go:
SLLLLUUUUUURRRRPPP?


I would eat and drink color if I could, but they would probably just make me even fatter.

Wherein I steal my own idea. From myself.

Welp, I said I wanted to do a dozen more just like this one that I did for a friend last summer. This is pretty close, but I left off the flying insects and fuzzy little four-legged darlings. And all references to Elton and Liberace. But I'm HAPPY to add them if it makes a buyer HAPPY!

The green grout, china florals (lots of Homer Laughlin Rhythm patterns), and metallic, rose pink paint combo just...well...make me HAPPY, let's just say.

I'm really struggling to get decent photos lately, shooting them in three different spots outside on the decks just to end up with five acceptable submissions that are not shadowed, glaring, too light, too dark. Time to get some indoor sewing lamps and some flat, monochromatic backdrops. I'm sure you are as weary as I of the wrinkled, tacky tablecloths. Tres gauche.

Obviously, I would use this as a wine carafe. It would also make a loverly utensil crock, paintbrush holder, drumstick repository?

Bow Bells & Blue Willow

Uncharacteristically understated, here are two recently-completed pieces from my backlog of groutables.
Bow Bells is a very popular, and pricey, brown and white transferware pattern made by Masons in England. If you can find it on eBay, you will pay for it. It makes a nice lazy susan paired with powder blue shards, antique white grout, and metallic copper paint on the edge and bottom.


I'm not a big fan of Blue Willow (blame the saturated market), but many people are. I will say that this vase is quite striking, especially when viewed from a distance, due to the nice contrast and symmetry in the shape.

I'd never used a teacup around a vase neck before, but this works. The blue aventurine beads look perfect with the china pattern, and the cobalt blue teapot was so cooperative, breaking in all the right places for perfect attaching.

The abalone butterfly brooch was a "making lemonade" addition.
As I went to grout the vase, I saw that a tiny "v"-shaped chip had come off the top. The crack did not run, luckily, and it was a very clean break, confined to just the rim.
After all the time and materials put into this thing, I was so not going to chuck it.

So I grouted it, silver leafed the inside top, and went through my accoutrement stash to find something suitable for hiding the chip.
It totally works!

Pastel Palate Cleanser

It's good for me to remember that not everyone loves the bold, intensely saturated colors that I favor. I try to do the occasional pastel piece along with brown and white, or blue and white, patterns. There's nothing wrong with creating everything according to your own tastes, of course, but if the goal is to sell the pieces, a broad range of colors and patterns is probably smarter than self-pleasuring. So to speak.

So this leafing stuff going on at the vase's neck is very new for me. This is my second effort and it was easier than the first by far. And looks a little better. I love the black variegated product, as opposed to the solid gold. I've yet to try silver, copper and other colors in the variegated patterns.
But it certainly looks more finished and polished than seeing glue blobs through the clear glass.

A very pretty soft pink and gold teapot gave its life for this vase. I used rose quartz beads around the neck and dark cherry grout.

Very sweet and petite at 9" tall.

Had to take about 30 photos to finally get five in which the glare is not blinding.
Coming soon to my etsy store in the sidebar near you.