Happy Easter

This delightful little bowl was left for my mother, one can only assume by the Easter Bunny... via the Pottery Place :)

Most of the pieces I paint are pre-made bisque that I get there off the shelves, but I made this one myself. It started life as a lump of clay and under my expert touch (cough) it became the beauty you see before you. I might have to make more. A flower garden of poppies :)

I love how this one turned out, although it took FOREVER to carve all the white.


They look well together, do they not?

Urgh! This basket of Easter chocolate should NOT be sitting so close to me!

Gail's Plate

As I suspected, Gail has posted much better photos of our plate here: http://gailpomare.com/gifted/

Service Please

At long last, I finally sent Gail's plate, so I can now post photos for your viewing pleasure ;) This was my first attempt at etching.

In other news, I attended two funerals this week for ladies I knew from church. The first was for my Mum's dear friend Rachel, who lived a few doors down from us. She was 92 and had bladder cancer and was very ready to rejoin her husband beyond the veil. She was a cheerful, generous woman with a smile for everyone and she will be missed. The second funeral was for Carol, a woman who was very kind to me when I was an obstreperous teenager. She always made me feel loved and special at a time when I was probably least lovable. She also had cancer and was at peace with her imminent departure. She and her husband Harry were college sweethearts, married for 59 years. At the funeral all their sons and grandsons, big strapping lads, got up to sing 'their song', a Kiss to Build a Dream On. Very sweet... and sad to see Harry sitting by the casket listening to the song they fell in love to and danced to all those years. Carol was a doer, always busy, very unlike myself. It is impossible not to evaluate one's own life in the face of such examples. If I live 40 more years I'd like to think I will have acquired some of the kindness and generosity of these women. They were both such sterling examples of serving selflessly. I need to do more.

Sir Ovis Aires

Woo hoo! I sold 2 books today :) :) :) :) :) And with my new found wealth I could have fed the hungry or clothed the naked... but instead I purchased this: I've been drooling over it for months. It's from one of my favorite Etsy shops, http://www.beatupcreations.etsy.com/ I love her stuff. I think it's hilarious and if I ever remarry, be forewarned. I'm going to register for an entire set of Star Wars plates from her as my wedding china.

AaaaaaCHOO! sniff

Hooray for good health, a blessing I take for granted except on the rare occasions that it desserts me. I just spent an uncomfortable 5 days curled up on the couch with tonsils swollen to the size of Easter eggs and muscles aching like I'd run a marathon, (as if). Yes, I was visited by the streptococci fairy, who left me a colorful basket of germs that my body found irresistible. Bless you Alexander Fleming. Bless you a million times over.

"But wait!" you say... "You don't have a couch!" Too true, very observant friend. I was cat-sitting at my uncle's at the time of the infection - another source of gratitude. No one was in danger of catching it from me except the cats, and they're antisocial enough with me that even if strep liked kitties there would have been no danger. I'm quite happy none of my family, friends or colleagues can have possibly been infected by me. Of course the downside is that there is no cable, no internet and no cell phone service at my uncle's house, so I was bored off my nut. I spent the ENTIRE time watching dvds and sleeping. I think I watched a minimum of 50 hours of entertainment. And what was the first thing I did when I got home?... I turned on the computer and watched the 2 episodes of House I'd missed while I was away :D

I did fold a few pages while I was there, but I mean a very few... like 10 maybe. I had such big plans, alas. This photo is of one of the first books I ever folded which I am just now getting ready to list. I love how it turned out :D

What up?!

By the way... I know new posts from me have been pretty thin on the ground this year... but I'm not the only one. Every blog I follow has slowed WAAAAY down from last year. What's up with that? Has the novelty worn off? Is blogging giving way to some newness that I'm too technologically disinclined to know about yet? I miss all my daily communion with my artistic sisters of the world. Now it's more like a monthly communion. One of my favs hasn't posted yet this year!!! Come on peeps! I too will try to do better.

Peter Piper Perfectly Painted Pleasant Purple Pots

I've been spending a lot of time at the pottery place lately and I'd love to be able to post photos of everything I'm making. Unfortunately for my blog, but fortunately for those who read it, most of what I make is for gifts and I don't want to spoil the surprise by posting before gifting. I might not be able to wait, in which case I'll just post without disclosing the intended recipient. Then it will be a guessing game :) Although I run the risk then of friends and family being disappointed that they got piece A instead of piece B...

This piece has already been gifted, so I can gloat publicly about it now. This was the most last-minute, haphazard piece I've ever done, but I like how it turned out, more especially since I don't have to look at it every day :) The photo in the frame was taken with my wonderful friend Gail at Crater Lake. (Poor Gail still hasn't received her birthday pottery from me. She's moving. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)



In other news, the display case which was going to house my ninjapony works has disappeared from the building with no word of explanation from the owner. I don't know what's up with that, but poo on him for poor communication skills. Just as well. I haven't posted anything to my shop in months, possibly due to the amount of time I spend at the pottery place. Heh heh. Christmas is just around the corner, folks. But really I have a dozen or so book sculptures ready to post, I just don't seem to do it. The photographing is daunting for me. I never feel I do it well. Suck it up Simmons. Time's a wasting!