New Machine

Today I recieve our new slabroller. It was not easy to put together :-(, but it is awesome! I pressed out a really thin piece of clay and then used cookie cutters to make maple and oak leaves. I am going to make a wood wall rack to hang them on after I glaze them. I think the whole project will look awesome when I am done. We bought the slabroller because we were hired to make 180 coasters for a wedding as favors. They are going to have a leaf pattern pressed into them and the whole project will be a million times easier and more efficient with a slab roller. Happy crafting!
Sagerocky

First Sale

I have sold things in the past that my husband made and I decorated. BUT today I sold something on Etsy that was entirely mine. I am soooooo excited. What a great feeling. It was just a little thing, but it was something and it makes me feel so accomplished. In other news: yesterday was painting day. I have a bunch of fish ready to go into the kiln and also I have the pieces to a wind chime I am making with butterflies, lady bugs, and caterpillers all ready to go in. Painting takes so much time. You really have to save up a bunch of pieces and do them all together because you need three coats of any glaze. I paint one color at a time that way the brushes do not have to get cleaned like every single color on every single piece. I was also making a glaze color test piece because I do not have one. It is a piece of pottery with all the underglazes sampled and labeled on it so that you can see what they look like fired. Up till now I have been guessing as to what they will look like. When that is done I will be one step closer to a completed work shop especially since I am now a Selling clay carver.

Tired

I worked a little last night on a cute little fish, but I was tired and decided to give it a rest. I would carve little things like that fish from last night no matter what, but now that I am trying to do the etsy thing I am finding it a chore. I am hoping when school ends in just two weeks that I will be much more motivated because I'll only have one job (ha, job) Then I think about how school will come back in August and then I'll be trying to do two things at once again. For those of you out there who try to do two jobs, like real jobs not like my hobby etsy thing, how do you juggle what you are doing? Do you have any suggestions for staying motivated despite being mentally tired from your "day" job?

Early night thoughts
Sagerocky

Life gets in the way

I have been working on this hat since Sunday because LIFE has prevented me from working on it. Have you ever had a project you kept thinking about doing and every time you go to do it life gets in the way? You are out of laundry detergent and have to go to the store, you have a million papers to grade that have to be done by tomarrow, or you couldn't get out of work early and tonight is gym night? I have had this hat on my mind everyday - thinking and hoping that I would get to work on it. Mentally creating it in my head. I am so glad I got it out of my head and into real life. I think it turned out pretty well. What do you think?

Beading

Let me just tell you, doing anything with your fingers after a day of sewing, especially hand sewing, is a challenge. My fingers are pricked and sore! I perservered however :-) Today I created a very silly picture stand. I saw this beaded flower in a book and decided to give it a try. The directions were horrible so I ended up just winging it. The picture in the book was way better, but I did my best. Let me know if you have any suggestions on how to make it better.

Sagerocky

Embroidery

Waking up this morning I decided I HAD to do some embroidery. However, I only really know one stitch. :-) But since I HAD to do some, it HAD to be in that one stitch. I put a bee on the lavender sun dress, because lets face it bees are adorable. Plus my friend leslie http://www.wrightmacydesigns.com/ loves bees and I knew that she would love seeing me incorporate them in any way. Then a burgundy bag/purse was visualized and so needed to be created and what goes better with burgundy? Grapes. You might ask why and the reason is: wine is burgundy, wine is made from grapes. Enough said. All of this was very hard to accomplish because I am feeling so sick today. That led me to a nap and watching the movie Transformers, but I did sew a yellow flower onto some yummy royal purple cotton velvet while I watched so not totally unproductive. What do you think of my one embroidery stitch?

Sagerocky

making a dress

I finally found the energy to finish setting up the basement and start sewing only to find out, after arriving home from work, that my husband, who has friday's off, has used the day to clean his side of the basement and put all things that haven't found a home yet right on top of the table I was setting up to be my sewing table. So needless to say the basement did not get set up tonight. There was sewing though. On the coffee table and couch dropping things constantly on the floor there was sewing. I made a cute little dress for a young child. I like it, but I do not know if anyone else will. I finished putting it all together but I have to decorate it now. When it is finished I'll post a picture so you can all see it.

Exhausted
Marie

Reorganizing

I was driving home today thinking about my workshop in the basement. I have a long high bench for my wood and clay carving and shaping with a stool to sit at and a cute sponge bob lamp. However, today I was fixated on sewing. My dress form is down there, all my fabric, and my notions, but not my sewing machine because there is no where to put it because the bench is too tall to work the pedal. I decided I should bring a table in from the garage and move a bunch of stuff, throw some stuff away and make room to add a sewing table. Then half way through setting up I was so tired, because I am fighting a cold, that I had to stop and go lay down. Isn't funny how you manage to build up all kinds of motivation to do stuff and when you get started it all pitters out.

Ha
Sagerocky

Experience with Etsy

I really like how easy Etsy is to use and I have figured out so much about using it properly. For instance, I did not know that you need to refresh constantly to get seen. I did not know how to create good banners and I am still trying to figure out what I need to say about shipping and return policies. I love the different artists and what they have to offer. I have found so many creative people. They should be very proud of themselves their work is beautiful. I have also seen some things that are not really hand made and that makes me unhappy. They should take their things to Ebay and leave Etsy for those artists who create their own things. I only hope that one day I can measure up to some of the true artists on the site.

:-)
Sagerocky

May 7th

Hello Everyone who sees my blog! This is my first day blogging. Today I hope to be back up here posting more stuff, but I have to work and as a teacher the last three weeks of school are the longest/hardest/most exhausting three weeks of one's life :-) Cross your fingers I get this blog set up today.

Cheers
Sagerocky