Friday Favorite--Whitney Smith Pottery

Did you miss the Friday Favorite feature last week?  I did!  So here I am, back with another favorite etsy shop, Whitney Smith Pottery.

I discovered Whitney's pottery long ago, when I was making a treasury on etsy and I featured her nesting lotus bowls.  I love her simple, modern take on ceramics.  Her exquisite work is both beautiful and functional and would look lovely in any home setting, both traditional and modern.  Her palette of colors is delicious, and her simple shapes are very pleasing. I think you will enjoy her work, and I urge you to go have a look around her etsy shop.

She has over 100 items available, but of course, I have to narrow that down to a few of my favorites.  NOT an easy task, but here goes:

 

Leaf Platter and Lotus Bowl Ceramic Set

 

Vessel with Dogwood Flower

 

Dogwood Flower Bowl

 

Nesting Lotus Bowls

 

Bird Sugar Bowl and Creamer

 

Poppy Serving Bowl

 

 

OK--was I right, or what?  Don't you just love Whitney Smith Pottery?  It is form and function at its very best!

 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

Elvin and Holly

At this time of year I have new found respect for Santa's elves, because I feel like one!  I'm busy every day in my studio creating pieces that will bring joy to others come Christmas morning.  I am not, however, quite this cute....

 

When I am hard at work, I tend to be in yoga pants and a t-shirt (or sweatshirt, depending on the level of chill in my studio).  I am NOT dressed in a fun little holiday outfit like Elvin and Holly.  Look how happy they are in their bright red and green!

 

 

This is Elvin.  He is one of Santa's hardest working elves.  I think he might be in charge.  He loves his job so much, as you can tell by the joyful expression on his face.  Right now he is working to decorate the sleigh with red flocked sleigh bells and green polka dot ribbon. 

 

 

Elvin's bright red and green outfit is sculpted from clay, and trimmed with chenille, crepe paper and tiny white pompoms.  His shoes have itsy-bitsy bells on the toes.  I found some tiny fabric Santa hats at Hobby Lobby that fit him perfectly, and added a bit of green ribbon and a glittered holly button. 

 

His cute little face is hand sculpted with pointy elf ears (you can't really see them here).  His big, round eyes are hand painted green and I added very, very blond wool roving for his hair.  Isn't he just adorable?

 

 

This is Elvin's very best friend, Holly.  She works very hard too, and is very happy to do it!  She's been in charge of decorating the Christmas tree with tiny acrylic snowflakes.  It's going to sparkle when it's finished! 

 

Holly's striped bodysuit is sculpted from clay, but her darling skirt is a bit of pre-pleated trim.  It was the perfect length to make a skirt for an elf!  LOVE IT!  I added a bit of sparkle with a glittered holly button.  Red chenille and crepe paper finish off the look.  She also has tiny bells on her shoes. 

 

 

I love Holly's sweet little face!  She has a very full lower lip, and it almost looks like she is sticking her tongue out, but she is NOT!  She would NEVER!  That would put her on the naughty list, and no one wants to be on the naughty list!  Holly has a cute button nose and pointy elf ears and big,  hand painted green eyes.  She has tried to tame her wild, unruly wool roving curls by tying them into pigtails with green satin ribbons. 

 

 

Holly and Elvin are both available in my etsy shop.  You can find Holly here, and Elvin here.  They would be happy to come over and decorate your home for Christmas!

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if EVERYONE was this happy during this joyful season?

 

Have a great day!

Lisa













Paper Pleasures

"All you need in life is a friend who has chocolate."
I think that quote is so true!  Oddly enough, my best friend Marian is NOT a chocolate lover! The one flaw in an otherwise perfect friend!  How could I become best friends with a woman who doesn't love chocolate as much as I do?  NO IDEA!  Life is funny sometimes.

Anyway.  I ran across a darling rubber stamp with that quote and had to have it.  I wanted to make a really cute project incorporating real chocolate, and this is what I came up with:



I started with a hinged metal CD case I purchased online here.  I searched through my extensive stash of scrapbooking papers until I found some cute prints that incorporated the color brown.  I chose some coordinating solid colored cardstock and covered the entire tin, inside and out, with paper. 

 





I stamped the quote on cardstock and matted it with a matching color, then glued it on to the front of the tin.  I trimmed one with some satin ribbon and a button, and the other with just a button. 

 

Two full-sized Hershey bars fit perfectly inside this tin!  One to keep, one to share with your friend.  (And since my friend doesn't like chocolate......I guess I get them both!)

 

This cute project would make a great little gift for a friend.  You could even tuck a gift card inside for an additional surprise. 

 

Happy Thursday!

Lisa

 

I have these available for purchase, but not in my etsy shop.  Contact me if you are interested!

 

Supplies used in this project:

Hinged metal CD tin (SKS Bottle & Packaging)

Various printed scrapbooking paper (Hobby Lobby)

Various colored cardstock (Hobby Lobby)

Rubber Stamp (Inkadinkadoo)

Brown ink pad (Stampin' Up)

Buttons and satin ribbon

3M Glue Dot Tape Runner

Hershey bars





Vessel #2

A while back I showed you a wonderful clay vessel I made for my friend Marian.  You can see it here.  A couple weeks ago I needed a gift for my favorite niece, Hilary, so I decided to try the same idea, but this time I used black. 

 

I started with a triangular base, and used the same random technique of adding bits and pieces of black clay.  Again, I let the clay tell me what it wanted to be.  I let the vessel take shape beneath my hands.

 

 

I love how every angle of a piece like this is unique, and tells a different story.  While I may repeat a shape, it never looks the same.

 

 

It's interesting how the shape of the piece changes as it grows.  I intended to make this one a bit taller, but as I created it, the opening began to shrink.  I needed to be able to prop it with a tall glass in the oven so it would keep its form, so I had to stop at just about four or five inches.

 

 

I really enjoy making these intricate vessels.  I can't decide which one I like better, the black or the white.  What do you think?

 

I hope you have a great day!  Thanks again for stopping by!

Lisa









Friday Favorite #10--Felting Dreams

I stumbled across this lovely little shop in my activity feed on etsy the other day.  Instantly, it went into my favorites folder so I could share it all with you in one of my Friday Favorites features.

Now, normally, I don't like mice.  They are icky and dirty and have beady eyes and they startle me to pieces when they come darting out of a hiding place in the garage.  Nothing cute about THAT!  But these mice, made by Johana of Felting Dreams are delightful!  Nothing startling about them, except how startlingly lovely they are!

These adorable little hand-felted wool critters are so wonderfully done.  Each has a very unique personality, and I love the details she adds, like books and backpacks.  There are so many lovely little mice (and other darling creatures) in this shop.  I'm going to share just a few, and I hope you will follow the links to Felting Dreams and check out the rest of her exquisite work.





Little Reader Mouse

Little Traveler Mouse

Little Traveler Collector Mouse

Little Reader Mouse

Cocket Little Mouse

Little Traveler Mouse

 

Wasn't I right?  Aren't these mice just precious?  I love them!  I hope you will go check out Felting Dreams. 

 

Have a wonderful weekend!  Next week I'm back at home, and back to work, so I will be here a bit more often!

 

Thanks for joining me for another Friday Favorite!

Lisa

 

And just to show you that Johana does more than just mice, here is a wonderful red fox:

 

 

Red Foxy

 

 

 

 

 

For my Dad

My regular readers have probably come here today expecting to find another wonderful artist in my Friday Favorites series.  I'm sorry to disappoint you, but today I'm going to share a different favorite with you instead:  My Dad.

This was taken about a year before he died.  The last picture I have of us together.



My Dad was a fourth generation carpenter, and he could build anything from wood.  He made his living most of his life from building things---houses, travel trailers and campers, kitchen cabinets, furniture, home accessories, and heirloom doll furniture.  He was a craftsman in the very best sense of the word.  He enjoyed creating something from nothing or transforming an ugly-duckling of a kitchen into a beautiful swan.  It was through his encouragement that I began my creative business over 20 years ago.  He has passed his talents on to my brother, Mark, who carries on the family trade.

Sadly, Dad is no longer with us.  He died one year ago today--hence this departure from my usual schedule.  I wanted to share a few of the things he made.  I apologize for the pictures, but I hope you can see the beauty of his craftsmanship despite the poor photography.

These two are of the armoire he built for me.  My favorite piece of furniture in my house.

This Barrister Bookcase is in my family room.

Some of the model vintage cars he built.  Not from kits, but from his own patterns.

A very bad photo of my parents' craft show display, many years ago.

Dad left behind countless handmade treasures and dozens of beautiful kitchens, but his greatest legacy is his family, who loves him dearly and misses him deeply.



On my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary.  And this isn't even all of us! 

Five children, two sons-in-law, one daughter in law

Six grandchildren, one (now two and soon to be three) spouses

Two step-grandchildren

Six great-grandchildren

T



Dear Dad--
There isn't a day that passes that I don't think of you.  I miss you so much, and I carry you with me in my heart each and every day.  I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful, caring father who encouraged me in all of my dreams.

With much love,
Your "favorite youngest daughter"
LizaJane

If you really need an etsy fix, follow this link to my favorite shops folder.  There is lots to look at there.  I will be back next Friday with my usual Friday Favorite. <3