I had a visitor!

My niece, Olive, came to visit me!!! Actually, my sister and brother-in-law were passing through town on their way to visit family and they stopped to visit me at school for an hour. We went to Starbucks and got breakfast and had a little chance to catch up. Oh how I miss them. And this little girl...she gets cuter and sweeter every time I see her! She is almost 10 months old now. It seems like time has sped up since she was born. Does having children make it seem like you're living in fast forward? I can't believe how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. She says 'hey dere' now. And she makes an angry face which consists of her squinting her eyes and puckering up her lips and breathing really loud through her nose. It's hilarious! :) If I get an apartment next year I hope my siblings/family can come visit me for a weekend or so. That would be fun!I had my first ceramics critique yesterday. I made an 18 inch coiled pot and had to put an all-over pattern/texture on it. I spent about 50 hours on it in the past 2.5 weeks. Actually, I didn't even get started on it till Thursday of the first week I got back, so it's more like I spent 50 hours on it in the past 2 weeks. And I spent 8 of those hours on it the night before/morning of the critique. On Wednesday I had class from 9-3, work from 4-8 and then from 8:30-4:15 am I worked on it. If I didn't love what I do there is no way I would get anything done on time. I couldn't imagine spending 8 hours in one day on chemistry homework or accounting homework. I'm not going to say I exactly enjoyed being in the studio until 4:15 am, but I didn't mind it too terribly either. I was just exhausted by the time I got home and had to be back up for my 11 o'clock class. Let's just say that eating and sleeping have definitely dropped on my priority list this semester. I'm having a tough time balancing my 6 classes/homework/work and 4 Bible studies every week. I love everything I'm doing, I'm just really having a tough time keeping up with all of it. And it's only week 3! Gah!

Wish me luck! I'll hopefully be back with pictures of my ceramic pot soon! :) Happy Weekend!

comics...

This is the comic that I drew for my 2D design class. It's loosely based on a true story. :) I gave my niece a monkey-in-the-box for Christmas and it scared her. She didn't cry though. And because I think that clowns are way scarier than little sock monkeys I decided to change that part of the story around. I was up till 4 o'clock this morning finishing it and then I got up at 7:30 to go to class all day. I was going to work on my 'coiled pot that swallows time' for awhile this afternoon but I was so tired that I came home and took a nap. And now I need to do art history homework. But as soon as I'm done with that I'm going straight to bed! I don't have class till 11 tomorrow so I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep!You can click on the image to see it larger if you want to. It was a fun project, aside from the staying up till 4 am part. :) What would I have done without my iPod? Thanks to it I was kept company by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bob Marley; from Phil Keaggy and Fernando Ortega to the Bee Gees and Electric Light Orchestra...yeah. It helped a lot!

a little wip

Here's a little headband I've been working on. I made a bunch of those little burnt-edge flowers and am attaching them to a fabric headband. I'm not sure if it's something I would wear, but it's fun making it.

Last pots

These are the last pots I finished. I like the one on the left. I'm wasn't thrilled with the one on the right. I had a feeling I would either love it or hate it...I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I'm back at school. Classes are back in session. I'm taking all art classes! 6 of them in fact. In addition to ceramics I have drawing, 2D design, art history, art orientation and Intro to art education. I think I'll be pretty busy this semester. It's funny, we've only been back for a week, but it seems like it's been so long already. And I already have lots of homework! Today the ceramics studio had a throw-a-thon for the faculty, students and community. We all met up and threw bowls to donate to a charity event. The event is a soup dinner. People come buy our bowls and then fill them up with soup and have a dinner. I helped my classmate and teacher throw bowls for a similar event that took place in my hometown last semester so I was happy to get to help again. I only made 10 bowls. The grad students and faculty were whipping them out! It was pretty cool to watch. I got to meet some of the grad students who were in China last semester. I would LOVE to study in China for a semester. It's one of my goals. Anyway, the throw-a-thon lasted from 9-5. I left around 1:30 and we had a lot of bowls. Tomorrow is part two where we go in and trim the bowls we made. I think the students and faculty end up glazing them so hopefully I'll get in on that too.

It was great to get back on the wheel. I was afraid I'd be all out of practice after not being on it for a month, but I guess it's kind of like riding a bicycle. You get it back pretty quickly. I'm excited for my class this semester. I think my drawing class will be good too. I think I'm horrible at drawing, but already I feel like some things make a little more sense. My 2D design class is kind of intimidating...I hope that I become more confident and comfortable in those classes as the semester continues. I keep reminding myself that I'm a student and I'm here to learn. So it's okay that I'm not great at this stuff. I can get better at it. I have art history with two of the guys from Campus Crusade for Christ. They're both graphic design majors. They make it fun. It's encouraging to have them there. And they're pretty funny.

Well, that's about it for week one! I'm going to do some drawing homework!

Flowers for your hair...or coat...or hat...

We had a girl's day out. It was great! It included shopping, Thai food and crafting. Could you ask for a better day? I couldn't! It started with a trip to the Purple Fern! I just love that store. It's very inspiring. :) I bought the yellow and red button hairpins (pictured below) there awhile ago. I was going to blog about them a long time ago but only just got around to photographing them this week. When I went back this week I bought 4 more. My sister also bought a couple. We spent the longest time trying to pick the ones we wanted. There were so many. I am the worst at making decisions. I eventually settled on these and I love them. I like that they go together without being too matchy. I wore the first ones I bought all the time so I know I'll use these a lot too.

(hairpins purchased from The Purple Fern)

My friend bought a flower hairpin there and it was really adorable. She wore it a lot. Later in the day when we got back to her house she and I tried our hand at making our own. It involved fire and synthetic fabric. I accidentally caught a piece of the fabric I was burning on fire and almost threw it on the floor. Luckily I just screamed and then dropped it into the fire instead. I have a little fear of fire. When I took chemistry I made my brother (we took the class together and we were lab partners) or my teacher light our bunsen burner. I was afraid that I'd end up setting the place on fire. Luckily that didn't happen in either situation and we ended up with these pretty flower pins. I'm going to put the two on the right on pins and wear them as brooches. I made the pieces for a few more of these today but all my beads and buttons are at school so I'm going to wait till I get back to put them together. It's a very fun and easy project!

I love girl's days. :)

It's done!

The quilt I started during the summer is finally finished! Aside from my wonky quilting (it's puckering in a few places) and having some difficulty attaching the binding I am pleased with it. It's very bright, but I like it. I think it's sort of cheerful. Cheerful is a good thing because winter seems like such a grey, dreary time of the year to me. Bright colors make me happy right now. And I'm glad I finished it just in time to take it back to school with me!

It was a fun way to use up a bunch of fabric scraps!

More pots!

These are two little pots that I made and glazed recently. I didn't really care for them so I didn't mind being a little wild with my glazing. This first one I don't particularly care for, but I like the second one better. I really enjoy using wax under my glazes to make different designs. I want to keep playing with that this coming semester!

I can't believe that in less than a week I'll be back to classes. Suddenly I feel just a little bit anxious! I have a couple more pots that I will photograph and post here soon.

Self Portrait Tuesday and Braid Wednesday...all on a Monday!

I have lately become somewhat addicted to some of the style blogs around here. Through these I've learned that there is apparently such a thing as Braid Wednesday! I've also found tutorials for how to braid your hair different ways and decided to try some different hairdos. :) I've been french braiding my hair to the side for awhile now because I think it is less damaging to my hair than throwing in all in a ponytail. The tutorial I found was for braiding your hair inside-out instead of just plain french-braiding. I liked the effect a lot. :) I think I may just switch from regular french braids to french-inside-out braids.

I sometimes feel like I run around looking like a mess or worse, a messy teenage boy (I have nothing against teenage boys, but I'm a 21 year old girl and I want to look like one!). Especially when I'm at the studio since I can't wear skirts very easily while working on the wheel and I usually wear stuff that I don't mind getting really messy. In the end I am usually wearing jeans, a teeshirt and either sneakers or crocs. So it's nice to try to do something fun with my hair. It makes me feel better about myself. Before I did dental assisting I used to do crazy things with my hair. I'd put it in a ponytail and twist sections and pin them all over the place. Sometimes I'd twist a ribbon in with them. Or I'd rag curl it really tight and then pin the curls all on top of my head (my friend called them fraggles after the muppets). I did lots of fun stuff with it that I felt wasn't quite appropriate for a dentist office. I miss dental assisting. I enjoyed it a lot. But since I don't feel like I'm representing a professional office I feel like I can be a little more carefree with my hair. You find your silver linings where you can. :)

On pins and needles...but really just pins. :)

I made these little pins or brooches just before Christmas. I thought they would be a fun way to dress up a jacket or bag or to hold a scarf together. They were very quick and easy. They're really just pendants that I got from the beads section at Michaels that I Krazy-glued to little craft pins. I'm thinking of even pinning them to hats. :) I particularly like the owl and little turtle. :)

Happy New Year!

2010 is here already! I was sad to see the old year and decade go. I wasn't sure I was ready to say goodbye to it. But it was pretty painless. :) Here's to a new year and decade (raises glass of sparkling grape juice in a toast)! May it bring new adventures and challenges along with opportunities and blessings! I have a few posts lined up that I'll probably start to publish tonight. They're all of projects that I made last year but never got around to blogging about. I did finish a project today that was started last year and if the light is good tomorrow I'll photograph it and show what I finished!

I thought I'd write a short recap of the year's highlights and then maybe list a few resolutions.

Hightlights of 2009:

• Brought in the New Year in DC at Campus Crusade for Christ's conference: Radiate.
• Was surprised when our dog unexpectedly had puppies!
• Welcomed my niece, Olive, into the world.
• Was accepted into college.
• Moved to a new city for school.
• Took my first ceramics class.
• Fell in love with ceramics.
• Switched my major to ceramics. :)
• Got involved with 3 different Bible studies on campus.
• Met new friends. :)
• Lost 15 lbs!

Other highlights include: day trips to beautiful places! Getting to know my niece and hearing her laugh and start to talk. Spending time with friends during summer break. Crafting and cooking and exploring with those friends! Making the President's list for the 3rd time! Getting our Havanese dogs. Being the recipient of a surprise going-away party. Celebrating holidays with friends. Reconnecting with old friends. Finding new interests. Learning a new city. Learning more about myself. Learning more about God.

Every year I like to make resolutions. Most of them I don't keep. Here are a few goals that I would like to accomplish this year:

• Learn to budget my money and be more conscious of how I spend my money. Start a travel fund!
• Love others more. Really, truly love others.
• Be a better friend, sister, daughter, aunt.
• Take swing dancing classes.
• Learn as much as I can in my classes.
• Pursue other interests like nutrition (I am still interested in it even though I am not going to major in it).
• Travel somewhere. Anywhere. It doesn't have to be very far away to still feel like you've traveled. :)
• Learn about accupressure.
• Keep up with blogging.
• Try something new. Be adventurous! Explore!
• Train for a 5K.
• Grow closer to God. Learn more about Him. Become a woman after His own heart. Trust Him completely.

More ceramics...expect to see more of these posts in the future because...

I switched my major to ceramics! Yay! I know..."what were you thinking, Gracie? What on earth will you do with a degree in ceramics?" I'll make ceramic stuff! And if all else fails and I become a starving artist, well, I'll finally be skinny for once in my life! Okay, all kidding aside, I am so excited to have switched my major. From the first class I remember thinking, "I wish I could major in this...but I won't." Gradually as the semester continued and I spent more and more time in the studio I decided to minor in art and emphasize in ceramics. However, the more time I spent there the more I realized that if I were to minor in ceramics I would spend way more time working on my minor than I would on my major. So I decided to switch my major. It makes me a little anxious because it's not something that will guarantee a job for me when I graduate (which may never happen at this rate...I'll be in college till I'm old and decrepid, lol), but for the first time in 4 years (yes I've been taking college classes for that long) I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to go to school to study something I love. Before school seemed like a chore. Now it seems like an opportunity for which I am so grateful!

Anyway, enough of my gushing. Here are some of the last things I made this semester! There are a few jars with lids that I made that I will post about later. These are specifically the things I made before the semester ended.
A cup (without a handle) with dots specifically requested by a friend of mine. A cup that I went a little crazy on with the glazing, but actually ended up liking!

I was trying to get a burn-out pattern by using wax under the second layer of glaze. But I dipped it 3 times and I think it was too much to actually let the waxed part show through.
I used wax to paint little flowers inside the cup and then I dipped it in celadon which kind of burnt out enough to see flower (some people say they look like stars) shapes inside. I like this. It's the same as having a fun lined jacket or something. No one really sees the pretty fabric on the inside (or in this case flower design) except you and it's fun because you know it's there even though no one else does.

I made a pitcher. It didn't come out very well, but it was only my first one. I can't wait to try to make some more!

And my pride and joy...

my teapot! It's functional too! The biggest problem with it is that the glaze smoothed over the spout to the point that it dribbles a little bit while pouring. My teacher told me to try to make the inside of the spout a little bit sharper so that the liquid will cut off more easily when you want to stop pouring instead of it dribbling. I did make it sharper, but I think I should have made it a little sharper than I did because the glaze did kind of take the edge off it. And my glazing job on the lid was a little sloppy as you can see. My lines aren't very even. :( But for my first teapot I was very pleased!

I am SO sad that this class is over. Seriously, every time I thought about it ending I nearly started to cry. I know that sounds silly, but I truly did feel that way. The only thing that kept me from crying was knowing that I get to take more classes next semester since I'm now a ceramics major! I am so excited about next semester and the chance to learn more! I have been sketching ideas that I want to try and my brother-in-law drew my name for Christmas this year and bought me a book with loads of ideas and tips and techniques for ceramics (best book ever!) and now I have so many ideas for things that I want to try. I am actually excited about going back! I fully intend to work as hard as I can to be the very best I can possibly be, but the great thing is that no matter how hard I've worked in there it always feels like I'm playing. And time goes by so quickly! I once spent 11 hours in the studio one day and didn't realize how late it was. I spent a total of 16 hours in the studio that weekend and would have been there longer except I realized I was running a fever and felt awful so I left. I imagine though that I will be spending many more hours in the studio from here on out (which is pretty much my favorite place on campus!) and will be trying out lots of new things so I will probably be showing the things I've been working on here. :) I think this is going to be lots of fun!

Finished project from November

I actually knitted this hat during Thanksgiving break. It only took me a couple of days. It's the first thing I've knitted in quite awhile. It was very nice to finish something. Once I got back to school I decided it needed a little embellishment. :)

I crocheted the flower and made a chain stitch for the stem and sewed it on while I was supposed to be doing homework. :)

Modeled by my lovely, obliging, patient sister. Thanks, Holly!

Finished projects

I realize these photos are pretty bad, but here is a general idea of what my work looks like now that it's been glazed and fired. I got to help load and brick a kiln last Tuesday and then I got to help unbrick and partially unload it on Friday. It's really like Christmas! It's so exciting to be taking down the brick and seeing all the stuff inside. And if things turned out kinda cool then it's SO exciting! Very fun. :) Unfortunately, I was really tired while helping unload the last kiln and a little bit grumpy so I'm sure that if I was not recovering from a flu and running on 5 hours of sleep while facing a 3 hour drive home (not that I'm complaining here or anything...wink...) then it would have been even more awesome. Because even being that tired and grumpy un-bricking/unloading a kiln is really fun and exciting.

Just thought anyone who reads this may want to know that. :) Anyway, this is my casserole dish. It's been glazed in tenmoku. I love tenmoku.

This jar had leaves painted on it in slip and then was glazed in celadon.

This ugly thing was glazed in rich blue matte and celadon. Definitely not my favorite.

I liked this one a little better. The bottom was glazed in tenmoku while the top was glazed in celadon and then the entire thing was dipped in shino which caused the bubbly look. I had no idea what I was doing and thought I had ruined it, but after it came out I decided I kind of liked it.

I'm really not sure what these were glazed with. The tops are eustace, but I can't tell if the bottoms are shaner red or tenmoku and I think the middle may just be where the two glazes overlapped. I'm really not sure what it is. But I like them.

This is a bowl from my table service. The flowers are painted with slip and then the entire thing was glazed in celadon. The same goes for the stem glass below.

I made plates but I haven't glazed them yet. Time just got away from me and it didn't get done. I have several other mugs that are really ugly and I didn't want to photograph and I also have quite a few jars that haven't come out of the kiln yet since the kiln was still kind of warm on Friday and we only got the front unloaded while I was there. I'm looking forward to seeing them when I get back to school. I have a few more things I want to make before this semester is over. I have to finish my final project but I'm hoping to make a few little extra things too if I have time to.

I can't say it enough, if you have an opportunity to take ceramics, do so. It's really great. :)

Fun with friends

My friend Beth turned 19 earlier this year and I recently just turned 21. Since we missed each other's birthdays we had joked about buying a cupcake and 40 candles and celebrating together.

Since we are both on break we met up and decided that we actually wanted to do it. So candles and a lighter were purchased and we went to a coffee shop and bought a muffin and went outside to light it up.

I'm glad we decided to do this outside...I think we would have either A) set a fire in the building, or B) at least set off a fire alarm in the building. I didn't want to do either. Especially since I used to work at this particular coffee shop. We only got about 28 of the candles lit but the flame was big enough that we decided to stop and just sing before our whole muffin was covered in wax.

As you can see it was still a little waxy when we finished. Don't those candles look a little like french fries?

Ahh...I love my friends. And that muffin was awesome! Once we scraped the wax off it. :)

Inspiration

Today I went out with Becca for an afternoon of fun. We went to a couple of indie shops that were so very inspiring...they made me want to start knitting and sewing and crafting. NOW! They were two very fun stores and I am more than happy to be able to support both of them today. I bought some covered-button bobby pins (so cute...when the light is better I'll take a picture of them) and some yarn. Because lately I've really wanted to knit and these gorgeous (affordable!) yarns are going to be so fun to work with!

Here are some pics of the places. The yarn shop is called Never Enough Yarn. Click on the link to go to their website. The owner, Pam, is very friendly and there is such a welcoming feel to the place. She not only asked for our names and remembered them the whole time we were there, but she told us to go on in and get water from the fridge and chocolate from the candy bowl. I think I may ask her to adopt me! You can tell she has a great rapport with her customers and I can see why. I would gladly come back and take classes or purchase yarn from her any time.

(check out that dress form! Awesome!)

This lovely shop is called The Purple Fern. She not only has a website, but an Etsy shop too! So if you're not local you can still share in the fun! I wanted to move into her store. She makes a lot of her own stuff but also does consignment. Very awesome! I loved practically everything in her store (which is amazing because I'm pretty picky!) and adored her decorating/displaying techniques. Look at this button mural on her wall...um...I want to do that!

And look at how these necklaces are framed and displayed...I love it!

I want to make some of these button brooches!

And I love these reversible wrap skirts.

Look! Ceramic stuff! Well...there are some wooden things too. But ceramic stuff also!

I would LOVE to own a little shop full of lovely handmade goodies. Ahh...it would be so nice. :)

Photography moment

Home for Thanksgiving break! Ahh...so sweet it is. :) So far I've spent a lot of time sleeping, visiting with friends; I enjoyed an early Thanksgiving dinner with my Bible study, went to church, went out separately with both my sisters and even got a little Christmas shopping done for the sibling whose name I drew out of the hat this year! On the agenda today: visit my sister again before they leave for Massachussetts for Thanksgiving this year, stop by the office to visit my boss and co-workers, and then off for an afternoon of fun and catching-up with my dear friend Becca. It's going to be a great day!

These photos were taken at Harpers Ferry on Sunday. I drove Holly out there for some hang-out time and it was so nice. The weather was great, it was sunny and not too cold. We walked around, I took lots of pictures of her and then we stopped in at a pottery shop (because I'm obsessed) before we went home. I think I've established that I love Harper's Ferry, and I hope I've also established how much I love my younger sister (and how much I enjoy taking her pictures! Thanks for being a good sport, Holly!).

Catching up

Well, I haven't written in awhile. I've been sick...I caught the flu. Not sure if it was H1N1, but it was enough to get me very behind on my homework. I was sick for a week and I'm only beginning to feel better since yesterday. I don't realize how much I take my health for granted until I get sick...then I can't wait to feel back to normal. Luckily this past weekend was warm and sunny...I always feel better when the sun is out.

So I had my second critique last Monday. I was feeling pretty ill but I went anyway. We had to design a table service of three cups, three plates and three bowls (along with any other pieces like pitchers, casseroles, etc, that we might want to add) and they all had to have a common theme. I made a set designed around a pie plate. All the edges are wavy. Unfortunately I never made the pie plate because I was sick and didn't get to go in and work very much. When I was already in the middle of the project I got a card in the mail from my sister with an article about dinnerware that was designed with portion control in mind. It's called Thinnerware and I fell in love with it. I decided I was going to change my whole theme two days before the project was due and make my own set of thinnerware (Hey, I was a nutrition major...I needed a set of these for myself) dishes. So I finished my first pie-themed set and started throwing new plates, bowls and cups for my thinnerware set. I got all of the plates made and trimmed and that's when I started running a fever and decided to go home and come back later to finish the bowls and mugs. Well, I never went back later so I ended up turning in my original set (so glad I decided to finish it!) along with the extra plates and article from Thinnerware.
I made an A. :) Hurray! But because I was sick and am already a week behind on our next/final project (can't believe this class is almost over! I think it's absolutely tragic!) I'm going to just keep the plates and not worry about finishing the others. I have too much to do in too little time to try and complete everything. Perhaps someday I'll have a chance to finish my thinnerware service. I eat in a dining hall anyway. I can't bring my own plates in. :(

I glazed all my jars and serviceware and my matroyshkas and they're going in the kiln tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have something to show for all the work I've done. I got my mugs out of the kiln and boy are they ugly! I was very disappointed in them. But I think I learned some things and hopefully my next set of things to come out of the kiln will be better. One lesson I learned: Don't try to make striped things...especially if you're in a hurry. Mine came out really wonky and ugly. :)

I'll try to get some pictures of the better ones up here soon. But for now, I think I'm going to fold my laundry and take a little nap before class this evening. This flu still has me a little wiped out.

21 years old today.

I got to go home for my 21st birthday. It was great to see my family and eat indian food and chocolate cake...sure beats all the fried food at the dorm! :) My sister gave me this necklace that she bought from a jewelry maker that she met at a craft fair in Ohio. It's made on a domino. I love it! I was never able to find stuff with my name on it when I was younger. You know, like pencils and pens and note pads...stuff like that. My siblings all had school gear with their names on it...I never did. So even as a twenty-something I still get a kick out of getting stuff with my name on it. Especially when it's creative like this. :) Thanks, Jacqueline!

Visits home are always too short. I'm looking forward to my next one at Thanksgiving!