We went to the beach!!!

It was 96 degrees but the water was great! I got a few photos of my family and the scenery...it's been so long since I've been to the ocean. I went to Hampton beach back in 2005, but it was during May and a freak nor'easter blew through and it was SO cold! Labor day of 2001 was the last time I've been to the beach while the weather was nice.

We went to Carolina Beach.

I like one-point perspective...ha ha!

I love this picture of my Dad and Olive.

And I love this one of my Dad and my brother.

Me with my brother. It seems like whenever my dad or brother take pictures they always cut people's feet out...lol.

Ahh...the ocean...it was nice to see it again. I did not adequately prepare for the sun exposure though and am now looking a bit like a pink zebra...I'm very sunburnt!

On our way back home we stopped to see my dad's grandmother. She is 102 years old. She still lives alone. I hadn't seen her in about 10 years and she still looks so similar to how she did before. She's still spunky. As we left my dad was teasing her saying we needed to leave before one of her boyfriends showed up. She spanked him for saying that and then laughed.

Olive with her great-great-grandmother. She was very shy of her and was trying to get away in this picture.

The quality of this photo is very poor. I had to lighten it up a lot just so our faces could be seen. But I'm glad we got one with her. This is me with all my siblings and my niece.

It was an exhausting day! I felt like we were in the car for most of it! Yesterday was a bit more relaxing. We hung out at home and then went to Crabtree Mall in Raleigh and I visited my first H&M. We ended the day with a trip to the community pool in my parents neighborhood and aside from one lady and her granddaughter we had the entire place to ourselves. Pretty sweet! :)

Happy 4th of July!

Long may our Star Spangled banner wave...

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Happy Independence Day! And happy birthday America!

This 4th of July was great! It was spent in NC visiting my parents at their new place, having a cookout with friends I haven't seen in 7 or 8 years, swimming in the neighborhood pool, a wee bit of crafting, and a firework (yes...just one, lol). Matt, Jacqueline and I drove out to see fireworks but ended up missing them. We heard the neighbors apparently put on a fantastic show which we also missed. But when we drove home one of the neighbors across the street set off a mortar in the street and it was quite beautiful. :) I didn't get a picture of that one, but this is one we barely saw over the treetops on our drive home that night. I just love fireworks.

All in all it was a very nice day. I am thankful that my parents are settled into their new home and are in a good area. I think they are excited to be here. I'm thankful that I live in this country, regardless of its problems.
I'm enjoying my vacation here in NC! We went to the beach today which is where I took the picture of the American flag kite. I'll write more about our visit here later. In the meantime, I hope everyone else had wonderful celebrations! I'm signing out for the evening! Too much sun has me exhausted! :)

this is how much I love ceramics...

Not sure if I ever posted this or not, but my friend took it when I saw my stuff that came out of the kiln. I was so happy because it looked tons better than the first kiln did, but my bubble was properly burst the next day when I saw the genius NCECA guests show their skills. It was good though. I have so much to learn...I am so looking forward to getting my hands back into clay and squishing around in it and making stuff. I love learning about ceramics. It's so enjoyable. :)I miss crafting and working with clay...I miss the studio terribly and I between being sick, a long weekend trip back to school and getting ready for this move I must say that I've been very bad about doing any crafting at all. I think this move is making me anxious and I find that when I'm anxious (unless my project is an assignment with a deadline) I can't seem to make myself focus on a project. So much time is wasted...such a shame. Once I'm settled in though I hope to be able to work on little things here and there.

Does anyone else find themselves caught in a crafting rut when they have a lot on their mind?

We're going places...

"Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking stick."
JRR Tolkien~ The Hobbit

Whatever...

Finally brothers:








I love this idea and am going to do it again. Only better next time. Unfortunately I think this series falls under the "you lose some" category. But I think it has potential.

I did this as a way to deal with my frustration with certain teachers who seemed to think that art dealt with mainly lewd, crude ideas. I had a very bad week that week and Philippians 4:8 really spoke to me during that time. It's funny because I remember reading that verse at the beginning of that rough week and then it came back up during a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. So that weekend I started these guys.

Even though they're really rough around the edges I am going to push this idea farther and keep working with it.

I love handmade!

My roommate painted this picture of a Newfoundland for me as a birthday gift last year. I love it! I love the colors and am in awe that she was able to actually paint dog hair. Painting seems like such a mystery to me. How she was able to paint things as intricate as the hair and whiskers is beyond me. I think she did a beautiful job.
We don't have our newfies anymore. This picture is a nice reminder of those sweet doggies. And a sweet reminder that I have uber-talented friends! I love getting a handmade gift. It's so special. :)

PS: I'm sure she'd take custom orders if you want a lovely painting. ;)

Journaling

So since I started blogging I've pretty much given up writing in books. Sad isn't it? I found my old journal from when I was 16 (talk about sad...hee hee...I think I mostly wrote about what was bothering me) and read through it. I love the convenience of the internet. Blogging is such a fun and easy way to document photos and ideas and memories and emails and facebook are such a quick and easy way to communicate. But I miss writing letters. I love getting mail and rarely do anymore (I don't consider bills to be real mail). Anyhow, this book combines my long-lost love of snail mail and hand journaling. I've begun to glue all my letters and some pictures into a journal instead of keeping them in a box. They're much more accessible and portable. This book can be thrown in a suitcase. You can't really do that with a shoebox full of letters. Plus this is a prettier way to keep all your letters available and tidy.
This would be much easier with a spiral bound book. This is leather bound so it doesn't close all the way. Luckily it has an elastic strap to help keep it closed. Next time I do this I'll use a spiral bound book but for now this works fine. Plus it gives it an older look which some find appealing.
I don't just keep letters in here. I also keep pictures, poems, song lyrics, Bible verses and memorabilia. This is a picture I took at the park and a poem by Robert Frost. Below are two bumper stickers. One is a Pro-Life sticker and the other is one I got while in Austin. I know...they're supposed to be on a car, not in a book. I use my parent's car so I don't feel free to put stickers all over it.

These are notes from friends...

This is a Christmas card my roommate sent me. She designed it herself. I'm going to blog about something else she made for me in a different post!

I have lots more to put in this book. I think it would be a great idea for a gift for someone in college, a friend or family member who is moving away, or a loved one in the military. Have people write letters and then glue the envelopes with the cards or letters inside and pictures of everyone who loves them into a book and give it away. It's nice to see pictures and read handwritten notes (I love people's handwriting...it makes things so personal) from people. It can help with homesickness. I am planning to bring my book to China with me to look through when I miss home.

Watching an Olive

This past weekend I watched my niece, Olive, while her mom and dad (my sister and brother-in-law) went out on a date. We had lots of fun eating her parents out of house and home while they were gone (don't tell me I'm allowed to raid the fridge...lol...just kidding). We did actually share some homemade blackberry cobbler (when did my sister turn into Martha Stewart? That girl can cook!) and homemade whole wheat oatmeal bread. We played with toys. We listened to the Dean Martin station on Pandora (I love the way he sings Sway). We sang songs and snuggled. And we played with water in the bathtub. Olive just LOVES playing with water. Seriously, put her in the tub with a couple of containers of water and some spoons and she has a ball.

She also loves cell phones. She accidentally dialed 911 with one of her parent's phones. She is such a little genius. I let her play with my phone while I was eating my dinner and she loved it. She got mad when I took it away.

This is where I took the phone away.

I'm pretty sure she is signing and saying "please" here. My sister is teaching her sign language and she can say "please," "more," "all gone," and "ice cream." She is walking around now and saying more words. She calls the cows next door to us dogs and when they moo she will moo back at them. She likes to pretend she's a puppy. She plays patty cake. She is snuggly and blows kisses.
I can't imagine how we ever got along without her.

And you lose some...quite a lot actually.

As you can see not all projects turn out according to plan...

Most don't. To be honest I don't really have a definite plan for many of my pieces. I just experiment and see what happens.

salt-fired...not good...I'm very sloppy.

sloppy again...gotta work on that...

This went into the wrong kiln. It went into salt instead of reduction. And it's sloppy. But I think the idea of it is cool. It was inspired by Banksy. I am going to try this again sometime. In the meantime I think I'll go destroy these. lol. Actually, Adam (my brother) has decided that he's claiming all my ugly mugs (which I collectively refer to as my "ugly muglings.") and keeping them. So I think he claimed the middle one.

Tea Pot

Here is one of the finished "Alice in Wonderland" teapots. I didn't turn this one in for my critique. I ended up making 3. I gave one away already and my sister has the actual set that I turned in. I am going to photograph it sometime soon. Anyway...this set was just a teapot, creamer and a sugar. Where is the creamer pitcher? Well...it was loaded next to a sculpture in the kiln and during the firing that sculpture fell over and fused to my creamer pitcher. So this is all that is left. I like the color. It is a tenmoku over celadon, but our celadon was messed up so it's not typical of regular celadons (so I'm told...I'm so new at this I really don't know what it's supposed to look like.). It was a very fun set. Each piece was wheel thrown. The lids were wheel thrown and so was the spout. Only the handle was hand built. I fired the lid separately from the teapot and it warped a little bit so now it doesn't fit inside properly. I'm going to have to take away some of the rim to make room for it. I like them better than the very first teapot I made, but I am excited to continue experimenting with teapots. I'm hoping when I get to China to try throwing with porcelain. I can't wait to be good at what I do. It's nice to see improvements, but I'm nowhere near where I want to be. It's good though. It's always a challenge and that is part of what keeps me coming back. I love it.

I miss it SO much! As wonderful as it is to see my family I miss working with my hands on the wheel and at hand-building. I don't have access to a wheel at home. This summer is already going by so quickly though. I've been home for 4 weeks and 1 day now. I'm going back to school to visit my friend this coming weekend. I can't wait! I'm also going to get some paperwork taken care of for China, but I'll get to stay for three nights and maybe visit a Bible study or church service while I'm there. It will be fun to go see the folks who are still in town.

From this...

to this...

(excuse very poor picture quality)

One of the most time consuming and frustrating projects I've ever done. It got a bit messed up during my trip home so I need to retouch it in a few places. I'm glad I finished it. My teacher said the skin looked scaly. :P I'm hoping to get it retouched and take a better photograph of it since I need it for my portfolio in school eventually.

one last piece for tonight...

I forgot to put this piece with my favorite pieces in the last post. It's okay though because this one is glazed with colored glazes, unlike the others. This mug makes me smile. It is kind of a misunderstood little mug. Not everyone likes it. Although someone did offer to buy it from me, so it is appreciated too by a few people (I said no...we're not allowed to sell our work). It reminds me of a Ken Ferguson slump pot. I was throwing with a very soft clay and the middle got too thin and collapsed. I really loved the way it collapsed though so I saved it anyway and put a handle on it and dipped it in either 3D matte or Eustes and then in tenmoku. I had it fired in oxidation which I really like. It seems like colors are much more vibrant in oxidation than in reduction. Oddly enough, it's probably my very favorite mug I've made. I think it was a happy accident and I'm going to try to recreate it.

My favorite pieces from the semester.

The funny thing about these pieces is that I didn't use colored glazes on any of them. For the bowl I did a wax resist design (I'm not sure how visible it is in this photo) over a shino glaze and had it salt fired. The inside is glazed with Eustes (I think). I think it looks kind of natural and minimal. I like it.
This was one of my first pieces this semester. It was wheel-thrown and then altered so that the bottom is square while the top is round. It is painted with blue slip. I mixed some of the blue slip with a white slip to make it a lighter shade and it worked out really well. After painting it I carved designs in it. I think that concept is sgraffito, but I'm not sure if what I did can really be considered that. I really liked the colors. I played around with that pattern in the dark blue on a few of my pieces and someone started copying me towards the end of the semester! I was sort of flattered. :) I used it as a cup, but it could also be a pencil holder or toothbrush holder.
Another wheel-thrown/altered piece. This one I used different colored slips on to paint designs. It was then glazed in a clear glaze and fired in oxidation. I liked how bright it came out. Not sure why, but this screams "toothbrush holder" to me. I guess working for my dentist again this summer has me thinking of teeth a lot. Oh, bad news: I have another cavity! It's only my third. Oddly enough I never got cavities until I became a dental assistant. Hee hee. I know it's just a coincidence, but I think it's funny.

And finally this little cup. Even before I majored in ceramics (a loooong time ago...as in 5 months ago, lol) I preferred to drink out of mugs instead of glasses. I like the idea of making ceramic cups to drink out of. That's what this little guy is. It's very similar to the one shown above. It's just painted with slips (my painting skills leave much to be desired...something I definitely need to work on in addition to many many things!) and then glazed with a clear glaze. The only difference is that this cup was fired in reduction instead of oxidation which is why I think the natural clay has a very gray look to it.
This past semester I got to make a couple of different slips and make glaze tests. I also got to help stoke a wood kiln (which was very exiting...every time I pulled out the brick to stoke flames would shoot out...did I mention that I have a little aversion to fire?) and unload several different kilns. I had pieces wood fired, salt fired, reduced and oxidized. I would love to watch a raku firing. Kilns are so exciting! I also got to watch the sculpture students do a bronze pouring which was also very exciting. This may sound silly, but it was almost like watching a ballet...everyone rehearsed their part in the procedure and then performed it perfectly and there was this feeling of excitement and anticipation that I can't quite describe.

Sometimes I just love being an art student. And then sometimes I wonder what on earth I got myself into and why did I do it? But mostly I love it. :)

bobbies with buttons

Remember these? I got them at The Purple Fern (I love that store!) in Winchester, VA. It's such a fun and inspiring little boutique. I love buying the little fabric covered button bobby pins that are sold there. I love digging through the little bucket she has just for these little hair clips.

I have since found out that these are SO simple to make! I bought a fabric covered button kit from Joann's and a bunch of refill packs (and 2 spools of elastic thread, although that's completely unrelated to button bobby pins) for $7.23 cents the other day and this afternoon I made 5 of these little guys. It was super fast and easy...sometimes that's exactly the kind of project I need.
Ta daaa...aren't they cute? I am thinking of putting a couple on a snap-clip for my niece. She can still pull bobby pins out too easily.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial day weekend.

What's a girl to do?

(sigh) School is out. I came home on May 8th or 9th. Any normal person would be jumping for joy shouting "hurray, school is OVER!!!" But me...I miss school. Very much. Yeah, it's lame but it's the honest-to-gosh truth! I miss my friends. I miss my dorm. I miss ceramics terribly! I especially miss the Bible studies and Campus Crusade for Christ. It's strange to come home and not have Cru here. I love seeing my family and friends from home, but to be quite honest I still feel lonely and surprisingly homesick for school. I think a big part of it is that I'm not nearly as busy as I used to be. Now that I'm finished I don't quite know what to do with myself for the summer!

This summer promises to be busy and full of changes. My parents are moving. I'm going to spend the last 6 weeks of summer with my sister and her husband and my niece here in town. I'm getting ready to study abroad in China this fall. It's just a tiny bit overwhelming. Even though I'm less opposed to change than I was when I was younger I still have a hard time embracing it wholeheartedly. I am happy for my parents (my Dad lost his job a year ago and this move is a great opportunity for him and my family) but it seems strange to think that the next time I go visit them it will be in a new city. I won't know my way around. I won't know anyone there. I don't really mind that, it's just weird. I guess it just feels like I don't have a permanent home right now. That must be kind of normal for this stage of my life.

It will be an adventure though. I think this whole year is going to be one crazy adventure. I can't believe I'm planning to be in China for (almost) 4 months! One of my favorite books of all time is The Hobbit. It talks about how hobbits are homebodies who don't like adventures. In the book, the hobbit is roped into going on an adventure with Gandalf the wizard and 12 dwarves to reclaim stolen treasure. Throughout the book the hobbit wishes he was back home waiting for his tea kettle to start singing...however every once in awhile something in him wakes up (something Tookish...since his relatives the Tooks were abnormally adventurous hobbits) and makes him long to see places he's never been and hear songs he's never heard and be a part of stories that will be told for generations...
sometimes I feel just like the hobbit. My natural inclination is to stay where I'm comfortable...where everything is safe and familiar. But every once in awhile...more lately than usual, something inside me wants to go out and have an adventure. To experience what I can only read about. But at the same time I am sure I will be homesick for my family and friends and school. It's only been 3 weeks and I'm very homesick for school. I know when my parents and siblings move I'll be homesick for them. I know I'll be homesick for my sister and brother-in-law and niece. But in a way it is comforting to know I'll miss them. I am blessed to have a family that I love and that loves me. I've been blessed to make dear friends who are like family and to be a part of a ministry that challenges me to make my whole life about serving Jesus. I am blessed beyond measure to be loved and sought after by my saviour, Jesus, who sent his Spirit to be with me wherever I am. So I don't have to be too afraid to go anywhere or do anything because I'm never truly alone.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

That's a promise to hang onto!

That's about all I have to write about tonight. I'm in the middle of packing and organizing...it's a lengthy process and I keep stopping to check facebook and blogs! The internet is not conducive to productivity sometimes. :)

Ch..ch..changes...

I thought I would give my blog a make-over. It's been kind of ho-hum these past couple of years so I thought I'd paint the walls. :) Shabbyblogs.com has some very cute layouts for blogs which is where I got mine. I want to get back to making things and posting about them here. I know that my summer is going to be a bit difficult though (will talk more about that later) as far as finding time to get involved in a project goes, but I miss making things and want to get back into the habit of trying to be creative and putting my thoughts into words.

Hopefully I'll be able to put more time into this blog this summer. Regardless of what I accomplish this summer I have rather grand plans for it this fall!

:)