A Month of Making :: February 1

I've felt my absence here.

Maybe in a good way.  We've been living and doing well without the blog these past few weeks.  I've finally reached the point where I don't feel guilty for not posting more often.  So, I guess it's been a rejuvenating break from something that felt a little heavy on my shoulders… like something I was very aware I wasn't tending to.

I haven't been away from the internet, though.  Still spending a lot of time falling down various rabbit holes, and it often feels like I'm using the computer to avoid the studio.  There's so much to inspire me online, but I have to be really careful to continue to put myself in my work space, with my raw materials, my tools, and leave the computer outside the room.

With that in mind, I've decided to give an "A Month of…" project a go.  Pay no attention to the fact that I chose to do this in the shortest month of the year.  It'll still be a decent challenge for me, to be sure.

Okay, so here I go… A Month of Making: a photo, a few words, get inspired, make good stuff, get in the habit, put it out there, get back to this journal, this record of things important to me.  There's plenty of room here to evolve, expand, and shed light on things I make and wish to share.

February 1, 2014 :: glazing owls and citrus juicers to be fired later this week

Art Walking in the Snow

Preparations are being made for the Second Annual South Town Art Walk to take place this Sunday, December 8 from 11-4.

As happened last year, my home studio will be on the route.  I do indeed have a separate work space off the dining room, but let's face it, most of my making happens at the kitchen table.  So, that will be the site of the displays, shopping, snacking and merry making, but anyone who wants to peek into the studio is also welcome.

Last year's Art Walk was rainy, the twist for this year… SNOW!  We got a bunch of snow last night and into today.  It was predicted, but I'm surprised to see the 6 or more inches [edit: wow!  we actually got 9 inches!] that now blanket our world. It's lovely, light, dry snow, and the boys have been out in it all day.



Lake, in fact, had such a good time he went completely over the edge sledding with friends in the park and had an epic meltdown into toddler delirium.  He's passed out on the window seat now and will hopefully wake a new, revitalized soul.



I'll take this quiet moment to work on some more pieces for the Art Walk… ceramic pendant necklaces with hand stitching.  Hopefully the roads will be clear enough tomorrow so I can gather some snacks and last minute supplies to make sure that all the folks who visit on Sunday can have a bite and sip warm cider while they check out my art.

If you're in the area, please stop by!

Always round

Kumquat marmalade that Rocky made here last Saturday from fruit grown by her brother.

On a dish I made and broke and mended.



Eaten while working on more.



And thinking about a place I hardly know, of which I have such vivid memories full of curiosity and fear.

Little puffy hearts

Happy Valentine's to my boys.



Handmade Puffy Heart Pins to wear today.

Share the love, friends, and have a fun day!



And if you'd like to make your own Puffy Heart Pin...

Place two pieces of fabric right-side together and freehand cut out your heart shape, (roughly 2"x2".)  Sew the hearts together with an 1/8" border, leaving an opening from the bottom point to about 1" up one side.  Turn the heart inside out and fill with wool roving, cotton balls, or your fill of choice.  It would be easy to add some lavender at this point if you wished.  Stitch the opening shut.  Sew the pin back onto the heart.

Give your heart to someone you love, pin it on their sweater, and watch them head off bearing a little bit of your love into their day.



XOXO!

Working working

Starting to find a happy home in my studio.

It's been a while.

Up above my head

The roofers are stomping around above my head, but here in the studio, the Arc ceramic mobiles are making a most lovely tinkling sound with every bang and thud.



Who knew these delicate pieces could be charmed by such a force?



I'm almost through assembling the series.  They (along with many other sweet pieces still in the works) will be available for purchase this weekend during the First Annual SouthTown Art Walk, an open studio tour of artists in our neighborhood.



I will also be listing them in the shop here or perhaps a new shop designed just for the finer pieces.  If you would like to receive a message when they become available, please send me an email at vietreb {at} yahoo {dot} com and I can put you on my mailing list.

Still holding on to the tent

Yes, indeed.

Thanks to Liane (enhabiten) for the link.

Share the Road... with Harley

Just wanted to send up a shout out to Harley who rocked his Share the Road photo shoot today.  Thanks for showing everyone how cute the littlest bike riders can look in these baby soft shirts.

Thank you, so much, little guy!  You are a sweet sweet boy and take a beautiful photo.  (Not to mention, you tolerate multiple wardrobe changes on a chilly pre-winter day like nobody's business!)

Once we moved the set up away from the all too tempting pea gravel (hmmmm....) it was smooth sailing.  Just see for yourself...

Mama Jennie, you've got a wonderful boy.  Thank you for letting him be my model today!

Also, don't forget, between now and the end of the day (11:59 pm) Friday, November 30th, get 10% off your purchase of Share the Road shirts in the shop by entering the coupon code: SHARE when you checkout.

Ready. Set. Share the Road. (And Save!)

Hurray!  My Share the Road collection of shirts are now available in the shop!



There's sizes for the kiddos and the grown ups alike, from the 3-month-old babe to the rad papa who loves taking the kids around town on his bike.



Do you remember the story?

In May of 2009, my mother-in-law was riding her bicycle to work when she was run over by an SUV. In fact, when it came to a stop, one of the tires was actually pinning her to the ground.  Though she suffered multiple life-threatening injuries, she survived the crash, and has healed beyond anyone's expectations.

However, the driver of the SUV was uninsured leaving Gramma C with limited compensation for her medical bills.  A benefit was organized in her honor, and I designed and printed a small run of t-shirts with the Share the Road message to help raise funds for her expenses.

Years later, I've returned to this message.  It reminds me of the great times I've had riding my bike around town with my boys.  And it helps me to imagine a world where cars and bikes can safely share the road, not to mention the fun, convenience, and sustainability that comes with kids and grown-ups riding together.  We can all share the road! 



These wonderfully soft shirts featuring my unique design would make a thoughtful gift for * the littlest bike passenger  * the new or seasoned young cyclist * the bike-lover * the hard-working mama or papa  * supportive cyclist * or that special citizen who just likes to rock a righteous message.



I would be ever so grateful if you popped over to the shop and had a peek.  

And as an added bonus, between 12:00 am Monday, November 26, and 11:59 pm Friday, November 30, I will be offering 10% off the purchase of any Share the Road shirts when you enter the coupon code: SHARE at checkout.  Yay!


P.S. Thanks go out to my beautiful friends and family who graciously modeled their cute selves wearing my shirts.  You're the best!!

I have time!

Cookie.  Wine.  And a night and a day and maybe another night and another day alone getting all this work done.



Wish me luck on making the most of the time I've been given.  (Thank you, boys!)

A post here is not really necessary, but it's motivating, and that matters too.



I've listened to the same album 4 times already.  Didn't know Laura Cantrell's Humming By the Flowered Vine was such good work music.  We'll see if I can find another album to listen to for the second half of the night.

The studio was cleaned earlier this week.  My work has moved off the kitchen counters!  Keep the cookies coming.  I'm ready to crank!

 Always so many circles... round round round.

Eep! A sneak peek! And some thoughts...

These little labors of love are almost ready to show!



Lots of time and thought have gone into making these just so.



I'm sorry this sneak peek isn't very revealing at all, but I will have you know I am very fond of my little creations and hope you will be too!  They have kept me so busy and my brain has been completely exercised trying to figure out every little detail.



There will be more time in the kiln, more time in my hands, more of everything before they're ready to be released into the world.  I'm aiming to make them available in two weeks time.  Wish me luck!!



As I said in the previous post, there's a lot of making going on around here. I'm happy and at the same time my brain spins with it all.  These itty bitty ceramic creations, Share the Road t-shirts, a number of other adventures in ceramics as well, maybe even some sewing projects... I feel busy! And I wonder, well, it's all Rebbermade. But I surely don't stick with just one medium.  Does that complicate things when it comes to offering my art for sale?  I love that I feel free enough and competent enough to move from clay to wood to fabric and photography, often combining things in one project if needed. Like it says in my profile up there, "... I must create, execute, make and do." Though, I sometimes long for a name, an umbrella term that explains or allows for all of this art that comes out of me.  My favorite menu item is the one where you get your choice of half a sandwich, soup or salad, and a slice of pie.  A little bit of everything good.  I love the possibilities, and it seems a fitting analogy for the way I create.  But what do you call it?

 "Rebbermade" is surely the truth. And when all is said and done, the fact that my boy, Calder, refers to me, simply, as an artist is all the reassurance I need. His concrete knowing and sharing of that, makes me remember that just because I'm not easily billed as a potter or a painter, I can be accepted and valued as an artist, pure and simple. For all the art I make, all these ideas made real, each one valid and executed to the best of my abilities, is all a true part of me, and what I try so hard to do, and what I want to share with the world.

Coming soon!

Lake and I had a little photo shoot today.

My Share the Road shirts will soon be available for grown ups and kiddos alike.

I love how the shirts turned out, so soft and the colors are great!

Plus, it's always awesome to see an idea make its way into the world.



It will be a few days before I get all the color combinations photographed and the shirts posted in the shop, but if you are interested in pre-ordering you can drop me an email or a comment below and I'll be in touch.

* * *

I am happy to say there's been a whole lot of making going on around here.  My studio is full of projects in the works - ceramics, photography, knitting and toys.  The overflow has spilled out onto the kitchen counters and dining room table. It feels great to be in the flow.

Made to trade

These came in the mail yesterday.

Jillian's postcard set, "Eggs: From The Hen To The Breakfast Table", seemed made to trade with my "Feather and the Egg" print set.

Her images actually tell a story, the life of an egg from hen to breakfast table, while my set simply reflects my love and admiration for our little flock.  There were just too many parallels.  We had to swap.

Do you know Jillian, aka The Noisy Plume?  She's making a beautiful life in Idaho with her man and her critters, pouring her heart into her handmade jewelry and soaking up the wild.  Man, does  she have a way with words.



Keeping chickens brings people together.  It's a beautiful thing.

We've got over 3 dozen eggs in the fridge right now.  Ah, Spring.  When it rains it pours!

I hear the coop tour is coming up again.  That was fun.  Seems ages ago.  I'm happy to see our coop - and most of our jazzy ladies - are still standing strong.

For the eggs

Just to get it out of the way... no, this is not about chicken eggs (or the lack thereof.) Our girls are back to laying their (near) daily eggs much to our pleasure. There are currenly 21 fresh eggs in the fridge. Borrow from us anytime!

This post is about the handmade treats we're putting in our Easter eggs this year. The annual hunt is approaching, and I just love an opportunity to do a little handmade for the masses. Last year I did some mini chalkboard necklaces, the year before there were painted wood pins, and before that some ribbon streamers on wood rings like these. I really do love coming up with the ideas, making them en masse, stuffing all those silly plastic eggs, and then watching the kids on their mad hunt and the ensuing cracking open of the found eggs to discover all the surprises inside. This year a lot more people are doing handmade treats, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what shows up.

It didn't seem, with all the art supplies around here, that the crayons were being used at all. So, I decided we'd try our hand at making multi-colored chunky crayons. I wanted them to be in Spring/Easter shapes, but was stumped by the plastic candy molds that wouldn't hold up to the oven-time required for melting the wax. I was happy with my solution.

After a torturous hunt with the boys through multiple craft stores for small Easter-shaped cookie cutters, I finally landed on a set of minis with some good shapes, an egg, a chick, a bunny, a couple flowers. Okay, good.

Then we peeled the wrappers off all those crayons, and took a break to watch that awesome Mr. Rogers video that shows how crayons are made.

I dumped all the peeled crayons on a parchment-lined, 1/4 sized, rimmed baking sheet and put it in a 250F oven for 15-20 minutes following the directions here. Actually, I probably left them in there for a good 10-15 minutes more to try to get more of them melted. From what I've read, Crayolas are the best for this, and I probably had some schwag crayons in the collection that messed with the timing/temp. Just keep an eye on it.

When you have a good, thorough melt, take it out carefully and let it cool/harden for a half hour or so. Then it's time to cut out your shapes. See, I had tried melting the crayons into a cookie cutter sitting on a lined pan, melting them into a cookie cutter with the bottom wrapped with foil, and melting them into one with a rock resting on top to hold the bottom down flush with the pan. None of these ideas worked all that well. They were messy. The wax leaked. Just a pain.

So, I decided to create a 1 inch thick sheet of melted crayon and then use cookie cutters and an iron to "hot knife" my way through the wax. I set 7 cutters close together on the wax, rested the iron (on high) on the tops of the cutters, and let it sit there under slight pressure as the iron heated up the metal and slowly cut through the crayon. It worked really well! The shapes were precise. The new crayons slid out of the cookie cutters quite easily. And we're left with a lot of random crayon monster shapes to keep with our art supplies. I think I'll be using crayons a lot more now that we have these.

And in honor of two great friends, Bear and Gatina, who passed away very recently, I did this drawing to test out the new product. Love how the line changes color oh so unpredictably!

Wow. I've never been finished with a product like this so far ahead of the deadline. This is weird. Well, I couldn't wait 'til Easter to share, so there you go. Thank you Easter Bunny! Bawk! Bawk!

Show 'em you love 'em

Valentine's Day. Hope it's sweet for you.

We did a bit of cupid-ing around the neighborhood this morning,

then joined friends this afternoon for a little Valentine exchange. I've never made so many pom poms. Kinda fun!

I don't know what it is about Valentine's Day and my attraction to watercolor, but again I painted up some paper for the boys (all three) to find this morning.

P.S. Jeff's treats (in the fridge, if you noticed) are intentionally share-able. Right, Jeff? A 220z. stout from Ninkasi and a double pack of the co-op's Cosmic Eclairs... yum! Anything to ease the pain of a late shift on Valentine's Day.