Tania Julian Ceramics

New Work

2011-06-13T00:20:00.003-04:00

Phew. It's been a year exactly since my last post.
I almost forgot how to sign back into this, pathetic.

But, I'm committed to keeping this up, especially since I've had a couple of new interesting requests come up in the last month from random people over the internets. Since I am planning on expanding my business I have to keep this going.
And today I created a brand new piece that has been perculating in my head for the past 5 years and a small sample has been created. Woohoo. Nice, when it all comes together all of a sudden.

The idea started while I was in Switzerland on a ski lift and looked at the mountains and the receding tree lines. Somehow that picture and feeling stuck with me for all these years and since I like to sew and love fabric this is what came together today. Just a start, but I definitely see larger pieces in this style, maybe even incorporating paint. I may dip the threads of this piece into black die, we'll see. I'm excited.

Jonathan Adler Video

2010-06-07T08:58:00.000-04:00

love this guy.

Let me not forget to slave away. That's what it takes!

So talented...

Capoeira

2010-06-06T21:29:00.002-04:00

Wow, I have not written anything in forever (how many blog posts start like that..).
I have been sewing and working some in the studio, although not as ferociously as before. After the big order for Dubai and the American Craft Council show (which sucked, btw) I was sucked dry.
All the remaining energy goes to life as it's lived and my new passion: Capoeira. I don't think I even mentioned it anywhere here yet. I started shortly before Thanksgiving when a friend showed me a postcard she had picked up in Little 5 Points. First class is free! Let's do it. So we drag ourselves to the 8:15 class in the evening. I remember thinking (not knowing one thing about it) "what if i really like this?". Well, this is what happens if you really like something: You make time for it, get fit, are sore, learn a lot, make new friends, and get in touch with a lot of things that make you up and grow from there. Capoeira is an amazing sport, philosophy, culture, that one cannot sum up in a few sentences. And I am the wrong person to write about it. Anyway, it's something I love now and maybe part of the reason my energy has been diverted. I am happy I am exercising again and I am getting fitter. I am learning a lot, which I missed. Of course now is summertime and my priorities are my kids, husband, and Capoeira. A little bit of pottery. I am really going to get in gear in the fall, when both kids are in school and I can focus on my business again. Lots of thinking going on, but I have to be patient with myself. Nothing big is going to happen in that department for a few months. So, I may be posting a few things here and there, but for now, just a brief update and what's going on. Of course, that reminds me that I have some Capoeira mugs in the oven; I am putting some decals on for my teachers... Peace & Axé!

Ritz Carlton, Dubai

2010-03-06T13:59:00.004-05:00

For the past 2 months I have been very busy at work with another commission.
There are 5 24" carved discs and 9 20" squares that have to be done.
At this point I am almost done. A couple more firings and gilding of 3 squares and it's finally over. It's been so challenging and physically strenuous, but I learned so much from it...it's been worth the pain, but I can't wait to get a massage at this point. So here are pictures of the process, trials and errors.
I have done the discs before for the Hotel Felix in Chicago - just in a much smaller size.

Continuing the journey... Germany!

2010-03-06T13:46:00.006-05:00

I have abandoned the blog for a while, I didn't take the time and didn't see the point of continuing it, but as I talked to Jeanette a while ago I realized it is a great record for myself. And so I have renewed energy to continue - for myself. It is too much pressure to think about others, how it could be perceived, etc. I am not a writer and I can't just focus on pottery alone. I can't take a stance and write about important issues in ceramics. I can only write about myself and my life with my kids and friends and family and all the little things that bring me joy (and sadness on occasion). So, if you care to read about it you're welcome to it, but don't expect greatness.

So, let me play catch up with all the little things that happened since last time.
I got to go to Germany for a weekend last November. By myself. To surprise my parents!
It was time for the annual fair and I missed it so. It was great.
Ferris wheel, Kettenkarusel, and the only stained glass project I have ever attempted and gave to my mother...

Hotel Felix

2009-10-16T10:40:00.003-04:00

How cool is that? I received these images yesterday from Heather Stewart
who worked on the Hotel Felix project for Soho Myriad.
This is a small boutique hotel in Chicago.
I love how my work is protected like the Mona Lisa.... :-) totally cool!

Upcoming Shows 2009

2009-09-21T14:21:00.003-04:00

October

Hotoberfest
Saturday, Oct 3, 2009
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Glenwood Park
916 Glenwood Park Drive
Atlanta, GA 30316

November

Paideia Art Visions
Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, November 15, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m

ICE-Atlanta
November 21st at Ambient Plus Studio!

Small Angel Blowout at Whitespace
November 28 and through Chistmas

December

German Christmas Market at the Atlanta International School
December 05, 2009

Swedish Christmas Market at the Trolley Barn
December 13, 2009

My second quilt!!!

2009-09-18T09:46:00.005-04:00

Now about my second quilt that I am still working on as we speak:
I've been studying books and toying with ideas until I stumbled upon this Martha Stewart Quilt in October 2005. Since then I have been collecting our old Jeans. After years needless to say, I got tired of this pile and I thought it was time to cut them up. That took a few months.
Now that they were all cut up I tried to lay them out. It's really hard to work around the kids, since they are with me pretty much all the time. This is my workspace.... you get the idea!

Well, the second time I got to lay them out I actually had time to play with it (yesterday) and I started to sew the strips together. I will finish the top this morning!! Yay. Of course I want to make two, one for Noah, one for Sophie.

I also saw this beautiful Gee's Bend Quilt with Jeans. So beautiful. I never got to go to the High Museum, when they had the exhibition, but I ordered a couple of books from the library.
Here is my work in progress right now. I'm planning on backing it with cuddly flannel in blue.

wow. so, i was writing this last November or so and abandoned the blog.
The quilt is now finished and it was awesome and such a labor of love.
It is warm and cuddly and I'm proud I did it for Noah. May he be enveloped
in love forever! Now I just have to find a picture of it finished....
well, i don't have one, but I found a couple of more process pictures, you can see the
backing and how i started the stiching:

My first quilt!!!

2009-09-18T09:20:00.003-04:00

I recently finished my first quilt. I have been yearning to make one ever since I got pregnant
with Noah 6 years ago. (Shit, I'm getting old)
So, my mum was visiting last year and we went to a quilting store. There they had displayed quilts all over the walls and her eyes fell on a pretty Gingko leaf quilt. I promised to make it for her birthday. Then I forgot about it, because she left. But I stumbled upon the pattern recently and started to get cranking on it.

It went awesome for a first quilt. First I picked out the fabric with a nice employee at the store.
That took a good hour with Sophie falling asleep on my back.

Then I started to cut it out immediately at home, so I wouldn't forget what fabric we picked out for what. Next day I cut out the circles and leaves (another hour).
Another day I ironed the fabric stiffener (forgot what that was called, sorry, dedicated quilters...)
on and sewed the leaves on the circles and the cirles on the squares. Another 2 hours.

Then, over the weekend I sewed all the pieces together and that was it. Within a week I was back at the quilt store to pick out the backing. A nice employee offered to do the topstitching for me.
I think I could have done it, but I really didn't want to mess it up, since it is my first one,
and it is as I said for my mum!

I picked it up another week later. Then I worked on the binding; that wasn't bad either.
The blind stitching probably took the most time, but it is so relaxing, it was totally worth it.
I love sewing! It is really relaxing to me and I can do some while the kids are around.
I'm really proud of it and it is gratifying to have something hand-made in my hands.
I'm hoping to give it to my mum in person soon. Don't know exactly when I will see her,
but December at the latest.

flying high... relatively speaking.

2009-08-22T19:24:00.004-04:00

I'm having a really good day. Thankfully I was able to work all morning and got a good
start at a bunch of things. Made an angel, a large tree vase, mugs for a friend, an advent's
wreath, and started a couple of large vases.

Then I got my groove on at Dance 101 with the firecracker teacher of the Salsa Fit class.
It is so envigorating and I sweat like a pig. It's crazy. This teacher has energy like I used
to have ten years ago. I hope one day I'll get back to some kind of better shape.
Anyway, envigorating it was. My head was still red 30 minutes later.

Now I made a cake, wiped down the toy room, cleaned the kitchen, made the kid's dinner,
and am generally in a good mood.
Oh, and I was meant to bake: I found those plums that are not common to Georgia,
but I grew up with them, so naturally I had to make this German yeast cake.
I just grabbed what I assumed to be enough for a cake, and check this out:
The perfect amount for the cake pan. Not one too few, not one too many!
And did I mention I have four kids here?
I feel like ... one of those perfect fifties women right now. What do you call them?

Inspiration

2009-08-17T13:35:00.003-04:00

Lately I haven't been able to find my groove and I'm probably taking longer than I should...
I feel like I am so much at the beginning of where I want to be,
that it makes it even harder to get started. I still have a lot to learn and grow.
Thinking about it overwhelms me and petrifies me.
I think that's why I stopped painting. I didn't think that was going to happen to pottery.
That was my safe place. Easy going and I could just do it.
My husband also brought up an interesting point over the summer:
"Why is it, that you can do
handstands on a diving board and not translate that into your art?"
I'm still mulling over that one.
Anyway, here is something that I found inspiring.
I hope I can just continue to do what I do without thinking about it too much.

PS: Are they sure they weren't styled by Vogue???

Fighting Atrophy!

2009-08-10T09:48:00.003-04:00

Finally I am back to writing. It has been a long summer with lots of child-oriented activities.
It's been fun, but also tough on me. No real time for myself let alone work!
I hope to get back into the swing of things. I don't even know where to begin, but I signed up
for a lot of shows, so I better start asap. More later!

Here are some picture of a fun day at the studio with the kids; doing a Raku firing and some wheel throwing. They had a blast and especially useful was the hose to rinse the kids off!
All finished off with a great Snow Cone at the place next door. Summer fun!

New website!!

2009-07-10T09:42:00.002-04:00

Ta Dah, after a long hiatus (don't worry, more is yet to come) I was finally able to finish
my website with new pictures, etc. Woohoo!
I did like my old one a bit better, but alas, this one may be overly simple, but for now at
least new pictures are up and I can edit it from home. That's the most important part.
I've been thinking a lot about what to write on this blog and had some great ideas,
but it's all just got to wait. Spending every day with my kids during the summer is great, too.
Watching them learn how to swim has been great, my niece is coming this Sunday and I
can't wait to reintroduce them to my native language... I am hopeful!
Well, got to go to get rid of my expired driver's licence..

Current mood: hopeful

2009-06-07T13:01:00.005-04:00

...and dreaming of a brighter future. Could this really happen? Soon?
This could be huge: The Kennedy bill

"The bill would provide subsidies to help poor people pay for care, guarantee patients the right to select any doctor they want and require everyone to purchase insurance, with exceptions for those who can't afford to.

Insurers would be supposed to offer a basic level of care and would be required to cover all comers, without turning people away because of pre-existing conditions or other reasons. Insurance companies' profits would be limited, and private companies would have to compete with a new public "affordable access" plan that would for the first time offer government-sponsored health care to Americans not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or other programs."

taken from the following link: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090606/D98L1MI00.html

Especially relevant reading the latest issue of Ceramics Monthly where several ceramists mentioned they don't have health insurance and simply can't afford it. And those are kick-ass potters mind you. Really talented people! This is not right!

Diana Fayt (on the cover above) is featured in a current show at mudfire ("Bay Area Pottery Posse") that really turned out to be lovely. I was actually afraid to be completely crushed by it. There are several people represented whose blogs I read and who have it going on. Having a low self esteem myself and not quite believing in myself often I was ready to be blown away. The show was extremely good and it was great to see it all in person, but I was not crushed. Actually I was quite uplifted by it. Totally attainable.

I thought our little Cabbagetown Posse is actually really good. We've been working hard at it and still have ways to go, but we are doing good! What I had expected were much larger pieces by some potters. But they were all sizes I am doing. I definitely have to refine and tone down all the variety I am doing and really make sure to only let the good pieces through. Weed out quantity over quality, but I'll do it. I am hopeful!
If you need to compare notes, check out our etsy sites:

vesselsandwares
Green Lotus

Playing ketchup!

2009-05-28T16:39:00.004-04:00

Ok, I really mean catch-up. I finally downloaded some images. Here are my new large vases. I really like them and they make a fine addition to our house. I hope they will make a fine addition to some high-end boutique soon and other people's houses!

My home-made tomato pots. The plants are growing like crazy in this lovely wet spring weather. Amazing how they just yearn to grow upward. As do I !

The latest spring fashion for barbies. Home made bras!!! Per request of Noah.
How great! My favorite past time when I was growing up was to take leftover fabric from my dad's alterations shop and make dresses for my barbies. Now I'm designing and sewing with Noah. It couldn't be better!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:39:00.006-04:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous mother's day. I certainly did.
My little son woke me up wishing me a happy mother's day. I just know that we was
holding on to that thought for days and remembering it first thing was very special.
I got some sweet roses and a nice pancake breakfast. Then we were going to drive to the
Botanical Garden to see the Henry Moore exhibit, but I preferred to dilly dally and play
Animal Crossing and cuddled with my sweet baby Sophie while the boys ran errands.
Then the weather was so pretty and I had Rick remove some crazy roots out of the garden.
The kids asked for the sprinkler and I continued on my garden project, digging a little
trench for the new brick border. I'm really digging it. Literally.
So it went along with worms and such, a little errand to Hancock and mending some
things that have been piling up. I worked out for an hour to the new Fitness Coach
Wii CD and the gang came back from the farmer's market and prepared a low country
boil that was delicious! We talked Southern and it is especially hilarious to hear Noah
speak with a Southern accent. Cracks me up.
He came up with this thing "I am dirty on the inside" and it is so funny. He has quite the
ear for that stuff. Accents that is. No idea where the dirty thing came from.
But he likes to makes us laugh...
Now I took a nice little salt bath and wanted to record this lovely day. Hope you had one
too! Photos will follow (as soon as I find my card reader. I have this silly habit of
misplacing items for weeks at a time and then they will turn up eventually.
Maybe I should clean up more often!)

Trees Atlanta

2009-05-09T09:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday (and today) Trees Atlanta is having its annual tree focused art show.
They were so gracious to include one of my vases in the show. It is a really nice collection
of art (needless to say, haha). Their space is brand new and very beautiful, and who knew,
it is three minutes away from our studio! They had super delicious food catered by
Whole Foods and an open bar - hmmm, gin and tonic is my favorite drink!
There was a lot of confusion on my part which piece I had submitted that I kept on bringing
the wrong piece and finally got it right shortly before the show opened.
Anyway, while I was there my piece sold.
Good thing I had the vase that I exchanged before still in my car and now I have
another chance of selling tonight. Yay!
The piece that sold was one of my favorites and the first one of the series. sigh.
I think the reason I kept on messing up with bringing the wrong vase was because
I didn't really want anybody else to own it. It looked quite lovely on my piano.
Well, I'm not complaining...

“Overnight Success takes fifteen years”

2009-04-29T21:47:00.002-04:00

Here is a great article my sweet hubby emailed me today. I found it very interesting and it has this funny cartoon that says: "We need to talk and after that, you need to shut up!"
So funny. That's all the energy I have for tonight. The kids are beating the crap out of me every night at bed time... oh, and since I'm now nature girl (or something) I found a luna moth in our yard yesterday and met my first two black widows today. They were so pretty.. yet so dangerous...
good night!

http://lateralaction.com/articles/hugh-macleod/

Inman Park Festival

2009-04-26T10:17:00.004-04:00

I spend a beautiful day at Inman Park Festival yesterday.
We have a new routine. We, that is Devanie Schilpp and Jeanette Zeis, my studio gals.
We have been going to Pilates on Saturday morning. I have finally started to exercise
again. It feels so good to wake up that tired body. It is so essential to my well being..
We found this fantastic place called Dance 101 and I just want to live there. Ok, maybe
just go there three times a week would be heaven. It is a dream come true to me.
Dancing is the best!
I have been at it for 4 weeks now and the past week I have also been making more
conscious decisions about what I eat. Just trying to eat more fruits and vegetable and
to drink more water will hopefully improve my waistline. After all it's time to jump
into the pool in 1 month with the kids.

So, going back to what the post is about the festival. The weather was absolutely perfect,
even getting hot actually! Blue skies and no worries whatsoever.
Here are my favorite sellers:

Karis jewelry had a fabulous booth & display. I love the necklaces and glass rings.
Unfortunately I am too clumsy to wear something so fragile.

There was a potter that I have not seen before and I love her work. Very beautiful.
Unfortunately I cannot really find her on the net. Too bad, but her name is Darra Jannuzzo.

This Photography was awesome. I love all Eastern imagery and this one with the flags was
my favorite! www.zenography.net

Jinnie Lynn Dykes own Wingo. Awesome necklaces. I saw at least three that I wanted to own.
Great work and she sells on etsy! I actually met her at another festival before and we traded
some pieces. It was fun running into her again and am glad to know that I influenced her
Chicken Marsala recipe by introducing her to Panko a couple of years ago! Ha!

And then there is Brandy. She didn't have a booth at the festival but was showcasing her
daughter beautifully in her designs. Really cute kid's clothing!

Dryads Dancing have fabulous furniture. I totally loved the tables and small cabinets!

This Atlanta painter has been around for a few years and I love the fun and quirky imagery.
I should own one... i'm thinking. www.rlandart.com

American Craft Council Favorites - Part 2

2009-04-15T13:35:00.008-04:00

Just wanted to continue with my previous blog about my favorite sellers:

James Borden makes these wonderful timepieces. They are unbelievable and breath-taking.

Linda Chamberlain does beautiful paintings:

a fabulous sculpture and painter, who had the most fabulous booth set-up to top it all off
David Bryce:

Another potter with fabulous painting skills. The more I looked at it, the more I discovered, and the more I loved it: Elisabeth Maurland

Amy Gillespie, a textile artist! Nice compositions and interesting, different work.

And last, but not least, a couple of wood artist, specializing in functional pieces. Everybody needs wooden spoons in the kitchen!

Woodspoon.com & Moonspoon.com:

American Craft Council

2009-04-03T18:38:00.006-04:00

I am a little bit late blogging about this, but nevertheless I wanted to share my favorite sellers at the American Craft Council show we had in Atlanta several weeks ago. It was the best show I've seen so far. There were so many high quality artists there and I found them to be very inspiring.
Here are some of my favorites in no particular order!
Eshelmanpottery I loved for its clean lines and modern feel. Would love to own a set of pieces.
It was so perfectly made and well thought through.

Akira Satake, a Japanese potter, had awesome pieces. It made me yearn to go to Japan and learn their way. So perfect...

Kelly O'Briant has such charming work. The painting she does is so sweet and made me want to paint. She was nice to share what inspired her. I hope I can open myself up and let all my suppressed imagery shine through one day.

Sandra Byers has amazing porcelain pieces. A true veteran she has been working with the medium for decades and truly know to be patient to make the porcelain so translucent looking.

Mitch Yung has amazing wall hangings. Love the scale and texture. Really nice work!

...just noticed.

2009-03-26T09:35:00.002-04:00

This is interesting. Here is a comparison between the shot I took and the shot Heidi took.
That's the difference in knowing how to use a camers... haha!
Can you tell which is which?

Weak Performance

2009-03-26T09:24:00.002-04:00

So, I've struggled a bit writing this blog. Although I am very excited about my new large vases that I'm working on, I am wondering what in the world I should be focusing on. I am doing too many things and need to reign myself in. I'm going to try to really focus on my angels for the next year.
I won't be able to stop myself from trying out whatever strikes my fancy, but I am going to put the focus on my angels. I am also pretty ready to update my website. I mean, it has only been 4 years or so, no need to hurry or anything....

We also have a new member at our co-op. Her name is Joanna Stecker. She does absolutely fabulous work. Makes me a bit verklemmt. I wish I was that good. But as my dear husband says, it's always good to work with and around people you admire. So here's to that and hopefully learning from her.

Here are some pictures Heidi Geldhauser from our labor of love shot for me. They will all be uploaded to the website soon.

Raku Firing

2009-02-25T10:43:00.004-05:00

Last week Devanie and Candace and I went to Kickwheel and did a Raku firing.
It was really good (for me anyway). I ended up with 17 pots. Most of which turned
out fine. I'm in the process of loading them up on my etsy shop.
Here are some pictures of the process:

You bring the glazed pots up to temperature in a special kiln. Once they are glowing
hot you grab each one with tongues and put them in a metal bucket with newspaper.
The smoke and fire create the varied colors in the glaze and the temperature shock
creates nice crackles in some glazes. Once they are done smoking we douse them in
cold water and they're done. It's very gratifying to see them finished in a relatively
short time as opposed to waiting for a day. We do Raku once or twice a year.
Just for fun and try out something different every once in a while.
More on that in a future post. I'm working on something really new for me at the
studio and so far I am super thrilled about it. I have a picture on my camera and
look at it every couple of hours... but I'm getting ahead of myself...

challenge yourself! - part two

2009-02-22T20:14:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been trying to challenge myself
to take part in call for entries. So far I have entered three things, all of
which are a long shot, well, maybe except for one local one around the
subject of trees; I am very hopeful to be chosen for that one.
But the other ones are Lark's 500 vases and Ceramics Monthly Emerging
Artists. I can't tell you how exhausting I found it to get an artist statement,
appropriate pictures, prints, etc. ready to ship out.
Totally exhausting. Except for the local one I only managed to send them
out at the very last minute. The entries were not perfect in any way, but
I do have to acknowledge that it will probably be easier to enter other ones.
Since some steps just need to be fine-tuned. Won't have to start from scratch
again. I will get some professional pictures next month. That will help. Here
is a picture that I took and you can see how bad it is. Well, maybe when I
will show you a professional one next to it. Sadly, that was the best I was
capable of.

My next plan is to upload all my new Raku pots onto etsy to fill
up my sad little store and to - yet again- challenge myself once more to make
some two foot vases, coil-built. I pray for patience, patience, patience and great
care to make these vessels. Not just do it fast, fast, fast and sloppy, like I typically do it.

5 years ago...

2009-02-04T19:33:00.002-05:00

... I gave birth to my beautiful boy Noah. I'm so glad he is in my life and has
made me laugh every day since then. Thank you! I love you... and want to eat you!

funny things they say...

2009-02-01T23:14:00.007-05:00

Here is a new series I am going to add to this blog. Just so I can remember...
...the funny things they say:

Getting ready for bed and putting pjs on with the tweety birds:
"Mum, why are you not wearing your nipple straps?"

Eating some snack at the table with not so subtle noises emitting:
"Mum, my butt is snoring!"

badda bing!
you're welcome...

challenge yourself!

2009-02-01T22:49:00.002-05:00

So, in the few subscriptions I have on my 'reader' list, there is one in particular that has been
challenging to keep up with. That is musing about mud. I don't know where the woman gets her information from, but it is incredible and so full of advice on what kind of competitions and such are out there in the ceramic world. Well, in an attempt to be more proactive and take the next step I am trying some of them. Tomorrow is the deadline for Lark Book's "500 Vases".
I took pictures today and need to put the finishing touches on my application tomorrow.
That is hard work. Mostly the mental challenge. All I want to do is work against what is best for me and plop into bed. It is a constant fight and pretty ridiculous. I am trying to have a positive mindset and ignore the negative blabber.
Wish me luck. Here is one of my submissions:

Time Constraints

2009-01-26T10:07:00.004-05:00

I was thinking how having kids changes your life. I am constantly struggeling to keep all the balls in the air, having to keep up with the household, having the kids orderly dressed and teeth brushed and behaving well, entertaining them, feeding them a balanced diet, exercising (or feeling guilty about not doing it), taking time for myself (or not), having a good relationship with my husband, oh yeah, and running a little ceramic business on the side.

We all know this struggle. It makes me no different from anyone else. I can't even imagine how people fare who have full-time jobs to run and need to squeeze the long list of things to do into evening and weekend hours.

It has been a rollercoaster the last 5 years and for most of it I have been driving myself crazy trying to be super mom and perfect. Well, I'm certainly not and fall short on a long list of things. I regularly freak out when I have friends come over who I think do a better job at keeping their house clean and go into a frenzy of last minute cleanup before they show up.
But nevertheless I am proud of keeping a so-so balance of things, spending enough time with my kids and being able to do what I love and even have people interested in it: pottery.

I realize how having very limited time to do that can make you more efficient in getting things done. It's like a strict schedule and I don't think I would fare as well as I do if I didn't have one.
I think having a somewhat OCD personality and playing beat the clock on a regular basis helps.
I have to strictly regulate everything in my plus minus 8 hours of work time per week, so I can accomplish most efficiently what I have to do. Writing lists is a pleasure to me. I always try to plan ahead of what I need to do. One of my big routines that I am unwilling to give up is putting the kids to bed while lying next to them. I know, most people will disagree and tell me it is a bad thing, I am unwilling to cut the cord, yaddy yaddy yackedy, yack.
Well, I love being physically close to them and having the quiet time to thing and map out my future. To make a long story short, it is so easy to complain about never having enough time to do this or that, but it is good to consider that it can be a good thing to have time constraints to make you more efficient.

i'm so excited and just won't hide it!!!

2009-01-12T22:26:00.008-05:00

Ok, after years (yes, years) of procrastination here is proof, that i shouldn't any longer.
Maybe the fact, that a friend of mine loaned me a book call "The idiots guide to procrastination"
should have been enough of a hint, but eh...

So, after much ado, here is something I am extremely proud of. Ever since I came to Atlanta
12 years ago, one of my favorite landmarks has been the lions in front of One Marquis Tower.
And now, ok since 2 years ago or so, my art is in one of the big landmarks in Atlanta (the Marquis)!
Guarded by those lions. I am smitten. They have remodeled the Marriott Marquis a while ago
and they have done a great job. It looks fabulous! The furniture and the carpet look awesome
in there. Mind you, it is a huge space and to update it, was probably not an easy undertaking,
but I wouldn't mind staying there. It's swanky. I am so proud and excited. I was a bit uneasy
before going there. I thought I might not be too proud of what I would see.
But damn, I am. Phew.

Grant Park Tree Collection

2009-01-12T17:02:00.008-05:00

Here is some new work that I've been working on for a while.
It is the continuation of the treehugger vases. Hoping to pick up some more
hotel commissions. Here are the specs of this series:

Grant Park Tree Collection (imprints of select trees in Grant Park)
Medium: Stoneware, Iron Oxide, Glaze
Measurement: 14"x 6" x .75" and 6" x 6" x .75"

unfinished business...

2009-01-12T15:07:00.004-05:00

Here are some pieces on my cabinet at home. they have been sitting here for weeks...
I have been playing with decals for a couple of months now. It has been something
on my list of things to do for a long time. Now that I finally figured out how easy it
is, I am stumped as to what to put on them! The possibilities are endless and I'm
left to be unimaginative... well, at least there's a start, but there's a lot missing.
Wish me luck on figuring it out!

The decal business is super easy: just buy sheets of Lazertran suited for your printer
and start! Then I like to set the decals in the oven at a slow rising temperature for
a few hours and they should be dishwasher and food safe. Ok, the verdict is still out.
Don't quote me on this. Must do research right now!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T16:14:00.003-05:00

Without any further delay: I'm back. We have had such a nice and relaxing holiday time.
I've slept in for the first time in multiple years and I finally started to exercise again.
Just being more conscious about what I put into my mouth and going out for walks and
taking 30 minutes here and there to exercise on the wii has been making a huge difference
in my spirit. And I checked out a local dance studio that i would love to try out.
Good that everyone has specials out to lure those couch potatos in..

And I have been busy at the studio over the past month, lining all ducks into neat rows.
First of all, our studio is all fixed and everything except for the gallery space has been
put back into place! Yay, yay, yay. It feels good having all the shelves to put things where
they go.

can you spell lazy?

2008-11-19T08:22:00.006-05:00

Ok, I have been lazy writing this blog. But I haven't been lazy working. It's a really busy season and I have tons of work to do. Noah being sick and staying home with the kids is not helping things, but on the other hand I look forward to a semi-lazy morning. I really enjoy spending time at home and reorganizing stuff. I have been on a mission to clear out furniture that we don't need and sorting the kid's clothes into Goodwill, Consigment, and ebay piles. I'm very happy how ebay has reorganized their site. It is so easy to sell stuff there. I am on a mission and have been selling tons of stuff. It is fun to clear out old crap. And make money. Ok, obviously it is not crap, otherwise people wouldn't be interested. But I need room. Stuff that is just sitting around just makes me crazy. So, that's what I've been up to.

Last week I was so lucky to get a last minute ticket to So You Think You Can Dance, my absolute favorite TV show. It was great to see these talented dancers put on these great choreographies. it did make me a tad bit sad that I am not dancing, but I simply must change it. Don't I?
Anyway, I felt like a teenager hooting and hollering. Silly, but fun.

Oh, yeah, right, and working on my two hotel comissions. I'm about to wrap up one this week and the other one maybe in the next couple of weeks. This week is the Susan Bridges sale that should be super fun and hopefully very succesfull. The Paideia Sale was! So lucky!
The pink show was a great success and such a fun event. Delicious food and cocktails, great art, interesting people. What else does one need? I felt so lucky to have people interested in my art and have multiple orders going on. So blessed. Sniff!
Peace!

Paideia Art Show

2008-11-03T11:58:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for something to do, go visit Paideia

Pink Show - November 14, 2008

2008-11-03T06:33:00.004-05:00

Very exciting news: I am going to take part in the annual Pink show
hosted by Soho Myriad gallery on November 14th.
An art sale, silent auction, and cocktail party benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the art and all funds raised through the silent auction will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
I am honored to take part in it. Soho Myriad puts on quite a show with great art!
Please come and join the fun.
Here is a sneak peek at my submission:

...you missed a spot.

2008-11-01T10:04:00.002-04:00

Here is what's going on lateley...

a naked girl who refuses to dress herself and throws lots of tantrums.
oh, the joys of mommyhood!
love ya!

My frazzled, self-doubting self revealed

2008-10-08T09:52:00.003-04:00

I haven't been writing a lot about my pottery. Although this blog is supposed to be about it.
I'm not very good about following the rules about working on my business. It is so hard to stay
focused and not get overwhelmed. It seems like that's all I can manage to do is be overwhelmed
by all the shoulds and should nots. I decided to go with the flow or try to at least.

I have been working ferociously on my angels and have almost 30 ready for the holidays. I need to take new pictures for my website. It hasn't been updated in ages. Also, the Morpheo line is out for now. Haven't made any of these things in probably 2 years. And I have my new treehugger line instead. It is coming along nicely. I really really need to work on slowing myself down. I'm such a fast worker, but I need not be sloppy. I had a dream about my friend Jeanette Zeis and she kept on telling me about the spirit, the spirit of things. It keeps on reverberating in my head. Just mindfully working on each little thing will make a difference. I know it.

I need to keep it simple. I'm always trying to do too many things at the same time. I'll try to just concentrate on the angels and tree vases. Mostly... I am working on another new gallery line, because that is an area I need to invest more time in. I am proud of myself to have my work in several public spaces in the US, but again, my website says nothing about that. Anyway, if I could just finally work it out in my head, that idea. I'll just need to get down and dirty and allow myself messy 'mistakes'. Be ugly! Please hold me accountable!

So, here you have it. My frazzled, self-doubting self revealed.

Birthday Fun

2008-09-28T21:15:00.003-04:00

It was Rick's birthday on the 27th. As a surprise we went on a downtown tour of Atlanta ...
on a Segway. Three hours on one of those was sooo much fun. Especially after they took
the turtle mode out halfway into the trip. There is a speed inhibitor or something that jams
the handle into your stomach (slightly exaggerated here). That happened to me 5 minutes
into practice. But Rick was no angel either. he bumped into me a couple of times.
But fun it was. With that gorgeous Atlanta weather in September.
Happy Birthday Luv!

Mini Tree Vase

2008-09-28T21:10:00.002-04:00

I have been pretty productive lately. Making lots of angels. need to take pictures.
here are some of an order. Well, one urn order for dog ashes. Bailey liked to bite trees.
Cute. Wish I could have seen that.

And a little mini for the etsy mud team swap. Ok, it's not actually for the swap. I made some extra.
It's only the size of a business card!

Sadness...

2008-09-28T20:54:00.002-04:00

Today was a sucky day. It was actually pretty good. But it sucks.
My dear friend Steffi is leaving for Italy in a few days. So we had our last bbq together
at our house; with husbands and Anja & Juan... urgh.
The food was great, the kids played without any great screams or booboos, but sheeeesh.
I have a headache. All that crying in the morning when I wrote my little letter to her into
the photobook that Anja and I created. I finally had to face the fact that she will no longer
live here. I will not be able to go over to her house and hang out. She won't cook her
fabulous Empanadas. We will not have Advanced Kaffeeklatsch anymore (internal joke..).
So, as I said, it sucks. Ok, ok, i love just being negative. Yeah, yeah, we will be able to see
her, maybe in Miami, maybe in Bergamo, maybe in Cologne. I will, I will.
But she has become a staple in my life. A home away from home. Don't fucking take that
away from me.

Sophie turns 2!

2008-09-10T09:24:00.003-04:00

I've been sewing up a storm. It is my way of relaxation. Of course I only allow myself to relax
while being productive. Otherwise there would only be guilt...
Anyway.

Here is her birthday outfit. Naturally she always prefers her birthday suit.

And then I've been whipping up some pants out of remnant fabrics.
They are so fast and it is gratifying to have something done so quickly.

And this last number was also remnant fabric from Deborah Moebes and Anne Roth from the Beehive Co-op.

Tree Hugger

2008-09-10T09:15:00.002-04:00

Here is a lovely picture my husband took. We are working on the story behind
the new tree hugger vases and successfully took many pictures in Grant Park.
It was quick, painless, and very efficient. Just the way I like it.
And I do like the results very much:

Pottery: A dangerous sport

2008-08-26T18:57:00.005-04:00

Some exciting news. Too exciting for my taste, actually.
I'm still recovering. Unfortunately, the reminder of it will linger for several weeks. At least. So, here is what happened: I'm working at the studio. Getting a lot done. All those little things on my list. Of course, I'm spread out all over the studio as usual.
It's raining outside, lots of tornado warnings are out. Our busy street is as usual. The occasional sirens. Even the occasional crash is not uncommon. So, I turn around, my back is facing the front of the store, as I hear both, first sirens, then a loud crash, walls are shaking. Our building is hit. The facade is collapsing. I run for the back door, scramble to get both locks open, thinking the building is going to collapse on top of me. Fortunately it doesn't. I run to the back door of stone soup, where everything is still standing and everyone is trying to figure out what that loud sound was. Anyway, here is what we looked at:

a couple of hours later channel 2 and channel 5 came by:

here is an inside view with jeanette rescuing her pots:
and here is a picture of today's paper (metro section online):
anyway, as you can see, i'm fine. can't wait to continue to work in the studio with a new facade in place and a new door that doesn't require 3 locks...

How freakin' exciting....

2008-08-20T10:33:00.005-04:00

a brand new person commented on my blog. I'm so honored.
So freakin' exciting. Someone who is part of this great show
"Speaking of Faith" that I think can be really life altering if you
listen to it a lot. Yesterday I listened to the podcast "The Ethics of Eating":

"Kingsolver describes an adventure her family undertook to spend one year eating primarily what they could grow or raise themselves. As a citizen and mother more than an expert, she turned her life towards questions many of us are asking. Food, she says, is a "rare moral arena" in which the ethical choice is often the pleasurable choice."

Her book is definitly on my list.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing today was to share my new tree hugger vase.
I think it's getting more and more where it is supposed to.
So far, one of my favorites:

The tree I took this impression from is in front of the Cyclorama / Atlanta Zoo.
Which gave me the idea of doing specific series, like "The Grant Park Series" or
"The Atlanta Zoo Series".
I'll keep you posted...

What is your favorite podcast?

2008-08-18T13:19:00.003-04:00

I am a big fan of NPR and all of their different programs.
One program that offers a free podcast is "Speaking of Faith".
Now that I am so green and ride my bike so much, I can listen to the program.
Last Saturday I listened to the one about Rumi.
They had this beatiful poem that I wanted to share.
It is really beautiful to listen to it. Hope you enjoy.

Like This
translation from Rumi's Divan by Fatemeh Keshavarz

Listen to the Poem

» in
Persian

» in
English

If anyone asks you about the huris, show your face, say: like this!
If anyone asks you about the moon, climb up on the roof, say: like this!
If anyone seeks a fairy, let them see your countenance,
If anyone talks about the aroma of musk, untie your hair [and] say: like this!
If anyone asks: "How do the clouds uncover the moon?" untie the front of

Your robe, knot by knot, say: like this!

If anyone asks: "How did Jesus raise the dead?" kiss me on the lips, say:

like this!

If anyone asks: What are those killed by love like?" direct him to me, say:

like this!

If anyone kindly asks you how tall I am, show him your arched eyebrows,

say: like this!

Upcoming events

2008-08-12T22:22:00.004-04:00

This weekend: Our annual Sidewalk Sale at CCGW.
Our address is 588 Woodward Avenue in Atlanta, GA 30312.
We will be open 10-6 Saturday and Sunday.
You'll be able to get some great steals as we are cleaning up in preparation for the holidays.

This month: I was invited to be part of the Annual Alumni Show at the
Art Institute of Atlanta. I graduated in 2000 and it's time I go and catch up a bit.
A few of my pieces will be for sale (that's a new thing they are implementing for the first time)

August 23rd, 2008:

Hope you can make it!

Addicted

2008-08-12T21:44:00.003-04:00

It is official: I am addicted to the twilight series. My 13 year old babysitter who so graciously helped me entertain my wabbits, recommended one of her favorite books to me. Since I had nothing better to do, I obliged. Hm.
Now I'm sitting here, school has started. It is 9: 40. It is raining.
My bed is calling me to curl up and read. But I don't have book No.3.
Should I go to Barnes & Noble and buy it? But it's late and it's raining and I'm lazy.... urgh.

Edward, ..... Bella,..... I must know what happens next. I'm in love with a fictional stone cold gorgeous restraining vampire. Must read more..... darn. I wish I had the next one right here, right now. You see, I'm desperate. I'm writing about it... crazy.

The past 2 weeks-ish

2008-07-23T08:45:00.004-04:00

My brother was in town, as I may have mentioned previously.
Here is a picture as he was leaving:
Then we went to Chattanooga this past weekend. It was my first time. Finally exploring the south. I still have so many places to visit nearby. Next on my list are Athens, Savannah, & Charleston. But let's take it slow. It took me 13 years to get to Chattanooga.
We really enjoyed the Chattanoogan. A really nice hotel, and the beds... I wish I was in
one right now... The aquarium was great, really nicely done, as was the Kid's Discovery Museum. And the food we ate was great. In fact, I ate too much. But it was hot. Too hot.
Anyway, here are some snaps (my camera wasn't participating, so that's all I have for now):

My New Ceramic Gift Idea

2008-07-13T16:43:00.004-04:00

Here is a little gift I made for my friend Nane in Germany. It was her birthday at the beginning of July. I thought this would be a little delightful way to dress up a table. I found this great fabric at a quilting shop. I regularly go crazy in there. Ok, not really. But maybe I should make more of these! And sell them on etsy...

New Apron

2008-07-13T16:15:00.002-04:00

My brother just left. Now our summer will really start. Gone are the visitors. Now only the heat of the South and my kids are left. Ok. I'm over-dramatizing. I don't think we will get bored. I'm ready to be bored. Next weekend we are going to Chattanooga. I've never been. Sounds like a great little weekend getaway. Puh, and no more chocolate. I'm ready to stop eating so much. I'm getting rounder in the middle. Although I started to exercise some.
Just for the curious reader why this blog is labeled 'ceramics', I don't know. This seems to be my diary that almost nobody reads (Hallo Nane, winke, winke).

Boy, Sophie has been on a rampage of screaming fits. I almost have enough. My brother certainly has. He is so glad he doesn't have kids. I am glad. Keeps me somewhat trim...

Ok, so here to my blog title. Here is the apron I've been trying to sew for the last 3 weeks. It was way beyond my skill level and I had to resew parts of it 3 times. But it's done. It's ok, I like the fabric, but it's certainly not perfect. And I can use it while I make my pots. Hah, there it is. The ceramic part. Now it all makes sense to me :-)

Dream House

2008-07-06T09:22:00.005-04:00

We finally found it... our dream house. No, we weren't looking. No, we don't have the money.
But big dreams... enjoy. I certainly did. Bathroom fabulousness!

Crafting Goodness

2008-06-16T13:34:00.003-04:00

Sewing is relaxing to me. I really enjoy it. Best of all, I can do it at home. Sometimes even with the kids around. So, here is what I've been working on. Steffi's birthday gift, a reversible apron. The fabric is from a quilting fabric store. Another word for heaven! I could go crazy in there. Fabric definitely somehow touches my soul. I can't have enough of it. Ever since I was a young girl, I loved wrapping my barbies in fabric scraps from my dad's tailoring shop. See, it's good not to have enough money to buy barbie clothes, no? Worked for me, anyway.

Then, I thought another fun thing to have is a birthday banner that can be used again and again. So, here it is. And I didn't have to spend any money, since I had scraps left! I'm happy with the results.

SATC

2008-06-15T19:56:00.003-04:00

This weekend some truly amazing things happened. I had a lot of fun. You will see, my standards are very humble. It's very easy to entertain me. Here is what was so fun to me:
Saturday afternoon it was girl's afternoon in celebration of Steffi's birthday. We watched Sex and the City at the theater with Cosmos at a bar afterwards. Steffi made a really sweet goody bag for everyone with the soundtrack, chips, chocolates, and champagne! How stylish is that!
An afternoon with adults, no kids, and a really good chick flick. I am such a big fan of the series that I really enjoyed the movie and would see it again. Although I thought it was a bit predictable and stuff, I am very easy to be entertained, as I mentioned in the beginning. I felt like I was 16 about to see Dirty Dancing. So I guess I would see it again to get that feeling again.
Not that I want to be 16 again. Nooohohoho.

Ok, to the second part of the weekend (father's day); we got some fresh bagels, Rick liked his Skeledog Dachshund T-shirt and was sooo nice to give me a H&M shopping spree at the newly opened store. It was actually not too busy. Ok, it was pretty busy and the dressing room line was outrageous. But, oh, shopping by myself, at H&M. Again, felt like a teenager. My sister and I drove 1.5 hours to go to hm in Mannheim, the closest location to our house. That was yeeeeeeaaaars ago. Like, early 90s... wowse! Anyway, it was way so great. I found a cute flowy top in my favorite color and a summer dress and some things for the kids.
Of course I listened to the soundtrack on the way. Love the Jennifer Hudson song. So impressive, what she managed to do in a year. Amazing. Maybe it's been 2 years, who's counting?
Then we had Mexican at El Tesoro in Decatur; that was delicious and the weather was nice, the kids played outside and made some friends. the salsa was great (my favorite part), the chips were nice and salty. Yum. A very successful weekend. And I finally started reading a book again. Eat, Pray, Love. It's been months. My Solitaire addiction took over any remaining minute. I pray that it will be cured soon. The only successful part was that cleaning and laundry folding fell short and I have to catch up REALLY quickly as my mum is on the plane on her way here, RIGHT NOW! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh.

Sandra is here!

2008-06-01T22:38:00.003-04:00

Not much to tell you, nobody. Had a fun weekend with my friend Sandra visiting from Glasgow with her son Liam. He is really hitting it off with Sophie. They play really cute together.
We went to the Botanical Garden where the kids played in the fountain and to Piedmont Park, where Noah practiced riding his bicycle a bit more (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7A_S-u0w18)
Noah has summercamp for the next 3 weeks and swim lessons start tomorrow. Very exciting stuff. For me, anyway.
Oh, that reminds me;; potty training with my big boy. So painful to watch. We've been enabling him for ever and had been giving him a diaper to poop in. We just figured he'll decide to use the toilet soon. Anyway, it hasn't happened, and we're over it. He is almost 4.5! Cuhrazy, when you realize you are THAT family... anyway, we've been refusing and after hours, days of holding it in, he finally runs to the bathroom. Urgh, that screaming and fearful crying is too much to deal with. Really shakes me up. Beer helps.. me, of course.

Let's change the subject, it's too depressing. Oh of course I should mention that after he's done, he's proud like nothing was ever wrong.

Here are some new vases that need to post on etsy. I made them for the ICE show coming up this Saturday. Oh, I need to start preparing for that! So much to do...

This one is my favorite, I think the bark imprint is stunning.

Summer has started!

2008-05-27T19:07:00.002-04:00

Noah's summer break has started and so far every day has been awesome. The memorial weekend was nice and relaxing. Lots of napping and the best part is: the kids have been sleeping "in". No more 6:37 wake up cries! No, they woke up at 8 and 8:30 for the last 3 days. That is groundbreaking folks. My life is about to change because of it. My whole attitude towards life changes because of sleep. My happiness, my brain chemistry, my energy. EVERYTHING.
Ok, I know this can all change tomorrow. But the glimmer of hope is awesome. Just 3 days brings me closer to normalty. Ok, that's not a word. You get the idea.
Today, I was able to go work at the studio. I glazed a bunch of pieces, so I should have new and exciting things to show. I hope.
Now it's time to bring the kids to bed. Then eat a bowl of icecream. Maybe post some more on etsy and figure out how to make this thing work for me. Oh, and watch the end of the "fabulous" Bachelorette. I know, really bad. But goes good with ice cream.
Have some more pictures, but more later!

Hello Nobody!

2008-05-17T07:55:00.003-04:00

maybe instead of complaining i should email all of my friends and let them know that i write a blog. Hm. Well, then that would mean, people would actually read it. As meaningless as it may be. this blog. i guess, i don't need to let them know. yet.

Here is a little project that's been on my list - you guessed it - forever: A canopy for a stroller that was lost during airline travel. I finally made a new one and it's appropriately girly!

Yum, I'm eating Nutella Banana Crepe. Lush!

And here is my new pride and joy: my tree vases.
I love the imprint of the dogwood tree. Smaller scale for smaller vases. Looks almost leopard like. Well, I'm happy about them.

I had a very productive session at the studio last night. Made a ton of mugs and new lidded containers that I love and I'm practicing 2-piece objects (merging 2 pieces into one, so i can gain more height & size). I don't know where this is going yet, as with everything i do, but i'm enjoying myself. that's all one can hope for.
I also bought a new glaze book and I finally want to mix my own glazes. coming up with a color scheme and everything. Lots of ideas in my head, but limited time to do it all.
That's ok, that's alright, stay in there and fight, fight, fight (our family's little cheer).

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:28:00.008-04:00

as i'm winding down after this very nice weekend, that was packed full with excitement and fun, i cannot wait to go to bed. i've made a promise to myself to go to bed at 10 every day, otherwise, i am just to exhausted and miserable. so....
so much was going on that i don't even know where to start, maybe i'll just upload some pictures, i don't really have much energy left... enjoy!

we went to a baseball game with the kids; their first. it was fun, we were eating like pigs and enjoyed the beautiful weather. now, they can successfully do the tomahawk! go braves (i don't even know who won; that's to show you how little i care about baseball)

then, there was some fun to be had at sofia's bday party and finally, some fun at ikea:

to sum it up: i am very thankful to be the mother of these awesome kids, as exhausting as it is:
we have a great little family!

What's new?

2008-04-27T08:42:00.005-04:00

Morning conversation between my 4 year old and 1 1/2 year old:

Noah: Ding ... Did you hear that Sophie?
Sophie: No. Agleeebbuwahau.
Noah: No, it's not!

Now, here is something new I've been working on. And it actually came out really close to what I had imagined. This is my lotus flower box. It actually doesn't show the box underneath, but I just wanted to share a quick snapshot; the box is already hanging in my bathroom. I have to say I love it and it makes me happy! That's all you can hope for!

And here are my new mugs - finally! I made 12, 1 broke, but 11 new cups, yay!
And it's good for brunches. I stamped in different words on each cup, so you don't get them mixed up. Now, I wish I would have dipped the cups a second time in the white. The black clay
does eat up most of the white. But it still looks nice. They are more tan than white. But I can always make new ones. They stack, too. I have to say, that is the most consistent set size and shape wise. I think I'm getting a little bit better.

2008-04-21T07:17:00.004-04:00

one day late on my personal promise to post every sunday morning, but i'm sitting here
after a whopping 10 hours of sleep and a round of leg lifts sipping my morning tea
and everyone else is still sleeping. that rocks. heaven!
the above picture is of a little baby goat that still had a little dried up stump of her
umbilical cord attached. we saw it when we went to serenbe a couple of weeks ago.
very relaxing there!

i had a great weekend with something that i've been wanting to do for years: the druid hills
tour of homes and gardens. it was awesome. i went with my dear friend patricia who will
be leaving this saturday to go back home to vienna after two years in atlanta.
the weather was perfect, we walked the entire tour, no kids, and fantastic homes.
we took some pictures which are on patricia's camera, i'll have to post my dream kitchen
here soon.

my friend jeanette and i applied for the ice show in june and we were lucky enough to get in.
i'm working hard on making my new tree vases for it. maybe some tree napkin rings, too.
here is the info for the show:

Spring !

2008-04-13T08:29:00.010-04:00

Finally, I'm trying to create a new tradition: Blog every Sunday morning.
Let's see how far we go with this. After great inertia over the winter, I have
finally overcome it and I'm creating a lot of new and exciting things at work.
I am also taking the opportunity to restock my kitchen with well needed items,
such as coffee mugs, serving platters, funky mushrooms for my garden, and last
but not least, with vases. I have created brand new tree vases; I pressed slabs
of clay onto a tree to get an impression of the bark and handbuild a vase with
a teeny bird as garnish. Can't wait to show all of this.

I have to say, I read my friend amy's blog regularly and she is so talented
and awesome, but her perfect blogging skills make it hard for me to even get
started. I think if I can't do it perfectly from the get go, I am turned off
and don't even want to try it at all. Silly, I know. O well, let's just write,
download pictures and try, try, try. And shut up.
And I still haven't uploaded anything new to my etsy site. Did you know, one
of my favorite things to do is beat up on me? Did you notice?
Anyway, I am all inspired by amy's blog right now, so let me download all of the
pictures I took at the studio and share them finally.
It's a beautiful Sunday morning, we have the full day ahead of us, blue sky,
nice wind, let's be all optimistic. And hey, preschool resumes tomorrow! :-)

Ok, I'm on my way, to catching up on sharing all the things I wanted to share:
my awesome easter decoration, that has been waiting to burst into life for the
past... uhm 11 years? I've always wanted to make a pretty easter branch bunch (?,
i'm sure there is a correct english term for strauch) like my mum has always done.
Finally, inspired by Martha I tried a technique with lace that I had bought for the
occasion. Honestly, the coloring part didn't work out for me, but spraypaint was
found in a cabinet and fortunately, blue and white worked out brilliantly.
And I made some cutouts, check it out:

And I'm also getting ready for Christmas, right, it's never too early to get ready. Here is another tradition I love: Advent's wreaths. The problem with the original ones is, the always manage to catch on fire, and since I have no intention on setting the house on fire anytime soon, I came up with this modern version:

I think I have shared everything that was on my list for now. I hope you (that is amy and jeanette, who are the only people reading this blog for now...) enjoy... :-) thanks for reading!
Next time maybe I'll manage to catch up with a few pictures of the Serenbe trip we took. It was pretty.
Yay, done!!!

Excitement

2008-01-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

Guten Abend!

Exciting things are happening. If only in my head.
Here is what's new in my life: I'm taking a Reiki course. Well it just started and I'm happy to just
get out of the house and do something for myself. I had a Reiki treatment last year in Germany
and thought it was just an amazing thing. While looking for a Yoga course to take, I discovered
the offering of this Reiki course. So, I'm happy with that.

Then, I have this amazing idea for an art piece which I'm doing a second test run just after this.
It looks amazing in my head... my first test run came out somewhat not amazing, but whatever.
I'm not going to let it bring me down.

Just to add some color to this blog, here is a picture of a bowl. I'm glazing one like this at home
and it is taking forever.

Now I will add another piece to etsy. I need to be more diligent about doing that daily, otherwise
I'll never sell anything.. boohoo.

Oi

2008-01-22T20:54:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this blogging business is for me. Obviously it seems more like stepping on some dried up gum on a bathroom floor. The only reason I'm writing right now is because this was the second link that came up after I googled my name. The thought of somebody actually reading this scared me enough to start writing.

Also, I shouldn't give up so easily. Just because I haven't done any pottery in the last month, doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about it. I have - and a lot!
My babysitter quit on me, so I've only had evenings to work, and I'm usually too tired to go into the coooold studio. But Thursday morning, that's changing. Found a new place for Soph and hopefully that's going to work out. Then it's back to work and I'm going to catch up on some Xmas production - typically I'm all inspired right after the season and can't ever get it together shortly before the season. Now I'm going to glaze some (fortunately that can be done at home) and go to bed early. I'll post some new items on etsy too, since I'm able to take some fantastic photographs because of the delovely & talented Jeanette Zeis.

I'll try to get disciplined and write weekly.
Peace

what i did today

2007-12-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

So, today was a very productive day... first of all, after having Sophie's first music class, which she loooved, I finally had time to clean up and found my wedding rings after about 6 weeks. Too bad I had already picked out my new ones...oops.
After more cleaning and drilling a hole into concrete, etc, etc, I destroyed my kitchen wall, so that the darn shelves won't collapse on a family member or behead a visitor...
I also colored in my new Mandala book by Carla Kaiser. It is really fun and relaxing.
If I could only find a pencil sharpener I'd do more of that... nite nite.

...the beginning

2007-12-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

hello blog world. move over perez... here i am.
inspired by lovely amy "buraellen" and jeanette zeis, I am starting my own private & muddy world of tania.
hm, i have some work to do. need to work on a wholesale sheet for a store in ca. better start there.
see ya later!