The Mountain House

Buttoning Up for Winter

2011-10-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well its that time of year; hot cocoa, falling leaves and crip mornings and evenings. My family is planning on getting all our outside project taken care of this weekend between soccer games. It wont be long and the snow will be here. My children are all ready talking about Christmas... which got me to thinking about all those unfinished project that are sitting on my sewing table! Well one thing lead to another, and I yesterday taking pictures of buttons in the hopes that I could clean out some of my space, and help my friends finish off those Christmas gifts early! The photos of the buttons are all posted on my Facebook page under photos: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adk-Girl/116104305098390

Well the woodpile is calling and I have 500lbs of clay that needs to be moved into the studio before the frost comes...

Just a Day at the Office

2011-05-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day of glazing. The weather was so beautiful we moved the production outside! There is something to be said for a long workday that involves flowers, sunshine, the smell of fresh cut grass and listening to a brook babble away! Sure makes it much more enjoyable, even got to watch the sun set as I was cleaning up!

Susan (in the picture) has been getting back into clay. Its nice to have someone to work in the studio with, sometimes it gets kinda lonely in there...other times its a blessing!

Overall yesterday was a wonderful day and ended with a wonderful email from a new friend that just saw my work for the first time. He wrote:

I saw your pottery at the library today-it made my eyes pop out of my skull and a smile was hanging down from it.
Most exquisite work and SO rich in personality.
You are a child that has grown up but your art still speaks of your youth as if it will never depart from it.
I love that feeling!!!!!
Thanks for making my day

All I can say is that email was a very nice way to end the day! :)

This little beauty is by Hayne Bayless. Its one of his pieces and has inspired me with all sorts of glaze ideas! Not enough hours in the day for for all the things running through my head! Hoping to try a few tomorrow...

To all the Moms out there,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Where did the time go?

2010-12-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day of December and I have no idea where all the time went. Spring and summer flew by. Some of it good, and some very sad. We lost two more family members this summer...the grief over the past two years has been a bit overwhelming. I feel like I've been caught in a rip tide for a lifetime.

With great sadness comes great joy, it balances life. We had a Child from Spain stay with us in July, and we are looking forward to having her again. She is now and forever will be our summer child!
Dene, Maddie and Carson Summer 2010

Carson and I also got a Springer Spaniel puppy for our birthdays....Boomer has been a major source of laughter in the house! Maddie would disagree with us, alas she and Boomer are at war! He broke her ipod and ate her phone...he also steals her Gummy Bears!

It seems like the kids just started school, and we are now headed for Christmas break! I have had a busy Summer/Fall with the pottery and am now into a crazy Christmas season. Hopefully we can all just slow down and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us...

Sunshine

2010-05-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well, its finally a beautiful day! The kids and I have spent the day tossing rocks into the creek! Not a bad job on a nice day! Hopefully this will help save a bit of our backyard from being swept away. Little by little the rains keep taking my lawn.

I'm off to the neighbors shortly to collect some rhubarb leaves! I'm going to make some beautiful pottery out of them! I will be sure to post pictures of them before and after! Enjoy the sunshine...such a rare treat this spring.

Who needs a Lemonade Stand Anyway?!? March Raffle

2010-02-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

Lemonaide Anyone? A to greener way to carry your change and debit cards!

Well the kids and I have been busy on this snowy winter day! The schools are closed and ski club has been canceled. The weatherman is calling for a snow hurricane, and my children have been shopping for new boards and binding on line...oh joy! Now they just need to earn they money! LOL!

With that being said, since its a wee bit to cold for a lemonade stand at the moment, they have opened a shop on etsy called 2snowkids. In honor of their entrepreneur adventure I am raffling off one of their change purse/wallets for March.

The drawing will be held on March 30th and all you need to do to enter is be a follower and leave a comment! Want a second chance to enter? Go to www.etsy.com/shop/2snowkids and heart the shop as a favorite and leave a comment so I know!

Good Luck!

Kiss Me I'm an Artist!

2010-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Sarah Barter's painting. She does these wonderful whimsical children's painting that just make you want to smile! Check out her stuff on Facebook at sbee designs. I really want to kiss this frog, even if he's not a prince! With my luck instead of him turning into a prince, I'll turn into a frog! The Queen of frogs would be nice! ;~)

Sarah and I had a lovely lunch together today; discussing art, the business of art, and how its so hard to get ahead in the art field. Its really nice to bounce ideas and exchange information with fellow artists...sometime when you work by yourself you begin to feel like your drowning. The ideas roll through your head at all hours of the day and night, waves of ideas, but without that life raft (money) its really hard to stay afloat. Next to impossible to put the ideas to work...

I really wish this country was in love with the handmade object, that it valued the time and effort that something takes to make and the love and the years of dedication that go into making a piece of art. Cause really, its a long road and a lot of dedication to turn your talents into a skilled craft or art form. As one of my instructors use to tell me, if you want perfect go to Walmart...it will be perfect and the same as a million other ones! Want something that is truly your own? Buy it from an artist or craftsman!

Here's to hoping all my artist friends keep afloat till spring...

Making Handmade Paper

2010-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well the kids, Juanita and I spent a snowy evening making paper last week. The results were a beautiful assortment of paper! Its hard to believe that these beauties were once scrap paper, junk mail and corrected homework that was headed for the trash!

I think for Ugly Art Night this week, we might just have to turn a few of these papers into the covers for some handmade journals.

Making paper is really easy, a wee bit messy and 100% recyclable! The paper is also biodegradable and if you add seeds to your paper, you can plant it and grow wildflowers, grass etc. You could make a beautiful Birthday card and then plant it after...The gift that keeps on giving!

I put instructions on my website Adkgirl.com just click on the lessons link and you'll find Simple paper making there!

Sweet Heart Giveaway

2010-02-02T20:21:00.000-08:00

AND THE WINNER IS PAULA!

Sweet Heart Giveaway

Just in time for Valentine's!

This Sweet little heart necklace is made out of stoneware clay that has been wrapped in red wire and strung up on brown cotton cording. It is really simple to enter this giveaway...

You just have to be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this posting. You will be entered into the drawing, which will take place on February 9th, winners will be announced on my blog February 10th.

Good Luck! XOXOX

2010-02-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

Buttons Buttons and More Buttons!

I have decided to see if I can lighten the load of buttons that seems to be over running my house! I have a whole tote of buttons that have been carded and packaged and a million loose ones all over the house...for some reason I keep finding buttons in the bottom of the my washer! Do you think the washer is like a day at the spa for a button?

At any rate, I have buttons everywhere...Glazed, unglazed, waiting to be glazed, waiting to be fired, bags and bags of buttons. I think I got a little carried away making them, but I so hate to reclaim clay. This just seemed like at the time, a better way to deal with my reclaim issues. Now I have other issues...button issues!

So in honor of Old Man Winter and this oh so joyful subzero cold snap we are having I am having a button sale! 5 packages for $20. This is for all my knitting, sewing, quilting, and crafting friends out there who have been trapped indoors for the better part of a month. I spent all day listing a bunch of them online on etsy (still have a bunch more to go).

Happy Creating!

2010-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Goodies

I spent yesterday stringing these beauties up! Its amazing how you can start with the same thing and come up with so many different ideas. Uploaded some into my shops. I had my daughter model them for me, can we say -joyful! It only cost me a lesson in patience and an a i-pod cover. She just turned 13 need I say more? Would have had an easier time hanging them off the dogs neck!

Well its definitely been a busy couple of weeks...not that I've been doing anything in the studio. I feel like a kid playing hooky! The days seem to be eaten up by household errands and doctor appointments- ugh! The weather has been so cold for most of January that I've given up trying to get anything done in the studio. Not that there isn't plenty to do in the house! Today I sat and sorted a VERY LARGE laundry basket of socks, it only took me 2 hours! The sad thing is, its still half full. I'm kind of hoping that the black hole in this house sucks the whole basket in...

2010-01-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent the day at a workshop at SU. Jennifer Allen was the artist and her work was beautiful. I really liked how she incorporated a lot of sewing darts in her work. Most of her work is wheel thrown than altered. Really beautiful stuff!

Unfortunately, yesterday I also had a major case of the winter blase'... So I spent the afternoon chatting with a fellow guild member! Had a wonderful afternoon, and I did learn a lot... just not where I had gone looking for it!

Jen's pots are a lot like people, they all start out the same... buts its the twists and turns of life that decorate us and make us beautiful!

2010-01-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

Top Row: Juanita Wilson Bottom Row: (Left) Madison Nedell age 12 (Right) mine

UGLY ART NIGHT

These are the enamel copper art pendants we made at ugly art night. A couple of my friends and I get together most Thursdays. Sometimes we have dinner and talk about art, sometimes we make art! We have been bouncing between enamel, glass and clay. The artwork seems to be getting a bit better! Took us awhile to get all the right materials together...makes for pretty art when you have the right supplies! LOL! Still can't seem to get the hang of cutting the glass for fused bracelets...so the glass projects continue to live up to our Ugly Art Night standards!!!

2009-12-28T03:36:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone, and New Years is just around the corner. Time to pull out the old pad and pen and get down to the resolution business!

1. I will not beat my child with a pringles can! (Saw that yesterday at Walmart...must have been the post holiday stress sindrum!)

2. I will try and eat less of the bad stuff...need to buy some earplugs for when it starts calling my name!

3. I will try and exercise more, and not just when chasing the ice cream truck up and down the road!

4. I will try and finish all the projects that have been left in varies states over the years.

OK, that's way more than enough! Should have no problem with #1! Number 4 is doable, the other two are going to be my problem children! Let the New Years Games begin!

I'm back!!!

2009-10-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Okay...I'm back! Things have been nuts for a couple of months...heres to hoping that everything calms down.

So I have been accepted into the Delavan Art Gallery's Christmas Show! Yahoo!! I have just spent tonight retagging things for the Rome Arts and Community Center's Holiday House Show and realize I am really low on inventory. Looks like I'm going to be living in the Studio for the next few weeks!

Tomorrow is Halloween and the kids and I will be carving pumpkins in the morning because we didn't get to it tonight...

Pottery Fair

2009-08-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

I should have more time to blog after this weekend...this has been one crazy summer!
For anyone in the Syracuse area...The Syracuse Ceramics guild has its annual pottery fair weekend! It at the Stone Quarry art park in Cazenovia from 10-5 on Sat and Sun. The amazing thing about putting so many potters together is the overwhelming beauty of the work! Hope to see you there!

Who knew buttons could look so good!

2009-07-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Check out this totally awesome bracelet that the very talented michiganhemp did with some of my buttons! I would post a pic but can't figure out how to do it! So here is the link on etsy http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28214989

Lazy Lazy Lazy!

2009-07-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well these are really the lazy days of summer! I have been getting NOTHING done in the studio, though I've been spending quite a bit of time trying to get my flower beds under control! Holy cow, all the rain we have has turned everything into a jungle! It doesn't help that I let them go crazy this spring, cause I was so busy. I have a rose bush in the back yard that is right out of the Sleeping Beauty story...need a sword to beat your way through it! It eats jeans, small children and my dog! HATE IT! I've spent the last 7 years waging war on it...it wont die!!!!
Maybe I'll get ambitious and paint Carson's room this week... I'd have it done by now if it wasn't for all his stuff! Ugh! Thinking I might need to just read a good book!

How to Make Cigar Box Guitars

2009-06-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Guitar made by a 10 year old with some help

Learn how to make a cigar box guitar at my website:

adkgirl.com

Summer Freedom

2009-06-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is FREEDOM! The Summer looms ahead of me like a blank slate with a bucket of bright pastels beside it! Can't wait! My goal is to make art FOR ME!!!! Cant remember the last time I sat down to make something just for the shear joy of it... never enough time. I'm also going to start putting lesson plans on here. I have so many people ask me how to do things that this seems like the perfect outlet! Think I'm going to start with the cigar boxes and the Hinge Journals...So stay tuned!

The Art Showcase

2009-06-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

SHOWCASE SHOWCASE SHOWCASE

I feel like Dorthy...I wish I was home...I wish I was home...

Well its finally over! The last three weeks have been TOTALLY CRAZY!
All 87 of the cigar box guitars are done and out of my house and hair! I have to say they turned out really cool...the kids did a great job. We lined the long hallway with them...very impressive, they were all so different! Though it boggles the mind how we got them all done in under a month!
We had some great projects this term. The paper mache masks looked wonderful. We had quite an assortment of animals, birds and fish! Its amazing how you can give two people the same animal, and get two very different expressions of that animal.

The rain sticks we made out of poster board and gesso. They ended up being very durable and make great sounds!

I'm kind of sad now, this was it for this program. We had a 5 year grant and this was the last year of it. As of June 15 I'm out of a job :( We did reapply for this grant, but wont find out until the end of the month if we got it.
There are only 5 of them being offered and over 300+ schools applied...Kind of scary. With any luck I'll have a job in the Fall.

Its time for me to switch gears now, I'll be living in my studio trying to get enough stuff done for the whole art/craft show thing.

Sorry this post looks like ick. I couldn't get the pics to cooperate with me. They kept disappearing and popping into places I didn't want them. I have no control over my computer...Kind of like my husband with our dog!

Glazing Away an Afternoon

2009-05-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful afternoon and I spent the day glazing and gazing into my backyard. It wasn't too bad, I did get to enjoy the sunshine! All in all it wasn't a bad way to spend an afternoon, but what I really wanted to do was sit down in the swing (near the curve in the creek) and wallow away the afternoon reading. Oh well there's always tomorrow!

Are We Happy?!?!

2009-05-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

For all of you out there who have been after me to do this...Are we happy now?!?! As you all realize I would much rather be in the studio rather than fighting with a computer. I haven't had much time to fight with anything lately due to my 4th & 5th graders upcoming art showcase. I'm happy to say that all 87 of the cigarbox guitars are done. John and I finished the last ones on Thursday! This is John drilling the pilot holes for the tuners. Of course my thumb will never be the same after screwing in all the eye bolts. Nothing like a major project and a short deadline to create some stress! I'm looking forward to Tuesday and having this term over with...BRING ON THE SUMMER!