One Of a Kind Kitchen Back Splash

When I was growing up I learned to sew my own clothes for 3 reasons.
   1) In those days it was the norm for girls to learn to sew.
    2) Material was .25 to 50 cents a yard, which meant I could make nice clothes really cheep.
    3)And  I like to have things that are different than what other people have, to be unique.

These days instead of sewing I make decorative and functional pottery.

 We had a pile of plain white ceramic tiles for our kitchen back splash.  Since I still gravitate to different things that others don't have I put my artistic gift  to some use.  Using China paint I decided on a theme of birds, butterflies, insects and berries and started to paint. 

After many hours and two firings in the kiln I had 10 unique tiles.  That was last summer. Once winter came Dave had some time to put my tiles on the wall. 

Now I have a unique kitchen back splash that I doubt any one else has. And all it took was imagination, several hours, paint and tiles.  If I had to pay some one to do this it would cost me several hundreds of dollars of labor time.

So what do you think of my back splash? I can't take it with me if we move, but I can make another one.

A Spot Of Tea

My title needs to be said with an English accent.

I have always been intriqued by tea pots.  Maybe it is because I've been drinking tea since I was a preteen.  My parents didn't have much money when I was growing up and tea is cheaper than milk. 

I have a friend who sells really good tea of many flavours.  When they come to visit John and I sample tea while his wife and my husband sample scotch. Each to their own.

I don't collect tea pots expect on my pinterest  at http://pinterest.com/joycebutler/.

 Tea pots can be made into all sorts of designs and here are a few of them.

So much tea, so little time. 

Now that I have mastered making lids on my pottery perhaps soon I'll be able to show my own tea pots.

In a previous post I showed my cups just after they were turned, in the dry clay stage.  On left of the picture are some of my black and white stripped cups.

These two mugs are the finished product of those mugs. The bottom pictures shows the inside of the mug. 


 No two have an identical design as the stripes find their own space.

They are popular and at time I am sold out.  I will have more by March.

Why Worry?

This morning before I got out of bed I asked God what I needed to do to improve my Etsy on line sales. Instead of hearing an answer I felt I needed to get out of bed and journal and read my bible.

I went to Matthew 12 and read the first few paragraphs.  The Pharisees were harassing Jesus because his disciples had picked some grain on the sabbath because they were hungry and were walking by a field.  Jesus asked the Pharisees what happened to King David when he ate the sacrid bread from the sanctuary when they were hungry, nothing. Jesus then asked  who is in charge of the sabbath, man or God.

So who is in charge of my life, man or God?

Unfortunately I have had many people in my past who have tried to control me and impose their will for my life onto me. This has lead me on a path of destruction, which I have been trying to shake for far too long.

How has this been destructive to me you wonder? Shouldn't we take good advice?  I once had a pastor who never gave us advice, no matter how much we needed it unless we asked for it and I liked that.

Most of my life I have been doing things because I feel I should do them and not doing them because I enjoy doing it.

To boost my Etsy sales I've been told to do certain things such as make sure I post items in the morning. So I'd get up and post first thing.  I have gotten exposure, but not sales.

For a year now I have been learning to play the drums and I am on a worship team at church. Due to the lesson I feel I need to squeeze in my practice and I have lost the joy of actually playing.

Making my pottery has become the same thing.  I feel I need to produce pottery and I do it when I don't feel like doing it, therefore I can't do as good of a job.

The only boss I have over me is God.  For years he has been telling my to enjoy my life.  When I listen to what others tell me I should do I loose that joy. 

I study other peoples' lives and learn from them.  As I was growing up my father would never tell me I had to do something.  He always asked if I would do it.  I knew I had to do it as he was my father, but I enjoyed doing what he asked, because he never demanded. He just turned 90 so maybe there is long givity in living like this. 

I admire the pastor at church who wants participation, but only if he asks and gives us a choice.  I am turned off by those who tell the congregation they 'have to' do something.   Those who tell people to do things are going against God's plan as he never once has told me to do anything.  He always asks as he has created me with a free will to say yes or no.

God has also given me a free will to lead my life with joy not stress, to do things because I want to do it, not because I feel I should do something.

'Wanting', to live my life, brings joy to my live.  'Having' to live my live and doing what I think I should do brings stress, worry and sadness and that is not God's plan for our lives.

In January 2012 God impressed upon me to simplify my life.  I feel He is continuing this line of thought by getting me to enjoy my life.  Last year I closed and opened many doors in my life to simplify. I can't wait to see how this will play out this year.

Home Made Child's Tiara

My granddaughter, age 4, loves to dress up and what little girl doesn't like to have princess clothes. 

Her mother suggested I get dress-up clothes for her for Christmas.

Me wearing the tiara

 I wanted to make something but didn't have the time to pull out my sewing machine.  While visiting a friend she showed me an interesting child's tiara which won't break as easily as a plastic one.



Here's how to make a tiara.

Cut off a long length of wire.  If you run out of wire before the end just add another more wire.
You take and ordinary hair band and wrap  flexible jewelry wire around it. (fig 1, 2)

Fig. 1 Hair Band

Fig 2 Wrap wire

 Then add some beads about 2" from the end of the band. I added eight beads. Fig 3. The  2"  start allows the band  to sit on a head comfortably. 

Fig. 4 Crown Beads

Fig. 3. Eight Beads

Next I added 3 larger beads for the point of the crown. Fig. 4

Fig. 5 Bead Twist

Twist the wire under the three larger beads to form the point of the crown. Fig 5 and 6.

Fig.. 6 Twist Beads

Fig. 7 Eight Beads

 Add 8 more smaller beads, same design, size and color of the first 8,  for the down side of the crown. Fig. 7.  Then wrap the wire around the band about and inch away from the first point. Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 Second Wrap of Wire Around Band

Fig. 9 Start of Second Point

 Start the next point adding the same amount and same type of beads. Fig. 9.  Repeat the pattern you have created for the tiara to about 2" from the end.

Fig. 10 Wrapping Ribbon

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

To finish off wrap a ribbon around the band making sure you cover the ends of the wires. Fig. 11 to 13
Wrap the last to loops around the band loosely so you can duck the end of it under the loop. Then pull it tight.  I added a dab of glue to the end of the ribbon to prevent it from coming out. 

Fig. 15 Double Wire

Fig. 14 Single Wire

Be creative and make your own design.  In fig. 14 I used one wire.  In fig.15 I added a second wire and made a lower row.





Supplies  Hair band, cosmetic beads, flexible jewellery wire, ribbon, glue 

Same Size Mugs

Pottery is a journey. They say it takes twelve years to become a good potter. 

I have been making pottery for 10 years.  One struggle I have, which I've heard many artists say is, 'how do I price my work".  Now that I can make my bowls and cups easily I concentrated on making the mugs the same size.

Shown are some freshly turned mugs all the same size.  The shape still varies a bit, but this shows that they are all made by hand.  One problem solved.

Order and Beauty

When I started to make pottery I wanted to do the creative part right off the start.  I soon learned that I had to learn how to make the pottery first, how the clay operated and worked.  They say it takes 12 years to be a good potter.  Ten years into it, part time, I think I know what I'm doing, but I'm still growing. This past year  I have gotten back into decorating it, the fun part.

I was reading 1 King 5 and 6 where King Solomon is building God's temple.  I noticed two things about it.  First God was very precise on the size and measurements. His form was definite. Solomon was to build it according to God's plan, not his own. After the structure was built, according to the plan,  came the decorating part.  The temple was very elaborate with gold,  bronze and wood carvings and lined with wood of cedar and cypress.

We are now God's temple.  First he formed us out of clay, an ordinary product. We are precise too.  If we are healthy all of our body parts work together to keep us functioning. He created us after his own image and gave each of us a plan, Jeremiah 29:11 I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out -- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you a hope and a future. 

One of God's images is being creative therefore we are all creative in our own way. Most of the time I  know I am doing what God wants for me when I have a great joy in the process. Taking ordinary clay and making something beautiful from it gives me great joy.