Handmade Gift-Giving

Ocean's Bounty Necklace and Earrings Set
by Erin Siegel

This sea-inspired necklace and earrings set is a special gift I gave for the holidays this year! The set features my own hand-crafted porcelain sand dollars. The pendant is hand-knotted on waxed linen cord along with sterling, amazonite, fresh-water pearls, hill tribe silver and REAL sea glass shards, found and drilled.

A Jewelry Christmas and a Beady New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all friends here in blog land!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying some holiday cheer this weekend! Josh and I are relaxing and having loads of fun with the rest of the Siegel family. I'm so grateful to have this amazing family to spend the holidays with. Yummy food, family fun and gifts to fuel my passion for beads and jewelry-making, what more could a girl ask for?!

Here are a few photos of me on Christmas morning being very merry about the wonderful beady presents I received from my family!

YAY! My beady wishes came true for me! I'm extremely happy about receiving a copy of Cynthia Thornton's book Enchanted Adornments! I've been excited about this book since the news of it's release. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Miss Thornton, but I believe I will get to know her very well after reading her book. I can just tell her heart, soul and very being is in this book! It's magical and truly like nothing I have ever seen before. I can't wait to curl up and read it cover to cover. Well, I better get to it, the weekend will be over before I know it! I hope you had a joyous holiday this year and I'm looking forward to a fabulous beading new year with all of you here! :)

Store Display and Holiday Hiatus

I've been working on a new display of my ceramic jewelry at the local artisan shop where I sell my work. I wanted to have a stronger presence in the shop, especially around the holidays. Here is my new in-store display of my porcelain pendants and jewelry at the The Riverwalk Gallery here in Amesbury, MA. Sorry for the picture. It was difficult to get the whole display in the shot! This rack is tall and skinny and it takes up little floor space, which is nice for a shop. I used to use this display at art shows and crafts fairs, years ago for my beaded jewelry before I started my clay work. I had it stuffed in a back room and had forgotten about it. It's perfect for displaying these little mini busts with my pendants on them. The selves are adjustable, too, so I can change the arrangement around in the future as I make new things. I'm quite happy with how this turned out!

In other news, I will be taking a temporary break from my blog and Etsy shop for the month of December, while I tend to special projects and to-do lists for the holidays. Although my online presence may be a bit thin for the next month, please feel free to contact me! I will still be checking my email and I will be catching up with all of you on your blogs. I will be back to my blog and Etsy in January rearing and ready to go! I will have lots of new ceramic pieces for you then.

I wish you all a happy and health holiday season!
I will be thinking of you.
Thank you all so much for making 2009 such a wonderful year.
See you soon!

Artists Open Studio Tour

This weekend, November 14th and 15th is the 13th Annual Amesbury Artists Open Studio Tour. I will be at two different Amesbury, Massachusetts locals this weekend! On Saturday, November 14th, I will be working at The Riverwalk Gallery, where we will be featuring artist, Terri Talas. She is an amazing fine artist and bone carver! Terri will be featuring her carved animal spirit pendants. Please check out her work on her website, you'll be amazed and glad you did! :)

On Sunday, November 15th, I will be helping out at my ceramic studio, 2Rivers Ceramics Studio. I will have my ceramic pendants and jewelry on display along with my fellow artists and potters! Hope to see you this weekend, if you are in the area!

I will be taking all of my inventory to these two shows and I will be closing my Etsy Shop for this weekend. If there is anything that you want from my shop, please grab it now!
Thank you! Have a wonderful weekend and happy creating!

Have You Seen My New Banners?

Have you noticed my new blog banner? Look up! Isn't it pretty? In fact, I have new banners for both my blog and my Etsy shop as well! Check it out! I love them. What's even better is, my friend, the lovely Lorelei Eurto made them for me! Yeah, can you believe it! That L, she is so talented, isn't she? I've admired the many beautiful and professional-looking banners she has created for her own shop and blog. I finally got the idea that maybe she would be interested in trading her talents for some beads! :) Bead bribes always work, right? ;) Especially when we're talking Lorelei! hehe! :)

Well, lucky enough for me, she agreed! I sent her some of my new porcelain pendants and beads for her to work with for the banners. Lorelei then, got to keep what I sent, as her payment for her services. Brilliant idea, heh! And it worked out beautifully as you can see! I'm so happy with them. They are gorgeous! She did a fantastic job and it was a lot of work. She took many photos of my beads for me to choose from, then she did all the editing, fonts and colors.

I'm in full Fall swing with the current banners, but Lorelei even made me a second set of banners so that I can swap them out when the seasons change! Here's the second blog banner she created for me:

Blog banner by Lorelei Eurto

So pretty! I can't wait to use this one, too! I love the composition and soft, earthy feel.

If any of you bead or jewelry people out there are in need of a blog or shop spruce up, I'm sure L would be happy to help you out in exchange for some of your bead stash! I highly recommend her! One happy customer here!

Using Artisan-Made Stamps

Porcelain pendants and charms created using artisan-made stamps.

I like using stamps in my clay work. Stamps work really great in clay. Aside from getting my own custom-made stamps from rubberstamps.net, I have recently found a few rubber stamp artists on Etsy. Actually, I should say my mother brought them to my attention. (Thanks, Mom!) There are a few of them I have my eye on, but so far the first artist I have bought from is Tommie of Happy Stamps (tommie77.etsy.com). Her designs and stamps are gorgeous! She is currently on maternity leave right now, but before she left to have her baby, I snagged a few of her stamps to use in my clay!Rubber stamps designed and hand-carved by
Tommie of Happie Stamps

Now, since these designs are not my own, I did need to ask permission first before using them. And I did. And it was happily granted! Using any stamp designs like this in your artwork takes a little research and planning, though well worth it in my opinion! If you are interested in using another's stamp design in your artwork for sale, you must check to make sure the artist has an Angel Policy-which allows you to use their designs freely(some with restrictions). If the artist does not have an Angel Policy clearly posted in their shop, you must ask for permission first before using.

Most of these artists are more than happy to grant permission, provide that you will give them credit for the stamp design in any listings for sale. In my case, before buying from Tommie, I contacted her telling her of my plan to use her stamps in my ceramic clay. She happily obliged and in fact, she was quite excited about the prospect of seeing her designs turned into pendants and charms!

There are a number of reasons why I quite like using these artisan-made stamps in my work.

1. These stamps are much more artistic and superior to what I would be able to come up with on my own.
2. I don't have to design or make the stamps myself and I can concentrate on making my ceramic pieces.
3. An array of one-of-a-kind designs are available and all I have to do is ask nicely!
   
4. These stamps are absolutely beautiful! Hand-made and Hand-carved!
5. I am supporting another artist and Etsian!
6. We will all live happily ever-after in our Etsy World, Yay!

Check out my new artisan-stamp pendants and charms, now featured in my Etsy Shop!

Thank You!

Powow River, Upper Mill Yard, Amesbury, Massachusetts

Powow River, Lower Mill Yard, Amesbury, Massachusetts

In the pictures above, this is the Powow River that runs through the center of downtown Amesbury, Massachusetts. I live and work right here in this area and I walk along the river frequently.

I want to thank everyone for joining me today! I appreciate everyone who commented. I've read all of your comments as they came through. And please continue to read and leave me comments on all of my posts from today! It brings me so much joy to read them and I read each and every one of them!!! I hope you enjoyed your visit with me and all that I shared with you. I couldn't do what I love to do, without your loyal support!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My FALL SALE will continue til Midnight tonight.

I hope you've had some fun attending this special Beads-Of-Clay Blog Event. What an exciting experience! Special thanks to Beads-Of-Clay members, Marsha Neal and Mary Harding for putting this event together for the whole group! I hope you got a chance to visit all of the participating artists today. If not, check the BOC Blog to visit them.

Thank you for coming! Happy Fall!

And the winner is....

BELLAJOYA!!!

Congratulations!
You are the winner of my Autumn Leaf Toggle!
Send me your address at erin@everyheartcrafts.com
Thank you to everyone who commented!

2nd Giveaway of the Day!

It's time for the second and final giveaway of the day! In the celebration of the Fall season today, I'm giving away one of my Autumn Leaf Toggles! Just leave me a comment on this post for a chance to win. To get the comments flowing, tell me,

What do you envision making with this piece?

The winner of this giveaway will be announced at 3:15 p.m. today!
Meet me back here then to see if you've won!
Good Luck!!!
And don't forget, even if you don't win, there are plenty of bargains in my shop today!
Check out my FALL SALE!
Thank you!

Studio Tour

Welcome! Here we are outside of 2 Rivers Ceramics Studio located in beautiful, Amesbury, Massachusetts! This is where I produce all of my work! 2 Rivers is a community ceramic studio. I work along side other independent artists and potters, all producing different works. We have about 10 regular potters, plus lots of students taking classes. This studio is where I got my start working in clay and I've been here ever since. I took my beginning ceramics classes right here and made my first pendants back in 2007. I still currently take classes on a regular basis from the various teaching potters we have here at the studio. Working in a community facility like this is ideal for me because I live in a small apartment and I don't have the space available for a studio space or a kiln. Here, I have access to every thing I need and the space to do it in. Plus, I love the community atmosphere and the connection to the other creative artists working in the same medium. It's nice being part of a collective group and doing shows and events together as group. You can visit the studio website at www.tworiversceramics.com. Ok, well, I think that's about good for the introduction. Let's head inside to have a look around, shall we? Alright! And remember, if you have any questions through out the tour, just ask!

So, we've just come through the front doors and now we are standing in the main clay work room area. Those are potter's wheels lining that high, long table in the middle. The shelves in the back, store our works in progress and pieces drying. The gray table in the front here, is where you can many times find me working on my little pieces. Now, we are going to swing on over to the left and meet my teacher, Lloyd Hamovit, Potter and founder of the 2 Rivers Ceramics Studio.

Lloyd Hamovit, Potter, owner & operator of the 2 Rivers Ceramics Studio

Hi, Lloyd! :)

Here he is working away in his corner of the studio. Lloyd is my main teacher and mentor in clay. He has helped guide me with information and advice on clays, techniques and glaze options. I know he thinks I'm a little crazy making my tiny pieces, but he has been so very generous with his knowledge, time and energy! I can not thank him enough. Without him and his studio, I would not be able to make my ceramic pieces and do what I love to do! To learn more about Lloyd, his work and his accomplished ceramic career, please visit www.lloydsceramics.com. Ok, we'll let Lloyd get back to work now and we'll show you the other side of the work room. Bye, Lloyd!

Clay Preparation

Here we are, on the other side of the main work room, just to the right of the front door. We're standing in front of the wedging table. This is where we cut our wet clay, knead it and get it to a workable consistency. Once I've got my clay prepared, I head over to the next room to use the slab roller. So, follow me and we'll go take a look at that!

This machine is the slab roller! Yay! It's my favorite tool in the studio and the one I use the most. I love this thing! It makes my life so much easier. I make small slabs to create almost all my ceramic pieces. The slab roller allows me to roll out my clay to a consistent, even thickness. Once I've rolled my clay out to the desired thickness, I place my slab on a small board, smooth out any textures left in the clay, and cover it with plastic to keep the clay moist while I'm working with it.

Creating Pieces
As soon as I have my slab ready, I take it back into the main work room and start creating. All of my pieces are made one-at-a-time by hand. Each piece is individually cut from the slab using various shapes and cutters. After the piece is cut, I smooth all edges and create my design. Designs are created in a multitude of ways. Some are created by hand using only my pin tool, others are created from custom-made stamps, stencils and moulds, and still others are made using natural elements, such as leaves and shells to create impressions. Once I have my designs on the front, I let the pieces dry a bit. Then I turn them over and I usually texture the backs and/or stamp them with my signature. When the pieces are complete and fully dry, they go to the kiln room to get bisque fired. Let's head over there now to check it out!

Oh...Well, what do we have here....a sneak peek at some works-in-progress! Shhh! Don't tell anybody, Ok? These are bone-dry pendants and pieces ready to be bisque fired. Ok, moving a along, now...

Over here, we have the electric kilns that get used for the bisque firings. As soon as there is enough dry pottery on the bisque cart and on the shelves, the kilns get loaded up and fired up.

Finishing
Once my pieces come out of the bisque firing, they are prepared for glazing, staining and finishing. Pieces are sanded, if needed, (although I usually do enough smoothing initially when I first make the pieces, that I can skip this step) and wiped down to remove clay dust. Some of my pieces are glazed, some are stained, some are stained and glazed and some are completed with no stain or glaze at all. Since I need to fire my pieces flat, if the pieces are going to be glazed, a wax must be applied to the backs and the holes prior to glazing to prevent the glaze from adhering to those areas or the kiln shelves during firing. Once the wax is dry, the pieces are dipped into the glaze and the backs are wiped clean of any remaining glaze. To be honest, I'm finding this glazing process to be quite tedious for all my tiny little pieces, so lately my preferred way to finish my pieces is to simply stain them with oxides. I find this process much more enjoyable and I love the effects, so it works for me! For this, the oxides are watered down to create a wash. The washes are painted on the bisque pieces, front and back. The oxide seeps down into the textures created in the piece. The piece is then, lightly wiped with a sponge to remove excess oxide and reveal the design. The glazed and/or stained pieces are then placed on tiles to be loaded into the studio's large, gas-fired, reduction kiln for the final firing.

And here she is! The centerpiece of the studio! A 40 cubic foot, gas-fired, reduction kiln. It take a full 18-hours to fire this baby! Plus, another 8 hours of cool down time. It's not the type of kiln you can set and forget! LOL! Definitely not. Lloyd has to stay at the studio and "kiln-sit"the whole time it's firing to make sure everything goes smoothly and to make adjustments during the firing. The kiln takes up almost half the room. There's a lot of space to fill in there! And speaking of filling space, since my pieces are small, they can easily fill-in and make use of small, unused spaces between larger pots and bowls in the kiln. Since all possible space in the kiln is being filled, the energy needed to run the kiln is much more efficiently used! How's that for Eco-friendly! "Green" & Eco-friendly pendants and jewelry components! Yippy! I just LOVE that! Another reason to feel good about buying ceramic beads and pendants from all the Beads-of-Clay artists.

Well, that concludes our tour for today. I hope you enjoyed learning about how I make my pieces and touring my studio space. I really appreciate you joining me!

I hope you are planning to stick around because there's STILL more to come!

The 2nd Giveaway is coming up at 3:00 p.m. est!
See you then! In the meantime, click the BOC Blog to tour the spaces of the other artists! Thank you!

And the winner is....

LORELEI!!!!

Congratulations!
You are the winner of my Autumn Leaf Pendant!
Send your address to me at erin@everyheartcrafts.com
Thank you!

Don't forget, there's a other giveaway later, but before we get to that,
My Studio Tour starts in 15 minutes! Hope to see you all join me!

1st Give-Away of the Day!

Autumn Leaf Pendant

Ok, ok! The fun's getting started! It's time for the first giveaway of the day! In the spirit of the Fall season, I'm giving away one of my Autumn Leaf Pendants! Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. Even if luck's not on your side today, you can still pick one of these up for a bargain price! I have a few available in my shop and they are included in my FALL SALE for today!

Alright, to get the comments rolling, tell me

Why do you love using or collecting art beads and pendants?

The winner of this giveaway will be announced at 2:00 p.m. est
Meet me back here at 2 o'clock to see if you've won!
Good Luck!!! :)

Welcome!

Hi there! Thank you for joining me for the first Bead-Of-Clay Fall Open Studio Blog Event! This is so exciting! I really appreciate you stopping by today! Welcome to Every Heart Crafts. I'm Erin Siegel. I live in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where I make hand-crafted, ceramic clay pendants, charms, components and buttons for jewelry-makers, designers, beaders, crafters, and artisans. You can check out my profile to the right, to learn more about me and what I do. Feel free to ask me any questions, as I will be right here with you during your visit today!

About my business
My mission is to make the best quality, hand-crafted ceramic pendants and components for you to create with. I chose the name Every Heart Crafts, because I truly believe that every soul inherently has the ability to be creative in different ways, whether they realize it or not! I hope that I can inspire your creative spirit with my pieces. It's my desire to spark the imaginations of others. My goal is to inspire hearts and souls around the world to create. My only wish is that you will be excited to work with what inspires my own heart!

Inspirations
My main inspirations come from nature. Living here in New England, I am constantly inspired by the changing seasons. Leaves, blooms, dragonflies and butterflies in Spring, ocean treasures on the beach in Summer, color-changing leaves in Autumn and falling snow in Winter. I take inspiration nature walks through the parks, forest and on beaches around my house and in the surrounding areas. You will see many of these elements repeated frequently in my work.

Forest Inspiration Photo

Forest-Inspired Pendants and Charms

New Work
In addition to the nature themes, some of my newest work is influenced by foreign cultures and other countries. I'm drawn to and intrigued by other cultural ideals, concepts, imagery, symbols and styles. I dream of traveling to other lands some day. Until that time comes, I can at least channel an experience and travel the world through creating art beads! I'm having fun exploring different styles and implementing new techniques in my work. The photo below is a sample of what I've been up to. Stay tuned to see more of these themes and styles in my work to come!

Asian-Inspired Porcelain Pendants and Links

The fun is just getting started!
I hope you are enjoying your visit with me so far, today, but the fun's not over, yet! We're just getting started! In honor of this special event today, I'm having a FALL SALE in my Shop! Sale will continue until midnight tonight. I don't have sales very often. I feel I already offer my pieces at an affordable price, so you won't be seeing prices like these from me any time soon! Grab some bargains now! Plus, I've listed a bunch of new designs and pieces! Check it out!

And later, be sure to meet me back here at 1:45 p.m. today. I will be posting the first of two giveaway items of the day! So, check back for your chance to win. Remember, I'm right here til' 4 p.m. today and you can chat with me anytime! But don't forget to click this BOC blog link to visit the other participating artists! Have fun and I'll see at 1:45 p.m.! :)

Beads-Of-Clay Bloggers Event! Join the Fun!

We're celebrating Fall Beads-Of-Clay style!

The Beads-Of-Clay artists group have teamed up to present this special blogging event!

JOIN ME, right here this Sunday, October 25th from 1-4 p.m. eastern standard time. Through-out the day there will be Two GIVEAWAYS, a SALE in my Etsy shop, the first look at my new work, a tour of my studio, pictures and much, much more!!! Join me on this fun-filled day and chat with me live! Plus, I will have some exciting new ceramic pieces available in my shop for the first time! Mark your calendars and come join in on all the fun! See you Sunday! :)

Visit the Beads-of-Clay Blog to see a list of all participating artists!

Big Publication News!!!

Not one, but TWO beading magazine appearances for my ceramic pieces this month! Yay! Two very talented jewelry designers have made jewelry using my ceramic leaves!

In the Fall 2009 Issue of Stringing Magazine, Cristi Clothier made a bracelet called "Copper Leaves", using FOUR of my ceramic leaf charms! :)

In the October 2009 issue of Bead Trends Magazine, Heather Powers of Humble Beads is the featured designer of the month! Congrats, Heather! Heather featured my ceramic leaves in Four of her projects for this issue! Two bracelets and two necklace designs! Wow!
These issues are out on news stands now! Pick'em up!
A BIG thank you to both Heather and Cristi!!! :)
I could not thank you enough for your support!

A Fabulous Fall Weekend

Tree on Sandwich Fair Grounds

This past weekend my husband, Josh and I headed to Sandwich, N.H. for a little getaway to celebrate my October birthday. Yay! Sandwich is a quaint little town in the New Hampshire country-side. It's a quiet getaway spot. Autumn is a great time to go up there to enjoy the fall foliage! While we were there, we went to the annual Columbus Day Weekend, Sandwich Fair. I had my share of sweet potato fries, Yum!

After a quick visit around the fair, we headed out and popped across the street into the artisan gallery shop, Sandwich Home Industries - Home gallery of The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. A must-see!!! It's a beautiful gallery shop filled with works by the finest artisans in the New Hampshire area. Once we had our fill of artisan arts and crafts (aka - Josh tearing me away from the gallery shop!), we drove around, did some serious leaf peeping and just took in the gorgeous fall scenery!

Here are a few pics from our trip. Enjoy!

Middle Road, Sandwich, NH

Gorgeous Red Leaves!

Bear Camp Pond, Sandwich, NH

Bear Camp Pond, Sandwich, NH

Pretty ferns & red leaves

New Pendants, New Look and a Fall Art Festival

Brand new, right-out-of-the-kiln, pendant designs! A new look and new direction for me and my work. I will be debuting these at this year's Fall Art Festival at the Riverwalk Bead Shop & Gallery going on this weekend! For this fair, I'm stringing these pendants up into simple necklaces. I even made little flat, button-type beads for a simple, loop and bead clasp. These will be for sale at the festival along with works by my fellow ceramic artists and potters of the Two Rivers Ceramics Studio. I just love being apart of a community ceramic studio. It's so nice to be able to do art shows and fairs as a group. If these do well, I will make some more after the show. If you like any of these new designs, let me know and I can make some more for you. :)


It all started with the Leaf Impression Pendant I showed you in my last post! I loved the look and the contrast of the white, matte porcelain clay with the rich, dark color of the iron oxide wash. I started thinking of other ideas on how I could use the stippling technique and the iron oxide wash to create more bold, dramatic designs and patterns. I started experimenting and these are the results!

Now, these new pendants are so very different from the work I've been producing, I know. I love everything I have made, but I need to change it up. I really wish I could be a little more consistent, though. That is one of my goals. To achieve a consistent, cohesive, recognizable look to my work....eventually, someday, I hope. LOL! I'm still exploring all the different clays, techniques and finishes out there to try in my clay world. There are many different looks you can achieve with clay. Just has in the jewelry realm, there is so much to explore in the ceramic world, it's mind-boggling! I started working in clay, making pendants just a little over 2 years ago now. I'm still growing, learning and evolving in my clay work. I hope you all can bear with me while I continue to find my voice in clay! I guess I will always be changing and evolving in some way. Change is a good thing, right? Thank you for being here through my journey. All of you have been so supportive of me and my ceramic pieces. I appreciate all my customers and blog readers so much! I hope you will continue to enjoy my new work to come! Thank you, everyone!!! :)

Natural Impressions

Some new work I've been working on lately...

REAL Leaf Impression Pendant
Mother Nature's own design! A real leaf pressed into porcelain ceramic clay. Pendant is double-sided with impressions on both sides!
Available in my shop.

(This is the reverse side of the pendant)

I've been trying some new work and techniques lately. I made this pendant kind of as a test piece, really. It came out better than I had expected! I'm really falling in love with it. It has a fossil feel to it. A leaf, nature's beauty captured in stone, literally! I love running my fingers over it, feeling the fine impression of the leaf. I like that I made it double sided, as well. I've been wanting to try more real leaf impressions for some time now. I just was not sure how I would glaze them or finish them. It is difficult to glaze the details of a real leaf because the impression is so fine and delicate. This here, is an iron oxide wash that was rubbed in and then wiped away to reveal and highlight all the fine details.

If you would please give me your impression on my impressions! I would be most grateful! :)
Thank you!

Leafy Selections

Green, Autumn and Forest Leaf Toggles in my Shop.

I can't believe the fall season is officially here! I have a great selection of leaf components available in my shop for all your autumn jewelry creations!

Happy creating and Happy Fall, Everyone! :)

Bracelet Bliss

I received my finished bracelet from the bracelet round-robin swap! It's journey is complete and now I get to wear it and enjoy it! This exchange was so much fun to be apart of on so many levels! Not only do I have a stunning piece of jewelry, but I made some pretty special connections to the other participating ladies. The best part was the connections.....And...well, the playing with beads part, of course...And, well following the progression of the bracelets on everyone's blog part was pretty exciting, too! Okay, fine. So there was no 'best part'! I really loved it all! Not one aspect of the experience could trump another.

Before this exchange began, most of the participants I had never met and/or knew little about. I do feel much closer to everyone now and got to know each person better through this experience and through the bracelets themselves, even. Each bracelet developed it's own personality that seemed to evoke the essence of the person it was for, without much influence from that originating person. It's pretty amazing how we were all able to connect to each other through the beads. We let the beads speak to us and our muses guide us. The bracelets are the beautiful manifestation of our collective creativity and our connection to each other!

A special thank you to my bracelet sisters, Heather, Lorelei, Erin and Christine!
I had a blast beading with you!

Heart n' Hand Packaging

I've started to think about packaging ideas for gifts and pretty gift packaging for upcoming art shows and craft fairs I'm doing this year. I recently had the opportunity to grab a few supplies from ConsumerCrafts.com. I ended up coming up with this cute and very simple gift box idea. This box would be great for pendants, bracelets, earrings or other small gift items. It's super simple and easy to put together! Here's a list of the tools and materials I used:

• 3 in. Square Paper Mache Box
• Basket Filler Crinkle Paper
• Naturals Short-Cutz Assorted Textured Paper Pack
• Hank of Natural Curly Raffia
• 1 in. Vine Heart Package
• 1/8 inch Paper Hole Punch
• Scissors
• Tape

I started out with the paper mache box that I filled with a little bit of crinkle paper.

Then, I wrapped a strip of these hand-made textured papers around the box for a decorative band. Overlapping the paper on the bottom of the box, I secured it with a little piece of tape.

I don't have a paper cutter handy, so I ordered a pack of these assorted textured papers that come already pre-cut in various colors, shapes and sizes. I used the longer pre-cut strips in the package around the box for the decorative band or "sleeve". The shorter strips I folded into a gift tag to go onto the top of the box.
I think I will want to invest in a paper cutter soon so I can buy sheets of this pretty paper and cut them into strips myself next time.

Next, I punched a hole in the corner of the gift tag with the 1/8" hole paper punch.
I took a few strands of raffia off the hank and wrapped it around the box over the paper sleeve. Lastly, I threaded the gift tag onto the raffia strands, along with a small vine heart for a decorative accent and tied a knot.

I really like how this came out! The box looks nice with a hand-made feel. Natural with a touch of sweetness and charm! It's simple enough that I think I can whip these up at my booth at craft fairs without customers having to wait too long for me to wrap up their purchases. I will definitely be ordering supplies from ConsumerCrafts.com to make up a few more. These boxes would make great gift packaging year round for any occasion!
My blog readers will receive free shipping on any ConsumerCrafts.com order placed by September 2nd, 2009! Just use the following code at check-out to get the free shipping!

Free Shipping code: G6DHNOT
*Good until 9/2/09*
at
ConsumerCrafts.com

Rolling Seas

Rolling Seas

Earrings I created for the Art Bead Scene August Challenge. Turquoise rounds knotted onto waxed linen cord, dangle down off of my own handmade stoneware ceramic circle components.

Forest Leaf Necklace

Stoneware Leaf Pendant in a deep forest green glaze, accented with three beaded dangles of thai silver, green kynite, and a faceted pear-shaped garnet. Strung onto a 2mm brown cotton cord with sterling crimp-style cord end hook closure.

A simple design idea to do with one of my ceramic leaf pendants. You can find this leaf here in my shop.
Have a great weekend!