the6ix

I have a few new Toronto pendants available. Get them while they last. Love the6ix!

Holiday Gift Season

So I put up the house lights earlier than usual since the house and studio renovations are finally 100% complete! I was hoping to be working in the studio full force by now but my toddlers have been a great distraction. They are finally fully getting the idea of Christmas and Gift giving. Leo pretends to make pottery so he can give them as gifts! He is constantly pounding his little fist into his playdough so he can make a clock just like mom. He is too little to tell time but understands that they are very pretty when hanging on the wall.

Here is my newest design which can be found in my Etsy Shop. I have a select amount of pendants, clocks and a few other gift ideas there, or stop by the Etsy Christmas Marketplace so see my whole range of pottery just in time for the gift giving season.

There will be music!!

& treats!!

AND!!!

A visit from SANTA!

A New Start

Well, I have been MIA for a while now.  The twins have turned three and their sense of humour has grown exponentially with their height.

If you haven't heard, my studio and home was destroyed in the 2014 Toronto ice storms. We arrived back home after spending Christmas and New Years out of province with our families to find the entire house/studio flooded in the middle of Canadian winter.  Needless to say, living downtown in a tiny condo with twin toddlers wasn't so much fun. It took over a year to rebuild and we are finally back home in a mostly complete house.

I am slowly building the studio back up and figured that a shiny new studio needs a shiny new name. Please welcome Curious Bird Pottery!  I have switched my Etsy shop name and have a curious bird pottery gmail account. Now I just need to get firing that lovely new kiln!

I'll keep in touch as production starts. I will slowly roll out new products and some of the old favorites of course.  Wish  me luck and speed!

Reality

As some of you may know, my little family has grown. The twins are now over a year old and we have had plenty of adventure already! In the midst of the chaos that two babies bring, I decided to to be a part of the One of a Kind Spring Show in Toronto. This was a huge venture in itself, without having my little guys under foot :) Well, I survived and enjoyed it all! Soon it is back to the reality of my day job as I will be returning to teaching in a few weeks. I am hoping to find time to enjoy my boys and still have a little studio time as well. Who needs sleep, really? I have already planned to attend a few spring and summer craft shows so I will keep you updated. The next will be the TEST spring sale which will have a bunch of my ETSY peeps together under one roof!

New locations for pottery

It has been a busy Fall! I have been busy at local shows and have been approached by several shops and galleries that want to carry my line of pottery. So, you can now find my work in Sudbury, Port Dover and of course downtown Toronto.

Check out Beadle on Dundas Toronto, 13 Reasons in Port Dover and the Gallery in Sudbury.

13 Reasons is a unique shop named after our 13 Provinces and Terriroties. They will be featuring my ceramic pendants in the near future so stop in to check them out or read all about them here.

The Art Gallery of Sudbury will be featuring my handmade ceramic clocks and acorn pendants. This Gallery is housed in a turn of the century mansion that has unique architectural appeal! You can get more details on their site
here.

Then if you are in T.O. you can drop into the eclectic Beadle store to peruse the latest Canadian made jewelry, handmade soaps and giftware. More good news to come!

I love the Danforth and not just for its Greek Cuisine. They have a strong arts community and I get to be a part of it!

The Danforth East Arts Fair will be held at East Lynn Park on September 17 and 18, 2011.

As they say "Join us this year: Grab an ice cream cone, a cappuccino or brunch, and then come wander through the park. Pick up some soap, some new art, and maybe even a few Christmas presents to stash away early!" http://www.deca-arts.ca/home.html

If all goes well, I will be flaunting my brand new design for personal oil lamps. They are super cute! I hope to see you there!

Best Find of the Summer

Here it is! The best find of the summer so far... I found this vintage letter press kit down in Fort Collins while visiting friends. I was so excited to find every letter and number in tact along with a few extras that I didn't even know existed.

I adore the look of the font on my platters. Here is the start of a wedding platter that shows the marriage date. There will be no excuses for forgetting an anniversary with this around!

I guess it is time to start offering customization in my Etsy shop :)

Movies and Makers Craft Show

It is becoming a busy spring with the kiln constantly firing and new work flying out the studio door.

I have one of my favorite shows coming up in the Beach! Movies and Makers is in the fabulous Fox Theatre on Queen Street East (a few doors down from Ed's - my favorite ice cream shop.

I will have my newest Berry Bowls for sale but there are only a few up for grabs, so get there early. Also, the first 50 visitors will get a swag bag filled with goodies and coupons!

How to make a Ceramic Clock

Here are some simple tips to go along with the video. Feel free to ask questions for clarification!

It is important to compress your slab before texturing. This step also smoothes the surface so that the impressed textures show cleanly.



Using a large piece of paper below your slab allows you to slide it onto a bat without bending the clay. This will help avoid warping as the clay dries.



I create my own unique textures by carving patterns into a printmaking block. You can find linoblocks and gouging tools at most art stores.



You can use any type of circle template. This is a needle point frame I picked up at a craft shop. Using a hollow template is beneficial so you can see the pattern as you arrange it in a pleasing way.



When the slab is leatherhard, use a drill bit a size larger than the bolt in the clock mechanism. This will allow the clock part to fit after the clay shrinks through the firing process. Don`t worry if it is slightly too large since a washer is included with the mechanism to cover the hole upon installation.



Rasp the edges of the slab to clean any burrs that were left from cutting with the pintool. This will also create a sharper 90 degree edge.



Choose a glaze that accentuates the relief textures. My Waterlily glaze is formulated to puddle a smoky blue color in the recesses of the texture. Remember to glaze the side edge to create a professional finish.



Clock parts can be found online or at many craft stores. Ensure that the centre bolt is tall enough to fit the thickness of your slab. Most mechanisms have a built in hanger or come with a hanger attachment piece so the clock can hang easily from a nail.

Craft Show at the Gladstone

Yep, we are all pretty excited that our Toronto Etsy Team is having a Handmade Sale at the Gladstone on April 30th. The range of work will be amazing with all types of handmade goodies. Expect a lot of unique jewelry, knit ware, prints and artwork and of course my pottery! I expect that I will be purchasing a mother's day present and a few treats for myself while I'm there.

My Pottery in New Toronto Shop

Yep, You can finally find my ceramics in a downtown trendy West Queen West shop called Shopgirls at 1342 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON. The Boutique strives to promote Canadian artists and designers and I recognized many talented local artist by just browsing the shelves while waiting to unpack my work.

Check it out next time you are downtown and feeling trendy!

Saturday Night Specials on Etsy

Etsy has started up an old tradition again - the Saturday night specials! Just join the team here - there are no obligations after that, but you get access to lots of coupon codes for various shops on Etsy just for that specific Saturday night

Find a coupon code for my shop and save 15% on anything in my shop (excluding gift certificates).

Happy Saturday Night!

Its my Birthday Sale

Pottery sale
Its my Birthday and I want to share the fun! Use coupon code BDAY15 to get 15% off all items in my Etsy shop til Mon Feb 21st.

Am I making fun of myself here?

Amour

This is for all of my Francophone friends, Amour Amour Amour.

These are custom clocks made in Waterlily and Midnight Sea glazes. One will be up for grabs once the custom order has been chosen!

Last minute gift ideas

If you are like me, the holiday gift giving season sneaks up before you are ready. So, at the last minute, I have added downloadable gift certificates to my etsy shop.

This makes it easy to download, forward to the gift getter, or print and tuck into a card for personal delivery. For those of us who are super sensitive to design, style and color, this is an easy way to please since the recipient can enjoy the gift even further by having the choice to pick the exact mug/bowl/clock that they love the most.

I hope this helps you cross off that last gift on your list-of-things-to-do during this busy season!

Keeping warm in the snow

The snow drifted down this morning covering our yard with white fluff but we were toasty warm inside. The kiln has been running full force all week keeping the studio hot, hot, hot! I'm restocking all of the holiday gift favorites like wine coaster and olive trays. I'll have everything ready for the 12 days of art and ideas coming up this week. I can't believe it will be December so soon.

Make sure you pick up everything on your gift list by stopping by December 2 to December 14, 2010 at Triangle Gallery, 38 Abell St., Toronto, Ontario. Gallery hours 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily (closed Mon., Dec. 6th).

Holiday Craft Show in Toronto

The Collective is a gathering of creative artists and artisans for 12
days in December, from December 2 to December 14, 2010 at Triangle
Gallery, 38 Abell St., Toronto, Ontario.

That's West Queen West, near the Drake and Gladstone. I will have a lot of new platters, hostess gifts and Gifts Under $20.

New earring designs

Here is a quick photo of my new earring design that will match my acorn pendants. You will find a larger variety if you stop by the St. Clair Outdoor Art Market this Sunday!