Plans for March...

Winter is coming to a close…

The Hellebores are peeking through the leaf litter from last fall…

Snow no longer lingers and I hope we don't see anymore until December...

Hellebores late February 2011.

It seems like I have been waiting for March for so long…

Hellebores early March 2010.

It is the gateway month for spring here in Delaware…

Hellebores late March 2010.

Nights start to stay above freezing towards the end of the month…

Hellebores mid April 2010. Seed heads already starting to form.

So my garden and the woods beyond beckon us to come and visit to see what is waiting there for this growing season.

This year, March is extra special for me...

Not only because Riley is up and walking and can join us for our little hikes in the garden on his own two feet, but I feel that I about to start down a new path in my career…

It's a turning point in my life...

I start out on March 3rd for a 12-week course for Master Gardener Training.

My business Marsha Neal Studio will still be a main priority of course,

But I look forward to allowing this new education to soak in and penetrate my mind and see what comes out in my artwork and also in my garden.

I will be focusing on new work.

I have an inkling it will be mostly nature and garden themed…

Go figure…

Here are the actual events that are going on in March 2011 for Marsha Neal Studio:

Friday, March 4, 2011: DEST First Friday Art Walk on Etsy

Sunday, March 6, 2011 Beads of Clay Open Studio 1-4pm EST

March 1-31, 2011 Trunk Show at Emmi Beads in Clinton, NY

Ongoing Bead shows through D7Studio and Bead Shops.

If anything else comes up, I'll update this list.

Hope to see you online this month!

The Space Between and Artoo (Zentangle)

Here is my combination entry for Laura Harm's "I Am The Diva CZT" Blog Challenges for

Week 9 ~ Artoo

Week 10 ~ The Space Between

I have been trying hard to do so many things that I have felt a little out of balance.

The ideas that I had for drawing a tangle for Artoo (the nickname for Laura's tangle dedicated to her son & which is his blog name as well - her other son is Chewie… LOVE IT!)

It took me leaving the house today…

Getting a cup of soup and a beverage to find a moment of peace to draw this out.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Diane wrote a post on her blog and mentioned getting the stink eye…

It has stuck in my head ever since…

I hate getting the stink eye.

I can't stand thinking and feeling guilty that it's coming my way…

And you know when it is because you know you are ignoring things that should be attended to...

Today's issue was a bit more than that, but it walks the line of it.

Which in turn made my whole day sour and anything I did just didn't work out.

Totally miserable…

So I sat in the little coffee shop and ate my lobster bisque and drew this out.

I had difficulties with leaving some blank in between spaces.

I like to fill every nook and cranny…

It was like a breathe of fresh air - sitting and drawing.

Being alone and just thinking about the paper and pen and what was happening…

A change of focus.

Hope for a better day tomorrow...

BTW - I've had better days...

This is my picture of my bead table just today as part of Bead Table Wednesday.

My friend Jenny and I text some days to show each other what we're working on…

My description basically said: I'm working on making a mess.

Really, I'm downright frustrated with jewelry making.

I just can't seem to make things.

I have some skill and knowledge…

I have plenty of supplies...

I guess it is more of a focus and follow through with the right ideas.

At least I feel like I had some good ideas of what kind of component pieces I should be working on in the clay studio to better my results on this bead table.

So what is on your bead table? Jump into the fun… and mess!

Etsy Treasury From My Favorites...

I am drawn to blues - teals - aquas…
The blue green patinas have me…
So I created this treasury from just a few of my favorites on Etsy and wanted to share it with you:

I have shared a link to this treasury over on the Delaware Etsy Street Team Blog as part of the weekly "Delaware Treasury Tuesday" post.

Oh, these treasuries are fun…

Next I would love to work on one for the artists participating in the BOC open studio on March 6th…

Emergence...

I have started to list the new Porcelain Lepidoptera Butterfly Pendants up in my Etsy shop…

Today is "Treasury Tuesday" over at our Delaware Etsy Street Team Blog, where we are trying to help promote our team members as well as the arts in Delaware through team activities…

One of our members, Rebecca Harkin of ChirpAndBloom, created this Treasury
Warmth and Patina:

Which features one of my listings for my new Crusty Porcelain Tiny Pendants…
And right now it is on page 2 of the Treasuries…
Wonder how far it will go? I think front page!!!

Click on over and check it out.

And by the way, if you want to do a treasury and it has anything to do with Delaware (Um - I live in Delaware… just throwing that out there ;). You can add your link to our DEST Weekly Treasury Tuesday Blog Post.

I'm hoping to get a couple of treasuries made tomorrow - one for DEST and one for Beads of Clay…
They are addictive…

Here is a link (DEST themed, but you can make it your own) to help you make one and get a photo of it.

Ideas For Using Silks...

There is a new book called

"A Jewelry Accord, Making Jewelry Using Cording, Ribbon and Lace" 

in the works by a couple of fantastic Jewelry Designers…

Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegal

They have a companion blog going which I highly recommend following:

I don't know about you...

But I can't wait to get that printed book in my possession so I can have some visual inspiration and a few tips and techniques to add to my growing jewelry making skills!

There is just something to being able to sit with a book or magazine in your favorite chair…

 A warm beverage of choice near by (it's winter - warm anything is welcome!)…

And get into finding your muse amongst the pages.

My muse can start to take form in visualizing something…

Then she starts to show herself more as techniques are learned…

And as I am working through a project, she shows herself fully through ideas that stream out of my heart and head through visions of projects that can be.

She is very elusive though…

I must start to keep a sketch book and drawing utensil with me at all times while designing

A big Thank You to the girls at A Jewelry Accord for posting a wonderful blog post about the silks I carry in my Etsy Shop and my Website.

Here are a couple of my favorite OOAK color combos from my Etsy shop…

OOAK Random Color Grouping 51

Sea Shore Knot Bundle (made from stock colors).

These bundles allow you to get a quick selection of colors to fool around with in your jewelry design.

I also have added a bunch of listings where you can pick your own color palettes in specified quantities.

With over 75 colors - there are endless color palettes to be created!

You can also visit my website and pick whatever combination of colors and types (make sure to hit add to cart within each color section - you'll see what I mean).

My website is best for larger orders or orders with lots of different silks because it all goes into a cart directly vs you sending me the colors in a message.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have fun designing or buying handmade jewelry with these beautiful silks!

Lepidoptera Sighting In My Studio...

Lepidoptera…

In my studio? Really?

Hmmm...

Hopefully very soon they will be fluttering to yours so they can become part of a beautiful piece of jewelry…

My Etsy shop on Monday most likely! 

These took shape in the studio last week. 

They were created and fired within two days.

Quite the short instar if you ask me…

But I will not complain...

Colors were chosen to paint on their wings…

The four butterflies above and the ones in the next two pictures are all my Autumn Glaze.

All from the same firing…

All placed right next to one another in the kiln…

All images photographed towards the end of my natural daylight window - which is why they are so dark.

Oh, but That Blue… 

That Blue Purple… 

That Blue Purple Copper Brown...

So just as mother nature brings variations to species…

And to individuals within those species…

I bring you some limited editions…

Limited because that is my new thing to keep myself here in this creative place for a while…

I make what I want and will put it out there to sell.

Sure I can make these in any of my glaze colors.

I could probably have them available in any of my textures…

But that is just not in my heart right now.

You can ask… I will probably throw yours in there with mine!

I also have issues with not being able to make you something you really want…

I'm a people pleaser deep down. It makes me feel good to make people happy.

My heart is fluttering about…

Enjoying this creative area I have placed myself.

About to venture into the new world of Master Gardener Training…

Into a place that will give me better knowledge for better understanding and implementation of my new set of skills. Even right here in my own experimental garden backyard.

Kind of like how Riley must be feeling now that he has just about mastered walking and is about to start running (he is getting fast!). But still super clumsy - which is adorable yet makes me flinch when he is near a pointy corner on furniture.

Oh, and this picture - was from today as I was trying to photograph some pieces in fleeting bits of indirect sunlight in the kitchen. Those hands were reaching for everything and he was loving it, cracking up the entire time. Constantly trying to peek at what he was grabbing and but could not see.

Wish I could've gotten a non-blurry photo of his little eyes and the smile you could see in them…

Monday - Lepidoptera take flight…

Catch yours!

Passion - Andrew's Word of The Week...

Andrew Thornton is hosting a weekly challenge over on his blog:

A project inspired by his word of the week.

This week: Passion...

After Cone 6 (2232 F) glaze firing.

You may be thinking that this piece is more gothic themed than passion.

The passion goes deeper - it touches on the creation and history of this piece...

Glazed but not fired.

My friend Kelly Russell (Beadfuddled) and I used to travel to bead shows a lot together.

We would spend hours driving and talking - and laughing - and talking…

Ideas were thrown about...

After Cone 6 (2232 F) glaze firing

She wanted some of her pieces made with Porcelain.

I work in porcelain… hmmm.

I made her some porcelain paper-clay. She made a bunch of pieces.

These were extras she made for me...

Glazed but not fired.

This was probably around 4 years ago that we worked on these.

For me they sat in a bisque stage, in a little bowl, waiting for me to consider glazing them.

I knew what I didn't want - which is a good place to start…

Or rather, leave off because soon after my life changed completely.

My mom got sick. I became pregnant with Chloe. My mom passed away. I became a new mom. I became pregnant with Riley. And "artistic life" has been stuck in a stage similar to treading water…

Becoming active within the blogging community with my blog(s) and through my posts on the Beads of Clay Blog for testing commercial cone 6 glazes, I have made myself become more involved and have worked through a lot of personal things that have been holding me back.

So to me these pieces represent the passion of my love for working in clay...

For collaborating with wonderful artists…

For testing and experimenting and paying attention to the details…

And for letting that passion take full hold and let me work obsessively within my art…

Kelly and I have plans to pick up on this project again very soon…

I guess you can say we are both still very passionate about it.

Snow Melts Into Crunchy Ice To Be Stomped On...

This was just the other day. 

Snow. 

Pretty soft to stomp on…

This following picture is Tuesday evening. 

After 2 days of melting temperatures, then refreezing overnight…

Chloe was checking out the areas she had previously stomped in the snow up on the front walkway...

I meanwhile saw some pretty ice areas to capture with the hipstamatic…

Like this one...

Ooohhh… And over there…

Oh, wait…

STOMP…

Never mind…

I do love her little cow girl boots…

And there is plenty of ice and snow to go around!

Want to see more funny with the little ones?

Ok. So we love Dr. Seuss.

Wacky Wednesday is on our read almost every night list of books.

Well, those Sutherland Sisters - they were wacky!

And so were some of the ladies we saw at the store...

"Yook Mom - She has NO feet! That's Wacky!!!"

("l" is pronounced "y" - we're working on that - but giggle at the way things come out sometimes - "can I have some chapstick for my yips?").

"No head! That is Wacky Too!!!"

Chloe, maybe you should put your head up there and I'll take a picture…

Oh - the things she and I are going to get in trouble with in the future!

She was pretending to be a little pig and I was going to blow her house of dresses down…

Lots of giggles were heard in JC Penney's dress department that day…

Meanwhile - Riley was at home with a stomach bug…

Two things here:

1. He will not be going to play in dresses like his sister with messy hands and face like that. Must keep them clean or we would be bringing a lot home with us…
2. I wonder if eating this much home-made gnocchi is what made him sick? He ate a full serving on Friday night, but got sick Sunday morning… So probably not. 

Here is a peek at unfinished backs to some of my "focus" tiles that are ready for glazing.

I just really liked seeing them lined up, face down…

I have a test kiln that should be unloaded tomorrow morning.

Then hopefully a day of glazing will be in my sights and not a day of taking care of a sick little boy…

Not that I would mind taking care of Riley - but I don't want him sick.

And I've got deadlines…

Oh, well - so is life!

Thanks for stopping by!

W is for White, Weddings and Winter...

Have you ever been asked to make jewelry for someone for their wedding?

I have. And for me it comes with a range of emotions starting with excited, then honored sets in, ideas are thrown about, photos of dresses are looked at.
Then the - oh, crap! questions & doubts start to come up (all in my head of course)...

Will my design sense and know how be good enough? 

What about supplies? 

Better get one of everything in "white" since I only seem to have silver. 

And grayish silver at that, not white silver… Darn! 

Leslie!!! (from Twisted Sistah Beads & Fibers) - HELP!!!

I need more seed beads!

Then the fall back: Well, if they don't like it, I guess they can go buy something pre-made from the store or better yet a boutique that carries handmade jewelry like this handmade sterling silver, pearl and rhinestone head piece...

I do not consider myself a "jewelry designer" as much as I do a "bead maker" and "jewelry maker".

I can whip some stuff up, but it takes a lot of inspiration and practice with various techniques.

So why this post? I've been thinking about posting it since last summer when I was asked to make some wedding jewelry for my aunt (I did a simple strung necklace & dangly earring set - no pics - oops!) which was perfect for her style and dress. And I really enjoyed making it. Casting all doubts aside once I got to the making part and was able to hone in on what it meant to my aunt and uncle to have something handmade just for them for their special day...

Silk bundle #0 Almost White Color Palette.

And for those of you in need of some "white" silks for a wedding, baptism, etc jewelry project - I added some bundles to the silk section of my Etsy Shop that have (1) 2mm, (1) Silky Ribbon, and (1) Fairy Ribbon. 

Perfect for trying out the different kinds of silks in any of the 75 colors I carry in my Etsy shop or Website.

If you want "white" pick the #0 Almost White (trust me - these are as white, as un-dyed silk gets).

I think these ribbons are perfect to hand a small pendant from.

And often, these ceremonies have heirloom pieces of jewelry that are passed down…

That may need just a little something different 

It is now winter. The end of it I hope…

Goodbye cold blustery days…

Really - good bye! I want to see green again…

I have enjoyed some of the photos taken outside in my frozen, decaying garden like this one:

Marsha Neal Studio photo altered through Instagram iPhone app.

But really - I am ready for spring weather and gardening…

I am ready to grow my brain within the Master Gardeners Program starting in March…

And apply what I learn to my garden to really learn about it, then share with others.

I hope to be glazing all week long.
I have some deadlines upon me and a new glaze order arriving any day now (counting 10 days overdue from the original "delivery date" - darn blizzard in Oklahoma stalling UPS…)
So hopefully no posts here, just photos on my Facebook page with my progress.
Riley has a stomach bug, so unless he is 100% tomorrow, he will be home with me all day and I'll be getting nothing done in the studio…

Second Saturday State Of Your Studio - February...

Welcome into my studio…

I am finding myself and my inspiration from all over the place recently.

Above is a Focus!!! Tile that I have been working on seriously.

I have grand delusions of a really funny interactive art project with these tiles…

More to come on that. Think BIG right?

They will all be glazed with this type of finish. Dark. Crusty. Beautiful...

I don't know why I like these pieces so much…

I just can't help myself!

There are a ton of little pieces that will be showing up with this finish…

I just know it!

I need to investigate why these test tiles with wording came out looking like crap.

Nothing like what I had planned.

I think I watered it down too much (you think?!)

So as I was not in my clay studio since last fall (Oct/Nov)…

I decided that I needed to scour my office area and studio in the last month and figure out where the heck I left off before the holidays hit...

I found some old test cones caps for necklaces…

Maybe I'll revisit them sometime.

A slide of some of work I did back in 2000 (check out that date of slide printing - almost 11 years ago exact - weird!) I have the mold for this piece still. Turn it upside down and put a plant in it I say...

The studio has not been this clean & wiped down for a few years!

Ugh, the lingering tower of kitty litter buckets - filled with dry clay scraps.

And bins on shelves above them, filled with:

These are from when I was selling a ton of work through online shops and bead shows.

Not so much anymore…

So what did I do with all those pieces that I paid for already (by this stage, each plastic shoebox full of pieces sanded, sponged & holes drilled - could be $500 to $1000 paid to people helping me out).

They were all dumped into a bucket. This Bucket holds at least 7 shoe boxes full of pieces.

That now look like this:

Do you know how much better I feel about that?

Can I even tell you that there was so much emotion tied up into those shoe boxes full of clay?

Frustration for having paid for work that did not meet up to my standards.

Yes, I'm that much of a control freak. The edges were over sponged and the shapes lost form.

Holes were not centered… Frustrating.

Then there is that lingering feeling of "well, they are paid for, why not try to fix them?".

So I just decided. It has been years. No orders for them. They should be put to better use and recycled into something much more than what they are now.

I feel so much more free right now because of it!

And upon my end of the day clean up…

After finding this cool dried glaze to put in the dry Cone 6 glaze bucket - 

At the point of getting ready to head upstairs - I found this…

Talk about some curse words flying…

A gallon of distilled water I guess had a leak and since I had not been in the clay part of the studio for really 4 months… I had no idea this was going on.

I put on gloves, got the paper towels, garbage bag and antibacterial wipes and went to town. I flipped the wood over and let it dry out (see the heater at the very bottom of the photo).

All better… Pshew.

I have so much more to share with what is going on in my studio.

But that will have to wait until the next Beads-of-Clay Open Studio to be held on March 6, 2011 from 1-4pm EST. I will be having a few giveaways and running a special in my Etsy shop for the weekend.

Until then - Check out some other Clay Bead Makers Blogs sharing (hopefully) the state of their studio over on the Beads-of-Clay Blog.

I hope you will stop back again!