New Work - In A Way...

These have been hanging out in the studio unglazed for almost 2 years.

I wanted something different than my normal glazes I use on my pendants.

This application of an oxide under the glaze allows for lots of variations from out of the bottle...

And this isn't the final way they are going to look.

What are they?

Ring Holders? Terrarium ornaments?

To me they are just experiments at this early stage - the beginning of a series of new work...

They have a few more stages to go through before they are how I really want them.

While I was fiddling around with these oxides & glazes for the little abstract organic pagoda tops,

I also decided to glaze up some of my porcelain pendants...

In the photo above, they are the same glaze, but the bottom piece underwent an additional step of etching.

This etching solution removes the glossy surface and leaves a matte, more rustic finish to the piece.

I'm hoping to make a few more decisions on these, then photograph them and put them into my Etsy shop later this week.

Here is a peek at the test tiles for these oxides & glazes.

Three tiles narrowed down from twelve - just for this round of testing.

Here you can see the test tile I decided to start with.

Crazy how pastel the glazes are before firing!

And in the studio itself, I'm starting to have a few more constant visitors down there with me.

Making messes & making art!

I finally have some big artwork with lots of color to go up on my white cinderblock walls.

It is currently just SO drab. Especially in the winter...

And look - Chloe is even helping me paint the exterior of my kiln room door.

Never moved past the manufacturer primer.

Can I tell you how delighted she and I are that she is helping me put color in the studio!?

And on Saturday it was 65 degrees here! 

Unbelievable for January...

On a whim, we jumped into the car and drove to the beach for a couple of hours.

Here are some of the treasures that Chloe and I collected.

Notice the crab claws?

This beach is Lewes Beach, DE. 

Estuary where the DE river empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The place where I learned to swim (for my life - or rather - for my feet - all kinds of things in that water!)

We were barely on the beach when Chloe started finding shells and such & made herself a little pile.

Dad remembered the buckets, so we were able to gather a few more things to bring home.

And Riley was not into taking his shoes & socks off (too cold for his toes - he likes warm sand!)

But he did sit for a while just checking out all the stuff the beach had to offer.

Overall - a pretty good weekend.

I've got a lot on my mind & some pretty big decisions to make for myself & my business.

Dave and I were just talking last week about me looking for a job soon.

So I've got to get things lined up and figured out for how I need to be spending my time...

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it (my brain will - big time!)

The First Friday Art Walk On Etsy

There is this thing that happens every month...

Hosted by the AWETEam...

There is just something delightful about having a common promotional goal to work towards with a bunch of other artists running shops selling their wares on Etsy.com.

You meet a bunch of other artists...

And gain new friends...

You see some great work...

Maybe even buy some...

New people (potential customers) see your work...

Might even sell some items...

Treasuries are created...

Work is featured...

It is a lot of fun!

If you sell stuff on Etsy, you should look into joining in on the promotional fun and have this monthly goal to work towards to feature some of your best items...

And for this Art Walk weekend, I'm offering 10% off items in both of my Etsy shops:

Type in coupon code: AWEFFAW when checking out to get the discount.

Marsha Neal Studio

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Snow Dusting, Decaying Flowers & Studio Time...

Woke up today with a nice surprise - a dusting of Snow!

Just enough for snow boots (why get regular shoes wet?) and some fun time before school...

Yesterday was the general monthly meeting for the NCC Master Gardeners.

It was great to see so many of my new gardener friends & catch up a bit.

After a presentation by a UD Professor, I have a new outlook on the use of annual plants in the garden & how they can be useful & temporary (they will not survive our growing season). 

It was a nice refresher - just what I needed.

Inspiration and motivation!

And on the way out through the parking lot I was able to snap some pics of the remains of the 

2011 Native Plant Teaching Garden. 

Narrow Leaf New York Ironweed.

Purple Cone Flower.

Then when I got home and spent a few hours updating things online for 

the First Friday Art Walk on Etsy.com 

(hosted by the AWETeam) I made my way into the studio to this mess: 

I am the type of person that needs the bed made before I get into it at night.

Maybe not ALL the time - but I do prefer it.

So it should be no surprise that I like to clean up before making a mess.

So here it is...

My studio space, cleared of the crazy clutter (for the most part - well - for the part I need to work in anyway) and I'm off to go work on some glazing with the Spring 2012 Pantone Fashion colors in mind.

Let's see what I come up with!

Check out my Marsha Neal Studio FaceBook page for updates as I work...

Time To Begin Again...

October through December seemed to melt into one huge cookie lump of memories for me...

I am ready for this new year!

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Having both of my kids born in December we are basically booked full from Thanksgiving through New Years & try not to make any plans outside of immediate family events.

Which is a bit hard for the arts & crafty side of me - but I just have to tie things up early on & know that the last two weeks of December is my time to close up shop for Marsha Neal Studio.

I am trying to get the hang of things as a mom (it's a never ending quest right?!)

I am trying to soak in all the cuteness and memories as I can.

I look back on all the photos that I've snapped with my iPhone and can remember exactly what was going on. I adore having this technology at my fingertips! Every day life being documented...

I found this art easel on clearance right before christmas for $26.99. Had a $10 off $25 purchase - so it came home for $16.99 (was $80 originally!).

One thing I've really been wanting to do for my little ones is give them a place to be messy and creative - and my studio area is the perfect place...

Which makes me realize - I had better get my ongoing organization project(s) back in full swing so they can be safe when down here (talking piles of papers & crap that could tumble over). And sharpies & other permanent creative medium must get a new home high up on my back room shelves...

I want my love of nature & design to be refreshed with this new year.

2011 was not the greatest year for my garden, despite completion of the NCC Master Gardener course.

I guess with knowledge comes understanding - which leads to a whole new way to see things.

I think I prefer some things as a novice - but education will help me get past that feeling.

I even stole a few hours one day during Christmas break to get into the studio to create these textured pieces for small earrings & jewelry components. They have been in my mind for a while now. I also want to make some that are domed and are somewhat like a lentil. Still working that out in my head though...

The left piece is just cut out. The right piece is cleaned up.

Now to get them glazed!

And on a personal note. I did way too much of this kind of cooking in the fall...

And I've been on a cleansing and meal replacement diet since early December.

I love food. I love flavor & texture. I love coffee. I love baked goods.

I love chocolate. I love salty sweet things. I love chips & dip. Give me starches & carbs...

I am a stress eater. I work & forget to eat then go to town because I'm starving...

And I also love myself & my husband, my children.

And for those alone I will put myself through this body cleansing for a few months until I can get myself mentally prepared to not make such bad food decisions.

Really - this kind of dieting is not for me. I want food, not shakes (although they aren't that bad).

I love Weight Watchers because it helps you figure out what to eat and what proportions for actual life situations with real food choices.

But my head isn't into it right now, and my body needs a jump start.

Let's not even talk about exercise yet. That will be worked into the routine very soon...

I hope that by March or April I will be better at controlling myself

So with that typed out, I feel like I'm getting back into it.

Onwards into 2012...

Finding Some Holiday Cheer...

Friday evening our little family of four ventured out for dinner and some Christmas Cheer.

And around here, the place to go for some awesome Christmas Light displays is Longwood Gardens.

It is an annual tradition since I can remember.

I love how this fountain display doesn't change every year.

Insert your favorite Holiday Song (instrumental version) and fountains moving to it and you're there!

It is magical seeing something with your kids, that you remember as a child...

And that every year there is a new theme and the trees are all just a bit different…

I love the red and white lights (they remind me of peppermint - which I love!)

And this is my favorite light wrapping technique.

I hate doing it (frustrating & too many lights & branches to deal with)...

But I love seeing the tree structure like this at night!

Oh, and in the Conservatory - how grand this inside garden is!

Pretty formal for my garden taste - but I can admire the design that goes into it.

I love the visual layering of the lines, texture & color...

The smell of paper-whites is everywhere inside this building.

It is not the most pleasant smell - reminds Dave and I of a Sharpie marker…

But is is a scent that brings back memories of Christmas Time here with family from years ago...

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The theme this year is Gingerbread…

There were gingerbread decorations everywhere...

And this - the Conservatory in Gingerbread…

And huge jars filled with so much candy!

Wish it smelled more like Gingerbread than Paper-whites…

But there were gingerbread scents here and there..

And the trees were dripping with decorations…

Seriously… dripping with SO many decorations!

We always save the Children's water garden for last.

We have learned to bring a change of clothes due to it being - well. Wet...

If we time it right, the change of clothes is feety pajamas.

Perfect so the little ones can be ready for a sleepy car ride home...

Then all bundled up with hats, gloves, scarves…

The kids in their pj's snuggled in blankets with their jackets, hats, gloves & scarves on…

We venture back out through the gardens to admire the outside lights one more time…

This was our favorite tree there - it was immense!

I especially loved snapping this photo of a man taking a photo of three of his girl friends posing in front of the big tree… 

Their silhouettes posing were so much fun to watch against the bright lights…

An family night out was exactly what we all needed!

With my dad through a successful surgery (went as the doctor expected) and now on the hopefully normal slightly bumpy road to recovery...

We were all able to actually enjoy this outing just that much more & we were able to exhale a bit too.

Hope this brings you some cheer as well.

Thank you for all the well wishes & prayers!

It means so much more than you will ever know… 

Thank You!!!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Happy Holidays to you!

What A Time This Will Be To Remember...

It is hard to describe where I am at right now. 

Life is SO all over the place.

I feel like my head is in a bit of a bubble - or at least it is trying to fight to stay there - just for a bit…

Four years ago today, I was in the hospital, delivering my little Chloe.

For as wonderful as the experience was, I still miss the version where my mom was there with me.

Not that the one I have isn't good enough - it was perfect and full of laughter (yes - we laughed!)

But still. I always had envisioned my kids being born with my mom there with me.

In a way - I know she was there…

So today my Chloe woke up as a 4 year old and got some email from her friends...

We made some pink cupcakes with purple icing & sprinkles for her to take to school today…

She got a Princess Tiana doll this morning & maybe another after dinner tonight (depends on if the 4 year old Chloe version comes with the "listening ears" update - lol!)

I can't believe she is 4. I loved her being 3! I so look forward to seeing how 4 is :)

And yesterday, my Step-Brother (I would say brother, but that gets confusing…) & Sister-In-Law in FL had a little baby boy! 

A new nephew Tristan (He is beautiful!!).

He and Chloe were both delivered the same amount of three weeks early. 

I was due on Dec. 26, she was born on the 8th. 

She was due on Dec. 25, he was born on the 7th.

With three Dec. birthdays (Riley is the 28th) all within 4 years of age - we're going to have to plan some fun family outings to Disney around Christmas… 

It will be so much fun!

And in NYC, Duckie is hanging out with my Dad & Step-Mom.

Very shortly (minutes at this point) Right now, my dad is undergoing surgery to remove an organ and the cancer that decided it wanted to call it home. I pray that the surgeon has steady hands and sharp eyes to cut carefully and without harming him in other ways…

We all want my dad around for years to come…

He has a new grandson to meet, hang out with and get addicted to trains (as the other three are!)

We have lots of plans for just being around dad.

Goes to show that life has its own plans. 

And you never know where your life will end up or what will come knocking on your door from day to day.

Oh, and speaking of life changing. I've decided to try some fasting and cleansing (Isagenix) for this body of mine that has been stress eating comfort foods (so not good for my border-line bad cholesterol) since summer. I could totally see myself continuing to make cookies, cakes, mashed potatoes & living off of chips & other crap - but I am taking control. 

Cold turkey. Well, cold shakes actually...

Dave is doing it too (along with 3 other family members). 

So for a while I'm going to just hang in tight and finish up some orders, then just be here for a while…

Drinking my shakes…

On days like today, I am thankful for having this other path for my health to keep me in control. 

It is SO mental, and I really want to go dive into something else. But I'm not. 

I'm staying strong and taking care of myself so I can be around for as long as possible, and in good health to enjoy life with my kids and hopefully one day - grandkids (maybe great grandkids too :)

This will be a time to remember for a long time…

What a crazy path we are all on right now!