State of Your Studio Saturday...

Over on BOC I create a monthly post on the 2nd saturday where artists that blog can link up their post about the current State of your Studio.

The state of my clay studio right now - well, I couldn't even tell you what it looks like. I have some porcelain rolled out into slabs from about a month ago, covered in plastic - waiting to be made into cutout flowers. And I just came across my glaze tests on the dining room table (the place where I put the tray last month after photographing the test tiles for my monthly glaze post).

My mind and hands have been in the garden. I have been dividing plants and donating a number of them to non-profit organization plant sales in the last month. My interests in gardening with sustainability in mind is at the forefront.

August 2010 Main Hill Garden

The lack of an overall "design" in my garden is bugging the crap out of me. Maybe it is just impatience and lack of funds to buy more plants (Yes - I have a plant addiction, much like my bead addiction). Wish the plant center would trade beads or jewelry with my beads for plants… Maybe they will - hmmm…

For now, I continue to divide my perennials and plant more plants to help increase the availability of pollen, nectar, seed, and habitat for the wildlife. But it is getting to be too much of the same thing repeated around in the different garden areas. So it need to focus more on design to be balanced for that human aspect that is incorporated within the idea of garden sustainability.

Blood-root in amongst vines. These were transplanted after flowering.

I'm irked at all the vines growing at the edge of my garden and woods. I am strongly considering having a contractor come in and clear that area, leaving only one oak tree in place. Just to get a bit of control back and to make sense of that area and to get rid of those invasive vines that are choking out the trees and fragmented woodland understory plants. 

Some early vines and plants that will soon take over this area.

So little by little, I am digging up the native plants that I can get to and moving them to a better location so when we have the funds, and it is the right time of the year (fall I believe - after bird nesting season), I can say - take it all, except that oak, out…

Oh, and one project that I am working on for my Native Teaching Garden for Master Gardeners is a list of native plants for shade gardens that can actually be found at local nurseries around here. There is already a list of native plants for the demonstration garden. Not that it will be used, but I think a list of native plants, that are usually available to the general public is quite helpful to have. At this point of my education, I get so confused with all the names being thrown about.

So the next step will be me taking my camera and photographing the plant in prime growth season, with a label in front of it so I can get some things straight in my head. Learning a whole new language here…

I wonder if I'll get into the studio (other than for orders) between now and next month's post for the BOC State of Your Studio Saturday… 

Somehow, I doubt it. I'll be back in there once we arrive at 80 degree days and I can't stand to be outside in the heat...

First Friday and Treasuries...

As some of you might know, I've taken over the roll of Captain of the Delaware Etsy Street Team as of February 2011. It is great getting to know a bunch of artists that live in the same general area as you.

Downtown Wilmington on May 5, 2011. Photo by Marsha Neal Studio.

One of the things I have been doing for the DEST is coming up with team blog events for everyone to be able to participate in. We have a First Friday Delaware Style event on the first friday of every month. It is a collaboration between the AWEteam (Art Walk Team) event: FirstFridayArtWalk and the local Art Loop scene. I have pipe dreams of getting some DEST artist shows at local galleries and shops in the next year pulled together…

Beautiful Mom Treasury By Marsha Neal Studio

Another team blog event that is open to anyone that makes a treasury that includes an item from a DEST member (tags to search for items are: deteam or delawareteam) or is created by a DEST member is Treasury Tuesday. Send me a link to your treasury (I am a DEST member by the way, so if you include one of my pieces - that counts!) and I'll try to get it up on the blog. You are also welcome to add a link to the DEST member included treasury to our weekly blog post via the inlinkz gadget at the end of the post: Treasury Tuesday blog post.

Delaware Street Team Spring Garden Party by Marsha Neal Studio

And can I tell you that creating treasuries really makes you look at your own shop photographs and pushes you to take better photographs and think outside the "good enough to just get it listed" photos. Especially when you want to create a team treasury (such as the one above) where location is the only thing in common overall. I like a good challenge - as long as I have the time!

Once my Master Gardener training is complete at the end of May, I'll have a lot more time back for my studio work and refocus on the direction of Marsha Neal Studio.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Make sure to hop on over to the DEST Blog to check out our events and artists...

Side Tracked, But Still Here...

Do you ever feel like you can't just keep up, and you've got to pick through things that you let slide a bit?

I think I'm going to be in that place through the end of May… 

By then, I'll be another year older.

I will be turning 36 - the point where I am in my 30's - but on the other half, closer to 40. Ok, that just looks weird typing it out like that (do you ever have one of those moments?)

One of the thing I am not letting slide...

And the other…

No matter if he is learning to drive - through my gardens.

They will grow back...

Poor little guy is going to have to go to the Dr. tomorrow morning to get his eyes checked out.

He has had swollen sinuses (just look at how tired he looks - he isn't) and oozing eyes.

Some sort of infection (it's yellow ooze).

Hopefully something they some antibiotics can take care of, because the ointment they gave us a couple of days ago only helped so much…

Today after my Master Gardener Training, I helped out for a few hours with plant related activities for AG Day through University of Delaware. 

Pictured are a bunch of the herb baskets that a lot of people helped to pull together today. 

More to do tomorrow as well as a preview plant sale (donated plants).

I made some plant/herb markers for the Silent Auction as well as for a Herb basket for the silent auction. They are double sided with a large line curls texture on the back and glazed all over.
Hopefully I will get them into my Etsy shop for taking orders.
Is there a demand or want for them?

And the light blue porcelain pendant (blood root impression) pictured above has a mate, and they were both made into pendants for two necklaces as a set going into the silent auction as well.

I've got AG Day, an exam, two different apprentice projects (one butterfly garden related idea, one shade garden idea - both focusing on using native plants), plant donations to get together for the Wilmington Flower Market, and MG plant swap next week, and that is in addition to the normal routine around the house & family. The house is a bit of a mess, but at least the family is being taken care of :)

I think I'm at least seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with where my busy times of the year are going to be as far as gardening and studio work goes…

And just FYI - if you want to get any of the clay pieces in my Etsy shop on sale - you've got until the end of the day on Saturday (4/30/11) - then they go back to regular price…

I'd love to make any of those clay pieces into a finished jewelry piece for you!

Thanks for stopping by...

Butterflies and Flowers...

Here is a quick photo of a bunch of pieces that are in the mail to Darlene of D7 Studio.

Darlene picked up selling for me at bead shows when I stopped a few years ago to have a couple of babies…  

Don't forget that if you can't make it to a bead show,

you can also find these in my Etsy shop...

Spring Etsy Shop Sale...

From now through April 20, 2011 ~ I am having a 20% off of all my clay items in my Etsy Shop!

I am just in one of those moods…

I marked the pieces down last night to the sale price...

I would love to see some extra cash flow too so I can start to buy some plants from the University of DE Ag Day Master Gardeners Tent on April 30th to help replant this area in my woods that I am trying to convert back to more native (I've pulled out a ton of invasive plants this spring) habitat.

This is just a tiny section of the area that goes from full shade mature wood edge to grass. There needs to be better transition (I'm thinking "meadow"). Also some boggy areas that want some help back there too…

So - help me out and get some great pieces for making jewelry with (or I can make them into jewelry for you!).

Don't forget that if you are one of my FaceBook Fans or have visited and commented on my April Etsy Stalker featured page - there are coupon codes for an extra 10% off. 

BONUS!!! Using the April Etsy Stalker coupon code AND making multiple comments over there on my page gets you entered into extra drawings for the month! $40 gift certificate drawings - 2 of them!!!

YES - NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO SHOP!!!

Pass it on and have at it!

Earrings - Have You Seen Them?

Have You Seen These???

You can vote for them if you want until April 15, 2011.

If you have seen me in the last couple of weeks, I have probably been wearing them, and chances are, you've seen them...

They are super long and dangly!

Which somehow makes it seem "fun" to wear them. 

Do you have "fun" earrings?

Or are your earrings just "pretty"?

Maybe it is the way they bump against everything - my hair, neck & shoulders.

When weeding for the MG Native Plant Garden: 

"oh, hello there long dangly earrings - I can see you!"

They have not gotten stuck (one thing I was testing for) in sweaters or hair - which I totally expected it to do with the way the surface of the pieces appear. 

Shows they are rough looking, but looks can be deceiving.

My winter jacket pictured in the first photo - well, that collar is high, and they have gotten tucked in between it and my neck when it's zipped up. 

That annoyance gives me more reason to want warmer weather here:

I want to wear dangly fun earrings!!!

Here is what I used to design these earrings:

Joanne Zekowski Glass Beads

I just saw Joanne yesterday at Bead Fest Wire in Philadelphia and picked up these (some will be making an Etsy shop appearance paired up with some of my chocolate shards):

In 2011 Joanne will be out at Bead & Button in Milwaukee, Bead Fest Philadelphia and a few trunk shows… 

But no website, so get them when you can!

I used a set of my chocolate clay shards - the ones that I have will be listed in my Etsy shop under the "shards" section. 

I call them "toggle bars" because the hole is in the middle & they could be used as toggles in your necklace design if you wanted:

And some seed beads and Vintaj brass pieces and 20ga - 22ga vintage brass wire (also from Vintaj).

By the way - I entered this pair of earrings into the monthly Vintaj Blog challenge for "Woodland Blush" - They are #13 over on the voting blog post.

Voting is open 4/11/11 to 4/15/11… 

Not that you have to vote for my pieces or anything - vote for your favorite.

I am just proud of myself that I actually sat down and made a pair of earrings - that are very wearable & fun - from some new and some old bead stash that I've been hoarding for YEARS!

If I could reach it, I would be patting myself on the back.

So I'll just see if maybe we can go out for Mexican Food for dinner instead (yum!)

Bead Fest Wire is going on this weekend in Philadelphia.

You can get my different clay shards from Darlene of D7Studio in Booth #302.

And find Joanne all the way on the other side wall - totally opposite of where Darlene is.

Also, while you are shopping there at Darlene's table (OMG - you should see the great stuff she is carrying now!!!) stop and say Hi to Kelly Russell of BeadFuddled! She is there selling her fabulous pieces, components and new handmade nuno felt. 

Drool, drool, drool…

Thanks for stopping by!