Marsha Neal Studio Blog

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Etsy Shop Sale Extended through 10/31/09

This week is going to be a bit crazy for me here at home...

Dave and I are buckling down and moving a lot of my studio and office stuff into the basement studio (he has taken off work to help, so you know it's going to get moved this week).

So I've decided to extend my Etsy Shop Sale through Saturday, 10/31/09.

All of the items listed in my shop are currently listed at 40% off their regular retail pricing, so what you see is what you pay... Have fun shopping!!!

I will be shipping any orders that I receive on Friday 10/30/09.

And remember, 20% of all sales through the end of October via Marsha Neal Studio Etsy shop goes towards the room dedication to My Mom Pattie at Tri-State Bird Rescue.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Thanks For Visiting!

It has been so enjoyable to spend the afternoon with so many friends from blog land!!!

If you have any suggestions for improvements on Open Studio Events like this hosted through Beads-of-Clay.Blogspot.com

please email me: Marsha @ MarshaNealStudio.com

and I'll make sure to get it to the right people so we can continue to hold events like this more often...

Don't forget to spend some time looking at blog posts from the day for more insight into participating artists studios and stop by their Etsy shops or websites for specials throughout the end of today!

Thank you for participating and all your support!

Fall Tradition I'd Like To Share

Second Blog Commenter Winner is SueBeads! Congratulations!!!

Days are getting shorter...

A chill is in the air...

Leafs have started to change color and are falling to the ground...

And a spark of new excitement enters our lives...

The Fall Holidays are upon us...

In our house that means we break into monthly decorating, including Pumpkin Carving...

Dave and I have been the Halloween Pumpkin Carving ring leaders in the last couple of years... Probably because we are the most child-like, holiday loving, big kids in the family (on his side anyway). We get together with everyone right before Halloween night, scoop out pumpkins, toast the pumpkin seeds, and spend hours with all the kids (adults included) carving out pumpkins.

Here are some funny pictures from when we first started dating and getting "our" holiday traditions underway...

To get ready for the family pumpkin carving event we put the word out to pick the date, pick the carving themes, get the pumpkins, and of course, bring out all of the cool tools (clay carving tools are especially handy!)

Dave usually starts the pumpkin carving and I finish up with the details...

One of the sites we use for templates for the pumpkins is Zombie Pumpkins.

Here are some images of pumpkins past...

We also have made it a fall tradition to go to a local farm to pick out our pumpkins. My friend Natalie has a small farm right up the road from us... how convenient!

I think I've found someone else that will actually like scooping out the pumpkins and getting seeds... Yay Chloe!!!

Last year Dave thought it would be cool to take a picture of Chloe and put it into grayscale then attempt carving the image out...

Kind of creepy, but yet, kind of cool...

We've got a bit more practicing to do with this technique...

Some tips I'd like to share with you about pumpkin carving...

1. Pick out your theme ahead of time so you can find the design and the right shaped pumpkin to work with that picture.

2. When carving a pumpkin with multiple layers, play with thickness of pumpkin (scoop out more or less from the inside) to give shadowing more depth.

3. Use a stapler to attach the template to the outside of the pumpkin in order to outline the design without moving it.

4. Try different tools! There are electric pumpkin carving tools out in a lot of the stores - Dave and the other boys love those... I prefer the hand held saws for more control, but have to admit... when your hand gets tired, that little electric cutter is awesome!

5. Have a couple of extra pumpkins, just incase you have little ones that don't have the patience to carve in detail like this. Painting pumpkins is a lot of fun for them too!

Tips on Roasting The Pumpkin Seeds:

I separate out the seeds from the guts, but don't rinse them. In a bowl, coat with a little bit of vegetable oil, salt to taste (try different flavors by using garlic salt or other seasonings in separate batches), mix in bowl, put on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes in an oven around 350 until they are toasty brown. I have yet to perfect this, and think I may attempt to stir the seeds mid-way, and bake a little longer. I like my seeds crunchy toasty brown...

Thanks for stopping by for this Blog Open Studio Event!

Remember to check out my Etsy Shop and other Beads of Clay Artists Blogs...

Open Studio Blog Giveaway #2

Giveaway Number 2 is one of my oval large pendants in my Wallpaper Flower Design in my Asian Green Red Glaze.

Just make a comment on this post and you will be entered into a random drawing to win this pendant! Good Luck!!!

Step Into My Studio Space...

Congratulations Lorelei on winning the 2pm giveaway!!!

Here are some pictures of my physical studio space...

It is purely functional at this time as the place where I go to make stuff...

Not the place where I go to find inspiration...

I mentally block out the "basement" surroundings when I'm working by listening to music, drinking hot tea (or coffee when not pregnant) and just zoning out and getting to work...

I am in the process of moving all of my business, studio and bead stuff all into one space...

Seems like that will never end!

And as my good friend Kelly of Beadfuddled often says with a laugh, of those of us with studio spaces in the basement: "We're all a bunch of cellar dwellers..."

This is the area where I sit and create pieces or glaze...

When you first walk into my studio area this is what you currently see on your left. And what you may notice if you were physically here: under that counter space sits 2 Kitty Litter Boxes. They've got to be somewhere in the house...

Down at the end, some of my storage shelving that holds tools, older test glazes, my texture plates, clay and plaster storage on the bottom shelves, and a place for a number of oddities...

Contents of one of the shelves with a lot of my pottery and carving tools...

Here are where I keep my hand carved texture plates that I use to make my textured porcelain pendants. Have a lot more than this too, these are just the ones I commonly use...

As you turn a little to your right, you run into the space where I can usually be found working. Complete with Peeves the cat chewing on some of my carving tools. Bad Kitty... time to move those tools back onto their shelf...

Here is a closer look of my working space. I use the end of my slab roller to work. It's the perfect height and area - and my favorite and most used piece of equipment in the studio...

This is where I've started to sort all of the pieces for my new line of decal pendants...

Sticking with my new studio "creative place" mantra:

All in one place, neat and organized so I can spend more time creating and less time searching...

Below is a quick shot of my clay wedging table and clay storage underneath...

And as you keep turning to your right, here is the kiln room we built so we could have proper ventilation and a safe place to run them without kitties, kids and myself running into hot kilns.

And Peeves knows she isn't allowed into that kiln room, so she usually sits outside waiting for me to finish loading a kiln to get some attention...

See her mouth open? She talks like I do... A lot...

And with your last turn right again, you are facing some additional shelving that holds bisque pendant stock and you are at the door you came through in the first place...