Stewart Creations » crafts

Mad scientist

mammal — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:57:54 +0000

raspberry glaze

I mixed the raspberry glaze chemicals today. Tomorrow it will be nicely floculated, if I have that term right. I believe that floculation is the process of the powdered chemicals actually soaking up water. Although, it might be the opposite, the definition wasn’t clear and even when I talk to potters who know, it doesn’t seem clear, but it’s a great word.

Bones and Bags

mammal — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:40:13 +0000

I am selling my extra skeleton (Day of the Dead) bones as Beads at the swap meet. That’s the Pagan Pride Festival that I have been talking about. I figure I can get a buck each for the long bones, they are pretty cute. I would have made twisted wire charms or necklaces out of them but I ran out of time. Tonight I will paint the signs for all the stuff and tomorrow head off to Phoenix to deliver. Hope I get some money!

Baby Chicks

mammal — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:51:04 +0000

My baby chicks are already growing adult feathers on their thighs. They still use the light at night but they won’t need that much longer. Dave is already planning the rest of their run, as they will fast outgrow the box and the coop. They are already grazing on scraps. Soon I will have eggs. Maybe enough to sell, I won’t need barcode scanners quite yet, but I have seen some pretty amazing portable units lately.

baby chicks

good firing this time

mammal — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:46:20 +0000

everything came out great from the medium kiln, so now I have dolls to put together. I also know the routine for the medium kiln and can use it pretty much any time. Feels like freedom.
I might even get a couple more batches fired before the gallery opening October 3rd.
There is a Pagan Pride celebration and swap meet that a friend of mine has a booth at and she would like to sell some of the dolls, so maybe I can get a few more done by then. I will try to get a bunch of sage smudge sticks and some more tarot card bags done for that, too.

Bisque Firing

mammal — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:20:26 +0000

loaded kiln shelf

I loaded my green ware into the big kiln today. How exciting! Some of that stuff has been around the house for several months, waiting for the right time to take to the studio. I have had many nervous moments packing, moving, unpacking, loading into the kiln, with some of those items. At last they’ll be fired and be pretty much indestructible in a couple of days.
Ceramics is so fun, I can’t wait to see the little lemon box come out of there. Mike has some stuff in with that load, too, and I have a bunch of bones and ribs and pelvises.
This is the big kiln that caught on fire a couple of weeks ago. Mondo completely refurbished it and actually has already test-fired it up to 1000 degrees, so we don’t expect any problems.

Mold Making

mammal — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:05:34 +0000

Next step in making the skeleton feet is to make the ceramic press mold. To that end I have softened up some speckled buff, lined a suitably-sized box with plastic, layered a few inches of clay and left to settle.
After that I will press the sole of the skeleton/shoe model into the clay. I need to make the join right at the widest part of the foot/sole so the top part of the mold won’t get stuck and deform the mold when decanted.
I am gathering costumes and costume ideas, I think I will do a sports theme for some of them, I have been looking at personalized golf gifts online for accessory ideas and making jewelry out of beads and wire.
I’m pretty excited about this project, and we’re headed to Ajo tomorrow, I’ll get to look at my bones. I am very close to having all the parts for a test doll.

Skeleton Feet in Heels

mammal — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:58:09 +0000

I have one set of medium-sized feet out of that bake modeling clay, so now it’s time to make the ceramic mold of them. The skeleton hands, too. The hands I only need one of each size because I can bend the clay to make righties or lefties, it’s just bones. Actually pseudo-bones, they aren’t anywhere near anatomically correct. This is fun, not science.

skeleton feet

Baked Clay

mammal — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:20:24 +0000

These Day-of-the-Dead dolls are getting pretty exciting. I couldn’t come up with a delicate enough structure out of clay, The finger bones are not sturdy enough to do out of speckled buff or dover white, but I figured out a way to mold them and attach to the doll to make it sturdy enough to fire. After it’s fired it is no problem.
I am playing around with jewelry for them, too. To get ideas of classic designs I visit sites like diamonds international reviews and such. Can’t get enough of shopping, even if I’m just looking.
I am now trying out a modeling clay that I just found out about, I guess it’s been around. This stuff you bake, the longer you bake the stiffer it gets, and you can stop the process anywhere from rubbery to melmac.
I will use this skeleton hand to make a mold and then attach the hands to my day-of-the-dead dolls using the s’graffiti method. That means I can make the hands out of the same clay as the bones, I just have to attach the hands to something, lay the three-dimensional molded hands over some flowers, or skirt material, or hat. They will be too delicate to hold up on their own, but it should work fine attached. Next problem, feet.

Dead ladies

mammal — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:08:19 +0000

I am making bones for the Day of the Dead Ladies. I want to have a bunch of them done for Halloween, actually somewhat before then so I can show them and sell them. Having a hard time with the hands, I haven’t figured out how to make them so they will be sturdy enough to make it through the first firing. Clay is just mud until it fires, and dry mud is pretty fragile.
Look at these beauties.

day of the dead

my etsy account

mammal — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:13:48 +0000

Two items are listed so far, well, no, more like I have 2 items to list in my etsy store, one is listed and one is on its way.

berry bowl

for sale

on etsy.com

buy one today

Ceramics on etsy.com

mammal — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:02:24 +0000

whimsical

set of four

These will go on my new etsy account, with this description.
Ice Cream Dish
Pretty little stemmed ice cream cup. 3 3/4 inches tall and 3 3/4 inches wide. Blues and natural buff-colored clay support the whimsical design. This is a chunky, hand-made ceramic style and it holds temperature well, so you can freeze the cup and your ice cream will stay cold longer. Perfect for hot weather.
Microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe.
I think $12.50 each or all four for $40.00

New Roof

mammal — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:01:50 +0000

We are getting a new roof. It’s taking a couple of days, but is not costing us a dime, the insurance picked it up because of the hail storm in October that ripped through the Miata roof and smacked me on the jaw. almost Golf Ball Sized.
So there is a lot of banging up there, and I’m surprised that the dogs are being so good.
Good dogs.

new roof

Picture of a Flamingo

mammal — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:50:23 +0000

Getting Spooky with the new Flamingo

We got a package from our friends in Minnesota. They find a lot of antiques and vintiques and ran across just the thing for my Mr. He really likes his flamingos. It’s a tin watering can, pretty unique. And they also sent each of us this incredibly bright flashlight.
I am more interested in things that will organize me right now, like zippered packs for my various electronics. There are sites where you can buy a motorola case and organize your purse, desk, world… whatever.
But the flamingo is good, too.

Monkey Hat

mammal — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:24:05 +0000

Monkey hat for Monkey Friday

By now, this reveler has a whole monkey outfit and also, even though it not a wrestling backpack, he has a monkey backpack, too.
We take our monkey Fridays pretty seriously around here. It’s about time for another one, though this time it will be Tuesday. If I get my homework done, I’ll see if I can arrange for a day of good food, good company, and good drinks.

Apple Tart

mammal — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:04:00 +0000

This is the simple apple tart that my Monkey Friday buddy made out of pizza dough, apples, cheese and a sprinkle of sweetened balsamic vinegar. It has inspired me countless times since to
1. make my own pizza dough (which turned out great)
2. make my own apple tart (which did not turn out as good, and
3. make an apple pie (which did not turn out at all, though everybody ate it politely).
The trouble I had with the apple pie was the filling. It was too chunky of sliced apples. The tart has sliced apples laid in a ring, cheese, and another ring of apples laid the other way with more cheese and the vinegar on top. My pie filling apples were laid out the same way, but it was an open top crust and the apples weren’t mushy enough for my taste.
Gives me a good excuse to keep practicing.

More Cooking

mammal — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:48:27 +0000

A roast sounds good, there is some organic roast on sale at Sunflower Market. That is the kind of thing that’s easy to make for a party. The vegetables go right in the roast and the gravy is the only last minute cooking there is. Easy peasy! No one had better be using any appetite suppressants, would they even work with all that good food around? Think of the smells! Mmmm!
If it is roast, I could have a nice bread and brown mustard, and a salad, and with the veggies cooked along side of the roast, I think that would be good.

Cookies

mammal — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:38:50 +0000

The cookies are a success! They are full of pretty fruit bits and very whole wheaty. You almost feel healthy just eating them. If I didn’t know there was so much butter in them, I’d swear they were good for me.
I baked a loaf of the cookie dough and it looks great, too. I will drizzle frosting on it tomorrow and slice it thin. should be a nice little sweet treat for after dinner. We are having the kids over tomorrow for a meal and a cartoon. I’m looking forward to that.

Cookie Weather

mammal — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:50:38 +0000

I really like cooking, so winter is a treat for me in Arizona. One of these days I intend to have an outdoor oven for the summers. I actually like cooking enough to always be on the lookout for the best diet pills on the market.
Tonight, to warm up the house, I am baking brandied fruit drop cookies. They’ll have oatmeal, whole wheat flour, walnuts… the works, and I soaked the dried fruits (dates, apricots, cranberries, apple) in the last little dash of apricot brandy that we had left over from Christmas.
I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Level Foundation

mammal — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:28:34 +0000

My darling’s foundation for the new shop is nice and level.

foundation

It took a couple of loads of rock and a few more loads of dirt, but it’s ready to be poured now.
Today he is working on the motorcycle that he wants to sell before he moves the garage to Ajo. It’s more complicated than just installing yakima bike racks on the trucks, he will have to schlep everything onto the trailer, drag the trailer down there and then schlep everything off the trailer again. Do that several times with heavy toolboxes and bikes and bike parts. It may take awhile.
But he’s got a nice start on the shop. That’s the first step, finish the shop. Then he can move out of the Phoenix one.

Party Foods

mammal — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 06:06:41 +0000

I laid the table and can’t hardly wait for tomorrow with the kids.

Festive Table

Looking at the pic here it doesn’t look as festive as it does in real life. None of the food is out yet, except the stuff still in packages. I might have to make a centerpiece out of rosemary or something. I did a swag for the patio door out of rosemary, it smells so good.

Pam Loves Her Blouse!

mammal — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:04:33 +0000

Pam called me today and raved about the color, fit, and style of her new blouse. Just when I was tired of blouses, I get a rave review!
Sweet!

Blouse sized 3X

Handbags Are Fun to Make

mammal — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:26:51 +0000

I finished with the blouses, it really did not satisfy like the handbags do. So I have two more bags cut out and ready to go. It’s not Samsonite luggage by any means, just soft-side bags.
I will have two out of the grey material. One will be lined with a thin satin-like polyester and the other will be lined with a printed light cotton. Both will have outside pockets, a zippered inside pocket and a top zipper.
I’m pretty excited.

Bright material handbag

Art Books

mammal — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:11:28 +0000

Art books refresh my creative juices. I just finished The White Rabbit and Other Delights by Alan Bisbort.

http://openlibrary.org/b/OL988301M/white-rabbit-and-other-delights

Xmas Fun

What a long strange trip it’s been. I will give this book to my friend who is moving to Arkansas next week. We are getting together tomorrow for lunch and to say ‘goodbye’.
My friend is an artist. A REAL artist, and she will love this book. Even though she is younger than my son, she still finds the sixties art interesting and inspiring, and understands the philosophies involved with being a seeker and a slacker.
Don’t expect wedding invitations from her, she’s going to Arkansas to stay with her Dad for a surgical procedure. The reason she’s actually moving there, is because she wanted to move anyway and her lease is up, and it just seems like a good time.
I remember being that loosely tied, back in the sixties.

School work

mammal — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:42:04 +0000

School work on spring break, no less. Shouldn’t I be drinking my a55 off in Rocky Point? But no, I will need to work a little bit every day to be on top when classes resume. So Paris is coming over today to help me polish up the web sites. He is also going to teach me how to ‘fish’ for myself, you know, ‘give a man a fish and he’ll eat today, but teach him to fish and he’ll eat for life’. Which is kind of what I hope to accomplish in Hondurus. I believe the internet is the biggest thing I can bring to them. I will of course need a laptop computer of my own on site, but I am looking in to the rules and regs for importing computers to them. If nothing else, I can bring chips and boards with me and build what they need.
The ecommerce part of my project is really the whole point, that and the gardens. Whatever trinket or goods the community can produce isn’t as important as the act of connecting to the world at large to market the goods. This, I believe, will set them free. And the gardens.
I don’t believe that a local government can take your freedom if you can communicate with the global population, and you know what they all have been going through down there in Central and South America from governments, theirs and mine. For several generations these people have been constantly uprooted, undermined, threatened and disrespected by the powers-that-be. No wonder family units have disappeared and they have lost the will to take care of themselves.
I would like to see a world with free internet signal in the very air around this whole globe, like Tesla intended.

Outdoor Kitchen

mammal — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:47:53 +0000

Take a look at these sultry numbers … farmhouse sinks …
I have a beautiful new lanai and grass in the backyard. The dogs love the grass, I love the lanai. I can see us living outdoors a lot more with this little shady retreat.

bunch of dogs

For Xmas my sweetie-pie got a new gas grill. This baby has lights, side burners, and smoker capability. He’s a real good BBQ-er and handles most of our dinner meats outside. (He got the grill from me.)
We have water to the fountain out there, so I think we need an outdoor sink. Looking at these beauties makes me want it all the more.
I have been doing my ceramics outside under the lanai. Just slab work, or course, I don’t have a wheel. The orange, lime and tangerine trees are in full bloom and the air is perfumed with citrus blossom. It’s heavenly working out there. I made a foot-tall pitcher for an assignment that blew up (dried unevenly), so now I need to replace that particular item. I look forward to doing it today. My first real project came out really nice. I made a small pitcher, used ‘velvet underglaze’ and dipped it in light cerulean blue. It turned out so pretty. I am keeping notes about what colors and glazes I use so I can remember. There are a lot of them to remember. If I get a really good or a really bad result I will know from my notes what I tried. Got a little journal just for ceramics.