I'm so flattered!

Craftster.org chose me for their Best of 2013!




I'm so flattered and excited!


They featured my yarn bowls and black and white lace animal mugs. How cool is that!

 Thanks, Craftster!!

Ornaments and Giveaway Winner!

New in the shop this week: Snowflake Christmas Ornaments!

My sister makes fantastic paper snowflakes, so I asked her to collaborate with me on this project. She mailed me a big envelope full of snowflakes that I used to create these ornaments.

Also, my Mug Giveaway has ended and Connie has been randomly selected as the winner! Congratulations, Connie!!

Giveaway!

I'm having a giveaway! The winner will receive this mug from my Antlers Collection. This one features a Tibetan Antelope and it can hold about 11 ounces of your favorite beverage.  I threw it on a potter's wheel, stenciled the lace design, and hand carved the antelope. It is food safe, microwave safe, and dishwasher safe. 

 

* This is my first giveaway, so please be patient with any little hiccups along the way.  :o)

How To Enter:

1. Head over to my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/JessiVanGundy and take a look around.

2. Come back here and leave a comment telling me which piece is your favorite.

3. Enter the raffle in the widget below.

(Please make sure that the name you comment under is the same as the name you use to enter the giveaway!)

The Fine Print:

1. No purchase necessary.

2. Open to people with US mailing addresses only.

3. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

4. One entry per person.

5. Winner will receive an electronic gift certificate redeemable only on my etsy shop ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/JessiVanGundy ). The winner may not redeem the gift certificate for cash. However, it may be used for anything in my shop of equal or lesser value to the original prize.

6. Any personal information (email addresses, mailing addresses, etc.) will be kept private.

7. This blog is not responsible for any technical problems that might inhibit you from entering the giveaway, such as lost entries, etc.

8. The giveaway will close on Wednesday, October 2nd at 12:00am EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Process

Clay is a slow medium. It allows you to do things on it's own fickle time frame that changes based on the weather, where and how long ago the clay was dug from the earth, and a myriad of other factors. Rush the drying time and it may crack in protest.

Pottery is a process heavy endeavor and each step has it's own unique timing. And the process is one of the things that drew me to ceramics in the first place. I work best with deadlines and schedules and ceramic work comes with them built in. If I want something to ship out for a friend's birthday in a month, I know that I have to start it now to make room from drying time plus two firings. And I also know that I need to make a spare in case something goes wrong with the first.

What I've Been Up To Since May

I went to California to visit family.

Santa Barbara Mission

We bought our first house. It's in a wonderful neighborhood and much closer to Matt's work. It has a wonderful screened porch and a sunroom that I turned into a studio. The rest of the house is a little cookie-cutter right now, but I think over time we'll give it some character.

Door to my studio!

I've been putting together an etsy shop! Opening very soon!

New technique I've been working on.

2013 Photo Journal: February 19 - March 1

 

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

Spinning Yarn

Zucchini Bread

Hand Spun

Snowflake Mugs

My sister is a talented paper snowflake maker. She's about a billion times better than I am. So I asked her to make some for me to use as stencils and she mailed me a envelope just stuffed with the little guys. And I made some mugs. Because that's what I do now apparently.

Group Shot

Set 1, Side A

Set 1, Side B

Set 2, Side A

Set 2, Side B

Cabled Pillow

I love the texture on this pillow cover. It's so nubbly and fun to touch. The yarn was originally knit into a bunch of little child sized purses, but I had no use for them so I ripped it all out and made this instead. The cable pattern is the same. It's a very basic 2 stitch repeating cable and where the right and left slanting cables meet, you wrap the yarn around several times.

Map Covered Monogram Tutorial

How to Make a Map Covered Monogram:

Materials:
1/4" sheet MDF - 2' x 4' (also known as particle board)
large map - mine is a 1988 National Geographic world map
scissors
xtacto or small utility knife
painters tape or masking tape
jigsaw
drill with 1/4" or larger bit
sandpaper - 100 grit works well
bone folder or wadded up paper towel
C-clamps and a sturdy work surface

Safety equipment:
safety glasses
dust mask (especially if you have allergies or asthma)
ear plugs

Step One: Determine the size of your monogram.
Factors:
- Size of your wall - I could fit something up to 3' x 4' on my mantle.
- Size of your map - My map was approximately 3.5' x 2.5'
- Size of your MDF - My local hardware store sold huge sheets of MDF for about $30 or 2'x4' sheets for about $6. I went with the $6 option.

My monogram is 24" tall and 44" wide.

Step Two: Plot out your letters.
I used Illustrator because it's what I have. But you can use whatever program you have that lets you manipulate text, especially kerning.
Important:
- Choose a font that is thick enough that when you cut the letters out, they'll have enough structural integrity that they won't break. I am using Rosewood Standard Fill.
- You want your letters to overlap enough that it's not going to break where the letters meet with one another. You can do this by adjusting the kerning.
- For printing purposes, use just the outlines of the letters. It'll save you a ton of toner/ink.

Step Three: Transfer your monogram to the MDF.
4 options:
- If you have amazing lettering skills, you can draw it right onto your MDF. However, if you're like me and you don't, do one of the following.
- Easiest: Use a projector and trace the image directly onto the MDF.
- Second Easiest: Pay a printing service to print it out large scale, cut out the letters.
- Cheapest and Most Masochistic: (ie. my method) Tile your image, print it out onto a bajillion 8.5 x 11 sheets of cardstock, meticulously piece them back together with tape and cut out the monogram.

For either of the last 2 options, carefully cut out the letters and, using some painters tape (or masking tape that you've stuck to your jeans a couple times to make it less tacky), secure the letters to the sheet of MDF so that they won't slip around while you're tracing them. Make sure that your paper pattern is nice and flat against the surface so you don't end up with wonky letters.

 Trace your pattern onto your MDF with your favorite magenta sharpie. Then take a break for dinner because you've completely lost track of time and you just realized that you're starving.

Step Four: Cut it Out
Secure the MDF to a sturdy work surface and cut that sucker out.
Tips:
- Always use proper safety equipment and procedures. Keep your fingers, hair, clothes, etc. away from the blade.
- Jigsaws cut lovely curves and straight lines, but they won't cut at an angle.
- Use a drill to start cutting out an interior space. So for example, to cut out this odd shape between the ampersand and the M, I drilled three holes and then cut along the lines. I was left with a few small areas that I didn't get with my initial cuts, so I just went back in with the saw and cleaned them up.

- Start with the outside and remove any large excess pieces first. Then do the inner areas and work your way out so as to protect any fragile parts, like the long thin pieces of my "M". Like so.

Step Five: Sand the Edges
Smooth out any rough edges.

Step Six: Glue the map to your monogram cut out.
In a well ventilated area, spread out some newspaper to put under your cutout.

Spray the mdf with spray adhesive, following the directions on the can.
Working quickly with a partner, carefully place the map on top of the cutout and smooth it down.
Using the bone folder or wadded up paper towel, rub the paper firmly all over to remove any bubbles and adhere it to the cutout.

Step Seven:
Flip it over onto some cardboard and cut out all around the MDF with your utility or xacto knife.

Step Eight:
Run a piece of sandpaper carefully along the edges to remove any excess paper. You want to use a downward/sideways motion to avoid tearing the paper. Use gentle pressure and make several passes, instead of one really firm stroke.

Step Nine:
Step it up and admire your handy work!

Bibliography: I used the following sources as instruction and inspiration.
http://gemgirlart.com/wordpress/map-page-alpha-letters/
http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2012/01/giant-picture-tutorial.html