Introductions!

As part of my goals for 2011, this blog will be more organized with weekly updates and my personal posts will be on my tumblr account.

So I decided it was high time I gave you guys more information about the artists behind the etsy shop. We are three sisters who are very close but due to distance and full time jobs, we can't see each other as much as we would like. Crafting is one of the ways that we connect, not only because it's just simply fun, but also because it transports us back to our childhood. Living on a large plot of land, we were able to run around the yard like crazy kids, creating worlds and games that can only be described as magic. We find that magic once again when we get together and create things.

From left to right: Emma, Bonnie, Jess

Jess, the eldest: Mother of 3 wonderful children; Owen, Shae, and Bodhi. Jess has an amazing talent with colours. I'm always in awe of her ability to mix and match patterns and create interesting colourways. She's the fabric person in the family, having tons of it stacked in her closet waiting to be used in her next project. Out of all the sisters, she has the most patience with sewing and other fiber techniques. She has experience in film and digital photography and screen printing processes as well.

Emma, the middle and the shortest: Recent graduate, BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics. This is me! Most of my skills are in ceramics, but I love to dabble in mixed media. I learned so many techniques in school; throwing on the wheel, hand-building with clay, foundry, cold metal casting, mold making, jewelry (small metalsmithing), and fiber techniques. I'm sure you can tell I have many interests, but ceramics is my initial love. I really enjoy detailed work, thus I have a penchant for small things.

Bonnie, the youngest: Cake decorator extrordinaire. Bonnie showed artistic talent when she was very young and spent many hours drawing and painting through her middle and high school career. Most of her work is in illustrations; however, she has experience in lettering, batiking, and other various crafts. She has been a cake decorator for 9+ years; which has allowed her to gain experience in sculpting, as well as baking...yum!

Yep, that's us! We are extremely nice and approachable, so if you have any questions or ideas for commissions, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a great weekend and check back soon!!

Christmas Vacation Part 1

Okay so I finally uploaded some of my Orlando vacation pictures to flickr. I sorted through the Universal Studios pics and of course, most of them are of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

We got to the park pretty early so we were able to experience it without the huge crowds...for a few hours.

*Rather than make this an incredibly long post, I'll just mention some highlights and let you guys see the rest of the photos on flickr. I don't want to spoil the park for some people.

My heart fluttered when we saw this! Oh I guess I should mention that I have never been to Universal Studios or DisneyWorld. Growing up enjoying movies with my family, the Universal globe is something very familiar as well as the ads for Universal Studios theme parks. It was kind of a surreal moment, the whole trip was.

We headed straight towards Hogwarts as we knew later on it would be super crowded. On our way we say a bit of Dr. Seuss land which was decked out Christmas style = fabulous! Another thing about me, I'm a huge sucker for Christmas. I love it all, the music, the movies, the decorations, the smells, and most importantly the special time with family and friends.

OMG Hogwarts!!!!

Other awesome things:

• Butterbeer! Omg, so delicious...think creamsoda, butterscotch and whipped cream
• Eating at Three Broomsticks
• Picking out gifts for my friends
• Walking through Hogwarts and seeing all the details put into the ride
• The Dragon Challenge roller coaster!!! My fav roller coaster ever!
• All of the Christmas decorations

And I'll leave you with one of my many favourite photos from the trip. Great friends make vacations so much more fun.

Weekend Adventure

What an amazing weekend! I spent the past few days at Universal and Disneyworld with some of my favourite people. As a graduation and Christmas present, my boyfriend took me to Orlando for some incredible fun. We went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and all the parks in Disneyworld. I can't even tell you how super awesome this was for me, not only because I'm a kid at heart, but also because this was my first time going to these places.

And to keep my fingers from falling off, I'll split the posts up...there's so much to talk about and quite a few photos. I've got graduation tomorrow after an early shift at work, and then I get to pick up the last little batch of pottery I made at school. I can't post too many details just yet because some of them are Christmas presents. Just know that I will be making more and putting those lovelies up on etsy ASAP!

Oh and here's a little pic to get you in the holiday spirit, direct from Whoville! Night night!

Etsy shop is open!

The etsy is up and running, finally! I've been trying to catch up with some schoolwork so it took me a little longer than I anticipated.

As of right now, we have bird ornaments, coasters, aprons, and a couple of mugs for sale. I'll also be working in the studio this week to crank out some more mugs and coasters. If you have any questions for us or custom order ideas, please contact us: adventuresathand@gmail.com

And now I have to get back to homework and made-for-tv Christmas movies. haha!

Onward!

Wow! I'm on a craft fair high from this past weekend. ICE was spectacular in so many ways! I learned so much and met so many great customers and vendors. Another one needs to happen soon...well not too soon because I need to create more product.

I was fortunate to share a booth with my good friend, San Smith, and her fantastic illustrations. If you haven't checked out her website, I highly suggest it. She's super fun and her work definitely reflects that.

Pssst...she illustrated my logo. Isn't it great?!

Anywho, we spent all weekend together and had so much fun talking with customers, selling button coasters and zombie unicorn prints. It was a major step and success for me, and my brain is already teeming with ideas, so stay tuned. The etsy shop should be up by the end of the week, after I stuff myself with turkey and coca-cola salad.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

ICE

As for the near future, I'm currently making ceramic pieces to sell for ICE. If you have never heard or been to ICE, I highly recommend the event. It's a great place to get handmade gifts and to garner inspiration for your own work. Ambient Plus Studio is housing more than 100 vendors this year and I'm super excited that my friend San and I are included on that list of sellers.

Speaking of etsy, I'm almost ready to launch mine. I plan for it to be mostly home decor items and accessories, with my sisters contributing their handmade creations as well. Creativity definitely runs in the family. So stay tuned and come out to ICE to see me! Our booth is Sanmade and Adventures at Hand.

Oh and if you need some reasons to buy handmade this year, Poppytalk has compiled 101. Check it out.

Have a great weekend!

Past Projects

Wowzers! These past few months have been crazy, what with 3 studio classes and my senior show. I'm so pleased with my works and progress as an artist. Here are a few things that have been taking up my time.

My first project this semester in Advanced Ceramics was throwing 75 things in a 3 weeks. At first I thought this was a huge undertaking but by the end of it, I became pretty proficient and it was easy to make 10 things in an hour.

It took me an additional week to glaze and fire all my wares. Yes it takes a bit longer when you are sharing kilns and glazes with 3 other classes. Speaking of which, I've made some pretty interesting glazes this semester and hope to make a few more before I graduate.

My pride and joy at the moment is this little cupboard filled with "heirlooms". It was the highlight of my senior show, in my opinion.

This piece is deeply personal and I adore each little item I made. I plan to push this idea and visual treatment of ceramic further in my art career....it's so exciting!

So what do I have planned for the future? I haven't figured out everything but I'm going to look into workshops at a local ceramic studio and keep thinking about grad school. I also intend to find a place to volunteer, perhaps the Center for the Puppetry of Arts or maybe the High Museum. We shall see!! That's all for now; I've got to get some supplies and head to school in a bit.

P.S. I'll be making a post later tonight about some upcoming events I get to participate in.