Friday 30 December 2011

i hope you all had an amazing christmas and had as much of a good time as i did!
my lovely nana and grandad bought me a table easel which i cant waittt to use!
i also got a really good jewellery book called 'adorn: new jewellery' by amanda mansell which has loads of quirky and interesting jewellery to look at and inspire and motivate me.

today, while having a mooch through the internet i came across these and thought i would share...




im not sure about you but i REALLY want a pair!
looking at most of the pairs you wouldn't even realize there shoes!
there so quirky and fun!

these are made by kobi levi a shoe designer who takes heavy inspiration from everyday objects and animals.
imagine the attention your feet would get wearing these!

...i will never look at my plain black shoes the same again!

to have a peak at more of these amazing shoes check out....http://kobilevidesign.blogspot.com/

Saturday 24 December 2011

i turned my dining room into elf's shop! who knew something so simple could look so good! hope your all as excited as me for tomorrow! ...now to try and get to sleep so father christmas can come!! x

Friday 16 December 2011

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.  Don't clean it up too quickly!


Andy Rooney.

christmasss


all the decorations are up in my house!
so feeling all christmasy. this is when i feel like an excited child waiting for father christmas all over again!
i love how i get to see all of my family at christmas and see them get all happy when they get what they wished for.
i hope you all have a lovely christmas!
eat lots of mince pies and pigs in blankets, watch some cheesy films, see family and put your stockings out and wait for santa to bring you some lovely handmade things!!
have a listen to this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RIgJPDz1mU and have a singalong and a jig and get into the christmas spirit!
(notice his christmas jumper!!)

..enjoy!

Monday 12 December 2011

a film, nice munchies and my sewing machine!

i am now off uni for three weeks which means i can snuggle up on my sofa, put some cheesy christmas film on and enjoys some nice stitching creating some cuddly teddy bears i hope to sell in folio, hartlepool.

watch this space!

Saturday 10 December 2011

knit n natter!

is it just me who finds this knitted tree amazing? and just wants to hug it?


this has been done by cramlington libary knitting group called 'knit n natter' who do exactly what it says on the tin!


normaly they knit clothing for underprivileged or ill children but decided to get into the festive spirit and create a knitted tree!
im not sure about anyone else but i just want to pick it up and take it home!

o' christmas tree o' christmas tree...




today was the day i got to go and get my christmas tree!!
we took a while deciding which was the best shape but we have now got a lovely tree that will be stood pride of place in our living room ready for santa!

we also found a little cute round one that me and my sister couldn't help but say awww to!!


Monday 5 December 2011

snap happy.

everybody who knows me knows that i am never without my camera or my phone ready to take a photo of anything i fancy and these are some of the random photographs that i have taken recently mostly showing texture and colour.






Sunday 4 December 2011

tests tests and even more tests!


this is yet another one of my tests that i have created for my 'trash' project.
i have used ceramic beads, glazes, rusty iron wire and melted black bags.
i LOVE making things that you just want to grab and feel and i think this does that ...hopefully!!


this is one of my favourite tests i have done recently.
i created it using stoneware clay, glaze, rusty iron wire and charcoal grey thread.
i like the rustic textural look.
however i have to keep in mind how it would be next to a customers skin.
this would not be suitable to be used as jewellery as it would be irritable so i have decided to look at how i could create this sort of look in another way. 

Saturday 26 November 2011

open studios.

ive had a lovely day today with lucy at open studios in newcastle! i saw some really good work and got to take a sneaky peek at there studio area.. it has made me so excited for when i can get my own studio in the future!!
i talked to the artists and just wanted to have there lives!

this was one of my particular favourite studios we saw!
lucy and i also enjoyed his cheese savories he was sharing ...we realized we may of taken a few to many when he started taking the mick out of our stuffed faces!


...walking from gallery to gallery we saw some interesting things!
shame about the miserable weather.





...i think lucy enjoyed herself too!


Friday 25 November 2011

just thought i would share a few blogs with you all..











i love how we are all so different and unique in our own ways. 
love you girlies!

folio.




Yesterday was my first day volunteering at our new shop called Folio. CCAD have opened a new shop which will be selling work made by both tutors and students. I love it! I worked in the shop for a few hours and in that time it made me totally inspired! All I wanted to do was get in the workshops and start making. I hope to have some products ready and in the shop after Christmas. I can't wait to see if it sells!
There are some lovely products in the shop so far by a range of artists...


These are a few of the products made by Claire A Baker which feature in Folio.

Monday 21 November 2011

glazes

Todayyy I finally got to see how my glazes turned out! I loved how most of them came out and I have chosen my favourite which I am now going to take forward and test further.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.



Ralph Waldo Emerson

US essayist and poet (1803 -1882)

sarah cihat...

I thought I would curl up in bed with my laptop and have a mooch around the internet looking at some lovely artists work and I came across Sarah Cihat...



She uses old plates and up cycles them using glazes and creates new stylish plates giving them a new life.
I love the funky colours and shapes she uses.
If you would like a look at her work go on... http://www.sarahcihat.com/#down
I also like her website its different and interesting how it works to match her work.

Friday 11 November 2011

remembrance day

Today we have been remembering all the lives lost in the First World War all wearing our red poppies. This has meant that there are many programs about the war and war veterans shown recently. I've just been watching 'The Culture Show' which was about art therapy and how it can help war veterans deal with what they have gone through. On this, The National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, Illinois in America, was shown looking at all the art work created by the veterans. There are a variety of different art using a lot of different materials and forms. Joseph Clarence Fornelli is the founder of the museum as well as showing his own work he created while serving in Vietnam. I loved how there is meaning behind this as well as showing quality drawing.


I love the line quality in this drawing and you can feel the sense of speed and rush though the style of drawing.



This painting was created using bamboo and tea as that was all he had as materials. It shows the sadness and  silence among the soldiers when a team mate was lost.

It is amazing how he has managed to create such good drawings while being in such kaos.
I find it really interesting how art can help with the healing of a mind and I would like to look further into becoming an art therapist in the future. I also think I will watch more of 'The Culture Show' and recommend it.

The National Veterans Art Museum website...

Tuesday 8 November 2011




As I am looking at 'TRASH' and focusing on the textures, I like to see how other people achieve textures using differnt materials. I love pieces that make you want to touch and feel them and these pieces made by Syann Van Niftrik definately do this! I like how she has taken simple things and multiplied them to make it look effective.
Have a look at her work and a range of other artists on ...


Monday 7 November 2011

hand embroidery


I have been exploring new hand embroidery stitches to look at different textures I can create.
I like how they all look and feel all together as well as close up.
I am going to carry on looking at different stitches and look at improving how neat both sides are.

Sunday 6 November 2011

digital drawing

Over the summer I decided to create some digital drawings to try something different to what I normally do. I lost these, however I have just found them again and thought I would share them with you.











I like how my style of drawing looks using a mouse using cross hatching to create shade. I like how it looks solely using line.