What I'm Working on Wednesdays

Life has been throwing curve balls at me lately.  I panicked when one adult child called from the ambulance on the way to the hospital after a wreck, then the other adult child called in the middle of the night, needing to go to the ER...then surgery, all in the same week! Obviously, I dropped all of the projects that I was trying to juggle, and focused on family. I've have several posts in the editing stage, but just haven't had the time to wrap them up.  This week things have calmed down a bit, so I am trying to finish them up. This post will get posted before the end of today...Wednesday! After all, it is titled for Wednesday.

What I'm Working on Wednesdays
I thought I would start with posting things I have been working on, once a week. So I decided  'What I'm Working on Wednesday' would get me started. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of these. See link in the right column to my Instagram account.  You may notice I have posted more flowers photos on Instagram than art, lately.
(Curve balls = less art time = less art photos.)
But I've been in the studio this week and have something to show for it!

WOW #1   or...WI?WOW
So here is my WOW post for this week!  Here are two new things I am working on.

Spoons!
I just made my first clay spoon. It is a small spoon, so I decided to make it to match a little scalloped bowl that I just made. I like it so much,  I plan to make some more bowl and spoon sets.





HeartHome Hills!

I've created bird houses.
I've created little birds.
I decided it was time to create some that go together!
The HeartHomes for the Birds are now listed in my Etsy shop. :)

After making the HeartHomes for the Birds, I decided to make more HeartHome Hills. (I made a few hill sculptures a couple of years ago.)

Here is a 'work in progress' HeartHome Hill.
Watch here for updates!

I hope that you enjoyed my first
WOW ...or  WI?WOW
(which one sounds better?)

I may start a link up on Wednesdays. I would love to hear from you if you would like to join in!


Beth♥

Spring Colors

Spring has sprung and I'm enjoying the beautiful weather, but more than that, I am enjoying the time I am spending in the studio! Time really does fly when you are having fun!  I am working hard at stocking up on things that I want to sell in shows this Fall and to put in my Etsy shop. I am also working on some new designs. So I have really been enjoying it. The beautiful weather has been a little distraction, but I know fall will be here before I know it!
But for now, it's all about Spring Colors!

Beth♥

Heart Homes ... A Look Back Six Years

HeartHomes for February 

Original Set of My Hearthomes
2009

Six years ago, I started creating little clay houses, that I called Hearthomes. They have gone through some changes over those years, but they have always had the little hearts, both on the front and back, and on the bottom of each house.

Today, I thought I would share some pictures
of the houses through the years.

The first set was painted with acrylic paint.
This first set, was featured in the Arkansas Magazine, At Home in Arkansas. If I could find the link to it, I would post it!

After that first set, I decided to try glazing them.  
I never used acrylics again, after that first set. I like the effect that the glaze creates.

Here is a Montage of a few of my houses over the years.

2009 - 2015

Not only have they become a little more polished, but my photography skills have improved a tad.

Last year, a friend of mine, dropped and broke one of her little houses. She had a set of 3. She likes her houses because they are a little rough around the edges...original style houses. So she asked if I could make her another one similar to the broken one.  It took me awhile to get to it, but I finally made it last month and sent it to her and she was happy to have the set back together.  When I put the old one next to the newer one, I realized the big difference. There is still a more polished look to the newer one.

I think I may revisit some of my old style houses, with the newer polished look. We'll see what happens this year. My style is always evolving.  Whatever I come up with, I sell them from my Etsy shop and a few local Arts and Craft  Shows during the year.

Beth♥

My Talented Mom

Sewing is not one of my skills. Probably because my Mom holds the title for excellence in sewing in our family. Anytime I have an idea for something that needs to be sewn...pillows, dresses, shirts, wall decor, curtains...whatever I can think of, she can sew it...and paint on it, if needed.  I consider her the source for my inherited artistic/creative talent.

A few months ago, I decided I wanted a cute pennant style decoration for my Art Festival booth.  I already had some fabric that I purchased 2 years ago (so I could sew something...ha), but I decided these were perfect for my flags for the booth.  I asked my Mom if she would want to make them for me.  As she always does, she said yes. So I printed out a pattern for her and explained what I wanted. Sometimes delegating is difficult, but I knew this project was in good hands and I would be pleased.

Fast forward a month and Mom delivers these beauties. All I had to do was string them up. They are perfect and I can't wait to hang them in my art booth!

Thanks Mom!
Beth♥ 

Bloom Where You're Planted

Getting ready for the Art Fair in October is keeping me very busy. I want to have both clay items and acrylic paintings to sell. I also have custom work to complete, so between all of those things, I am happily staying busy! October will be here too quickly.

This painting is an example of some of the work that I will be taking to the Art Fair, unless it sells before then! This painting idea came easy to me. After painting it, it seemed to need some words and "Bloom Where You're Planted" just seemed to fit.  After moving recently, it also hit home for me. Moving to another town is a big adjustment! So I must make sure that I put down some roots and bloom! 

Bloom 

Where 

You’re 

Planted! ♥

Beth♥

Slowly but Surely...

...checking my list.
I have a long to do list for the Spring Spruce up project. Some of those things on my list are outdoor activities and some are indoors.  I checked a few things off the list as finished. Some have been started, but need to be completed.
Flowers planted...check! (must plant a few more when the rain stops)
I moved the art studio to one of the spare bedrooms...check!
The old art studio was painted and turned into an office...check!
De-clutter and organize the new studio...well the new art studio is still a work in progress.
I did get some things off the floor and hung on the wall...shown in the picture.  These are shelves that I use to display some of little clay houses.  I've also added a little drawing of 'Bethie' (Me), that was created by an artist friend, Tim Hunter, a few years ago. A little souvenir shot glass I got in France, that I put some colored pencil nubs in. A little clay owl ornament (in the house shadow box) that I purchased from an artist, that I met at the Dunwoody and Norcross Art Festivals.  She has since moved back to her home country of England, but you can find her very very cute creations here on Etsy... JoyElizabethCeramics.  The rest of the little clay items in the shadow box can be purchased  from my etsy shop here:  HeartHomes .

Slowly, but surely I will get everything done from my list.  But the list seems to be getting longer each week! The goal is to get the house ready to put on the market to sell.  I am hoping that that will be easier to do now that school is out and hubby can help with some of those things on the list!

For now, on to the next item on the list.....to be determined by the weather.  Hmmm...For now I am going to  draw.

Beth  ♥

Did I say that I love making Owls?

Well, I have probably said that I enjoy painting them, but recently I have made a few owls out of clay too!  So I will be making more clay owls this week.  I may come up with some other little critters too. You never know what will happen when I start playing with the clay.  You can find the little purple and lime green owl in the top photo, here...in my Etsy Shop.

      
        Beth  ♥

Custom Tile Commission

Merry Christmas Eve!  I'm excited about the possibilitiy of having snow on Christmas tomorrow! That rarely happens around here!

Just wanted to share a custom tile that I created for an out of state customer.

Beth S. Macre©2012
Custom Tile

I take a photo and turn it into a custom tile that looks like your (or a loved ones) house. 

I take wet clay and create a tile and cut out pieces that create the house image. 

It's like drawing in 3D.  

If you would like to order a custom tile, you can contact me about details and we can work something out.  

Check out my Etsy listing for custom tiles here: Hearthomes 

**The tile shown here is larger than the size in my Etsy shop listing.

Beth ♥

The Art Festival...

 

...is finally over.  We traveled to Georgia this past weekend to participate in the John's Creek Art Festival.  The whole week before the festival we checked the weather predictions daily.  Everything sounded like it would be great weather.  We got there Friday afternoon to set up the booth and we were tired from the drive, but we managed to get the tent up, but we were extremely hot and tired by the time we were done.  But that would change throughout the weekend. Saturday we opened to nice weather.  It was a little cool, but very nice most of the day.  By closing time at 6:00, it was beginning to get a little chilly.  We were a little worried about predictions of wind overnight, but during the night it was fine, but much cooler.  Sunday morning, we arrived and began re-setting up the display and some light rain began.  It didn't last long, so I felt we would be okay...but over the course of the day, conditions deteriorated.  Apparently the storm of the century was traveling up the East coast...Hurricane Sandy decided to move in a little too close to the Atlanta area.  The last couple of hours of the show, we were dealing with gusting winds, which is not good when you are in a tent!  The photo I am sharing is from Saturday, when the weather was good.  Sunday, I didn't take any photos. I was too busy trying to stay warm and hold the sides of the tent down!

Even though the weather was disappointing, to say the least, I enjoyed the show, meeting new artists and seeing others that I had met before.  As usual, the Splash Festival organizers did a great job! But I am glad its over. We were both exhausted from trying to keep from blowing away with our tent! Now back to work on commissions.

Beth ♥

Oh! It's August?

Hello August! I can't believe it's already August...although it has felt like August since June...or maybe even May.  It's been hot and dry here, like most other areas of the country.  But other than the heat, it doesn't seem like August, because I'm NOT getting ready to start back to school!!!! I have to remind myself all of the time that I will have time to create this fall!  Fall is usually my busiest and most stressful time of the year.  This year I should be able to enjoy it because of my retirement!  I especially look forward to enjoying the weather when it finally begins to cool off.  I'm going to make a list of fall favorites that I can especially enjoy this year and share as it gets closer to Fall.
The projects that I'm working on now are private commissions that are almost done!  For now, that's all I can share.  I hope to be able to share the details about a month from now.  I did spend a couple of days working on some clay houses last week. They are in the kiln today and I will be glazing some of them this weekend so I can list them in my Etsy shop.  I will be working on those and some whimsical paintings to get ready for the holidays and the John's Creek Art Festival that I will be participating in, October 26 & 27th!  It is a new festival this year and it should be fun! Till next time...

Have a great weekend! 

Beth  ♥

My New Kiln!

Now that I am working from home, I needed a kiln at home, so I can fire my mini clay houses. I know that I am going to like having a kiln here at home, so I can fire a load of houses any time I need to. My new little kiln, to match my little houses, came in 2 weeks ago.  I have used it twice. Once for a greenware firing and the 2nd time was for the glaze firing.  It was so fun to open it this morning to see how the glaze firing turned out..  It turned out perfect.  And the little size of my kiln is just the right size.  So I am ready to continue creating lots of little houses and tiles.  Its a good thing, because I had a custom order for 3 houses, a tree, and a fence, that I needed to finish and ship.  Here are some pictures of the kiln with the first load of glazed houses. As you can see, there is plenty of room for many more houses, and there is room for another shelf.   So I need to get busy filling up my Etsy shop!

Beth ♥

Working Small with Pen and Ink

Rockin' on the Porch
Ink and Colored Pencil
Beth S. Macre © 2011

I organize an ATC exchange on the Colored Pencil Forum called ScribbleTalk. I have a wonderful collection of original art from a variety of artists from all over the country and some international artists.  ATCs are very small works of art. They are 3 1/2 inches x 2 1/2 inches.  Today I posted the most recent exchange on ScribbleTalk. I managed to finish this one for the exchange this time.  It will be going to its new home in North Carolina.  I will receive one from an artist who lives in Oregon. 

My inspiration was from a photo that I took while on a trip this summer with my old friends from high school. I posted a photo of the front porch here.    I'm sure at some point, this porch or house will be in another work of art from me. Right now its still in my mind, but it will be done someday. 

Have a nice week!

Beth♥ 

I Love Connecting with other Artists!

I recently received an email from an artist named Teresa, whom I met at an art festival in Georgia last year. She contacted me about creating some churches for her to give as gifts.  So this is what I came up with. I have created some churches before, but I believe I will create more and in different styles. I love meeting other artists through art shows, organizations, and even online artists friends.  You never know when you will make a new friend!   

Beth♥   

Summer break is almost over!

New houses in my Etsy shop. 

Just thought I would share a couple of photos of some houses that I've finished lately. As you can see, I have added a few accessories to my items that I sell.  I will be working to get a lot more finished and ready to list in my Etsy shop and more to ship to a couple of actual shops as soon as possible. (More about that when I get them ready to go!)  The ones in these photos are listed in my HeartHomes Etsy shop.  

I go back to work next week. Where did the summer go?  I have orders for custom pen and ink drawings that I am working on too, so I have more than enough to keep me busy!  Guess I need to cut back on playing games on Facebook! Sorry neighbors...;-)...

Beth♥

What makes You Smile?

I got an email today from the writer of this blog called Bunny's Carrots . She said that my little houses make her smile.  That is exactly what my intentions are with my little houses! So its always nice to hear from people who get that feeling from my houses.  So thank you to Amanda at Bunny's Carrots for featuring my houses on her blog today, along with the little houses from The Little Red Door Etsy Shop.

This month my HeartHomes Shop on Etsy has been busier than I expected. I thought after Christmas that things may slow down a bit, but I have been pleasantly surprised to be wrong!  I have sold several of my hearthomes and I have several pen and ink orders for this spring to start working on.  Plus I am getting ready for the show in Jonesboro.  I need to finish the latest batch of houses for the show.  

So, what kind of art makes you smile?  Do you like realistic art, whimsical art, abstract art?  Do you want art just to hang on the wall? Or do you like 3D art to display? I would love to hear your opinions!

What makes you smile?
Beth

The Art Festival Booth Changes

Norcross ~ October 2010

I have TWO whole art festivals under my belt now! And I have made progress! After the festival that I went to on Mother's Day weekend, last spring, it was suggested to me to work on my booth appearance.  I took that great advice, and worked hard to create my new booth look.  I knew that it wasn't the most professional looking booth to begin with, but it was the best that we could do for the first show.  We really didn't know what to expect or what we were doing. Starting from scratch was hard. But I think it paid off at our second art festival in Norcross.  I needed a white tent to lighten up the display and a better way to display my mini houses. So I designed some shelves and asked my talented Dad to build them for me and he really came through and did a great job.  I asked my mother to sew some table skirts for the new taller tables that we created from saw horses and boards. She is a very talented seamstress.  I think it turned out pretty nice.  We will continue to make changes to improve on what we have now.   In the 3rd photo, you can see a window behind my booth. Inside that window is a little paper cut out of a house (bottom photo). When we were unpacking our booth the first day at the festival, we saw that house in the window and knew that it was a sign that we were meant to be there that weekend! The house even has a little heart on it...just like my little houses do.

Booth before

My next business goal is to find art shows that are closer to home. The 8 hour drive is really hard to do. So I will be looking for some shows in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri. If you know of any good ones, I'm open to suggestions!

I would love to hear what you think about my booth and if you have any other ideas. I'm still working on making it cuter and easier to pack.

~Beth



 

Booth After Makeover...
Display table with new shelves and table skirt.







Little House in the Window
(behind my booth)



Its getting down to the wire now. One more week before we go to our next art festival. We've been getting things ready to go, so I've been a little quiet lately.  School started  5 weeks ago so, I've been doing double duty since then.   I have been working on my clay tiles and houses, and I've been working on some new paintings to take along.  If only I could clone myself to have 'me' stay home to paint, so that I could paint at home and go to my 'day' job!

Come see me in Norcross, Georgia!  Oct. 2nd & 3rd!
Beth

3 Large Houses Finished!

These large houses are finally finished and on their way to their new home. I'm going to miss these 3! They are the first 3 large houses that I have created and I tend to become attached to those things that I spend so much time creating, especially the first ones! But they will be well loved where they are going, I'm sure of it.

I'm still working on a variety of little clay creations for the art festival that I will be attending in May. So I will be posting some examples of those soon.

Have a nice week!
~Beth

Custom Homes in Clay

My apologies for being very quiet lately! I was contacted by a new customer, who wanted some hearthomes, but she wanted larger homes. Ok, I can do that. She ordered 3 very large, 17 inches!, homes. So that is what I've been working on for the past 2 weekends. I'm about half done. In between working on the large houses, I've been working on some mini hearthomes. I will be participating in an Art Festival in Georgia in May, so I have alot to create by then. I need to have enough to make a good display for this festival. It will be my first! So, I will try to keep up with updating what I'm working on for the next few months.

So here is a sneak peak at one of the large hearthomes...

...I will post photos of the finished version when it has been fired and glazed.

Looking forward to a possible snow day tomorrow to work with paint and/or clay! Its already sleeting!

~Beth

Newest Mini Hearthomes...

I glazed and fired some mini hearthomes this week and I will be listing them in my etsy shop too. I chose fall colors for the season. I'm looking forward to having some fall weather soon and seenig some color in the trees. Its one of my favorite seasons of the year...except the allergies that come with it!

Oh and if you want to see them close up, just click on the images!

Little mini row hearthouses.

Birdhouse Tile

The birds need some hearthomes too! I wish the little bird that sleeps on our porch could find a home like this! He sleeps perched in the corner of the ceiling of our porch every night! Not in a nest, just perched on the top of the column.

Fall colors Hearthome tile

I'm finished with the French Cafe in colored pencil and will be starting another colored pencil piece this week. I will post some updates as soon as I can. I'm on a tight deadline for that one. I hope I can get it done for the show next month! But for now, I'm sitting with a heating pad on my neck. I've pulled a muscle or something and its trying to tighten up on me. Its difficult to draw with tight muscles!

What is your favorite season?

~Beth