Store Display and Holiday Hiatus

I've been working on a new display of my ceramic jewelry at the local artisan shop where I sell my work. I wanted to have a stronger presence in the shop, especially around the holidays. Here is my new in-store display of my porcelain pendants and jewelry at the The Riverwalk Gallery here in Amesbury, MA. Sorry for the picture. It was difficult to get the whole display in the shot! This rack is tall and skinny and it takes up little floor space, which is nice for a shop. I used to use this display at art shows and crafts fairs, years ago for my beaded jewelry before I started my clay work. I had it stuffed in a back room and had forgotten about it. It's perfect for displaying these little mini busts with my pendants on them. The selves are adjustable, too, so I can change the arrangement around in the future as I make new things. I'm quite happy with how this turned out!

In other news, I will be taking a temporary break from my blog and Etsy shop for the month of December, while I tend to special projects and to-do lists for the holidays. Although my online presence may be a bit thin for the next month, please feel free to contact me! I will still be checking my email and I will be catching up with all of you on your blogs. I will be back to my blog and Etsy in January rearing and ready to go! I will have lots of new ceramic pieces for you then.

I wish you all a happy and health holiday season!
I will be thinking of you.
Thank you all so much for making 2009 such a wonderful year.
See you soon!

Artists Open Studio Tour

This weekend, November 14th and 15th is the 13th Annual Amesbury Artists Open Studio Tour. I will be at two different Amesbury, Massachusetts locals this weekend! On Saturday, November 14th, I will be working at The Riverwalk Gallery, where we will be featuring artist, Terri Talas. She is an amazing fine artist and bone carver! Terri will be featuring her carved animal spirit pendants. Please check out her work on her website, you'll be amazed and glad you did! :)

On Sunday, November 15th, I will be helping out at my ceramic studio, 2Rivers Ceramics Studio. I will have my ceramic pendants and jewelry on display along with my fellow artists and potters! Hope to see you this weekend, if you are in the area!

I will be taking all of my inventory to these two shows and I will be closing my Etsy Shop for this weekend. If there is anything that you want from my shop, please grab it now!
Thank you! Have a wonderful weekend and happy creating!

Have You Seen My New Banners?

Have you noticed my new blog banner? Look up! Isn't it pretty? In fact, I have new banners for both my blog and my Etsy shop as well! Check it out! I love them. What's even better is, my friend, the lovely Lorelei Eurto made them for me! Yeah, can you believe it! That L, she is so talented, isn't she? I've admired the many beautiful and professional-looking banners she has created for her own shop and blog. I finally got the idea that maybe she would be interested in trading her talents for some beads! :) Bead bribes always work, right? ;) Especially when we're talking Lorelei! hehe! :)

Well, lucky enough for me, she agreed! I sent her some of my new porcelain pendants and beads for her to work with for the banners. Lorelei then, got to keep what I sent, as her payment for her services. Brilliant idea, heh! And it worked out beautifully as you can see! I'm so happy with them. They are gorgeous! She did a fantastic job and it was a lot of work. She took many photos of my beads for me to choose from, then she did all the editing, fonts and colors.

I'm in full Fall swing with the current banners, but Lorelei even made me a second set of banners so that I can swap them out when the seasons change! Here's the second blog banner she created for me:

Blog banner by Lorelei Eurto

So pretty! I can't wait to use this one, too! I love the composition and soft, earthy feel.

If any of you bead or jewelry people out there are in need of a blog or shop spruce up, I'm sure L would be happy to help you out in exchange for some of your bead stash! I highly recommend her! One happy customer here!

Using Artisan-Made Stamps

Porcelain pendants and charms created using artisan-made stamps.

I like using stamps in my clay work. Stamps work really great in clay. Aside from getting my own custom-made stamps from rubberstamps.net, I have recently found a few rubber stamp artists on Etsy. Actually, I should say my mother brought them to my attention. (Thanks, Mom!) There are a few of them I have my eye on, but so far the first artist I have bought from is Tommie of Happy Stamps (tommie77.etsy.com). Her designs and stamps are gorgeous! She is currently on maternity leave right now, but before she left to have her baby, I snagged a few of her stamps to use in my clay!Rubber stamps designed and hand-carved by
Tommie of Happie Stamps

Now, since these designs are not my own, I did need to ask permission first before using them. And I did. And it was happily granted! Using any stamp designs like this in your artwork takes a little research and planning, though well worth it in my opinion! If you are interested in using another's stamp design in your artwork for sale, you must check to make sure the artist has an Angel Policy-which allows you to use their designs freely(some with restrictions). If the artist does not have an Angel Policy clearly posted in their shop, you must ask for permission first before using.

Most of these artists are more than happy to grant permission, provide that you will give them credit for the stamp design in any listings for sale. In my case, before buying from Tommie, I contacted her telling her of my plan to use her stamps in my ceramic clay. She happily obliged and in fact, she was quite excited about the prospect of seeing her designs turned into pendants and charms!

There are a number of reasons why I quite like using these artisan-made stamps in my work.

1. These stamps are much more artistic and superior to what I would be able to come up with on my own.
2. I don't have to design or make the stamps myself and I can concentrate on making my ceramic pieces.
3. An array of one-of-a-kind designs are available and all I have to do is ask nicely!
   
4. These stamps are absolutely beautiful! Hand-made and Hand-carved!
5. I am supporting another artist and Etsian!
6. We will all live happily ever-after in our Etsy World, Yay!

Check out my new artisan-stamp pendants and charms, now featured in my Etsy Shop!

Thank You!

Powow River, Upper Mill Yard, Amesbury, Massachusetts

Powow River, Lower Mill Yard, Amesbury, Massachusetts

In the pictures above, this is the Powow River that runs through the center of downtown Amesbury, Massachusetts. I live and work right here in this area and I walk along the river frequently.

I want to thank everyone for joining me today! I appreciate everyone who commented. I've read all of your comments as they came through. And please continue to read and leave me comments on all of my posts from today! It brings me so much joy to read them and I read each and every one of them!!! I hope you enjoyed your visit with me and all that I shared with you. I couldn't do what I love to do, without your loyal support!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My FALL SALE will continue til Midnight tonight.

I hope you've had some fun attending this special Beads-Of-Clay Blog Event. What an exciting experience! Special thanks to Beads-Of-Clay members, Marsha Neal and Mary Harding for putting this event together for the whole group! I hope you got a chance to visit all of the participating artists today. If not, check the BOC Blog to visit them.

Thank you for coming! Happy Fall!

And the winner is....

BELLAJOYA!!!

Congratulations!
You are the winner of my Autumn Leaf Toggle!
Send me your address at erin@everyheartcrafts.com
Thank you to everyone who commented!

2nd Giveaway of the Day!

It's time for the second and final giveaway of the day! In the celebration of the Fall season today, I'm giving away one of my Autumn Leaf Toggles! Just leave me a comment on this post for a chance to win. To get the comments flowing, tell me,

What do you envision making with this piece?

The winner of this giveaway will be announced at 3:15 p.m. today!
Meet me back here then to see if you've won!
Good Luck!!!
And don't forget, even if you don't win, there are plenty of bargains in my shop today!
Check out my FALL SALE!
Thank you!