Gilbert and Stone

Warning, inspirational quote to follow...

Along with the usual resolutions (eat less, move more etc.), the big one this year is to focus on Gilbert and Stone and making and selling my work. I’ve really enjoyed the past year pootling along making things and setting up shop and I’d love to grow that part of my work/life. Though I’ve spent little time on promotion, sales have been steadily coming in and my mother’s frequently used phrase keeps ringing in my head ‘just think what you could do if you really tried!’

So, I’m really going to try: first up a new range of wall art (details to follow) and improved photography for everything in my shop.  Second: opening up new sales channels. I’m lucky enough to live close to a number of gorgeous independent shops so I’ll be sending them info and I’ve got my eye on a couple of websites I think would be perfect for the new improved Gilbert and Stone!

I’m not normally one for inspirational quotes, but this one’s a goodun:

‘Life and business is what you make of it. The only person who can make a difference to your life is yourself’. 

I'll leave you with a lovely pic, taken on our trip to Scotland last summer.

TTFN!

 

 

 

Oh, no snow….

Nothing like a bit of weather (or lack of weather) to bring you out of a blogging hiatus! As the rest of the country revels in snowy delight, Cornwall remains resolutely green- just take a look at this screen shot from the all-too- addictive snowuk website:
The green bit in the bottom left corner? That’s where I am, mope -ing by the window searching the skies for even the smallest flake.

I love the transforming effect of snow- familiar places suddenly look different, the sound and light change and the kids can’t get enough of it- No. 1 has to be physically dragged in the house to thaw out. Like most places, Cornwall looks beautiful in the snow- in 2010 we had 4 snow days, almost  unheard of for Cornwall. We grabbed bodyboards and headed for the hills, determined to make the most of the rare treat! 

Although I’ve not been blogging much, I’ve been busy making. My ceramic egg boxes are fast becoming a best-seller and I’ve sent them to lovely customers in Australia, America and Canada (as well as the UK). It’s a lovely feeling to get an order from abroad and know that your products have gone global even if on a small scale! This weekend I’m working on some new button designs, including these little foxes who’ll be popping up in my shop in a week or two.
Enjoy the snow if you can!

 

The wanderer returns!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been on here! The summer passed in the blink of an eye- one minute I was worrying about entertaining 2 kids for 6 weeks and the next I was packing No. 1 off to school again!

We had a great few weeks in Scotland, canoeing, biking and walking in the Cairngorms. The midges certainly enjoyed No. 1’s visit- they swarmed round him whenever he stepped outside and he whiled away many an hour thinking of ways to outsmart them.

So we’re back home and back in the dreaded routine, but looking forward to the approaching autumn (my favourite time of year). I’m making the most of having some ‘me’ time when No. 2’s napping and have picked up the clay again- I had tons of ideas for new Christmas stuff while we were away.

Yesterday felt particularly autumnal, so I decided to use up some of my crafty stash and make some suitably seasonal decorations for the mantelpiece. What do you think?
It was really easy to make: first I wrapped twine round a couple of glass lamps, then simply glued on felt leaves that I’d cut from leftover felt.
I embroidered veins and stems on the leaves with different coloured thread which made all the difference to the finished leaf.
I’m going to make another, along with some larger leaves to stick on a yarn wreath for the wall- then we’ll be all cosy and autumnal for the next few weeks ‘til the Halloween decorations go up.

Speaking of Halloween, this cute bunting has just landed in the shop:

Bunting Bonanza!

My name’s Kate and I’m a bunting addict.  I love how the jaunty colours and cute motifs bring fun and frolics to any space. Over the past couple of years I’ve made gingham bunting, crochet heart bunting (made using a great pattern from the amazingly talented Lucy at Attic 24) and an assortment of seasonally themed bunting :  ghosts, pumpkins and bats for Halloween, gingerbread men and hearts for Christmas and hares and eggs for Easter. So obviously I had to have a go at some ceramic bunting, and here’s the result:

Each pennant has the design embossed into the surface- I’ve done two colourways, a red and grey glossy version and a more traditional red white and blue satin glaze version.  I really enjoyed putting a new twist on the ubiquitous Union Jack bunting that’s appearing all over the place. My version is guaranteed never to fray, fade or go soggy in our Great British Summer! You’ll find it in my Etsy shop.

 

Open for business!

This week I opened not one, but two online shops! It's taken much longer than I expected to get to this point, but after months of designing, mould making, slip casting, firing and painting I now have a Folksy and an Etsy store. Why two stores? I couldn't decide which would suit me best, so I've uploaded the same items to both and will see how they go- wish me luck!

 

Clay days

I never thought I’d get this excited about a piece of plastic. Today, the long awaited logo stamp I ordered from America arrived! Another step along the road to setting up shop, it all feels a bit more real now I’ve got an ‘official’ stamp and it’s so satisfying to see something you’ve scribbled on a piece of paper made real.
 Needless to say I’ve been stamping bits of clay all afternoon- I think I need a bit more practise in getting the depth of the impression consistent. All my creations will now be branded with the lovely logo. G laughed and said in 100 years the experts on Antiques Roadshow will be as excited about spotting an original ‘Gilbert and Stone’ as they are now when they discover a Clarice Cliff!

The April showers have kept me inside the past few days, so I've been cracking on with the slip casting. Here's some of the recent output- practically every free surface in the house is covered with drying greenware!

Clay play

I’ve been busy trying to get everything together to open an etsy shop- there’s so much to do: write product descriptions and store policies, decide on best tags and SEO, figure out postage costs and order packaging... the list goes on. It’s taking much longer than I expected, and I’ve been neglecting the most important things- the products!

This afternoon I made the most of the fab weather and set to work on a couple of ideas I’d had for some ceramic coasters. I design all my own work and make my own plaster moulds- the process starts by building/sculpting my idea in clay. Once I’m happy with it I use the original to make a plaster mouldwhich is then used to cast exact replicas in slip (liquid clay).
It’s quite a simple process- the originals are stuck face up onto a piece of glass (I’ve been using our glass garden table!) and surrounded  by cottle boards- the gaps under and between the boards are sealed with clay to prevent leakage of the plaster. Plaster is mixed and poured over the originals and in 30 minutes or so the boards can be removed and the plaster released from the table.

Ta da! I’m now left with a perfect reverse impression of my original design. Next I'll clean the edges up with a shaver tool and some sandpaper and leave them to dry. These moulds should be dry and ready to use in a week or so- I can’t wait to play around with some colours and glaze and get these babies in my shop!

Can you tell what it is yet?

Most of my ideas for new bits and pieces come to me in the wee small hours when I can’t get back to sleep- I've been turning this one over between the hours of 3am and 4am for the past couple of days. This afternoon I grabbed clay and tools, sat in front of Google maps and set to work ‘experimenting’. I’m pretty chuffed with how it’s going so far- but can you tell what it is?!

In the beginning...

This is it, my first blog post!

I've been thinking of starting a blog for aaages, and made it one of my resolutions for 2012 to make it happen. Blogging's not my only resolution for this year, I'll also be starting my own business and attempting to discover whether it's possible to supplement your income with clay!

I first started making things from clay around 8 years ago- mostly slip casting from commercially produced moulds and making a few handbuilt items, which I then sold at craft fairs. My hobby came to an end when we moved into a flat and I sold my enormous rusty old kiln and everything else with it. Fast forward to 2012 and I'm itching to get my hands dirty again!

I plan to develop and design my own range of ceramic items- I've got tons of ideas and can't wait to get started. This time round I'll be making my own molds and slip casting my own designs, which I plan to sell online, but there's so much to do before I even get to the selling stage. I'd love it if you'd follow my journey- I'll be posting here about the sucesses and failures along the way, interspersed with tales of my other interests- gardening, crafting, family and baking. Wish me luck!