Tag: create

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Fix a leaky birdhouse so it lasts

 This leaky birdhouse badly needed fixing after being battered by many winters on the bay. I hate to toss out stuff that just needs a tweak to save it from the landfill. First slap some paint on it- color is nicer- but it and unequally derelict sister were to go up along the white trim of the newly painted barn. The roof was clearly a problem and would make for a pile of soggy birds wishing they lived at another address.

fix a wooden birdhouse

 

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Spoon Rests, Great Hostess Kitchen gift

Danasimson.com Handmade ceramic spoon rest with raised image of peace dove.

Spoon rests were requested by a customer and I realized that we needed one in our kitchen too!

peace dove spoon rest

Our spoon rests are fun, functional art work for your kitchen. The round handmade ceramic spoon rest has a notch for the spoon. Its shallow bowl shape catches any gloop from your culinary creation, keeping your stove tidy. A hand-painted raised image on a colorful background decorates the inside of our spoon rest.

Each  spoon rest measures 5 inches in diameter and is glazed front and back. Every spoon rest is food safe. Just wipe clean with soapy dishwater.  A spoon rest is a useful gift for anyone. It will brighten up your kitchen along with keeping it clean.

We have added a hole at the top of our spoon rests. You can hang it on the wall as a decoration when not in use. Several spoon rests hung in a group look great in any kitchen.

Our spoon rests are handmade & painted, food safe and functional.

Each spoon rest is made individually by me in my studio! I roll out clay and press it into reverse relief tiles that I made from a master tile. This process is like making a print, but using clay rather then paper. Next, I press the relief peace dove surrounded by raised waves into a shallow bowl so if the spoon has gloop on it, that will stay in the bowl. I cut a notch for the handle of the spoon. The spoon rest dries and is fired to bisque. Afterward, I paint in the details with underglazes, adding the aqua flow glaze that defines the back ground texture. Finally it is fired once more with clear coat that seals the clay body in a thin layer of glass. This guarantees it is food safe and durable. Below is my honey bee spoon rest: https://www.danasimson.com/product/honey-bee-spoon-rest/

honey bee spoon rest

 

Check out more neat spoon rests at https://www.danasimson.com/product-category/ceramics/spoon-rests/

handmade ceramic spoon rests

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keep your pets near to your heart forever

A nice fellow asked me to create a cremation urn for his dog Gilligan. His and an earlier dog’s remains would be kept in urns on the family’s mantlepiece. We worked together to design the look and colors of the urn which needed to blend with the other dog’s urn. He was very pleased to have something as uplifting and happy as the memories of his nice old pooch for the urn. In looking at what is available out there I thought- yes, pretty depressing options- so I have added burial urns to what I will make for you. Over the years I have made them from time to time for people as well as pets. To honor your beautiful remembrances in a joyful way.

keep your dear pets close to your heart forever

Find it under the new category of Urns; https://www.danasimson.com/product/burial-urn-to-honor-your-friend/

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artsmart . Imagination Exercise 2

How to strip away gray noise and hear single notes.

wGman&snake

Imagination rises in a symphonic wake of what you have passed through on your individual journey. The flow of imagery and general quality of the “Life in your day” is lifted and made more vibrant when you pay attention to the larger world. These notes, while making your day spark like chili flakes in a zippy curry are efficiently filed in your massive library of recollection neighboring nose and ears.

Imagination is deeply hooked into all our senses.  That is why we each react to things uniquely. Reaction and ideas are tempered by volumes of what we remember and feel. Imagination is not just about pretty pictures and new notions. It is a lifestyle choice of being aware, noticing and  appreciating. But one step at a time.

This week quiet yourself and listen.

Notice the music of a ceiling fan oscillating.

The slap of a car door shutting.

The tinkle of silverware jostled when you pull out a spoon.

Wings over water. A sink draining. Someone walking briskly down the hall.

If you want to sit down with yourself and study; start a work book/journal and write down sounds that delight you followed by what images they bring to mind. Do likewise with sounds that grind at you or cause discomfort. The strongest gift of imagination is empathy; slipping into another’s story and  listening so deeply you may grow to understand what escaped you before. Little steps forward in a big world.

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