ELUKKA

2012-03-03T12:30:00.008-08:00

Poor baby...

she hates this stupid collar!

We cleaned her paw a couple of times after the surgery...
it was pretty shocking at first...only 3 cute little toes left and a nasty gap in the middle...ugh
Fortunately this old lady is still full of life...and she has already developed
a unique technique of galloping with 3 legs...
she´s faster than Road Runner
REALLY!

Until now I wished to be an elephant in the next life...

because it would be just nice to remember everything

(for a change:)

but now I´d rather reborn as a silly little dog who´s galloping through life in joy and happiness :)

Enjoy your weekend!
xx Sissy

2012-02-28T11:58:00.002-08:00

Heroine of the day...

...sweet Mini had surgery today: one of her tiny toes was removed...

gosh, I´m still feeling sick about it...

but she seems to be just fine !

Go girl !!!!

2012-02-26T05:42:00.007-08:00

Tiny MyLand plots freshly out of the kiln...

...mmm, this is my favorite deep greenish blue glaze...
...calming browns....

...summer and winter scene...

...bright colors and playful dots...

...giant flowers and lucky clover...

...organic greens...

These little plot circles are ALWAYS slightly bigger

than the ring bases they should fit in...

oh, how I hate sanding !

xx: Sissy

2012-02-23T11:45:00.003-08:00

Nothing heals faster than watching the telly all day until your eyes pop out !

I love

Go Kwan´s Fashion Fix

(maybe because I´d really need his help:)

Pici loves to "watch tv" in my lap...

...and he´s very interested in awful wardrobes

and fashion crimes too:)

...and this is my view:)

Good night
xxSissy

2012-02-22T03:18:00.013-08:00

Still alive...

this is the first glazed trio...

OK there´s one more birdie but I´m keeping that for myself:)I got some kind of belly bug

so I stayed at home...getting better now!

I got up late, came back a couple of minutes later

with a nice cup of coffee... but my place was taken

PICI! GET OFF THE BED!!!

" wa´??? "

OFF YOU GO !!!
...but i luv yuuu...
GET OFF YOU STINKY BASTARD !!!
but...i´m just a newborn puppy...
STOP SMILING AND GET OFF !!!
("...she cannot resist my pink belly...")

YOU KNOW WHAT?! STAY THERE YOU...YOU...
oh ...who´s mummy´s little pup...mmm...would you please make some room
so I can come back to bed ? Thanks! No, no need to lick my face... :)

xx Sissy

2012-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Live birds...or dead birds?

(that is the question )

I made a flock of singing bird ornaments...
...and they are in the kiln right now...

...after last week´s firing disaster...
...I´m pretty sure they will blow up...

...and DIE :)

BYE BYE BIRDIES

xx Sissy

2012-02-16T04:30:00.000-08:00

Today I opened the kiln and this is what I saw...

...one of the kiln props collapsed and the upper shelf went down...
the middle shelf is now covered with tiny pieces of unrecognizable bisque ware...and clay dust...

You know what? The new house pendants are intact...ALL OF THEM !!!

the word of the day is

F**K !

(Sissy 2:16) LOL

I lost 8 custom dishes so my schedule is totally upside down AGAIN

...oh my... I´m taking a day off !!!

See? SUNSHINE!!!
never mind it´s "only" -5 celsius...where´s my bikini ??? :)
"winter sucks" - she said
*

Have a happy weekend! Sissy

2012-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

New plots

ready for glazing...I´m not:)

crop circles

fields, gardens, flowers and lakes

hilltop cottages with tiny trees

Potter´s math: 23 x 1 square inches = 5 long hours of glazing:)

xx Sissy

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Unfinished workbest friend: my toolbox

second best friend: clay

MyLand tiles in progress

bisque fired porcelain cups and stoneware bells

more unglazed stuff

"raw" doggies

cats and dogs

2 "pears" :)

...and 11 more

Cheers: Sissy

2011-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

love my dogs

Pici had eye surgery and Mini´s tonsils were cleaned up

...they were sleeping like little babies...

I wept a little...then smiled...then wept a little more

They are both OK by now:)

xxSissy

2011-08-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

I´m afraid summer is almost over...

the temperature gets lower every day

today it was only 19 celsius in the sun

I might need to grow some fur so I can enjoy

sunbathing like Mini

the dog piglet...or pig doglet:)

I might also need to have a mojito or two with friends

as my first attempt to grow mint is more than successful

as you can see

it´s in flowers...

I thought I didn´t like mint but the scent is really nice

the sun helps me to speed up the drying process
these guys should be in my kiln tonight
no, it´s not a cat, but a sleepy boston terrier...
Mini just loves my company and she´s very good in licking feets too

I did something useful too:

must get rid some of Pici´s loose fur or

most of it will end on my pillow...

I think we should give up these living fur factories...

...or maybe not:)
...

oh YES I want to give them away!!!

...eh, let them stay for a little while:)

Hugs from me and stinky lickings from the dogs

2011-08-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

Old sniffer

this is one of my old works: a sniffer...

he loves to put his big nose into my food and

sneeze some salt or pepper on it

...and these are his close relatives
hole for tiny cork plug

and this is a nose to die for:)

I have a bad habit: I kiss my clay dogs on the nose before the first firing

please don´t tell to anyone:)

Cheers: Sissy

2011-07-31T11:55:00.001-07:00

Rauma Lace Week festival is finally over...

it can be VERY exhausting for a shop keeper like myself...

Feels like I spent the whole week indoors

while everybody else could enjoy the summer sunshine...

...so I took the outdoors IN and created a new batch of

...miniature landscapes
hill cottages
summer scenes
...and old barns

I´ll attach these tiny whimsylands on blank rings
and they will be available in my Etsy shop soon

Cheers: Sissy

2011-07-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

New windows...

...old windows...
...red, orange, turquoise and yellow...

...rustic matte porcelain slips and stains

...I often walk this street...

...did I say the pendants are two-sided?...

I´ll call these: "looking in...

...looking out"...

...two pendants inspired by Spanish villas

Cheers: Sissy

2011-07-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

custom doggies: one with his turtle toy and one on Chesterfield chair

tired chap (custom)

brand new pendants with tiny clouds...

...and windows on the reverse

pretty much details - can´t wait to glaze them!

a couple of doggie trinket dishes - digger-beagle in the waves-mastiff and a mouthfull of fresh air
-BowlWatcher
landscape bells

... bigger size and out of buff stoneware this time

Cheers: Sissy

2011-07-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Am I a bad mother:)

I left my new babies

out for the night

...yesterday was really hot and sunny

so they should be near leather hard by now...

but no...it was raining all night so they are still wet...

..don´t worry Mum...
I´m ok...
...fortunately these new platters survived the rain too... I made a set of 10 ...
...and this is my favorite one...

Hugs: Sissy

2011-06-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

soooo many working hours needed

to fill such a small tray:)

New MyLand puzzles...

see? mostly blues and greens:)
...giant strawberry, pear and corn...
...tiny lakes...
...watermelon cottage...ladybug...wormholes...
...tropical flower...ice crystals...tiny beaches...
...lakes were filled with seed beads this time as

I was too busy for smashing recycled glass...

This is cone 6 stoneware,it matures at 1240 Celsius...

now it´s only 450 C

tick-tack tick-tack

still 18 hours to wait

I hate waiting

***
UPDATE 6/12 --- list of the reserved pieces:
snowy scene with 2 pines
giant fish lake
pear
orange umbrella
ship
2 "z" shaped paths
random wormholes with birdhouse
chicken
4 dressing cabins

Hugs: Sissy

2011-05-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

I´m not religious...but I do send humble wishes to some higher power

...lead me not into temptation...

(I´m on diet...again:)

...save our carrots and strawberries...

(...but save the bunnies and snails too...)

...give me easy-to-wash pets...

...let me succeed in my daily projects...

...teach me how to enjoy the simple things...

...let me understand that getting older IS a happy thing...

...don´t let these plates explode in the kiln...

Thanks: Sissy

2011-04-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

small dog - BIG feelings...

The Suspicious
The Boss
The Guilty

The Happy

The WeightWatchers

The Innocent and The Saint

...and the rest of them.

If you need a great coffee break companion

you might want to check out my shop

this weekend:)

Hugs: Sissy

2011-03-10T12:40:00.001-08:00

Today a friend came over because she needed a BIG HUG from me...

I guess hug is one thing you just cannot live without

It´s so easy to hug someone

especially if she´s cute as a button:

her name is "PiiP" (with long "I" like in the word "beep":)

and this is a beautifully detailed drawing

made by our son

when they went to school together(4 years ago)

Piip is about 6 and she was born in Hungary.

She´s very loud and it´s a bit annoying feature for

a sleeping toy...

She is very active and good in extreme sports...

She´s a ventriloquist, because she has no mouth...

We all love her very much

and I also promised her a new outfit.

Guess what she wants?

BLACK NINJA SUIT !!!

Piip inspired me today...

to create these ceramic "soft" toys ...aren´t they huggable:)

xx Sissy

2011-03-05T02:23:00.000-08:00

Doggie photos

Finally I´ve managed to copy thousands of "old"

photos to the External USB Hard Drive I bought almost a year ago...

Here are some of my favorites... starring 2 badly underpaid models:)

***

Just a boring photo...

...much better with living model:)

...camera loves this ugly black duckling

(even when she looks almost earless ) :

...this one makes me smile every time...

...here´s another boring shot...

...and the improved version...:)

Love these stinky guys!

Hugs: Sissy

2011-03-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

They´re here!

Whimsical rosary bracelets...

for those who treasure nature

and all its gifts...

***

It was a long process - started with silly drawings...

...continued with forming tiny charm beads...

...hunting the perfect jumprings and clasps took ages...

... glazing tiny stuff killed my neck...

...but the results are far beyond my expectations...

...now I only need some courage to give them up...

...even my ugly hand looks gorgeous:)

Hugs: Sissy

2011-02-23T12:06:00.001-08:00

Testing continues...

good contrast

smooth surface

bright colors...
...and there´s one thing you can´t see :

stupid porcelain clay shrinked A LOT!!!

This artsy little tumbler holds only 185 ml or 3/4 cups
"comfortably" and 200 ml or 4/5 cups up to the very rim...

espresso ?
whiskey ?
liquor ?
port wine?
vodka ?
(yes, in this order please:)
Next time I must make a much bigger template...sigh!

Hugs: Sissy

2011-02-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

Test cups in porcelain:

good news: they´ve survived the first firing without warping

bad news: I´ve no idea how should I glaze them ?!

My brain tells me:

"keep it simple"

But my heart wispers:

"go and color them, girl ..."

cottages and pines

hills and meadows

miniature gardens

pot garden and laundry day:)

Hugs: Sissy

2011-02-12T05:50:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Nature

"fake" sky:)

...and the real thing...

ceramic fields

agricultural fields in Jordan desert

rice fields by Guilin river, China

tea plantage

art work by French artist Jean Paul Ganem

lavender fields in France

tulip fields in the Netherlands

We live on a beautiful planet !!!

Hugs: Sissy

2011-02-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

I unloaded the kiln today -

it was a cone 2 firing for both bisque and glazed dishes

Glazed terracotta votive holders

(LOVE the clouds)

Stoneware MyLand dishes and votive holders after stain bath
(now aren´t they UGLY ?!:)

The kiln is reloaded with
zillions of tiny houses and pendants

...and with some new stuff: porcelain houses
(final size approx. 8x8 cm or 3.2x3.2")

...porcelain is still NOT my favorite clay...

first it feels too soft to handle then it dries out in seconds...

...I dare to say that I hate to work with porcelain clay...but I will surely love the results so must keep trying !!!

Glazing marathon starts on Friday:

80 brown stoneware houses

12 doggie dishes

10 votive holders

over 300 tiny beads and charms

70 MyLand puzzles

etc. etc.

WILL SHE MAKE IT BY MONDAY ?!

hugs: Sissy

2011-01-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

Hello!

Hugs from a "cool" girl:)

( today was completely feverless ! ! )

I´m getting better all the time but I still sound like Amanda Lear...

(a little Rod Stewart too !!!:)

if I´ll ever fail as a potter I can always get a nice flu and start a singing career:)

Want some proof of my existence?:) ...Check out these new beads:

...pretty little cottages, clouds, birdhouses, branches etc. mmm...yammy!

...got good feelings about these!

Pus-pus: Sissy

2011-01-26T02:01:00.001-08:00

Princess von 100 Fahrenheit

and 101 fever spots

...in the sweet company of registered nurse Mini...
... and body (+ sock) guard Pici

Did I ever mention how much I LOVE my dogs ?!!!:)
Hugs: Sissy

2011-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

New year - new glazes:

matte deep blue and matte turquoise greenish blue

I love the contrast

between satin matte and glossy colors...

Oh my...it´s MyLand time again!:)

How I´ve missed my tiny cottages!

Day 1...not bad:)

See? NO SNOWY SCENES!!!! Why? Don´t dare to ask me!!!:)

Something old....something new...
something

maybe too fragile to pack......I guess the heartsy cottage represents ME

yeah, Mini Me´s

trying to spread some love:)

pus-pus: Sissy

2010-12-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Sterling and fine silver cottage ring

Guys,

I must admit:

I needed a little rest...

this was my second year on Etsy and a very successful one!!!

Only this year more than 600 packages left to all over the world...

still cannot belive it...

So we spent the holidays quietly at home, just the 5 of us (incl. 2 mutts:)

and we had fun!

You know what? I didn´t touch clay for the last 5 days and I´m still alive:)

Finally

- after almost a year of designing -

I got the time for silver "MyLand" jewelry...

Started with simple cottages

about half the size of ceramic houses on MyLand puzzles.

and - so far - the whole process feels comfortable

and relatively easy for a

"non-metal" girl, like me...

...too easy...

...too inspirational...

Oh, how could I shout my third eye:)...

I can see tiny silver cottages among trees...

even tinier benches by blue lakes...

naughty garden invaders ...in the size of a rice grain!

But not now, it´s still Christmas

Hugs: Sissy

2010-11-24T05:11:00.000-08:00

I´m back!

With massive back pain and a broken camera!

SOOOO sure about skipping all fairs next year!!!

But hey! Life goes on even in -10 Celsius :)

I need warm virtual hugs: Sissy von Cold Feet

2010-11-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

Pottery Genetics:)

what do you get when you breed tiny houses...

...with a colorful spaceship ?
Votive holder! Ta-daa!

I´m in love again !!!
These are the first 2 test pieces
(and I got 22 etched UFOs on my shelf)
I´ll certainly dreaming about these tonight:)

Almost perfect...
but I have to put more glaze to fill the "lake".
These were made from low-fire clay so I cannot use recycled glass as it doesn´t melt perfectly
so I made some "fake glass" :) and fired to different temperatures:

These are my fav 6:
same glaze formula with different amount of oxides and colorants
on porcelain, white stoneware and buff stoneware

Crystalline glaze tests: some of them are from Cerama factory
and some of them are self-made
Earthy glazes for new MyLand projects...

You know, when you do ceramics you´re just never "ready"
there´s always something new and exciting to learn or try out

It´s a lifetime long addiction:):)

your: Ceramic Junky Sissy:)

2010-11-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sort of inspirational...

pee on the couch (yak!)

Uuupps, she did it again!

yeah, this ugly black duckling:)

she´s not allowed to be on the couch during the day

but who´s watching after her by night?

...this is a custom lidded box ...I can see it with my inner eyes:):

white leather couch
tiny yellowish "pond"
confused doggies:
"Ya know how to use this stuff?" " No. " "OMG, she´ll kill us I tell ya!"

"It´s your fault! We are soon all homeless because of you!"

"Sorry, my delicate butt is freezing out on the floor, I must sleep on the couch..."

...Ok let me guess ...a UFO ?

Spaceship?
No...

these are BIG votive holders!!!

(no idea why I make new stuff in odd numbers

like 3,5 or 7...weird)

Construction of a double-walled bowl takes ages

so every single votive land will cost a fortune!

Maybe I can keep all of them for myself! LOL

Here´s a little something from leftover clay:

...lidded trinket box with tiny flower cottage

Tiny farm houses waiting for glazing
please come over and help me out! :)

xx: Sissy

2010-10-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Do I look like a SECOND to you?!:)

Babe, you´re first class! I meant the lid you are sitting on...
same to you Mr. Retriever: please don´t take it personally
I´m sure someone will adopt you too...

Poor naked buddies:)
someone should glaze them but please tell me WHEN?

He´s the smallest standing pup so far:
only 14mm long and will shrink more!!!

A pair of wearable farmhouses...

earrings? charms? no idea yet

Love my new white glaze: it´s smooth as silk and so delicate!

I´m very pleased with this tiny bowl, must make more !!!

Tell me WHEN?

This one is reserved (yes for you R.!:)
I have a feeling that

must make more !!!:) Tell me WHEN?

Time is my worst enemy:

I got just under 3 weeks to my biggest show in Tampere...

WILL SHE MAKE IT ?!

xx Sissy

2010-10-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

3 shelves full with

Landscape Swings

Bowls

and Boxes...

***

new swings with garden topiary and puzzle theme

pinched bowl

...and the idea behind it
new porcelain treasure boxes
(slip cast base with hand built pup or kitty)
coiled bowl with personal sky

thrown bowls with climbing pup

pinched candy bowls with sweet guards

coiled and stamped bowls and cups

all these should be ready in a few days...

xx: Sissy

2010-10-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello !!!

My camera stopped cooperating with me

so I´ve got only one photo to show you guys:

Look at the ground...yeah, it´s SNOW

the exact word I ´d like to SHOUT

out loud

"&¤#) !!!

:) cold hugs: Sissy

2010-10-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Glazing Marathon:)

Date: 10/2/2010

Time: 7 hours

Fuel: 5 cups of coffee

Steps taken: 15000 ( at least:)

Glazes used: 17 different colors

Result: Ninety something puzzles in my kiln

HURRAY!!!

2010-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

This week:

...look at these tiny houses...

It´s MyLand time again!

I made 70 pcs for my Etsy shop and 34 custom pieces...

glazing marathon starts on Saturday

custom "Rauma" for a dear customer

1st row: lighthouse, our house and Unesco Heritage Well

2nd row: "duck park", old canal in the city and ...a cozy cloud for angel kitty

3rd row: old townhall, library by the canal and Medieval Church

these are SO tiny

Gingerbread houses - new pendants for the winter holidays

Whimsical Birdie Pendants

...poor birdies had to wait 4 weeks for new feathers but I couldn´t decide how to glaze them...I was thinking about something simple and minimalistic...
Just kidding! :) I cannot give up COLORS!

Sometimes a particular glaze jar stucks to my hands FOR WEEKS
Now it´s TURQUOiSE and LIME season for me...

...great...

I should make WHITE and RED stuff for winter holidays:)

xx: Sissy

2010-09-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Where´s the potter:)

...

You can see how listing an item looks

from my point of view:

In this month my critters and houses were featured on Etsy´s front page

6 times

and one of my tiny house pendants has made to

the Spotlight of Etsy blog.

I receive 20-50 mails per day

I try to answer all

I definitely need those sandwiches:)

xx: Sissy

PS.: Call me Invisible Ninja Warrior

(I started to take Taekwando lessons, ouch! :)

2010-09-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

What´s on the menu?

Dessert first:)

Low fat eye candy:

Main course

Micro-biotic salad:

Hyvää ruokahalua! Jó étvágyat!
Bon appetite!

xx: Sissy

2010-09-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

In my world:

...purses are sky high...

...furniture and dogs are giants too...

...so you can easily hide a whole village behind them...

In my world teenage rabbits are no bunnies anymore...

...pigs like to dress up...

...I´m able to count sheeps even without wearing my glasses...(1 , 2 :)

...I can hold 3 dogs in the palm of my hand...:)

xx:Sissy

2010-08-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Say "Cheeeeese"

we are ready!

2 of my instant favorites: High Grass and Yammy Panties...

...I love clay doggies with funky accessoires...

...she´s the cutest girl ever!

***

New wall dogs:

...and a few more...

...this one looks like me:

...short-legged, small-headed but oh so sexy:)

xo: Sissy

2010-08-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

MakingWallDoggies...

...is my new obsession - the process is quite similar like making vases:

-rolling a cylinder to even thickness

- adding bottom

- cutting and cleaning the hole

- adding a brainless head or a head full with animal thoughts:)

- adding "accessoires" or etching the piece

The whole process is so much shorter while doing wall doggies...and I´m a very, very unpatient woman!

...running in high grass...bassett on the move...winter outfit...dive-dive-dive...

...in spring...ballet dancer...

...flower power...maestro mutt...king of the bones...

yeah, I LOVE to make these!

xx: Sissy

2010-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

Lazy blogger...busy potter...

Meet some of my new friends:

...and their friends:

...and here´s a few more:

During the last 8 days I was sculpting like a lunatic !

I made:

34 vases (19 whites + 15 browns)

21 sitting bone chasers - like these:

8 bird pendants

19 wal(l)kers like these:

Tomorrow is "wall ball" day , yay!

Weather is sooooo rainy...poor buddies ...drying takes ages...

hugs: Sissy

2010-08-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hearts for every mood...

This one is for YOU :)

xo: Sissy

2010-08-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

Charging Batteries...

Rauma Lace Week is finally over...I don´t want to see any more tourists for a while :)

Last Sunday I was relaxing in the garden...

cheap fun:)

... a nice cup of coffee and the company of my new pottery book...

(Hand building by Shay Amber)

perfect mini holiday!

...Pici was wondering..."...is she dead or why she´s so still?...":)

I was also admiring the last flowers of my winter surviver roses

I lost 3 branches because of chilly winter :( so I´m planning to plant new ones - yellow and orange "WHISKY" roses in early September.

Oh, this week I have to finish 57 temporarily headless dog vases...

(for my Etsy shop and two exhibitions)

let the force be with me:)

hugs: Sissy

2010-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

One for Every WeekDay:)

...just kidding!:)...TWO for every week day:)

I ´ve finally finished 13 tiny ceramic rings...all "survived" 2 firings!!!

This is one of those happy days

when an old dream finally comes true:)

Hugs: Sissy

2010-07-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

Getting smaller...and smaller...

I wish I could shrink myself too! :)

I´d like to spend a few peaceful days in a miniature cottage like this:

...or enjoy a zen moment on a tiny bench by the lake...

I´ve absolutely NO idea why I made these rings or will they "survive" 2 firings ?

Sometimes feels great to create something just to please myself

I can save my aching muscles

and it also feels like getting

a nice brain massage...:)

Visual proof of the existence of my sweet mutts:

note dog fur permanently sculpted into the ring base...

Gosh, I make so high quality work!!! LOL

Ok, if anyone needs me:

I´m in the garden...collecting and probably eating fresh strawberries

and grooming my rock garden...

...oh, look who moved in:)

Originally bird puke WAS NOT part of the installation

...but now it is :)

Hugs: Sissy

2010-07-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

Monthly MyLand project IS FINISHED!!!

These summer puzzles look so cheerful!

I used brighter glazes, added new 3D elements: benches, hills, fences and even pumpkins...

(I might keep that one for myself...)

My favorites are the flowerish motifs and those yammy candy fields.

...Maybe because I try to eat less... it´s another project for a lifetime...:)

...I took 377 pix, cropped and edited them one by one and listed 52 pieces to my Etsy shop. It took 6 long hours yesterday and 50 minutes this morning.

"Only" about 30 listings left...

Hugs:Sissy

2010-06-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

MyLand...

MyBall...

MyGosh I need more TIME!!!

Here´s my day in photos and a short clip:

Took these out of my kiln...

Made a few new MyGlobe wall balls...

Got the inspiration to shrink the Globe to wearable size...

Started to glaze miniature houses made from red stoneware...

...made a wish that my bright glazes would work on red surface also...

...realized that 80 pieces of MyLand puzzles are ready for the first firing but I don´t have enough stuff to fill the kiln...

Made a dizzy clip of finishing touches...

Hugs: Sissy

2010-06-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Kitty Pix

I took her out of my kiln this morning...

...2 hours later she was sold!

He´s still "mine"...

...we´ll spend the next few days together...

...I want more kitties!!!

Happy Midsommer : Sissy

2010-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Watch out, Kitty! There´s a dog behind you...

I have to practise creating cats again...

..so I made 3 for a start...yes I know Kitty, it´s dangerous business

in a studio filled with bored dogs...

...like Eemili, long haired Dachshund

he has plenty of time chasing kitties around the house

while his fur´s drying out...
***
Remember this big boy?

He´s ready for leaving the nest. Bye sweetheart!

Hugs: Sissy

2010-06-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Doggies!...and hello Friends!!!

I was busy in my studio and lazy in my blog:)

Please check out some of my BabyBorns!

I tried throwing again with better success...after a friend of mine gave me a couple of throwing lessons, thanks Merja!!!

New pets just out of kiln.

Cups, salt "pigs" and sugar bowls with stoneware bone spoons...

Some of them were slab built from my favorite speckled clay.

Bones are dog´s best friends!!!

Hugs: Sissy

2010-05-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Glazing on this rainy Saturday

Big, heart shaped pendants...

This "little" baby is ready for getting new fur

..." Excuse me! I´m still naked!"..." I have to pee! Where´s the ladies room? " ..."I want smaller nose!"

Oh Holy Mutt! Give me strength to get on with these guys...

..." I ´m sooooo bored in this ugly plastic bag..."

Sorry Babe, you just have to take it as a man or your big manly ears will fall off during the firing... "Ok, but at least give me a bone, a cat or something..."

No way Babe - and remember NO JUMPING AROUND for a few days!

hugs: Sissy

2010-05-26T03:41:00.001-07:00

Mysterious Box From The Past...

...filled with "old" enamel works ...

...ladybugs, sails, roses, butterflies, fish etc. all cut by hand from copper sheet and enameled in electric kiln on both sides...

Sheeps

Cats...oh my, I don´t remember WHY I stopped making these...

Hugs: Sissy

2010-05-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Modern Cinderella

***

Selecting glass chips

( this Cinderella is not too pretty wearing safety googles:)

Filling bisque pendants:

there´s no exact rules how much chips you should use

it´s something you´ll never learn...

***

After hard work, this Cinderella spent a few minutes in sunny garden

She had to get rid of dead roses:(
they died because of extra chilly winter...
But look! I think this darling little rose will survive!

YAY!!!

Grow Rosie, GROW!

My mossy rock sanctuary looks quite good,

most of the moss has dried out but baby moss is growing through, I can clearly see it!

Also my sweet succulents are in full bloom

Here´s the whole thing, I LOVE IT !!!

I saw a rare animal in our backyard: a Tasmanian Devil...

...or was it our beauty pageant Mini ?

( her ears are always down on every photo - she is much "doggier" with her ears up)

Here he was listening to our new "bagless" extra supey dupey vacuum cleaner we bought finally today...

...I had to leave the house also...

...to let my hubby play with his new toy...

...and my ears are very sensitive as well:):)

When our dog look somewhat smaller in the grass...

...it can mean only one thing...

...it´s time for dusting off the grass trimmer...sigh!

...but NOT TODAY: I need an additional day (or two) to admire the first real spring flowers

Hugs: Sissy

2010-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

"Let Them Spread Their Wings ..."

Doggie Adoption List

made by Mrs. Creator:

Leopard Dundee - France

Baby Terrier - France

Silly Springer - Finland

Dandy - France

Party Rat...I mean Pooch - sunny California

Drunken Lab - sunny Arizona

Sexy Lab - wild Texas

Bull Terrior - near the Big Apple, NY

***

Thanks !!!

Mrs. Creator´s note to new adoption parents: I want to remind you that IF there´s any problem with the kids - I´m ready to come over and help you out...invitations are welcomed:) LOL

hugs: Sissy

2010-05-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

LET THE SUNSHINE IN ...

20 degrees C on the 14th of May

...because I´m worth it:)

Sorry Chewie, no need for your services

...keep the bulb...

Now that it´s warm outside I made a small batch of my popular

"Ice Drop" pendants...

I´ll fill them with recycled glass ..and today this custom mutt got his head on...finally

More house pendants in bigger sizes - approx. 2.5-3 cm

I´m tired - in a good way...

hugs:Sissy

2010-05-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Doggie Vase Update

The Gang

Oooooooh Birdie mioooooo.....

Twice buried rotten bone...mmm, delicious !

Sexy Boy...

Dude, where´s your ride?

I´ll list these guys to my shop soon...

***

New stuff :

stoneware accessoires for miniature gardens...

(the pot is for myself...)

...of course these will look much better after glazing...

...and look what else I made for poor old me !!!

"Hello Sissy"

I´ll love to drink my coffee from this cup!

***

hugs: Sissy Brighteye:)

2010-05-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

hugs: CartoonSissy

2010-05-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Kiln Loading Mantra

"...you´re not mine, I made you for adoption..."

" I´m sorry...but you´re not mine...I made you for adoption..."

"... you´re not mine either, I made you for adoption..."
"...you´re not mine....*weep-weep*...I made you for adoption..."
"...you´re not mine...*WEEP_WEEP_WEEP*...
...weep-weep-weep...MOMMY LOVES YOU !!! :)

xo: Sissy

2010-04-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Vase and chunky dog tile update:

"tadadada...I´m too sexy for this hat - too sexy for this hat ("what d'you think about that?") tararara...:)

"Love is in the air everywhere you look around..."

xo:Sissy

2010-04-27T08:02:00.002-07:00

Doggies and more doggies...

it was a busy, busy day...I ´ve focused on 3 bigger customs in the last 2 weeks and now I have this feeling that I´m soon out of doggies:) yeah, my Etsy shop desperately needs more dog themed stuff, so ready, set, go!!!

9am:

Yesterday I wedged about 7-8 kg of buff stoneware clay and today I´ll transform these chunky sausages to vases and wall tiles. I´m not in the mood of careful slabbing so I´ll roll cylinders and then alter the shape... but one day I´ll buy a funky SLAB ROLLER to do the hardest work for me!!!...

13.30 pm:

In the back rows you can probably recognize the basic shape of my ho(w)ly dog vases ...and meet my newest buddies for the wall...hmmm...they look quite brainless to me:)

I´ll soon attach the stiffed bottom slabs...right after my coffee break (2 sugar, milk and a giant cheese and cucumber sandwich...yammy)

4.40pm:

4 trays filled with vases and tiles I´ll add the heads tomorrow

Today I finished these two:

"Born to be wild" and "Bad hair day"

Now someone should clean up the battlefield...

...and wash my silent colleagues. I cannot live without them:

xo:Sissy

2010-04-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and this what I saw:

I couldn´t belive my eyes!
I had to turn on the butt-warmer:) in the car...

***
Then I spent a few hours finishing my son´s cake and Pinata for his late birthday party:

These photos were made for my "best Mom" portfolio:)

Today I should have glazed these:

...and all the tiles I made last week, but it´s almost 9 pm so they have to wait until tomorrow...

I´m off to answer 12 (!!!) Etsy mails and then I´ll treat my wobbly tummy with a nice piece of cake!!!

Oh, today was FP day AGAIN!!! (4 times in the last 8 days:) Yay!

xo: Sissy

2010-04-18T13:06:00.001-07:00

On the FrontPage

twice last week

and on my birthday!!!

yeah !!!

4/21

4/14

and

4/18

xxx Sissy

2010-04-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

Update:

Good Luck Moss!!!

2010-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

4/14/2010...the day Szilvia found terracotta clay...

Keepsake boxes and/or planters

Guardian included...

Hand built lacy bowls and wall tiles...

Lovely textures...

Lazy watchdog in terracotta

Studio watchdog ...made from dog.

Such a great day!!!

***

Hugs: Szilvia

2010-04-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sunny Sunday

No fresh snow for the last 8 days:) I want to belive that spring is finally here. This afternoon I spent almost 3 hours in the garden , collecting dead leaves, trimming berry shrubs and building " my new outdoor photo studio" :)

the moss garden...

Why? Because I want to take photos like this:

Candy Houses in stoneware

Of course I needed MOSS - it wasn´t a problem as it grows in the shades, under our old pine tree ( this is the exact spot where our dogs...hmmm...ok, it´s their toilet:)

Removing Sphagnum moss

Poor moss was hungry after long winter, so I searched the fridge for moss food...I hope this strawberry flavoured yoghurt drink will do the trick :

Sorry moss, it´s low-fat, I hope you don´t mind !
(I´m sure Kate Moss would go for it !:)

Placing moss on yammy yoghurty stones ...I had to cover the stones very quickly...

..because my little assistant is obsessed with yoghurt...and with fresh strawberries...and with strawberry yoghurt...or with any kind of food at all!!!:)

Ok, it´s almost done but I will continue working on it later. I´m planning to grow a nice moss carpet around the stones and I will make colourful ceramic flower sticks for decoration.

***

But now I must return to the house...my butt´s freezing!!!

See that white stuff on the left...yeah, it´s SNOW !!!

Hugs: Szilvia

2010-04-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

Newborn Pups

They will all leave to the US soon so I have to teach´em a few commands in English, how about: "sit"- "stare" - "give me love" ...?:)

hugs: Szilvia

2010-03-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bisque

I opened the kiln at 1 pm...no breakage, no cracks, no warping - yay! These cuties are now ready for colouring with stains, porcelain slips and glazes.

"I hate this hat"..."WOW cool sunglasses"...

"I wanted longer tail!"..."I hate stripes, WANT POLKA DOTS!!!"

***

sigh...relax doggies, I don´t have time for this...now off you go and jump to the stain bath!

"I love being muddy" ... "Oh NO! You promised me white fur! Wash it off!!!"

Oh, you´re all so handsome. Try to stay on the newspaper all night, ok? It will help you to dry out evenly. One more thing for your little grey cells: try to figure out what is you fav colour and tomorrow I´ll interview all of you one-by-one, promise! So long buddies!

***

Now I have to wash the tiles and little bowls. It´s not my favorite part of the process...

...6 pm...gosh, my back hurts! I´m ready to go home.

xo: Szilvia

2010-03-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

It´s tile-time!

Test tile (sold)

- it´s on the way to Florida ( instead of me, but I didn´t fit into the mailer:)

***

As much I like to make useful artsy items I´m also very fond of tiles. However, I HATE that clay has better memory than mine and I HATE that it can warp during firings if I didn´t treat it well...and everybody knows that I´m a real clay torturer:) I love to smash it to the table, throw it multiply times, tear it to "carefully measured" (ha-ha-ha) parts and look what kind of creature wants to come alive from THIS lump of clay...this is how I make my art, how clay "distills" my frustration, my joy and millions of other feelings and let me do whatever I want to do. It lets me create my own imaginary world full with things I love and cherish: ugly mutts with beautiful heart, MyLand puzzles to heel my home sick back to Hungary, imaginary gardens to belive that summer will eventually arrive !

MyGarden - small stoneware bowl
with fused recycled glass

So from now on I´ll make only "my kind of tiles" - so long careful slabbing, cutting or slow drying and welcome tearing, stretching and warping!

Side-view of puffy 3D tiles made from smooth off-white stoneware clay

High hills, small cottages, trees, patchwork ...(anyone surprised?:)

Low-tech texturing with toothpicks, wooden grill sticks and other "tools"...the hill flower will be glued on common rusty wire.

I can´t wait to glaze these cuties...

xo: Szilvia

2010-03-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Christmas in March...

after 2 failed firings I´ve finally finished these little bowls.

New design: wedding ring bowl prototypes

Patchwork style salt cellars or ring keepers

These are my instant favorites: 3" pinched bowls for spices or small treasures.
I love the whole process but the very best moment is when I´m opening the kiln and....wow!!!

I´ll list these later this week.

xo: Szilvia

2010-03-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Numbers

bisqued items: 108

slips: 8

glazes: 19

stain wash: 2 hours

glazing: 7 hours

kiln shelf: only 1 of 4

Repeatable firings: 1 (the kiln switched off)

Delay: 2 days...

xo: Szilvia

Recent work...

2010-03-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Here´s a few photo of my recent projects - last week I launched these collectible landscape nuggets in my Etsy shop. Good news that these sell, bad news that I´m already addicted...

My favorite buff stoneware clay is ideal for this kind of work: doesn´t warp, shrinks very little and smooth enough to carve or etch fine details. Check out my low-tech texturing "tools"...glaze will melt nicely into gaps and tiny ponds.

Greenware nuggets look awful , but my bright glazes will turn these to tiny treasures ( I hope:)

I formed 52 pieces this week and you can check them out in my Etsy shop next Monday. I´ve managed to make something else also:

...small salt cellars or ring dishes and pinched bowls for sauce, spices or.. for building your very own moss garden!!! See those tiny hill cottages?

I said TINY and I (almost) never lie!:)I can´t wait to wear a pair of cottages in my ears!!!

xo: Szilvia

OMG...

2010-02-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Gosh! I´ve just realized that my earlier posts GOT COMMENTS !!!! There are a few lovely, friendly, great people in this planet who are interested in me and my work... HI lovely, friendly, great people!!! ♥♥♥

This situation is - again - an undeniable proof of my laziness... But - as ANY real Hungarian would say : "This is obviously not my fault":) - the problem is in this world where everybody else can speak and write fluent English except me...And being a maximalist doesn´t help much....well, I´ve decided to write more often and not to worried about English grammar ( who needs it anyway?:)

Maybe adding LOTS of pics will ease the reader´s pain...so watch out world!:)

♥ Szilvia ♥

2010-02-15T00:57:00.000-08:00

HOT DOGS...

This is the title of my very first treasury , oh it was SO HARD to pick only 12 items!!!

2010-01-17T10:20:00.001-08:00

Colour theraphy....I really need it!

2010-01-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

It´s sooooooooo cold outside that I would like to sleep the winter away...

Like this:

...or this...

or in good company:

B U T: no time to sleep! Sweet holidays are over and I´m back to work. Today I´ve menaged to fill the kiln with greenware , so hopefully I´ve got "something" to list to my Etsy shop on this Sunday . My head is full with new plans for 2010- I also promised myself to save my energy and being "logical" in work...and , yeah, sell a little more than last year. Making art is so much fun, but so is having $$$$$$$$ or EUR on my account:)
Offering more "useful" but still artistic stuff sounds good enough to me - so last week I made a few plaster molds and today I tried out my new porcelain slip ( home made:) with great success. This is my very first attempt being a "material girl":) I´m planning to slipcast my tumblers and wall plaques in vitrious porcelain - instead of hand building. I love to sculpt unique stuff - sculptures etc. - but tumblers and tiles are just the base for artwork. Like white canvas, only in clay...I hope slip casting saves time and let me concentrate to what I really like: etching and glazing.

Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR for everyone!

xo: Szilvia

Naughty boy...

2009-12-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

I see houses everywhere...when I´m driving the car, in the movies, even in my dreams, everywhere.

And then my hands form what I saw - cottages, farmhouses, beautiful, rustic wood houses. And then I must make them smaller and smaller every time, alldo making these tiny sculptures takes almost the same amount of time as working on the bigger ones. Especially glazing is very time consuming and I really need to buy a crafter´s magnifier glass with inserted light or else one day my eyes will fall off...LOL

Winter in Wonderland

The last two weeks I made house pendants, house ornaments and pendants with their own "hill" rest - miniature pendant holder... ( no photo taken yet)...and I´ve already sold MANY of them! Yeah! Feels great to "find out" what makes other peoples happy while enjoying the making process so very much.

Cottage in Pine Forest

Here we go...this is my newest addiction - hi, I´m Szilvia and I´m a house-a-holic ...:) First the minipups and now these tiny houses...what next? I´m thinking about lighthouses, boats, landscapes including all of these and shrinking, shrinking and more shrinking:) ...maybe a nice wizard will shrink my chunky-clumsy fingers also!

Tiny house pendants

Otherwise Christmas rush is ON - 8 of my custom sculptures are undone yet, but at least they are almost all in the drying stage. Next week I´ll fire every other day and glaze between firings. My electric kiln is only 2 years old and fired almost 200 times ( half low- half high firings) soon it has to be "mend" and change the wires - those cost almost 300 euros, gosh!

Pici beside the warm kiln - he´s meditating, or guarding that juicy bone...you can see the reflection of my black bitch also:)

XO: Szilvia

Making FIBERCLAY...

2009-10-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

What? Fiberclay = clay + fibers

Why? Because it´s just great! It´s flexible, easy to work with, never breaks, lightweighted yet extremely solid etc...so WHY NOT?

I made my very first batch of fibre clay about a year ago using recycled newspapers. Then I switched to other fibers because paperclay gets smelly in a few days .

This is a nice big bucket full with ready mixed fibreclay - I used my buff stoneware clay for making slip and added fibers to it. The result is pure MUD :)

One could basically use it almost like common clay slip and make nice ceramic pieces by using plaster molds. However I like to work with firm clay so first I have to remove excess water from the slip by puring the mass onto 3" thick plaster block. After 15 minutes or so I cannot wait anymore and I start to wedge it ...

Soon I have to fight against rising clay monster dogs...but I always win!

When the clay starts to remind me of elephant "#¤% my work is almost done.

...gosh! is it real elephant "#¤% ? I´ll never touch this stuff again!

...and finally, here´s the ready mixed and wedged stoneware fibreclay. I added 30% fibres so any sculptures I´ll make of it should weight 30% less, as the fibres will burn off during the firings. As you can see it looks exactly like common clay.

These are all fibreclay critters, fired to 2280 degrees F!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_clay

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper-Clay

http://www.grahamhay.com.au/paperclayartists.html

That´s it for now, thanks for reading!

Cheers: Szilvia

Ready to work...

2009-10-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

with my artsy right hand ...one could easily think that I´m a huge Michael Jackson fan ( Ok, I still love the Thriller-clip:) The healing process is very slow on my burnt thumb and my fingerprint is surely changing...sorry FBI folks, you will never find me anymore:)

This week I really have to start making doggie stuff for the Tampere Art Fair 13-15.11.2009. This is my best selling show ( and the only one this year) so have to be well prepared.

My best sellers are the self-phone guarding dogs and the small candle/jewelry holders fired with recycled glass... I can first form the armchairs and maybe a few days later I´ll be able to make the detailed miniature guards also.

These cute collectible minipups are popular too:

Fortunately I´ve still got bigger dogs in stock - as they are real "customer magnets" on my stand ...people notice bigger sculptures first and MAYBE buy something smaller or at least take my business card ( gosh, I have to print out more) so they can visit my homepage later. It´s all about being visible and making new contacts...

I have to show you this photo : Pici - our male mutt is chilling out on the couch...he´s such a great model...and underpaid:)

Ok, I´m back to WORK!!!

Cheers: Szilvia

2009-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my! So much work and so little time...why we need sleeping at all? The most important art fair is in 5 weeks . Do I have anything to sell there - NOOOOO!!! My head is full with ideas, my sketchbook is full with ideas, BUT my calendar is full with custom work...somehow I just have to menage make my own stuff . Flu is killing me ( not piggy:) and yesterday I burnt my fingers, weep-weep. At least now I know that my million dollar fingers are

1. my right index finger AND

2. my right thumb...

OK, I stop whining and show you some pics of my latest works. First of all my very first MOTORCYCLE, yeah!!! It was a custom order and took almost 2 days to make it but I enjoyed it so much! It is technically challenging and made from FIBER CLAY, which means that paper and other fibers were added to the clay. Fibers make the clay more flexible - it is really needed during multiply firings.

Here´s the guy drying out on my shelf.

And here is the finished sculpture , maybe I don´t have to say that I LOVE IT!!!

This much for now. I try to add new pics and share my awful English with you once in a week.

XO: Szilvia

2009-06-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hi,

welcome to my blog.

My name is Szilvia Vihriälä, I´m a self-taught ceramic artist living in Finland. I love animals - especially dogs -, so I create whimsical animal sculptures and dishes from stoneware clay. I work in my own studio where I also sell my work to local customers, but I also like to participate in Art Shows.

Here you can peek into my studio and see my works in progress. At the beginning I concentrate on photos because I really need some practice in English... So: enjoy the pics and don´t save me from your honest comments:)

Cheers: Sissy