I missed last week's Tuesday Craft post...Christmas rush is the order of the day. I really made a few crafts but trying to finish the decorations and completing orders from Etsy customers and from the store where I sell my ceramics and pillow covers left me with no time to write.
Today I am making ceramics for a few customers who are also friends and finishing some for the store. Also I am working on a sublimation product, the porcelain switch plate. A few years ago I used to make tiles, ornaments and switch plates with a sublimation equipment using my art and I sold a lot of those products. In my creative journey I have tried many things and sometimes they don't feel right no matter that I can make money with them. I think I have written about that a few times, what makes my soul smile is the creative process. Once I have to make a production of the same piece I get stressed out, not because of the rush but for the boredom. My head feels like exploding with too many ideas but I am trapped in the production. That is the main reason I decided to make a change of path creating a store to sell my art as downloadable files and another store where I sell my art printed in fabric and paper. This change leaves me with more time to create. I am still in the beginning stages of this new path but I am happy to finally find myself in a creative art business that feels right. That, my friends, is a great feeling!!
Don't get me wrong, I do love to make crafts but not a production of them. For that reason and because Christmas feels like the perfect time for crafts I made a few (shown below) for the Christmas decorations.
With the same wood pieces of the ornament in the previous post I made two ornaments with my granddaughter's photos. I need to buy some rick rack to finish them and also finish the same ornament with my grandson's photo. Using PhotoShop and my wreath design I sell in the Etsy store I was able to print them in a sticker paper (instead of the canvas paper) and stick it to the wood piece. I added pieces of rick rack to make these adorable ornaments for my tree. The downloadable art of the wreath can be found here.
With ceramic I made a cute doggy ornament and a few stars. I am also showing a few white ornaments I made with ceramic a few years. The base colors of my tree are always green, red and gold but for a good balance of color I added ceramic ornaments in white. The Three Kings ornament was made last year for a customer and I kept one for me. I love it!! Also with ceramic I made the small heart with the word HOPE (something we need NOW) and painted it with acrylics. I love to add a variety of ornaments each year. Ceramic is a great medium to create an unlimited variety of ornaments.
My Christmas Tree also have a few sublimated ornaments I made a few years ago.
The last thing I want to show you is a display of what I was working today, the switch plates. I made them for three reasons: I have an inventory of blank switch plates (i ordered 1000 a few years ago), I bought a heat press and someone lend me the printer and I love to make new things. They have my collage painting designs, drawings and digital geometric art I created in PhotoShop. It is a rough display but you can have a hint of what I am doing today (besides writing).
I have been very busy working, decorating, and making crafts besides all the other stuff (like cleaning) but I am enjoying each one of them trying to focus on the good. The time we are living is very scary and stressful and we feel at times very sad for not been able to share with those we love. I miss playing with the girls and the hugs but at least we can share some time together with masks and social distancing. I miss my family in Pennsylvania. It is the first time I can't visit them for almost a year and it is really sad. I miss sharing a coffee or a meal with friends and family. We all miss something but I try every day to focus on the day and to make it a good one. I am happy I can do that. It is what I decided to do in order to survive. There are days that are more difficult than others but I keep going back to "embrace the moment" and "this, too, shall pass" and "this is the day I have, enjoy it".
I hope you are having the best time you can, with faith and hope. This, too, shall pass.
Enjoy the holidays and stay safe!
From the bottom of my Heart,
Elizabeth Claire
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