January, where did you go?!

I can't believe I haven't blogged since December 29th. I can't believe December 29th was over a month ago. Where has the time gone?! We've been busy little bees here at iLoveToCreate, and I promise you there are LOTS of exciting things coming in 2010! Besides working on these exciting new projects, the iLoveToCreate team has also been doing a lot of traveling. Two weekends ago the team headed to Anaheim for the CHA Consumer and Trade shows. We had a huge booth showcasing all of our products, and the amazing things you can create with them. My favorite piece by far was this beauty:This dyed velet dress was created entirely from Tulip products! Isn't it amazing?! To see pictures of more cool things from CHA pop over to The Trend Spot!

This past weekend the Duncan team was off to the IADCCT Convention in Las Vegas! As you may recall from my previous post, IADCCT stands for International Association of Duncan Certified Ceramic Teachers. They are a wonderful group of people, and I had such a great time getting to know many of them! It's always so nice when I can finally put a face to the names I see everyday. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. This year's theme was Ceramic Carnivale!

You may see a familiar face in that last picture. It's Musette Young, one of the stars of our iLoveToCreate ad campaign!These people are all SO passionate about Duncan products and ceramics. It was so much fun to watch them doing what they do best! A special THANK YOU to Duncan Ambassador Ingrid King for teaching the Duncan class, and to her daughter Sophia Kingsley for helping with the class. I'd say it was a huge hit! Thanks again to everyone who attended, and I look forward to seeing you all next year!

Santa, Come Back!

If you're anything like me, you're in a slight post-Christmas daze/depression. Even though I started counting down to Christmas months ago, it still feels like it came and went too fast! I feel a little bit lost without any presents to wrap or cookies to bake. I'm still watching Love Actually, Elf, and The Holiday. I've piled up all my Christmas presents and I just stare at them, reliving the wonderful feeling of opening them on Christmas morning. I don't even want to use them yet, because then Christmas is REALLY over. Pathetic, right? Don't worry, I'm well aware. Thankfully, iLoveToCreate is here to help me find MUCH better ways to pass the time. Over at ilovetocreate.com they have a Project of the Day feature. Each day a new project is posted. These cute projects help me stay in the Christmas spirit, and at least I'll have something to show for my hours spent pining over Christmas! How cute is this:

Who doesn't love a Snuggie?! They were the IT gift this year. Personalize your Snuggie with Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Fashion Designs™ and Tulip® 3D Fashion Paint . I can't wait to curl up in mine by the fire as I listen to Christmas music and stare lovingly at the Christmas tree. And does it get any cuter than these Wonky Penguins?

I don't think so. I think this is the most creative use of the Duncan Oh Four Bisque Chopstick Holder I've ever seen! And here's a bonus, these aren't technically Christmas decorations, so you can let them stay around a little longer. You can find these and a ton of other great projects under the Project of the Day section at ilovetocreate.com. Let's make this years Christmas depression a productive one! It's never too early to get a start on next year. I mean, it's only 361 days away... :)

A Summery Treat for a Cold Winters Night!

Well folks, it's only 13 days till Christmas! Hard to believe, I know. Still searching for the perfect gift for that special someone? Look no further, I have the cutest idea that's particularly special because it was made by YOU!
Even your lactose intolerant relatives will love appreciate these lovely ceramic ice cream cones! These particular cones were created by NYC artist Virginia Sin. Cute as they are, why pay $18 a cone when you can create a set yourself for much less?! Our Duncan Oh Four Bisque Ice Cream Cone Box is even cooler because you can use it to serve ice cream, or the box can be used to store all your toppings! Customize the box with favorite colors, or to get the same matte look as Virginia, just paint the box with nontoxic, food safe SN352. Anyone will love this adorable reminder of summer during the cold winter months. How cute would they look with a scoop of red peppermint ice cream on top?! Mmm my mouths watering just at the thought. Still need a few more ideas for everyone else on your Christmas list? Check out www.ilovetocreate.com for TONS of easy DIY gift ideas!

i LOVE to create with Renaissance Glazes!

First off, I have to apologize for being a bad ceramist. I feel like there's been so much going on here at iLoveToCreate, I haven't blogged about ceramics for awhile. Luckily I can FINALLY share a super exciting new line of mid-range glazes with you! We've been working on this one for a long time, and I'm SO excited to finally present to you...

The wonder and mystery of the Old World come alive with Duncan Renaissance Glazes, a premier mid-range glaze that modernizes art history on multiple clay bodies. The line of eight unique glaze colors provides limitless opportunities to embrace the rustic, ancient, historical and artistic perspectives of the 16th century... all with the ease of application that the Duncan Ceramic Arts brand is known for. Here are the beautiful eight new colors:

RG 701 Vintage Blue

RG 702 Antique Celadon

RG 703 Rustic Mustard

RG 704 Shino Cream

RG 705 Bronze Patina

RG 706 Frosted Brick

RG 707 Deep Sea Treasure

RG 708 Pastel Peach

Aren't they beautiful?! I love them because they're so different from anything else out there right now! Check out "Seascape" created by Duncan Ambassador Musette Young:

Musette says, "The glaze applies like a dream, and works well with Concepts design work underneath. The glazes also work great in multiple combinations with one another!" Contact your Duncan Distributor to get your Renaissance Glazes today! Just consider these an early present from Santa :) I'm going to give them a whirl myself. This will be my first experience with mid-range glazes, so stay tuned!

We Love To Create!

Even though Halloween is long gone, and my Christmas countdown has begun (44 days!), I have to show you some of the costumes my fellow iLoveToCreate-ers came up with! Here's a particularly witty costume the Internet Marketing team created: A little Tulip® Fabric Spray Paint™ , Tulip® Soft Fabric Paint™ and a pig mask and you can be the H1N1 virus, too! Here's the Swell Designer (Alexa) dressed up as Octomom:Pretty dead-on, right? I LOVE the big wax lips. Here's Sean, who looks so good as a girl it's a little scary!
And finally, after a lot of this......and a lot of this...

we have me, Smurfette!

I felt pretty silly parading around the office in this outfit, but it's fun to mix it up every once and a while! Now it's time to move on to my favorite time of the year!! I think I'm going to have my family over for a Color Bazaar party. Wouldn't it be so fun to have everyone make their own ornament for our family tree? Look how beautiful this Christmas ornament is:
It still amazes me how beautifully rich the color is! Click HERE to learn how you can make this ornament, or lots of other cool objects, yourself!

Happy Halloween!

Last Sunday my family gathered together for dinner and some pumpkin carving. I can't remember the last time I carved a pumpkin. It was messy, but SO much fun! I don't usually get that into Halloween, but as I told you last week, this year I'm feeling the holiday spirit early, and I'm loving it! Here's my pumpkin:I've mentioned before how creative my sisters are. Here's my younger sister Libby tackling her Polka Dot Pumpkin:Here's the group shot of all of them finished and lit! You see can see some family members are more creative than others! And by others, I mean me.
Quite the collection, huh? Are you having a hard time getting into the Halloween spirit? Visit ilovetocreate.com for some quick and easy project ideas! We'll help take your house from boring to bloodcurdling in no time! I especially love this creepy project by Pattiewack:I'm such a wimp, I'd probably be too freaked out to drink out of them! There's lots of fun costumes around the office today. Check back next week to see my favorites, and to check out how my smurf costume turned out! Happy Halloween everyone!

It's (almost!) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Fall is finally here! Last night as I was leaving my parent's house it was so cold I could see my breathe. All I could think was one thing...the holidays are finally here!!! My boyfriend quickly reminded me I was getting a little ahead of myself. Before I can start thinking about Thanksgiving dinner and what I want for Christmas, we need to get through Halloween. So, now I've decided to focus all my festive energy on Halloween. Here's what I'm going to be:
I haven't worked out all the details yet, but I know there will be quite a bit of Royal Blue Tulip Permanent Fabric Dye involved. Not feeling festive this year? Visit ilovetocreate.com for fun and easy projects that'll get you in the spooky spirit in no time! The Spooky Smiles Plate is a cute way to display all those treats your ghosts and goblins love to nibble on!

I didn't realize how much I liked Satin Glazes until I saw this plate in person. Check them out! There's plenty of other cool Halloween projects and costume ideas at ilovetocreate.com. I love these Twilight-inspired tees (Team Edward!) and this super cute Boo Buffet! Somehow you can never have enough candy corns! If you need EVEN MORE Halloween inspiration, pop over the Swell Designer's blog. She's posted a TON of Halloween projects. Seriously, more Halloween projects then you ever thought possible! There's definitely something for everyone. Here's one of my faves:

Happy Holidays everyone!