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!

Ceramists in Training

These are my favorite little cousins, Risa, Lea, and Vida. I know you’re not supposed to pick favorites, but with personalities even cuter than their little faces and trendy outfits, it’s hard not too. Ssshhh, don’t tell the others.


The girls took a ceramics class earlier this summer, and their Mom, my Aunt Ver and the mistress over at the Nesting Ground, sent me this picture of a plate made by Lea.

She’s only 7 people, and already way more talented than me! She molded the organic shape of the plate herself, and then used shells to form the flower petals. Super cute, right? The sweet design perfectly matches her sweet little self. My aunt wasn't sure, but I like to think she used Cover-Coat or E-Z Strokes to paint her design. I wish I could tell you the name of girls’ teacher, but my aunt couldn't remember and no website exists. The teacher’s a true artist who couldn't make a living doing her art, so now she gives classes out of a studio in her garage on the side. My aunt used the word “studio” lightly, as no attempt was made to make it look like a class or a workshop. It was literally just a garage. How cool is that?! I’m sure Indie artists have taken quite a hit in this economy, as people cut back on luxuries such as art. I love that this artist is capitalizing on the DIY movement, and at the same time sharing her love of ceramics with eager young students like my cousins. The girls are coming to visit this weekend, so I’m hoping these budding artists can give me a few pointers! That is if we’re not all in a food coma after our visit to the big, big, big, big, BIG Fresno Fair...

i LOVE to create with Color Bazaar!

It's been so hard for me to keep quiet about my FAVORITE new program, Color Bazaar! Finally, after a long and painful wait, I can tell you all about it! As I mentioned in my CCSA Recap, Color Bazaar is an innovative color process that transforms ordinary objects into a treasure. Color Bazaar gives bare surfaces a vibrant and magical personality with an easy-to-master technique designed for every skill level. With Color Bazaar, anyone can create a beautiful piece of art. Yes, even me! This program is SO easy and SO fun, I just love it. Here's how it works:

First, you choose your object and pigments. I went with Sapphire, Amethyst, Gunmetal, and Onyx.

Next, you pour a small amount of Sparkle Fuse adhesive into your object, and roll it around until it completely coats the inside.

You then drain the excess Sparkle Fuse. This step is SUPER important. I left my object for a minute or two to make sure I got it all out.

Next I scooped my pigments into the object using the Pigment Spoon (not pictured), and shook and turned my object until the pigment covered the entire inside of the surface. Here's my object halfway through...

...and here's the finished project!

As my last step I embellished with Tulip Glam-It-Up PDA, and hung it proudly outside my cube. As you can see, I have quite a collection forming!

I promise, anyone can be successful with Color Bazaar! Everyone at iLoveToCreate has fallen in love! Look at all these objects I stole from my co-workers:

Aren't they so pretty?! So do I have you convinced? Want to learn more about Color Bazaar?! Visit www.ilovetocreate.com for all the details!

All about Inspiria - cirque du CCSA!

After a crazy four days, we clicked our heels and made it safely home from Kansas! We had SO much fun at Inspiria - cirque du CCSA! CCSA stands for Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association. This was my first time attending their annual convention, and it was an AMAZING time. I might be a little biased, but I have to say our iLoveToCreate booth blew the competition out of the water! Thank you to Alyson, Mandy, Pattiewack, Michelle, Sam and everyone else for all their hardwork! Here's some pictures:

Beginning to setup the booth on Friday

It's coming together!

Finally done and we're ready to go! Here's the Crafy Chica demoing our Duncan Make It Take It! It was a super cool project using our Duncan Oh Four Bisque Slant Star Box, Concepts, and sand!

One of the MOST exciting parts of the convention was that we FINALLY got introduce Color Bazaar!

Color Bazaar is an innovative color process that transforms an ordinary object into a treasure! Here's Traci Bautista demoing our exciting new program to excited Studio owners!

Color Bazaar makes it easy to experience creativity and the excitement of personal accomplishment! Here's Larry Duncan and the Crafty Chica showing off their treasures!

Here's some pictures of Valerie and Dean showing customers what the iLoveToCreate booth is all about!

My favorite part of the booth was our Duncan Oh Four Bisque Seasonal Blooms Collection painted with Concepts. This picture hardly does them justice, but aren't they gorgeous?!

I also loved our Color Bazaar wall. Check it out:

Well, that it's for now folks! Thank to you everyone at cirque du CCSA who stopped by our booth and tried out our products. It was so nice to meet all of you! See you next year in Reno!