Introducing Renaissance Glazes™ Color Break Series!

I gave you a sneak peek of this release last month, and now I'm so excited to officially announce 8 new additions to the Renaissance Glazes family! Reinvent your artistic passion as you experiment with this new line of Duncan Glazes! Specially formulated for cone 5-6 firing, the Renaissance Glazes Color Break series writes poetry with color on stoneware and porcelain in the greenware or bisque stages. These 8 new colors are available in 8-oz. jars. Like all Renaissance Glazes, they are nontoxic, food safe, and overglaze compatible!

RG 709 Spiced Cream

RG 710 Buff Clay

RG 711 Burnt Apricot

RG 712 Smoked Cinnamon

RG 713 Spiced Cream

RG 714 Pistachio Nut

RG 715 Heirloom Blue

RG 716 Henna

I LOVE the vibrant colors and the unique iron breaks! No two pieces will ever be the same. Visit your favorite Duncan Distributor to pick up these colors and start creating today!

Off to Philly!

Monday morning, at an UNGODLY hour, the iLoveToCreate Ceramic Arts team will head out to Philadelphia for the NCECA Conference. NCECA stands for National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. NCECA "promotes and improves the ceramic arts through education, community-building, research, and creative inspiration." I'm so excited about the amazing artists we'll be featuring in our booth! Musette Young created these beautiful pieces using two of our NEW Renaissance Glazes. Enjoy the sneak peak, and check back for more information on this new release SOON!

I am BEYOND excited about the other artist we'll be featuring, Natalya Sots. Natalya is an artist originally from Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, but she now lives in Chicago's suburb of Shaumburg. I am in LOVE with her whimsy style. It's so fun, and so on trend. Can't you just imagine Johnny Depp drinking from one of these at the Mad Hatter's tea party?!

I can't believe these masterpieces were created with OUR products! Natalya loves to use a combination of Cover-Coat and Envision Glazes in her designs. You can learn more about Natalya at ilovetocreate.com, and purchase her work from her Etsy Shop. If you're in Philadelphia next week, make sure to stop by the iLoveToCreate booth at NCECA to see these amazing pieces (and of course all our other great products!)

Introducing 6 New Additions to the Concepts Earth Tones Series!

I told you we've been busy little bees here at iLoveToCreate, and I promise I wasn't lying! I'm so excited to finally be able to announce one of the exciting things we've been working on, six new additions to the Concepts Earth Tones series! Come home to creativity with these six classic additions! Whether you're experimenting with popular trends or creating a future heirloom, discover the harmonious blend of bold color and stunning simplicity in each Mother Nature-inspired shade. With Concepts Earth Tones, you can put your imagination to work with color that'll never go out of style. The six new colors are:

CN 508 Chutney Spice

CN 509 Paprika Red

CN 510 Earthen Moss

CN 511 Sunflower Yellow

CN 512 Green Apple

CN 513 Deep Berry

Visit ilovetocreate.com to learn how you can create with these six vibrant new colors! Here's a preview of some of the awesome projects:

Tribal Leaves

Sunny Day

Brilliant Blossom

Pick up a paintbrush and fall in love with these new Concepts Earth Tones today!

Trend Alert: Deco Rose

Spring has sprung early this year! Debuting in fashion in summer 2009, the Deco Rose trend is still going strong and has already made its way to home decor! This trend is in full bloom at all my favorite places to shop. Check out a few of my favorites styles:

Full Bouquet Clip / Anthropologie

Rose-Is-A-Rose Headband / Anthropologie

Tissue Rosette Bouquet Tee / J.Crew

Rose Floating Candles / Pottery Barn

Tea Rose Duvet Cover / Urban Outfitters

We're always on top of the trends here at iLoveToCreate, so of course our designers were all over the Deco Rose trend! Who wouldn't love to create a springy project during this bleak winter weather?! At www.ilovetocreate.com we'll make it easy for you to create this awesome Graffiti Rose tee...

...and this beautiful Little Red Classic Coupe Dinner Plate!

Our iLoveToCreate designers don't just follow the trends, sometimes they're way ahead of them! Now is the perfect time to create on of my all-time favorite projects, the Crystal Rose Charger!
Spring into creativity with any of these trendy Deco Rose projects!

Anything Goes Graffiti!

Who says tagging is only for walls?! Urbanize your dinnerware collection with this awesome project from iLoveToCreate! I love the clever combination of Tulip Fashion Graffiti Stencils and Concepts Underglazes for Bisque and Majolica! This dinnerware set is a must-have for any crafty city girl! I can't wait to try it out myself. It's been awhile since I've tackled a ceramic project, so check back to see how I do!

The creative minds at iLoveToCreate aren't the only ones taking graffiti off the streets and into the kitchen. Check out these AMAZING plates created by Donegan Designs. The collection "consists of a series of manipulated images taken from the urban environment."

You can see many more images at donegandesigns.com. I love the thought of combing the ancient art of Ceramics with modern day graffiti art! Who would have ever thought these two could come together? Create your own graffiti plates using the Duncan Oh Four Bisque Coupe Dinner Plate, Concepts Underglazes, and Mask 'n Peel!

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... :)