What I've been working on - Shawl Pins

My new shawl pins are finished and I couldn't be happier with them.

I'm not sure if I shared the "work in progress" picture, but these were started months and months ago.

The flower is my favourite...

And the leaf is my favourite...

 ...and these clean and simple rings are my other favourites. :)

I made them in shawl size, and scarf size...mostly because my shawl is still (!) not finished and I wanted to wear one straight away.   

The wooden portion took us a really long time to get right.  

We had many (many!) failed attempts before I was happy with the results.

I have another batch ready to glaze...I'm just trying to decide if I want them in one solid colour like the first batch, or if I fancy them up a bit with some double dipping.  

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Joining my friends today at:

Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On

Yarn Along

It's been a while since I joined yarn along...not because I'm not knitting, but because I'm knitting so slowly that I hardly have a new thing to show.

I did have time to whip up this little darling for my baby niece in time for her first birthday.

The pattern is by Linda of Mamma4earth on etsy and is amazing.

The book, obviously, is The Ugly Duckling (that's actually a swan) and is - and has always been- my favourite kids' story.  We had to go to 3 different stores to find it, which makes me very very sad.

It was lost in a sea of Trademarked character books which will remain nameless.  Such a shame.

Joining with Ginny at Small things, for Yarn Along.  Hop on over.

How They're Made - Button Edition

I frequently get asked how I make my ceramic buttons, so I thought I would take a few moments and show the process from start to finish for one particular button.

First I roll out a small ball of clay into a rather thin slab, and stamp it with the design for that particular button.  This one is a rubber stamp, but usually I use a clay stamp that I have previously made.

I cut the stamped slab into the shape I am currently working on...so these ones are squares.

(sometimes I cut out the individual hears you can see in this pattern, sometimes it is a larger square that includes four of the hearts).

When they are "exactly dry enough", I trim off the edges,

pierce in the holes, and then make the holes bigger with a drill bit,

and then smooth all of the edges and back, being careful not to destroy the stamped image in the process.

Then they go through the first round in the kiln...once I have enough other items to fill the whole kiln

(you need the mass for it to heat up properly).

I paint on the underglaze,

wash it back off again,

glaze them, and then they are ready for the second run through the kiln.

I glaze mine on all sides for a nice smooth finish everywhere that won't snag on your knitting, or sewing, or be scratchy on your skin, but it involves a rather intricate process of wiring and balancing the buttons.

I firmly believe the result is worth the effort.

The whole process takes about 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how many pieces are ready for their kiln run. 

Ta-Da...the finished product.  

Some I keep to admire or for inspiration for further projects.  

Some I sew onto my hats, mittens, gloves, bags, whatever.

I'll be honest...some I just string onto a cord and where as a necklace.  That's kinda my favourite.

And of course, some are in my etsy shop so other people can enjoy them too.

I hope you enjoyed my little behind the scenes look at the making of such a humble little object.

Joining my friends over at:

Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams

do hop on over for a peek!

Small luxuries

A couple of years ago, I always had fresh flowers or leaves in my home.  A single bloom in a bud vase, a little bundle in a mason jar, maybe even just a couple of fresh hosta leaves in a bottle.  I'm not sure when I stopped doing it, but the other day I cut a few little garden clippings and put them in a tiny vase and realized that I missed having something fresh around all the time.

 So I decided that I'm going to make a concentrated effort to keep this little vase filled all the time.  

And I'm going to post them to instagram under the hashtag #simpleblossoms if anyone wants to play along.

You can tag me (@remembrancespottery) if you like.

Incidentally, there are a couple more of these little vases available in my etsy shop if you need a little something to fill yourself.

Have a great day!