Thank You ~ Shop ~ Come Back Soon...

Thank you for visiting the BOC Bloggers Open Studio Event and for spending some time here with us!

Chloe learning how to take pictures with her  iPhone (Dave's very old phone).

I enjoy visiting & interacting with you all and seeing other artists studios…

We should be doing another one in October 2011 and will hopefully have more artists participating again. And I'll have new pieces like these nests readily available (before then for sure!)

And I have plans for working on felting to combine with shards…

Lots to figure out! Let's not even touch on how bad I want to order MissFickleMedia's patinas and tutorial…

For every item you buy through the Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop until Midnight EST tonight, you get a chance at winning up to three $25 Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop Gift Certificates. I will email you tomorrow to let you know you've won. Curious to see how good your chances are for winning? Check out the sold items and see how many have sold today… 

Chances will be numbered by the order that they appear in my sold (first sold = #1, second = #2, and so on).

Have fun shopping!

Oh, and follow this blog to get updates regularly or just stop back to see I'm getting into.

Like what my friend Kelly Russell of Beadfuddled and I do with these and more pieces like them…

Pre-firing and Post-Firing Porcelain Paper Clay Pieces.

Thanks for spending your Sunday afternoon with us!

Remember to comment on the BOC main blog post for your chance at winning the big lot of donated beads! And don't forget to see both the live and static blog post links for all the artists participating!

Thank You ~ Shop ~ Come Back Soon...

Thank you for visiting the BOC Bloggers Open Studio Event and for spending some time here with us!

Chloe learning how to take pictures with her  iPhone (Dave's very old phone).

I enjoy visiting & interacting with you all and seeing other artists studios…

We should be doing another one in October 2011 and will hopefully have more artists participating again. And I'll have new pieces like these nests readily available (before then for sure!)

And I have plans for working on felting to combine with shards…

Lots to figure out! Let's not even touch on how bad I want to order MissFickleMedia's patinas and tutorial…

For every item you buy through the Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop until Midnight EST tonight, you get a chance at winning up to three $25 Marsha Neal Studio Etsy Shop Gift Certificates. I will email you tomorrow to let you know you've won. Curious to see how good your chances are for winning? Check out the sold items and see how many have sold today… 

Chances will be numbered by the order that they appear in my sold (first sold = #1, second = #2, and so on).

Have fun shopping!

Oh, and follow this blog to get updates regularly or just stop back to see I'm getting into.

Like what my friend Kelly Russell of Beadfuddled and I do with these and more pieces like them…

Pre-firing and Post-Firing Porcelain Paper Clay Pieces.

Thanks for spending your Sunday afternoon with us!

Remember to comment on the BOC main blog post for your chance at winning the big lot of donated beads! And don't forget to see both the live and static blog post links for all the artists participating!

Spring Is Arriving Around Here...

Congrats Rosalynn for winning my Second Giveaway! (email me your shipping address).

I love that we live in Delaware, situated right in the nook and cranny of the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern United States. Not thrilled about the air quality and a few other things, but at least we experience fully all four seasons...

My 2011 Winter Garden (above) is no longer covered in white.

Small tips of green and purple are poking through the soil...

Soon my main side-hill garden will look like this (deer included).

The Dark Eyed Juncos that visited with us all winter will head north. 

These decaying seed husks will be cut back and replaced by new growth…

Speaking of new growth - this blog is about to grow some new appendages.

I will be making posts about my garden and helping to educate anyone that wants to learn a bit more about gardening as I am going through my Master Gardeners training from now through summer (one of the major life changing things going on for me).

 I am excited to see if any of the seeds from this spent cone flower will produce any new plants this year.

I added about 6 varieties of cone flowers to my garden last year.
Most scattered in the garden bed along the front walk where that annual brown grass is.
It is going to be fun to see how this photo will change this year.

And to use my images for new work.

Not just pendant related...

This is a photo of the little gray barn that sits vacant now for years here in Hockessin.

I looked into renting it before the economy went into the dump.

$16 a square foot at the time. No thanks. Not going to happen...

And this place - an old farmhouse and garden nursery - vacant for years.

Walking distance from my house.

Itching to become an artists studio - don't you think?

Maybe "captain tight pants" could help out there…

I was so delighted to see this in the Southwest Airlines Flight Magazine last April, I had to get a picture!

Oh, Mal… (Sorry for the detour from clay beads - would love to see Firefly take off again!)

And I think it would be awesome if someone as cool as Nathan could invest in a project like this artists studio. 

Just throwing it out there…

Ok - time to go back to Beads-of-Clay to check out other artists posts.

Stop back here for a closing from me.

And remember my clay pieces are marked down 20% on sale in my etsy shop.

My FB fans have an extra code to use (click like on my page and you are welcome to use it too).

And all items purchased through my Etsy shop through midnight get you entered to win a chance for up to 3 $25 MNS Etsy shop gift certificates!

As of 3pm - only 1 item sold, so it's like easy money if you buy something…

See you soon!

Spring Is Arriving Around Here...

Congrats Rosalynn for winning my Second Giveaway! (email me your shipping address).

I love that we live in Delaware, situated right in the nook and cranny of the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern United States. Not thrilled about the air quality and a few other things, but at least we experience fully all four seasons...

My 2011 Winter Garden (above) is no longer covered in white.

Small tips of green and purple are poking through the soil...

Soon my main side-hill garden will look like this (deer included).

The Dark Eyed Juncos that visited with us all winter will head north. 

These decaying seed husks will be cut back and replaced by new growth…

Speaking of new growth - this blog is about to grow some new appendages.

I will be making posts about my garden and helping to educate anyone that wants to learn a bit more about gardening as I am going through my Master Gardeners training from now through summer (one of the major life changing things going on for me).

 I am excited to see if any of the seeds from this spent cone flower will produce any new plants this year.

I added about 6 varieties of cone flowers to my garden last year.
Most scattered in the garden bed along the front walk where that annual brown grass is.
It is going to be fun to see how this photo will change this year.

And to use my images for new work.

Not just pendant related...

This is a photo of the little gray barn that sits vacant now for years here in Hockessin.

I looked into renting it before the economy went into the dump.

$16 a square foot at the time. No thanks. Not going to happen...

And this place - an old farmhouse and garden nursery - vacant for years.

Walking distance from my house.

Itching to become an artists studio - don't you think?

Maybe "captain tight pants" could help out there…

I was so delighted to see this in the Southwest Airlines Flight Magazine last April, I had to get a picture!

Oh, Mal… (Sorry for the detour from clay beads - would love to see Firefly take off again!)

And I think it would be awesome if someone as cool as Nathan could invest in a project like this artists studio. 

Just throwing it out there…

Ok - time to go back to Beads-of-Clay to check out other artists posts.

Stop back here for a closing from me.

And remember my clay pieces are marked down 20% on sale in my etsy shop.

My FB fans have an extra code to use (click like on my page and you are welcome to use it too).

And all items purchased through my Etsy shop through midnight get you entered to win a chance for up to 3 $25 MNS Etsy shop gift certificates!

As of 3pm - only 1 item sold, so it's like easy money if you buy something…

See you soon!

2nd Giveaway

Here is a photo of my Line Curls Textured Large Square Porcelain Pendant in Autumn glaze (photo is slightly darker than piece - at least on my screen). I almost kept this piece for myself, but then realized I had to have something beautiful to give away for this event...

This will be shipped to one lucky commenter on this blog. 

I will announce the winner in the comments at 3:30 EST.

Hopefully I will be able to find your email through your name on the comments so I can email you for your address. Make sure to check back to see if you win...

2nd Giveaway

Here is a photo of my Line Curls Textured Large Square Porcelain Pendant in Autumn glaze (photo is slightly darker than piece - at least on my screen). I almost kept this piece for myself, but then realized I had to have something beautiful to give away for this event...

This will be shipped to one lucky commenter on this blog. 

I will announce the winner in the comments at 3:30 EST.

Hopefully I will be able to find your email through your name on the comments so I can email you for your address. Make sure to check back to see if you win...

Welcome to the Artists Studio - BOC Open Studio Event

Congrats Michelle Mach for winning my first giveaway!!(email me your address).

Thanks everyone for stopping back - Welcome into my studio space.

For my clay work, I use a lot of porcelain and handmade texture plates and stamps to get reverse images and raised textures.

I then use readily available cookie cutters (kitchen supply stores, polymer clay suppliers) and a few home made ones to cut out the pieces.
One day soon I hope to have some custom shape cutters made - just have to get them drawn out to scale.

I love the way the glazes interact with the surface of the clay & how translucent glazes show the texture.
All of my porcelain pendants are glazed on all sides.

Sticking to this level of creation and glazing means I have to suspend every piece for the glaze firing and not just lay it on a shelf.
Buttons and cabochons are an exception because they are only glazed on the top. It can take hours to load a kiln like this and if you check out my Etsy shop, you can see that my pricing reflects this.

It is not the material cost (clay is as cheap as - well - dirt - very nice, wet, easy to work with mud/clay/dirt), but the amount of time that goes into working with the clay.
My pieces have over 20 steps from start to finish. Not including the jewelry making part.

Multi function tables in the basement for clay and glaze work.

I work out of my house.
Technically all over the house & sometimes I bring the clay outside into the garden with me depending on the time of the year. For the most part, the "main" clay studio is kept to the basement (except for the pug mill for recycling clay - that is in the garage for ventilation and access to the hose and lots of space to move).

My glazes to be tested are stacked & Chloe's under-glazed beads mid-painting.

Bins with beads sorted by texture.

Reusing trays that I had for bead shows to hold bisque beads that are lesser made.

Kiln room is behind a lockable door and is vented to the exterior of the house.

My sister Teren and Chloe were making signs for Chloe & Riley's bedroom doors the other night. 

I jokingly said that I would like one that says STOP on it for my kiln room door. 

This is what they made...

At least the kids will stop to look or pick at the foam stickers.

Computer desk, packaging area in background - a work in progress.

Temporary Jewelry Making Table - nice to have a place to leave stuff out.

Some recent jewelry making adventures.

I find my inspiration in Nature. 

In Textures. In Colors. In Shapes. In Patterns.

I take lots of pictures with my iPhone…

But then there are moments that require more detail - like from my digital SLR that I am just learning to use:

I am trying to find balance in every day.
And take my time to notice all that is around me…

Right now I am in the middle of some major life changes.
I know when I look back years from now, I will know that this time - right now - as a point when my decisions took me down that different road.
Wonder what my life will look like?
Will I still be working in clay (I sure hope so - but beads only? Probably not).

Hop back over to the Beads-of-Clay Blog to check out the other live posts and I'll see you back here for the 2nd giveaway post in a bit...

Welcome to the Artists Studio - BOC Open Studio Event

Congrats Michelle Mach for winning my first giveaway!!(email me your address).

Thanks everyone for stopping back - Welcome into my studio space.

For my clay work, I use a lot of porcelain and handmade texture plates and stamps to get reverse images and raised textures.

I then use readily available cookie cutters (kitchen supply stores, polymer clay suppliers) and a few home made ones to cut out the pieces.
One day soon I hope to have some custom shape cutters made - just have to get them drawn out to scale.

I love the way the glazes interact with the surface of the clay & how translucent glazes show the texture.
All of my porcelain pendants are glazed on all sides.

Sticking to this level of creation and glazing means I have to suspend every piece for the glaze firing and not just lay it on a shelf.
Buttons and cabochons are an exception because they are only glazed on the top. It can take hours to load a kiln like this and if you check out my Etsy shop, you can see that my pricing reflects this.

It is not the material cost (clay is as cheap as - well - dirt - very nice, wet, easy to work with mud/clay/dirt), but the amount of time that goes into working with the clay.
My pieces have over 20 steps from start to finish. Not including the jewelry making part.

Multi function tables in the basement for clay and glaze work.

I work out of my house.
Technically all over the house & sometimes I bring the clay outside into the garden with me depending on the time of the year. For the most part, the "main" clay studio is kept to the basement (except for the pug mill for recycling clay - that is in the garage for ventilation and access to the hose and lots of space to move).

My glazes to be tested are stacked & Chloe's under-glazed beads mid-painting.

Bins with beads sorted by texture.

Reusing trays that I had for bead shows to hold bisque beads that are lesser made.

Kiln room is behind a lockable door and is vented to the exterior of the house.

My sister Teren and Chloe were making signs for Chloe & Riley's bedroom doors the other night. 

I jokingly said that I would like one that says STOP on it for my kiln room door. 

This is what they made...

At least the kids will stop to look or pick at the foam stickers.

Computer desk, packaging area in background - a work in progress.

Temporary Jewelry Making Table - nice to have a place to leave stuff out.

Some recent jewelry making adventures.

I find my inspiration in Nature. 

In Textures. In Colors. In Shapes. In Patterns.

I take lots of pictures with my iPhone…

But then there are moments that require more detail - like from my digital SLR that I am just learning to use:

I am trying to find balance in every day.
And take my time to notice all that is around me…

Right now I am in the middle of some major life changes.
I know when I look back years from now, I will know that this time - right now - as a point when my decisions took me down that different road.
Wonder what my life will look like?
Will I still be working in clay (I sure hope so - but beads only? Probably not).

Hop back over to the Beads-of-Clay Blog to check out the other live posts and I'll see you back here for the 2nd giveaway post in a bit...