List It Tuesday: My Bookshelf is an ever-changing, evolving list

My list this Tuesday is of the books on my handmade shelves.  Locally made- by my husband.  :)

I have A LOT of interests!  Most of my books are packed up right now because we are preparing for a move.  In order to stage our house for selling, I had to pack most of them away. *sigh*  I am such a bibliophile!

We are in the process of transitioning from a small house with no yard in town to a house with 2 acres.  Hence, the books on poultry and chickens especially.  I am a little obsessed with building my chicken empire.  I also have the book, "Artful Blogging" on my shelf, which I have thumbed through but intend to seriously crack open first as soon as I am caught up with my Artfire listings.   Another obsession is handmade bath and body.  I love to pamper myself and I really need to learn how to make my own, if for nothing else than to better understand and appreciate the process.  And because I love learning new things!

And books on Bob Marley (totally dig his tunes!), North/South Korea, Art Education.  I think that's all that is hiding out on my bookshelf right now.  How about yours?

1st Snap Shot Sunday, A Chinese Handmade Movement Begins?

I had so much fun today and I knew that I would have to make this experience part of my 1st Snap Shot Sunday blog post!

 

This young woman, Nicki, is a teacher at my husband's school through a cultural exchange program with China called the Confucius Institute. She saw some of my pottery on a shelf in our house and was very excited and asked me to teach her! I've been super busy getting my ArtFire shop up and running and this was the ultimate stress relief. It took me back to those days when working with clay was brand new to me, watching her “pet” the clay, talking about the way it feels (luxurious, silky smooth). Me telling her “You'll have to carve deeper lines or the glaze will just flood that and the lines will disappear”, the same thing someone told me, among many other examples of gentle, supportive teaching that I have received from other clay artists along the way. Watching her throw on the wheel, which can be very intimidating to learn. She's an adept student and seems to be a natural. At least her ball of clay didn't fly off the wheel and hit the wall the way it did on my first spin!

We also talked some about pottery in ancient cultures, especially her own, Chinese. I told her how thankful I am for beautiful chun celadon glaze and many other Chinese contributions to ceramics. She mournfully said, “There is no more traditional in my country. All is new, like the West, the traditional is gone. It is sad.” China continues to modernize and globalize. I'm not a social or political commentator, but I do understand that there is a shift occurring in her country. China is becoming a world economic power. Must we always throw away the old? Our own country has gone through periods of modernization where the old was shunned and discarded in favor of mass-produced, shiny and new. But the handmade movement brings us back to our roots yet again. Perhaps the Chinese will have a handmade movement of their own someday?
This was the perfect remedy for me today and Nicki thoroughly enjoyed herself! It gets lonely being in the studio with no other humans. The mascots, LooDog and GidgetPup are good company, but they look at me funny when I get long-winded. Nicki's next lesson is a week from now. In the mean time, I've promised to keep an eye on the fabulous little flower pendant she made.
 

250 Follower Giveaway!

I've decided that once either my Facebook Business Fan Page or my blog reach 250 followers, which ever comes first, I will hold a give away!
To participate, post on Facebook or on my blog your favorite item in my shop. Linking to the picture in the shop is especially helpful so everyone else can see what you are talking about!

Also, in order to reach the intended goal of 250 followers faster,
please Tweet this, make suggestions to friends on Facebook, and Tweet
and follow my blog to get the word out! I will chose the old fashioned
way, by putting your names on a piece of paper and having my husband pick the winner. If there is a large enough response, there will also
be a runner-up chosen.

One entry per person. 

TotallyToTheT on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TotallyToTheT/134067656612426

1st Featured Artist Friday selection is...

Tocadora Leather of Etsy!


I am in love with her leather cuffs! And, if you are familiar with my Etsy and Artfire shops, then you recognize the button on this cool cuff. In short, that is the story of how I found Tocadora Leather on Etsy.com.

The 2 main things I like about the way items are created in this shop:

1) She buys some of her supplies from other handmade artists, giving them credit for their creations when she uses them in one of her pieces. It's professional and spreads the love in the handmade community.

2) She uses recycled, repurposed leather belts and gives them a new life! How many times has my husband just thrown away an old belt because the holes were worn out or an edge was frayed? What else do you use an old belt for besides adorning a pair of pants? You make *sweet* stylish wrist cuffs! This also means that each piece is an individual piece of unique art that is not mass-produced.

"Tocadora Leather is your place for fun and fashionable leather accessories made from primarily recycled materials. Anything is fair game to be repurposed into jewelry that is tough, cool, comfortable...and maybe just a bit unusual."

Another gorgeous example:So in the spirit of Feature Artist Friday and Follow Friday:
1) Check out this wicked cool shop!
2) Buy if you are so inspired.
3) Comment on this post and let us know which of this artist's pieces you most admire.
4) Follow the shop on Facebook.
5) Follow the shop on Twitter.
6) Feature an item from this shop in a Treasury on Etsy.
7) Link Love: Twitter, your Facebook, your blog, StumbleUpon, Amazon Shopping List, Flickr, et al.
8) Spread the word to your friends and family about this shop as an example of how awesome handmade is!
9) Mention this shop in the forums or chat rooms on Etsy.

Rock the handmade love, y'all!

(The author did not receive any compensation for this feature nor did she request any. The featured seller was notified of the feature after the fact. Sort of like an Ambush or SneakAttack!)

List It Tuesday!

Above graphic courtesy of: http://thebluebendystraw.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-make-lists.html

Aimee of Artsyville is starting "List It Tuesday" as a regular feature. I am a compulsive list maker. I find it cathartic. I find it brings me peace. I know where everything is, when it is due, etc. It's how I organize ideas, from planning my garden to documenting creative ideas to use later in my crafty endeavors. I love lists! Check the link to her blog and start scribbling down and posting those lists!

http://artsyville.blogspot.com/2010/10/list-it-tuesday.html

MY LIST FOR 10/12/2010:
Herbs I would like in my garden next year:
More rosemary!
French Lavender
Sage
Lots of different kinds of basil
More Bee Balm
More Echinacea
Sweet Marjoram
Mint
Chamomile

And I have a question for fellow list makers who are tea drinkers and/or gardeners- What else can I grow for my own tea? I'm also thinking of making soaps with my own herbs mixed in.

Fresh Picked Collection on Artfire- Carmel Apples!

Carmel Apples

Curated By: TotallyToTheT

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

My first Artfire.com Collection, Pomegranate and Mustard

Pomegranate and M...

Curated By: TotallyToTheT

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts