Fall/Winter 2015 Inspurrations

Hello, kitties!  I figured I'd hop on and write another journal-style blog post, since I haven't done one in awhile.  Also, I have been brainstorming like crazy.  Re: product line additions for winte, since Hunt & Gather December is already right around the corner!!!

I still have a bunch of ceramic rings, pins, hair clips and necklaces to sell, but my goal for this holiday show is to create a couple new items to appeal to a wider range of people.  Since people will be shopping for holiday presents and such, I want to incorporate some more "gifty" type of items.  

My first lightbulb moment occurred almost immediately following June's Hunt and Gather, when I decided to create a line of kitty Christmas tree ornaments.  Since then, I've been Pinning different patterns and silhouettes.  I went back and forth between ceramic or fabric, and decided that fabric ornaments are probably the best choice as they won't break if they fall off a tree, can double as cat toys (YES!  Another reason for kitty to climb the tree!), are lightweight, and can be made using really fun upcycled textiles.

Plus, in the last year or so, I've toyed around with embroidery a bit and think that embroidered details on a fabric cat ornament would be sooooooo adorable!  I was originally inspired when I saw this photo on Pinterest...

Obviously, I will be making ornaments and not pillows, and I haven't even created a pattern yet, but I love how stinkin' cute this printed fabric looks, and incorporates really well with the embroidered kitty face.  Kinda reminds me of my original prototype for my cat necklaces!  Oh, and if you are so inclined to create the pictured kitty pillow, here is the link.

The nice thing about working with fabric is the fact that I can use a sewing machine and get some ornaments made in a probably one-tenth of the time it takes me to make my ceramic pieces.  With ceramics, you have to sculpt each piece, let it dry, fire it in the kiln, decoupage and seal it, and string it onto a necklace or wire-wrap it.  The entire process can sometimes take weeks!  Whereas with these ornaments, I will literally be able to embroider the face (probably the most tedious part), and then whip out the sewing machine and crank out a bunch of finished ornaments in a matter of a couple hours.  The lack of hand cramps for this project will be beyond exciting!

But apparently I must want arthritis, because my second winter project is sculpting intensive like nothing I've ever done...ceramic cat planters!  I decided to do this because I keep getting hired on freelance basis to make paper bouquets for people, and every time I post pictures of these works-in-progress, I get requests to put them on my Etsy shop.  The problem is, I need items in my shop to fit into the cat lover theme...so naturally, I decided create some little cat planters to house each paper bouquet!!!  Problem solved.  This way, shoppers are getting a two-for-one....a beautiful, one-of-a-kind mini paper bouquet, and an adorable, hand-sculpted cat planter!

This is what my bouquets look like, in case you are wondering :)  I love using old book pages and recycled buttons!  The pictured bouquet is a commission I'm currently working on that features old Harry Potter books (basically my dream project!).

As with the ornaments, I have been Pinning my inspirations for planter shapes and designs, but when it comes to sculpting, I never really create templates or patterns.  I tend to work much better when free-form sculpting, and kind of think it might even be cool to make each planter in a slightly different design.  As always, though, I promise to post some "in-progress" pictures as I start to create these new items, so you can get an idea of what they will look like far before they hit the Etsy shop.  I'm currently loading up on new supplies as we speak, and plan on having all my new pieces ready to go by Halloween, so make sure to keep checking back for photo updates and more journal entries!

I can't wait to show you the designs and ideas come up with!  Make sure to subscribe to this blog, leave a comment, and share this link with your friends if you love what you see here!  I hope you all had a lovely weekend!!!  Get some rest so you can pounce on the upcoming week like the majestic tigers that you are!

Xo*

Jess