Hi All,
I have been busy trying to prompt my websites. TGL Designs will be featured in several showcases on the popular website www. etsy.com. Starting Saturday Jan. 24, 2009, I will be featured in the supplies showcase with my handmade porcelain and stoneware components. On Feb. 1, 2009, I will be featured in the Valentine's Day Showcase which will have a special banner on the homepage of etsy and on Feb. 4th in the Main showcase of etsy. Be sure to check them out and buy..buy...buy.
My websites are www.TGLdesigns.com and www.TGLdesigns.etsy.com, be sure to check them out. I am making new valentine designs and will be adding those to each website.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Getting back in the swing of things
Yea!! The kids have been back in school this week. Hubby is away at work and I have the whole house to myself. Time to get back in the swing of things. Don't get me wrong I love my kids but I really needed to get into the studio and work without a lot of interruptions. I have so many ideas and plans for 2009 running through my head. I must keep focused and get to work.
I am planning on getting a jumpstart on the 2009 limited edition snowflakes. My goal is 500 for 2009, at least twice as many as I have done before. So far, 12 down and 488 more to go. Well that is, 12 cut out and drying now, 488 more to cut out. Still 500 to bisque fire, glaze, glaze fire, and lustre fire, and package in neat boxes. Not a tall goal to accomplish but when you factor in LIFE, it will take me the rest of the year to fit them in.
I am planning on adding more ceramic beads, pendants, and jewelry to my websites this month. Today is a beautiful sunny day. A great day to get some photographs shot, so I can add more products. I plan on adding more to etsy in the next few days so, make sure you check them out at www.tgldesigns.etsy.com
One of my goals is to get published in a magazine. I decided in the fall that the only way to accomplish that goal was to start sending in pics of the finished jewelry that I make. In the last two weeks I have sent in a necklace and pair of earrings to one magazine, (at their request..a great first step to accomplishing my goal..yea!!) and colored porcelain beads to another publication. Wish me luck on those. I plan on this year sending in more ideas.
We have decided to use Time Warner Cable for our tv service provider so all those crafty clay shows I have saved on our current DVR will be lost forever, so this week I have been watching them over and over again and taking notes to remember the neat projects and tips. It has really got my wheels spinning. I was inspired to try hand building functionalware. I attempted to make a porcelain hand built bowl, but it cracked during the drying process. I let it dry to fast. I will have to keep trying. Once my stoneware clay is reconstituted, I can attempt to make another bowl. The grog will help in the hand building process. The first bowl inspired a basket idea so, I went yesterday to Lowes and Home Depot in search of a round tube that was inexpensive. PVC at Lowes came in a 6" diameter but a 2' section was $15.00. It would be perfect to use as a drape mold but too expensive. At Home Depot, no 6" diameter pva but a salesman helped me find air duct material. It came in various diameters. I purchases a 2' section that is 7" in diameter for $4.00. It may be too flimsy to use as a drape mold but I think it can be worked with. I will let you know what happens.
These are just a few of my plans for 2009, I also plan on marketing more and doing more shows. For now ....
Hi-Ho Hi-Ho it's off to work I go.
Until next time
Tracy
I am planning on getting a jumpstart on the 2009 limited edition snowflakes. My goal is 500 for 2009, at least twice as many as I have done before. So far, 12 down and 488 more to go. Well that is, 12 cut out and drying now, 488 more to cut out. Still 500 to bisque fire, glaze, glaze fire, and lustre fire, and package in neat boxes. Not a tall goal to accomplish but when you factor in LIFE, it will take me the rest of the year to fit them in.
I am planning on adding more ceramic beads, pendants, and jewelry to my websites this month. Today is a beautiful sunny day. A great day to get some photographs shot, so I can add more products. I plan on adding more to etsy in the next few days so, make sure you check them out at www.tgldesigns.etsy.com
One of my goals is to get published in a magazine. I decided in the fall that the only way to accomplish that goal was to start sending in pics of the finished jewelry that I make. In the last two weeks I have sent in a necklace and pair of earrings to one magazine, (at their request..a great first step to accomplishing my goal..yea!!) and colored porcelain beads to another publication. Wish me luck on those. I plan on this year sending in more ideas.
We have decided to use Time Warner Cable for our tv service provider so all those crafty clay shows I have saved on our current DVR will be lost forever, so this week I have been watching them over and over again and taking notes to remember the neat projects and tips. It has really got my wheels spinning. I was inspired to try hand building functionalware. I attempted to make a porcelain hand built bowl, but it cracked during the drying process. I let it dry to fast. I will have to keep trying. Once my stoneware clay is reconstituted, I can attempt to make another bowl. The grog will help in the hand building process. The first bowl inspired a basket idea so, I went yesterday to Lowes and Home Depot in search of a round tube that was inexpensive. PVC at Lowes came in a 6" diameter but a 2' section was $15.00. It would be perfect to use as a drape mold but too expensive. At Home Depot, no 6" diameter pva but a salesman helped me find air duct material. It came in various diameters. I purchases a 2' section that is 7" in diameter for $4.00. It may be too flimsy to use as a drape mold but I think it can be worked with. I will let you know what happens.
These are just a few of my plans for 2009, I also plan on marketing more and doing more shows. For now ....
Hi-Ho Hi-Ho it's off to work I go.
Until next time
Tracy
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Announcing Upcoming Etsy Showcase
In honor of Summertime, etsy is creating a special showcase to help get us through those winter blues. TGL Designs will be featured in the Jan. 3rd Sunshine: Summer and Vacation Showcase. This showcase will be in a prominent place on http://www.etsy.com/ homepage. Please check us out and see some new pieces we will be lising just for this showcase.
The picture on this post is of a denim blue stoneware pendant that I have made and paired with red & blue sponge coral to make a terrific summertime necklace. This necklace is great to wear with your favorite white shirt and blue jeans...shorts, of course.. to the beach, picnics and even fourth of july celebrations. It will carry you right into the fall with your favorite denim jacket as well.
Happy New Year from all of us
Tracy
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Holiday Showcase on Etsy.com
TGL Designs will be in a Holiday showcase on Dec. 10th, 2008 on Etsy.com. I am hoping to not only draw attention to my etsy store but of course sell some items. I am still trying to learn all the ins and outs of marketing on Etsy. I was told that purchasing a space in a showcase is a good way to get your name out there. This will be my second showcase, so far. The first showcased my porcelain snowflakes. I was pleased with the results. I had one snowflake get 45 views in one day. It has taken some items in my store 4 months to get that many viewings. I will be adding more products to my store before the showcase, so check it out at http://www.tgldesigns.etsy.com/. Also don't forget about my regular website at http://www.tgldesigns.com/
Until next time
Tracy
Candlelight and Coffee 2008
My table decorated for Christmas
What a great night. At my church each year, at least 40 or more ladies get together and host a Candlelight and Coffee holiday kick off party. I have participated in four of the five years that we have been doing this. Each hostess sets her table for 8-10 people in an Autumn, Winter, Thanksgiving or Christmas theme. It gives us the chance to use our china and crystal. Then during the party, each hostess serves her table, Russian tea, coffee, hot chocolate, baklava, and wonderful desserts. We have door prizes and each year a different speaker. This year Dr. Jennifer Thomas, co-author of The Five Languages of Apology, spoke. Jennifer was my next door neighbor for the past 9 1/2 yrs. It was great seeing her and catching up.
The best thing I love about the party is seeing every one's table. You can get some really great ideas to use on your own holiday table. I love seeing the different patterns of dishes and the creative ways each one is used. I would never of thought of using pink dishes for Christmas but several ladies did and they were great. One was even a pink breast cancer awareness table, with a pink Christmas tree and ribbons.
My table didn't quite go as I had planned. I used my set of Christmas dishes by two different manufacturers that blend very well together. I alternate the patterns between dinner plate and dessert plate and then alternate that between guests. Every other guests at my table for 8 had a charger plate I made from cardboard and feather trim. I had planned on sewing a velvet tablecloth out of some fabric I had been saving for upholstering some chairs one of these days. After five hours, I gave up. I went out to Linens n Things, which is closing, and was lucky enough to purchase a 90" rd. tablecloth in the same color green as the velvet I had planned to use. Ok, that was not that bad but my center piece was the disaster. I had purchased a 27" tall glass column back in April at the furniture market. The day I was bringing it home I was in a car wreck. I was ok, the car and the glass column were not. I bought a new van and glued the broken column. The broken end of the column was to be the base for a fresh floral arrangement. The night of the party, I arrived back at church to add the floral arrangement to my table. It was going to be spectacular. It is very important to our guests to be able to see the lady sitting across from them. My arrangment was going to be the solution. However, I broke the other end of the column when I sat it on the floor beside my table and accidently hit the metal rim of the chair. It was just not meant to be.
Despite my crazyness and perceived disasters, the party was a smashing hit. We hosted 405 ladies, not all members of the church. It is a great outreach in the community as well as a kick off for the holidays.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Our Beloved Tasha
Tasha 3/24/94 to 10/23/08
Oct. 23rd was a sad day in the studio and the Isley household. We lost our wonderful salt & pepper minature schnauzer, Tasha or as I liked to call her, Tasmanian Tasha, because she was a wild girl. She loved to jump like a rabbit when she ran and tell her brother Samson that she was the boss. Tasha was with us for 14 years. It was sad to see her age. She had dementia, had lost her hearing and her eyesight was very poor. Her sense of smell had failed her, she had lost alot of teeth which made eating a difficult challenge. But, she lived a long and wonderful life. She will be missed by all family members. Thank you for coming into our lives.
TGL Designs at the Carolina Home Show & Sale
TGL Designs has been busy over the last several months. For the month of October, I worked the International Furniture Market in High Point, NC setting up a showroom and running that showroom during the market. It is an exhausting but rewarding time. Not only do I get to catch up with friends from across the country, since I only get to see them every six months, but I also get to share my jewelry designs with them and sell.
The Carolina Home Show at Hawk Spirit Studio in Reidsville, NC is a great show. It is usually the first full weekend of November. Bill and Susan Moore have done a fantastic job over the last 13 years building it up. Sixty-five or more artisans are represented here. The studio building is loaded with pottery, photography, paintings, stained glass, and turned wood just to name a few. The outside vendors include jewelry, handmade soaps, steel sculptures, garden accents, hand spun and woven textiles and even this year a wine tasting booth. The first photo is of the studio building. The second is of some outdoor vendors and the last photo is of TGL Designs humble abode for the weekend.
After I recovered from the show I had to get ready for the a holiday tea at my church on Friday night. I will post pictures in the next blog. I also had to get ready for a show on Sunday ,in Greensboro at the Farmer's Market downtown. Each year they host a Holiday Arts & Crafts show. I was in a tent outside. The tent space was great but the weather that day was terrible. The winds were high. One vendor's tent totally blew away. My tent was eventually tied to our van, after being weighted with 25lb bags of clay.
Until next time,
Tracy
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