Versatile 'Vide Poche' Catchall Trays

We all have a need for a

 'vide poche' (French for...'empty pockets') 

to place your keys, loose change, rings, etc. These versatile ceramic trays

play a practical role as well as serving as decorative accents in any room. Each vide poche is custom made. No two are alike.

 

Approximately 4"x5"

Impressions made with lace, items from nature, custom made stamps

Birds and Bees on the rim add interest

Dark glaze is painted on then gently wiped off with a sponge

Thin coats of colored glaze are added

Final step...Clear coat of glaze for added shine

Find them at: http://www.moonriversoap.com/home.html

or send a comment to me (link at bottom of page) for inquiries on orders of 10 or more.

I kept hearing about this AWESOME soap store in downtown Rochester (Michigan) and had to go see for myself. My daughters and friends had all mentioned to me that they used products from MOONRIVER Soap Company and were amazed with the quality of the products. Well, it ends up that the soap they make (and all of their other products) really ARE incredible! I don't know what kind of magic they perform when they make these soaps, but they are absolutely the BEST soaps I have ever used. I especially like the 'nitty gritty' soap because if feels good as it gently exfoliates. It has a super fine grit in it. I have now tried lots of other scents and am so impressed with how this stuff makes my skin feel (soft and moisturized) that I have truly become a MOONRIVER soap junky.
A coworker and my daughter tell me the lip balm is the best they ever used. I bought the bug spray...love it for my little grandchildren. Everything is safe and natural. These folks know how to make Soap!!!
Yes, they ship their product.Check them out here.....
http://www.moonriversoap.com/home.html

The casual atmosphere of the store as well as a wide variety of products makes no-pressure shopping a pleasure.  After a few visits I realized my ceramic 'style' is a good match for the décor of the Moonriver Soap store. I asked the owner if she would be interested in selling my 'vide poche' trays as ceramic soap dishes in her store. So happy she said yes! Here are a few...

 

LUCKY STARS! ... how to make them using paper strips

These adorable little stars are fast, fun and easy to make. Once you get in the swing of making them you won't want to stop! That's what happened to one of my art students, Christina. She loved creating her own simple patterns on colored copier paper that she cut into narrow strips. Then she folded the strips into neat little 3D stars. It wasn't long until she had a bag full of them, which led to a small problem....what do you DO with all those stars? She used them to make a 3D work of art. And she gave some to me. I used them to fill a pretty little jar. Thanks, Christina!

Here is a short visual tutorial. If you would like more detailed instructions simply do an internet search for 'lucky stars' and you will be sure to find all kinds of tutorials online.

 Cut copier paper into strips about 3/8 inch wide by 8 1/2 inches long.

Tie a knot....

Ease the edges in to form a perfect pentagon as you press folds.

Fold the short end in...cut it shorter if you need to.

Turn and fold, turn and fold, turn and fold. Neatness counts.

Tuck the end in. Cut it shorter if you need to.

Let your instincts guide you as you gently push in the sides to form the 3D star. Use your fingernail or the edge of a butter knife or anything else with a fine, thin edge. Think 'pillow'.

 

 

Experiment. Explore new ideas. Create.

Winter Ice

DYEING WOOL Fast and Easy

I had read about dyeing wool with food coloring but I doubted how effective it would be. I thought the colors would be muddy, muted or bleed easily. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This was so incredibly easy! You will find various methods posted online. I combined idea's and came up with a method I found to be extra easy and relatively neat and tidy. This is 'The Skillful Bee' method:
1. Fill quart jars 1/2  full with water and place in canning pot filled to about the same level as water in jars. Just before it starts to boil, turn off  the heat.
2. Add about a teaspoon of food coloring. I used gel food coloring, which is concentrated.
3. Add about 1/4 cup white vinegar to each jar and stir.
4. Put a wad of wool batting or roving in the jar. Make sure the wool is completely immersed.
5. After about a half hour, remove the wool. Rinse with water that starts slightly warm then change to cool water so you don't shock the wool temperature all at once. Rinse till water is clear. Gently squeeze out excess water and lay wool on towel to dry.

I am thrilled with the results. The colors are vibrant and colorfast. I didn't have to worry about using harsh products. It was easy to clean up and super cheap! ( I got my wool for FREE from a local petting farm...but I did have to pay to have it cleaned and carded)

I can't wait to start felting with my new colorful wool!

 

NOTES and OBSERVATIONS: I added more wool to the jars because I thought I could squeeze a little more in. Some happy accidents that occurred were that the wool on the inside of some of the larger, compacted wads didn't get fully saturated so I got some blended colors (very pretty). Also, I found I had to add more vinegar with subsequent additions or the color didn't penetrate. The color on the subsequent wads of wool were less saturated, as shown in the yellow example below. I put in a total of three wads of wool, each about 10 minutes apart. I added a couple of tablespoons of additional vinegar with each new wad.

I had read that the wool should be soaked first. I'm not a very patient artist, so I didn't soak mine. There was some uneven coloring, which I liked. If you want smooth, even coloring you should probably soak the wool in clear water first.

 

A little bag  to hold my glasses....

 

I laid out my design on a cookie sheet with a piece of bubble wrap on it. Then I added some hot soapy water and rubbed it back and forth and all around...for about 20 minutes. I wrapped it around a 12" long piece of foam swim tube (dollar store), then wrapped the bubble wrap around it and taped the edges closed. I rolled it back and forth until it shrunk to the thickness I wanted. Yes...it all seems very unlikely...but it works!

 A little stitchery to add some detail...and a little white mother of pearl button.

I stitched up the sides and added a snap closure.

This will keep my glasses safe inside my 'purse jungle'.

 

 

A Matryoshka for my beautiful granddaughter...

 

 

First, I laid out a very basic pattern of colors and felted it as described previously.

 Then I added more details by using the needle felting method. I placed pieces of wool where I wanted them and repeatedly poked a felting needle (available at craft stores) through the wool to meld the wool together. This is good, mindless relaxation at it's best. Think of it as painting with wool.

Once I had most of the details on, I used embroidery thread and some beads to embellish my design. Eventually, I wanted the Matroyshka to be 3-dimensional so I wrapped the flat piece of wool around wool stuffing into a cylindrical shape and used a felting needle to meld it all together. It's really fun to 'sculpt' with wool! There are no sewn seams...only wool felted together to make a nice, solid shape.

 

 I think my granddaughter will like her new doll. I had a lot of fun making it and I feel good knowing it is safe, natural and made with lots of love my for little sweetheart. Of course, her twin brother is equally as divine. I hope he likes the mouse!

 

 

 

 

Mackinaw Island

 

Mackinaw Island - Grand Hotel

 

Mackinaw is a pleasant island located in northern Michigan. No cars, only bikes and horses. It has everything from touristy shops to unspoiled nature. If you despise touristy shops then I suggest you stay off the main strip. (But then you won't get any fudge...and afterall, isn't it really all about the fudge?) Take a pleasant stroll, or better yet, bike ride, around the island. And getting there is half the fun! Northern Michigan is spectacular in any season. To get to Mackinac you must take a ferry. That's when the fun begins. Look how blue the water is!

This is 'Michigan Blue'.

 

 As long as you're going, you might as well stay at the finest hotel on the island. That would be the GRAND HOTEL. It is not cheap. It is worth the price, however. You won't be disappointed. This is a view from the very large porch. Lots of seating...rocking chairs to be precise. Lots of them. A good place to start your day with a cup of coffee.

 

 Every guest room is different. This was ours.

 

Just outside the hotel doors is a golf course. Lovely place to sit in the sun.

 

 

Ode to Rainbow Chip Frosting

 

Ode to Rainbow Chip

 

 

 

Hey, Rainbow Chip...

Did ratings slip?

What the flip?

 

Discontinued favorite frosting

found on eBay

but it's costing!

 

Hate to knock her,

but Betty Crocker

is off her rocker!

 

 

It's the end of an era......

(sniff, sniff, sob)