New in the shop...beautiful, beautiful quilts.

I'm hardly going to say a thing today...just going to let you admire the work.

All of these quilts are made with vintage sheets and are (or will very soon be) available at the Rural Creators' Collective.  Made by Miriam of Minimade (on Facebook and on Etsy).

(quite possibly my favourite)

MiniMade will also be at the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile in August.  Many of the other vendors, activities, games, etc can be found over here on the Pinterest board.

Father's Day Ideas all in one stop

Father's day is just around the corner.  If you still need a little inspiration, the Rural Creators' Collective has so many ideas packed into one shop.  Here are a few of my favourites:

 Gorgeous rock sculptures by Christine of Stones of Time (check out her web site)

 For an out of this world gift, Roger of the Carlisle Canoe has so many great pieces.

 A little something for the home office...

 ...of for the foodie and home chef.

 There is a large selection of framed lithograph prints, paintings, and photography to choose from.

Lisa of L'immaginaria on her own website and on Facebook,

Holly Ferencze on Etsy and on Facebook ,

Yvonne Parsons Photography on Facebook and on her own site.

And also a large collection of greeting cards available by the same artists.

 For the morning espresso, cafe latte, or hot beverage of choice, a selection of drinking vessels of all shapes and sizes. (Natalie of Remembrances on Facebook and AtTheCrossroads on Etsy)

And don't forget downstairs...the florist has a selection of live plants and the bakery has all kinds of delicious goodness to make the day extra special. 

Beautiful new cards at the shop

I have very few words for you today...I will let the pictures do the talking.  These are new cards available at the Rural Creators Collective by Lisa of L'immaginaria.  Aren't they stunning?

Lisa will also be at the Carlisle Country Craft and Old Fashioned Market Mercantile on August 23 and 24th in Mountsberg, Ontario, Canada.  Check out some of the vendors, activities, etc on this Pinterest board

Welcome a new artist!

The Rural Creators' Collective would like to welcome Marla to the shop!

 Her watercolour paintings are a great addition to the shop.

 Most of the items she has brought in for us are chickadees, bees, and monarchs...

 (These images are from her Facebook page)

There are a few in her Etsy shop, Kittles and Bits if you aren't local.

 And these framed pieces are the ones that are available in the RCC right now...

Pop in, have a look, and bring a bit of your garden indoors!

May Featured Artist - Remembrances

Well, this is going to be an unusual Featured Artist post because the artist of the month at the RCC is me, Remembrances pottery (although I'm AtTheCrossroads on Etsy).  So this time, because I can, I thought I would share what inspires me to create.

 I'm often inspired by nature...flowers, grass, seeds...

...and often, an image gets lodged in my brain until I take the time to make it.

 I will find something I fall in love with, and it stays with me until I find a way to incorporate it into a piece of my work (like the pussy willows on the bowl on the left, below).

The strange thing is, once I've made the piece, it's out of my system and I rarely feel like making another - which is why so many of my pieces are one of a kind.

This series was inspired by the river rocks that are so abundant on our local beaches in my hometown.  There are more in this series than are pictured above because it seems to take a whole collection to make this "feel right" to me.

I'm inspired by my garden.  I developed a series of tube vases because in my city garden, I often end up with "one of these" and a "couple of those".  I found the best way to display my homegrown flowers is to have each kind separated into individual containers (these flowers, however, are from the grocery store as the picture was taken in the dead of winter).

 Antiques and vintage items...I can't seem to get enough of them - if they are the right sort that call out to me.  The flower plate is based on a cut glass piece I inherited from my grandmother...her dishes inspired a set (however, to date, only one has survived the process - this one happens to be on Etsy)

If you are local to the RCC, pop on in to see the assortment of platters - based on an antique stoneware plate I bought years ago (even before I started making pottery of my own).

 Linens --- I can't get enough of linens!  So I thought, why not make a series inspired by textiles... The plate above is a based on a linen dishtowel my grandmother wove and dyed herself for her hope chest.  A few have survived the fires, life on a farm, and a couple generations...I was lucky enough to inherit three of them.

These are inspired by my teen-age son's love of all things argyle (he's pretty stylin' for a teenager).

Quilts...need I say more?

 And finally, I am of the belief that everything we use in our day to day lives should be as beautiful as possible.  I love things that transform a mundane task to a delightful experience.

 I thrive to create items that I think accomplish just that...a drinking cup that fits your hand just perfectly (no matter the size), the glow of a candle while eating your breakfast (or while cleaning the bathroom as my son does), a cereal, soup, or salad bowl that you use daily because it's beautiful...

I would love to hear what inspires you.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Oh, and I guess I should mention - this month at the Rural Creators' Collective, all my pottery is 10% off.  There is also a draw to win one of my bud vases (with a gift certificate to the flower shop downstairs) at the end of the month.  If you are local (ish) pop on in and check it out.

Also, you can come see me in person at the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile on August 23, and 24th, 2014 in Mountsberg, ON.