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.

Mother's Day is right around the corner...

I was looking something up on the calendar the other day and realized Mother's Day is coming up right shortly.  Not to worry, the Rural Creators' Collective has you covered.  Check out these amazing gift ideas that are in the store right now:

We have your traditional gifts of all things tea, (teapot cozy by Miriam of Minimade, teapot from Waylin Enterprise)

 lovely hand made soaps with the most delightful scents, (Tara of On a Branch Soaps)

and of course, candles...(Remembrances)

But we also have original gift ideas.  Why not give the gift of art?

 This stunning rose is by Yvonne Parsons

 Brand new to the shop...lots of birds, butterflies, and bees by Marla.  Original watercolours.

You'll have to excuse the photo here, but I was trying to capture that this lithograph by Lisa of L'immaginaria is actually sparkly.

 This great fabric sculpture swan is by Julie of Rustic Revivals

For the more modern tastes, I found this great architectural piece that would be perfect in a front entry...also by Julie of Rustic Revivals

For the gardeners, there is a collection of hanging planters and vases (they do actually have the ropes attached now, unlike in the photo) by Remembrances

And conveniently located downstairs is a flower shop for filling that vase or planter.

And of course we can't forget the delicious treats for mom as well, in the bakery which also happens to be conveniently located right down stairs.

Feel free to leave a comment with your Mother's Day idea.

In The Studio with Metis Caravan

Roni, of Metis Caravan is our guest blogger today.  She is generously offering the how-to on making one of her handmade leather purses.

From Roni:

Our leather is all salvaged and recycled.  Natural hides I buy when I go home in the summer to Cape Croker-Nawash.  If animals are hurt on the road or put to rest for health reasons, they are traded to First Nations' by whom they are used completely for crafts, tools, food.  Many of our harder tan or coloured hides come from used clothing stores to get repurposed.  No animals are harmed or forgotten.

Holes in hard tan leather like this are made with an awl and hammer.  For soft leather, a belt punch makes it a lot easier.

Stitching on medicine bags gets folded in so sage and other leaves can't crumble and fall out but most stitching is done on the outside so if you need a lace to tie something else this lace is accessible. A nice round stitch helps to keep small things in and is decorative.

A little water or glue on the knot shrinks the leather and keeps it tied tight.

We treat our leather with bee product.  It cleans any little spots off and waterproofs the leather.  We get ours in Carlisle, just up the road from Rural Creators' Collective.

Roni's work can be found year round at the Rural Creators' Collective in Carlisle (details on the side bar).   She will also be at the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile August 23 and 24, 2014.

Linking up with: Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams

Yvonne Parsons Photography - April Featured Artist

A little eye candy for you today.  Yvonne, April's Featured Artist at the Rural Creators' Collective is an absolutely amazing photographer.

She has the ability to capture landscapes with amazing detail...

 ...and has an unbelievable eye for what will make a great shot.

 You can check her Facebook page for many of the sepia toned portraits she captured at last year's Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile (pssst:  she's a returning vendor this year, so make sure you come see her and get an awesome portrait/family picture done).

 Not limited to landscapes, of course - she's great at product photography...

 ...and pet portraits.

Yvonne will be at the Rural Creators' Collective on Sunday, April 13th from noon until 2:00 p.m. doing Easter portraits.  You can schedule an appointment by emailing her at yvonnephotos@teksavvy.com

OR, if you visit her Facebook page and leave a comment in the caption contest for this photo, you could WIN your portrait sitting for FREE and also have an upgrade to an 8 x 10 print.

How amazing is that?