Paint your own pottery, Part 2

Brie and I went back to The Pottery Stop on Friday and finished up our new pieces (a rectangular vase in my case). Also,  we picked up the pieces that had been fired the week before and they came out AWESOME. I friggin love mine, it turned out pretty much exactly how I pictured it.

 

 

  

 

 

First I painted the jewelry box all black for a base coat. Then I used a diagram of a butterfly I googled to figure out what the wings should look like, and painted the outline on  with wax resist. I added some leaves to the top and while waiting for it to dry, painted a ribbon of flowers and leaves on the bottom piece using the wax resist. After that it was just a matter of coloring it in with paints.

 

Such a cool and unique piece, I'm so pleased with how it turned out!  It really has the stained glass feel I was going for. Yay!

 

Can't wait to pick up my vase next weekend and see how that turned out too :)

 

Shopping and inspiration from New Mexico

A few weeks ago I was visiting Albuquerque and had a great time relaxing, visiting birdfriends at the zoo, eating, and of course a bit of shopping! 

We spent an afternoon strolling Canyon Road in Santa Fe and checking out all the cool galleries...my favorites?

• Brigitte Bruggemann's gorgeous flowery abstract paintings at Mill Fine Art
• Jim McLain's turned wood vessels
• Robert Highsmith's photorealist watercolors at Marigold Arts

I also bought these fabulous vintage parrot (I think they are rosellas?) candlesticks at Canyon Road Flowers.

We also stopped in Night & Day, one of my favorite bedding and bath shops--and I could not resist buying this framed bird illustration:
 

 
There were also some luxury custom sheets by Bonjour of Switzerland that I fell in love with, but those will have to wait as they generally run $1000 for a set! 
 

We had a delicious lunch at Bumble Bee (I loooove their quesadillas!) and then took a look through Santa Fe Greenhouses.

Inside they have lots of cool garden stuff and even some kitchen goodies...coasters, dishes, etc.

 

Gardening gloves in every color! 

I don't know why, but seed packets make me happy.

And Vinsy, this photo is for you! Heron legs!!!

Some of my other favorite places in Albuquerque:

Hey Jhonny: a small and exceptionally beautiful shop with fantastic, unique home decor and accessories

Jackalope: a giant warehouse of eclectic furniture, accessories, home and garden decor, pottery, etc.

Flying Star: stop in one of their many locations for delicious baked goods, lunches, or breakfast all day....mmmm.

Hanayagi--The Japanese Garden Shop: awesome Japanese art and other unique finds make this tiny shop well worth the visit!
Bookworks: independent bookstore with a great selection of craft books, funny magnets, and other cool gifts!