Wedding Favours / Gifts

After making a run of Christmas Decorations recently (see my last post), I got thinking that these lovely little decorations would make beautiful Wedding Favours, Wedding Gifts or Bombonieres. During a short spell from pottery (no kiln etc), I remarried and I recall how much trouble I had to find a simple, yet personal and pretty gift to give our special friends and family to remember our day. I ended up buying little boxes, coloured paper, sugar coated almonds and made my own little boxes which although were nice, these would have been so much better. They would have looked so beautiful on the tables, placed on top of each plate/napkin and a lovely surprise and talking piece as our guests sat down at their places. They could be used to decorate in other ways too, so the possibilities are endless.

The templates for these shapes I make myself from an original drawing. I stamp each one with clay stamps that I have made myself, I use glazes that I have formulated myself, so each one of these little treasures is a little differant and very unique.

I am quite excited, as I have heaps of other ideas too, which means more glaze testing, drawing and playing with clay. More time out in the studio. How wonderful.

Butterfly Heart Wedding Favour

White Floral Wedding Favour

Raspberry Red Heart Wedding Favour

Various Birds & Peace Dove Wedding Favours

Christmas Decorations ready for Next Craft Market

I have been out in the studio making various things for the next markets, but have really enjoyed making these gorgeous little Christmas Decorations. These make wonderful, inexpensive gifts. I write on the back in gold or silver pen to really personalise them when giving them away as gifts.



Peace Dove - Christmas Decoration or Wedding Favour

Handmade and Glazed Red Heart - Christmas Decoration or Wedding Favour

My next craft market will be at the 'Picton Creative Traders Market' on Sunday 4th December 2011. For further info go to http://www.ctmw.com.au/

How They Are Made

• I draw and cut out my own templates for these shapes, then cut around the template for each piece
• I use my own hand made clay and plaster stamps for the impressed decoration
• I make my own glazes and hand paint each piece
• They are fired to 1200 deg centigrade to ensure that they are strong and durable
• I can personalise each piece on special request

Wedding Favours / Bomboniere

I am looking at also making these for Wedding Gifts, Wedding Guest Keepsakes or Wedding Bomboniere. The little hearts, peace doves, birds and wedding bells in particular would work really well and I have a load of other ideas too (keep posted). They would all look great used on top of a table napkin on the wedding tables and can be given to the guest as a lovely wedding keepsake, doubling also as a Christmas tree decoration, just something to hang in a window or from a tree in the garden after the wedding day. On the day of the wedding, they can be hung from branches in vases as table centre pieces, or from the Bridal Money Tree to really add a splash of colour and add as a unique decoration idea. I can also see these being used to hang from a tree in the garden where the wedding ceremony is to take place for added decoration and to add to the mood and theme of the wedding. I could make smaller versions of these as little charms for the bridal bouquet to continue the theme of the wedding. If you are interested in any of these ideas for your special occasion or have a general sales enquiry, please email me at janwallace.pottery@gmail.com



White Glazed Bird - Christmas Decoration or Wedding Favour



Holly - Christmas Decoration



Glazed Christmas Tree

Bell - Christmas Tree Decoration or Wedding Favour

Peace Dove in Gold - Christmas Tree Decoration or Wedding Favour

Blue Glazed Heart - Christmas Tree Decoration or Wedding Favour

Red Glazed Peace Dove - Christmas Decoration or Wedding Favour

Well, it's back to the studio for me as I have more decorations to glaze and fire. Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Please feel free to comment below or send me an email as I would love to hear from you.

Thanks. Jan

Picton Creative Traders Markets This Sunday

I will be at 'Picton Creative Traders Market' this Sunday, 6th November 2011 from 9am to 2pm. Come along and enjoy what the markets have to offer. There are supposed to be over 50 stalls this month. With home grown and home made produce, arts and craft, food and entertainment. Christmas is only weeks away, so it is a great opportunity to find some wonderful unique, handmade gifts for the special people in your life. The markets are located at the Shire Hall, Menangle Street, Picton NSW. I look forward to seeing you there.

Here is some of my handmade work that will be available on Sunday. My prices start from $10 so there is something for everyones budget.

Flowers in our Garden...

We have alot of flowering plants in our garden at this time of year, which really cheer up the place and make the garden look so pretty. It led me to think... why not have some all year round. So, I have been experimenting the last few days with making some in clay.  In the pics below, you will see I have made one on a pedestral which can be a fruit bowl, candle holder etc for indoors or have outside as a water dish for the birds. The others I have made to sit on a steel rod/pole and they will also have a leaf made from clay which can be glued to the pole. I will glaze them colourfully and group together for a better impact. I will post the glazed results when they are completely finished.

Standing Sculptural Flower

Sculptural Flower for steel rod

My daughter 19 months old - Budding artist at work

Sculptural piece with impressed patterns using old cogs,
wheels, bolts etc. Rusty steel rods, barbed wire
and an old fence post used for a base.

New Studio is Finished

Well, its been a long process as we laid the concrete slab for my studio back in May, but my wonderful new space is now finished. I am so happy with it. It is bright, organised and a lovely inspirational place to create.

My husband Glen worked very hard whenever he had spare time to get the studio finished and he has done a wonderful job. The rusty iron inside on the back wall was sourced locally and I love how it looks. It has a lovely feel and looks great in our garden. It has plently of shelving, is bright, very organised, easy to keep clean and being in our garden, I can be in the studio while our little girl plays outside.

'Tree of Life' Candleholder

I have not posted in a while as my husband and I have been putting alot of our spare time into building a new pottery studio in our garden. I have been doing my pottery in our garage but we desperately need our garage back for other things. I am very excited as it's nearly finished. Just have to add internal shelving and benches and a few cosmetic things to finish on the outside. Stay tuned, as I will post photos of the completed studio within the next week.

Here is a piece that I made recently. I love nature, so this is often reflected in my work. It was bisque fired then Raku fired. I used a white crackle glaze for the main glaze and a copper matt glaze was used for the leaves. For additional highlights I also used a red enamel paint for the centre of the flowers. This piece was made from a slab of clay folded around a pvc cylinder then I added additional elements from there. I enjoy making sculptural pieces but since I like to sell my work at markets, there is more demand for pieces that are also funtional. I plan to make others like this and want to experiment with making some that will hold more than two candles and that can accomodate tea light candles in some way. This piece will be for sale at next Picton Creative Traders Market on Sunday 2 October. Come along and have a look at his and other new work for sale.

Successful Raku Firing Weekend

I have been wanting to do a Raku firing for some weeks but just did not get a chance due to the awful, rainy weather we have been having or to other commitments. This weekend, I finally had the opportunity to do two. On Saturday as it was still raining, I decided to use my little electric kiln to fire several tall sculptural pieces and some pendants. I used sawdust alone as my reduction material this time as I wanted to try to achieve the best possible reduction on the feature 'copper matt' area on the pieces. I did get a better reduction, but this also meant that the 'white crackle' glaze did not turn out as white as I like, but saying that, I am very happy with the results. I am still trying to perfect the timing thing with 'copper matt' and I must say it is a challenge. Each time I try, I seem to learn a little more. Sunday's work I am yet to photograph, but I was pretty happy with the results of that which I fired in my ceramic fibre/wire outdoor kiln.  Planning to make some more of these sculptural pieces to take to local craft markets to sell once our weather gets a little better.



Raku Sculpture - White Crackle & Copper Matt Glaze






Raku Sculpture - White Crackle and Ancient Amethyst Glaze



Raku Sculpture - White Crackle & Copper Matt Glaze

Raku Sculpture - White Crackle & Copper Matt Glaze



 Detail of Raku Sculpture - White Crackle & Copper Matt Glaze



Detail of Raku Sculpture - White Crackle,  Copper Matt & Amethyst Glaze