Jones Handmade Goods

happy customer loves her rat

2010-12-06T06:21:00.000-08:00

One of my newest designs is a sweet little rat. I wasn't sure how well it would be received, but at the Ocaf Holiday Market this past weekend in Watkinsville, it was quickly purchased by a dear customer who loves it as much as I do. Here is a photo of it in it's new home, thanks so much Kathy for sending it to me. Look for more of these guys in the future.

painting at home

2010-07-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

A customer in Atlanta sent me this photo of their "rabbit thinking about coffee" painting in it's home next to their coffee maker. Isn't that sweet?

apologies

2010-01-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

My website, www.JoneshandmadeGoods.com, is down at the moment.
A million apologies for the inconvenience. Please visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/JonesHandmadeGoods
Thank you!

2009-12-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't updated my blog in MONTHS.
Here's the scoop on what's kept me so distracted...

-We bought the house and property behind us. My husband is completely gutting the house ( it's an awful mess) to turn into the Jones Handmade Goods studio here in Maxeys. Exciting!
-Baby Charlotte arrived a little early and we've been enjoying her immensely. I'll post a photo of her cuteness.
-My mother died on Halloween after a year long battle with brain cancer. (Sigh)
-And now, the holidays, hooray (sarcasm infused, in case you couldn't tell).

I know excuses, excuses, but check back after the New Year and hopefully I'll have my jazzy back and new artwork to share and chat about. Until then...xoxo, Monica

our darling girl

2009-07-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

We had to say goodbye last Wednesday to our oldest girl, Briana our sweet black lab.

But rather than share my weeping and wailing over her departure, I want remember a time a while back when she made me laugh. She was a quirky dog.

I left her alone for 15 minutes to go to the post office and when I returned there was a trail of white powder from the front door, through the house, back to the kitchen, where I found this - see photo.

At first, I flipped out as any mother would do upon seeing a bag of white powder busted open on her kitchen floor. Could it be poison? Has Briana developed a taste for poison? Does she have a drug habit we were never aware of?

Upon further invesigation I realized that our 15 year old arthritic dog had removed an entire bag of flour from a shelf in the pantry, dragged it to her bed, and went to town on it. She had flour caked in her nose holes and gumming up her mouth = truly gross, but hysterical.

Thanks for your love and devotion, and for never failing to surprise us. Until we meet again...

special pink kitty cup

2009-06-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

I recently filled an order for an old high school friend Joanna McNally for her mother Julie.
Her mother loves cats and her favorite color is pink.
I also put her initials in a crown on the back. How sweet, right?

The cup is wheel thrown and painted porcelain fired to Cone 6.

set of rabbit cups

2009-06-17T16:02:00.001-07:00

These are a set of 6 rabbit cups. Didn't they turn out sweet?

An Unusual Request

2009-05-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

I traveled to Richmond, VA. last weekend with my neighbor friend Maureento visit her Aunt Sis.
While there, my artistic services were requested to paint a shamrock on Aunt Sis' funeral box
(a wooden box that will hold her ashes when she dies).
How unusual, right? But I was certainly honored to be asked.
Especially for such a spunky cute gal like Aunt Sis. She is a delight.

Above is Aunt Sis in the middle, her neices Maureen from Maxeys on the left
and Maureen's sister Rita Anne from Maryland on the right.

The box itself is an antique (pine I think).
She said she would just stick some shamrock decals on it,
but don't you think it's more special being painted?

See how cute she is?
She said, "It's so pretty! I can't wait to get in there!".

Mother's Day golf

2009-05-15T08:31:00.001-07:00

Jones golfers, originally uploaded by joneshandmadegoods.

We all met up at Cedar Creek in Loganville for some Mother's Day golf per Linda's request. Baby Naiya stole the show and we all had a big fun time.

my poor cat's tail

2009-04-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I had to share these pictures of my darling cat Bela with you. She and the other cats have been going outside during the day, and something (another cat, a chipmunk, ?) bit her on the tail! Her tail swelled up and she developed a fever. She had to go see the vet and this is what they did to her...
At first she was very self-conscious about her poodle-cut condition, and whipped her tail about like it was chasing her.She has to stay inside until all her pink medicine is gone. The other cats have been teasing her relentlessly.
Ted simply wouldn't leave her alone when she came home from the vet. Sniffing and investigating her hurt tail obsessively. I had to shut him out the dining room and this made him sad.

Festival Fun

2009-04-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

First, thanks so much to all the friends who came out to the Inman Park Festival this past weekend. And hello to all the new friends I made and I'll definitely be returning next year - with baby in tow! What a fun time Inman Park was, fellow vendors, I recommend this one!

Next, get ready for a double doozy as this coming up weekend (May 2 and 3) is SOUTHWORKS at Ocaf in Watkinsville.

It's from 10 am to 5 pm Sat. and Sun.
There will be over 60 artists, live music, food, and free kid's art activities.

Ocaf always puts on a worthwhile, quality event and I have a huge soft spot for them, as this is where I also teach my children's clay classes.
A lot of artists who were at the Ocaf Holiday Market will be returning - - like friends featured in my Dec. Holiday Market blog post Elizabeth D'Angelo and Joanna Stecker = awesome!

There's also 2 really neat exhibits in the gallery worth investigating.
Come on out and find the perfect Mother's Day gift and expect to have a super fun time too!

Sunday - a photo montage

2009-04-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday,
and here is a photo montage of the activities that unfolded here at home in Maxeys.
I had some work to do gathering wood out of the woodpile to paint on.
And I kept seeing things worth a snapshot. Enjoy...

First, here is a picture of what my husband has done to our backyard.
His favorite thing to do right now is move earth around.
At least there's no grass to mow.

I went to the woodpile to gather some boards to paint on, Frida joined me.

Next to the woodpile, there was the sweetest little violet growing all by itself.

I walked the property line and in a muddy spot I saw lots of footprints.
Lots of cat and dog ones, but also little raccoon prints.
They have little hands like ours!Next to the raccoon prints is a wisteria patch along the fence line.

It only looks beautiful this time of the year.
I wish you could smell the delicate sweet fragrance through this photo.

By then I had gathered up my wood and
got to work on sawing it into paintable pieces.

I noticed these buzzards watching me,
hoping I would mortally injure myself so they could swoop in and have supper.

But as you can see, I was wearing all the proper safety protection -
gloves, respirator, and goggles - no injuries were sustained, sorry buzzards.
I get into my power tools.

Are you ready for some Festival Fun?!?

2009-04-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

April 25 and 26, 2009 11am - 6pm

here's the link to the festival website

I will be there selling my wares along with a whole

bunch of other great artists.

It's going to be a beautiful, super fun weekend!!

for maddie

2009-04-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

I read a blog on Fridays called Inverse Candlelight, and she had a photo of this darling little girl posted. And she caught my eye because she's just so darn cute! Then I read further and discovered that last week this little girl unexpectedly - died. And I haven't been able to think about much else since. Her name was Madeline Alice Spohr -Maddie- and her mama Heather is a hysterical master blogger who has been chronicling her and her husband Mike's experiences at www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com with a difficult pregnancy, 3 month premature baby, and the joy and happiness they experienced being her parents.

Then quite unexpectedly last week - gone.
I cry now as I type.

Perhaps it's my "condition" or the fact that Maddie and my niece Naiya are about the same age, but this family's story has really hit me hard and deep.
If you'd like to help them somehow, you can donate to the March of Dimes in honor of Maddie here or contribute to a fund to help Heather and Mike here .

my darling mother-in-law

2009-04-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law Linda Jones sent a note in the mail

and I wanted to share it with you because,

well, it made me cry like a baby.

She wrote,

"You can kiss your family and friends goodbye

and put miles between you,

but at the same time you carry them with you

in your heart, your mind, your stomach,

because you do not just live in a world,

but a world lives in you."

Masters Memories

2009-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National is coming up soon.
My husband and I were lucky enough to get invited to go the the practice rounds last year, and I thought I'd share my favorite photos I snapped while we were there.

The one above is Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player putting. Jamie was freaking out to see them in person. Look at the sea of people in the background. Madness.

The one above is the greens at Augusta National. One day my lawn shall look like this. Even the snacks, drinks, and beer at the Masters were super awesome (and cheap, believe it or not, $1 sandwiches, $1 beers, and special commemorative cups to boot!)

The one above is a sweet, candid shot of Jim Furyk fixing his daughter's ponytail (that's a bow in his mouth). Which reminds me that famous pro-golfers are regular folks too.

Spring! Thank God You're Here...

2009-03-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ted sniffs a flower. He's such a good boy.

He's going to try out for the Maxeys soccer team this spring.
He just needs to learn not to pop the ball

My most favorite camellia bush in our yard. Have you ever seen such beauty?

Ted loves this Camellia too.
I recommend camellias, they come out in bloom in January and stay pretty through spring and require very little maintenance for such beauty.

The cats have been kicked out. They seem to be adjusting well.
However, Rose Petal refuses to leave the deck.

Handled Cups are Here!

2009-02-24T06:55:00.000-08:00

Introducing, the latest members of the Jones Handmade Goods family - handled cups! Isn't this one sweet? Jamie took me for a ride in his John Boat and that's where this image comes from... I have several listed in my Etsy shop and if you want to hold them in your hands, stop by the Krimson Kafe in Watkinsville as I have a large selection of them there as well. And you simply must get lunch too to keep your nutrition up!

pre-planning

2009-01-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

A tender reminder
that Valentine's Day is one month away.
Wouldn't your sweetie love a cup or card
with "rabbits in love" telling them
how much you adore them?
Click here to buy one of these items
and many more at my shop

Farewell President Bush...

2009-01-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Farewell President Bush...
Thanks for everything. Here's my #1 favorite photo of you and a friend.
100% respect buddy and fellow rabbit lover.

Merry Christmas Friends

2008-12-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May your days be merry and bright! love from, Monica

Ocaf Holiday Market/ New Treasures

2008-12-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

Katy McDougal, soapdish,www.onepotmama.com

I participated in the Ocaf Holiday Market on Dec. 6 and 7th and had so much fun!
And next year you simply must go, for there were extra-fine treasures filling up 2 historic buildings in Watkinsville. My darling mother-in-law, Linda Jones, made it possible for me to do this sale and I'm so glad all the Jones Handmade Customers and friends got to meet her and she said she had quite a fun time.
On a similar Ocaf note, spring classes are registering now for kid's ceramics (that's what I teach) and other fine art disciplines (bookmaking, watercolor, drawing, even bag pipes-yes, I said bag pipes). Check out the Spring Schedule Here - - -www.ocaf.com

Onto the treasures!!! I traded with the gal behind me and the gal beside me at the Ocaf Holiday Market and I'm not fooling around when I tell you that they're INCREDIBLE ceramic artists!

First, behind me was Katy McDougal . Her soapdish with the little yellow bird is at the top of the page. Isn't it darling? And very well done. I traded her a "rabbits in love" painting for her daughter's room. She, however, has said baby so I should stay away from her to avoid furthering this baby fever I'm afflicted with - - -

JoAnna Stecker, teacup, www.joannastecker.com

Then, beside my was JoAnna Stecker . She was exhibiting there with her friend Elizabeth D'Angelo whose painting you might recognize from the cover of Flagpole recently -very talented gal as well. I traded a rabbit painting for this fabulous teacup and saucer pictured above and below.

The feet fit perfectly in the little dents! There are lusters every which a way and it is with my new soapdish in my "favorite things" spot = the kitchen sink and window sill.

Do you see the little square with a pretty lady on it? It's by another festival artist friend Love, Alison who makes these vintage pin-up pieces. Here's a close-up of the one she gave me... I think its hysterical; Jamie, not so much.

pin up girl, www.lovealison.com

Lastly, here are 2 treasures I picked up along hwy 441 south at various junk and antique shops. They live on top of the fridge with an antique framing saw. The monkey is chalkware and I got the buttons thinking about some new projects (rabbit stuffed friends, perhaps?).

283 Bar Sale 12-6-2008

2008-12-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

What a weekend!

It was so nice to be back at the 283 Bar for the 5th annual artist market!

Big thanks to Lori and Beth.

Here are some of the artists who were there

(so you have something to look forward to next year!)

--Beth Cyr (http://www.bcyrjewelry.etsy.com/) and her lovely, organic silver jewelry. Nothing says "I love you" like a pair of Beth Cyr earrings...

Karen Phillips is Shutterstitch and she is multi-talented: fabric artist, photographer, art teacher : (http://www.shutterstitch.etsy.com/) Her work is very well done, I especially adore her pillow cases...

Handcrafted Industries is my newest favorite discovery!! www.handcraftedindustries.com They are a collaboration of friendly folks who make very well done products. I love, love, love the felted birds...

Camille Morgan was there too, selling her Fabuluxe line of hand croceted hats, scarves, and bags. I bought a darling little orange hat with cat ears for my niece Naiya. I'll do a separate post in the future, with a picture of Naiya in her new kitten hat and how to get in touch with Camille.

Introducing...CraftAthens !

2008-11-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

CraftAthens is the Athens Etsy street team,

and boy are we a fun bunch - and exceptionally craftastic!

Click here to visit the MySpace page,

where you can meet all the folks.

rabbit painting on recycled wood

2008-11-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

What a sweet little sleeper.

I've been painting on pieces of 100 year old heart of pine siding that came off our house when we were renovating.

I think they make wonderful canvases for portraits of rabbits and other friends.

I sign the back and write the historical information about the wood as well.

fall mountain beauty and tedder

2008-11-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Ted loves the mountains.

Isn't this a beautiful spot? It's just down the road from Jamie's parents.

They live west of Elijay.

So lovely...

Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa

2008-11-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Coming up this weekend!

What a fun time I had at the I.C.E. show at Ambient + Photo Studios in Atlanta, and quite a few of the vendors who were there will also be at the Craftstravaganzaa! ( Like moi !)

I'm especially happy that this one is in my neck of the woods.

I.C.E. was an INCREDIBLE group of modern crafters, here are some links...

-- loveAlison www.lovealison.com

-- Cathy Dailey http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=18980

-- Genevieve Gail http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5305601

-- Missy Kulik http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5305601

My Babies & Memorial Stones

2008-10-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

My babies! If you haven't met Ted and Briana, these are my pups- toddler Ted and senior citizen Briana. We are a dog pack and I'm trying to convince them that I'm the Alpha boss (I am!). They keep me company at the studio. Ted growls and barks to raise the alarm at unusal noises, which is a nice change from Briana's stoic silence.

I'm taking the pet memorial stones public now,

for sale online at

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16727186 ,

here's what they look like below.

And a portion of the proceeds goes to my local animal shelter to help the homeless pets! www.moaspets.org is their website - -Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter, they're awesome.

the mamas and the babies

2008-10-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

The armpots are reproducing! I'm lovingly referring to this series as

The Mamas and the Babies.

There will be many more to come...

Ginette Callaway (a lovely painter who lives in Jonesboro, GA) owns the blue one above. Check out her blog at http://thenewmonet.blogspot.com/ .

I love the videos of her painting (and singing) - -she's awesome.
This green one above was bought by a great customer in Kansas. The Mama is introducing a reluctant little one who crosses his arms tightly. I'll be making lots more of these guys.

Lakelife magazine article

2008-09-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

LAKELIFE MAGAZINE FALL 2008

What a treat!

While working at Genuine Georgia in Greensboro (I'm one of five resident artists there),

I was photographed and interviewed for Lakelife Magazine. The article is about the great variety of galleries and artists located in this part of the state - -forming "The Art Ramble". go to http://www.artramble.com/ for more info.

(of all the days to wear the rooster t-shirt)

grant park summer shade festival

2008-09-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

I spent Labor Day weekend in Grant Park on the southeast side of Atlanta.

I was lucky enough to be in between 2 super nice gals/artists.

Hi to all the friends I met there.

What a fun time, I'll be planning on coming back next year...

And if you're looking for a nice neighborhood in the middle of the busy city, Grant Park is so quaint and lovely.

Ocaf Summer Art Camp 2008

2008-09-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Summer camp was huge fun! My campers were all artistic geniuses and delightful to be around. I'll be looking forward to doing it again next year. Ocaf is in Watkinsville, GA. and I'll be teaching clay classes for kids there this fall too. It's such a neat facility and if you haven't been there recently, run over there quick before the Perspectives pottery show ends. It's awesome. I'm plotting to get in it for next year. Check it out, http://www.myocaf.com/

Steve and Linda can be found in mountain bliss

2008-05-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's official, if you've been searching for Steve and Linda, they are in mountain paradise! I've never seen a house so thoughtfully well done and it matches how fabulous they are.

I think you will agree...

our darling niece

2008-05-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our niece Naiya - -we love her

Uncle Jamie and Naiya watch sports together.

Aren't her purple velvet overalls cute? She's the best baby I've ever been around.

Must be a Jones thing...

mustached man - -wine bottle stopper

2008-05-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

My dad George
wears a beautiful mustache.

dog pack - -ted got fixed

2008-05-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ted got fixed on Wednesday, and is recovering nicely. He's wearing this spring's latest fashion accessory--The Cone. Briana has been taunting him about it. She wore The Cone last summer when she couldn't stop chewing on her bum, so she knows how irritating it is.

Aren't they sweet together?

Meet Ted...

2008-03-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Meet Ted. He's new.

Can you believe that there are people who would load their pets up in the car, take them to a remote location, unload them, and drive away?!?!?!?! That is Ted's story. He was dumped along with 12 other members of his family up the road from our house. 13 dogs total (11 pups and 2 adults). They were camping out at a condemmed house/deer camp, waiting for their people to come back and get them. I know, it's heartbreaking.

As of today, I've caught 7 of the pups (8 including Ted--he wanted to be caught) and transported them to the Madison/Oglethorpe Animal Shelter. Which could not be any further from our house, its a 45 min. drive = car-sick pups = will my station wagon ever recover? 1 pup disappeared, and I think someone stopped and took him home with them--he was extra sweet. There are 4 dogs left though--2 pups and 2 adults. And they refuse to let me get my hands on them! So my next mission is to set out a borrowed dog-trap and try to trap them and take them to the shelter. I just don't want to upset them anymore than I have to--they've already been traumatized so much.

My final thought for this post is how deeply I love Ted. How anyone could be so thoughtless and cruel is really beyond me. Spaying and neutering is really the key. It seems that here in rural Georgia, a lot of people don't have the forsight to understand that an un-fixed animal is as good as having 10 more animals on your hands. Pets are viewed more as objects, rather than creatures with souls. Ted's soul is so lovely it sparkles. He tries so hard to learn, and is already leash-trained and (almost) house-broken--only 2 accidents thus far. He's hysterical and has a huge amount of love to give. When he's bigger, he'll be my running buddy. We'll take him to the mountains and he'll get to go everywhere with me (just like Briana). Briana is starting to tolerate him better. She just doesn't care for foolishness, licking, barking, or any carrying on. I took them both to the studio yesterday in the truck and we had a big fun time. We all rode in the cab, with Ted in the middle, and the pups slept the whole way home. So, if you or someone you know is looking for a dog-friend, go check out the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter--a totally top-notch facility, where the rest of Ted's family and many others are waiting for their forever-friend to come and take them home.

welcome to my studio

2008-03-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is where the armpot babies are born.

There are 3 fellows who I share this warehouse with, they use it as their wood workshop.

The white van is Nick's newest treasure.

I work here in front of this garage door. The

studio isn't cooled or heated so spring and fall

make for the most productive and happy Monica.

red cat basket

2008-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

My mother bought this red basket and pillow just for the cats to lounge in, and as you can see, they are in heaven.

In my next life, I want to come back as one of my cats. I would take such good care of myself.

coffee = happy Monica

2008-03-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I think it's official, I am addicted to coffee.

This weekend I was out of town (in Orlando-that's a whole nuther story). And I went without my morning cup, and felt awful. All day. I couldn't shake it off. The blahs.

I made this saucer as an ode to my love of coffee. See how the rabbit purses his little bunny lips (they do have lips! I've seen 'em) and enjoys his delicious coffee.

Now, my newest favorite coffee-type-beverage-if-its-too-hot-for-hot-coffee IS... Caribou Coffee in the silver can-try it, you'll thank me, not the flavored kind--just regular. Delicious!

So, now you know if I'm grouchy, I might just need a coffee. And you would be a great friend to go and get me one. And a treat too.

You're the best.

Frida darling

2008-03-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Frida is one of my very best friends.

She watches me when I am working and when I sit, she is there to occupy my lap.

She is the smartest of the inside girls.

Jamie shared his ham sandwich with her by the dumpster at his work and he knew she needed to be with us.

She is quite a treat of a cat. See how carefully she sleeps sitting up behind the armpots, so as not to disturb them.