Merry Christmas Friends

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

Ocaf Holiday Market/ New Treasures

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

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 !

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My dad George
wears a beautiful mustache.

dog pack - -ted got fixed

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...

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

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

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

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

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.