Tabmade: Art and Craft by Lori "Tab" Phillips

New blog is up!

2010-07-16T21:42:00.002-05:00

My new blog is up and running! See it here: Lori Phillips ceramics. I won't be updating this one anymore so if you follow it, head over to the new one and follow it also. :)

I am still alive

2010-07-11T15:03:00.003-05:00

I've just been doing so many other things, one of which will be starting a new blog in place of this one. Quick rundown of my life over the past (nearly) year: Moved to Richmond KY last November where I can finally concentrate on my ceramics, got a "real" bill-paying job, broke up with boyfriend of 9 years (eep!), got a car (wooooo!!!) and am financially independent for the first time in my life, and have my own apartment. Finally. Townhouse style, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, my own washer and dryer, woo! Just me and my doggy, Zazz. Still working on getting a lot of furniture, haha. Right now I have very little. I recently got loriphillipsceramic.etsy.com going just a short while ago and already have two sales. I've stopped using tabmade.etsy.com. I wanted to concentrate on getting my actual name out there, ya know? Also me and some good ceramics friends put together an exhibition of our work last spring and I'll have pics of that soon. But I won't be using this blog anymore, except to let you all know when the new one is up and running. I have missed you all! I hope at least some of you are still out there to read this, haha. I feel like I've been under a rock.

I'm still here!

2009-10-25T22:45:00.002-05:00

I've not updated in so long! Life is moving right along. I got a job that I will be carpooling to with a friend, which is such awesome news for me. I start on the 1st. Now I can officially move out of Columbia KY and live up here by campus with a good friend. When she moves out in January I will take over her apartment. I can make my work in the ceramics studio on campus and all will be well in the long run. I have decided to make a new Etsy under my actual name for my ceramics work. It will be a little bit before that happens, I'm still working on details and such. So yeah, that's what up for now. I've just now gotten my computer up here with me so I'll try not to neglect you anymore, haha. Maybe I'll bring my camera to the studio tomorrow and show ya what I've been working on. :)

25% off sale!

2009-09-29T20:55:00.003-05:00

I'm having my first big sale in my shop right now. Now through Monday the 5th, EVERYTHING is 25% off. :)

Treat yourself to some pretties to celebrate Autumn. The weather has been amazing!

Am I ever going to have a kiln?

2009-09-26T12:09:00.003-05:00

I've been avoiding this post because I have to tell everyone that I still haven't been able to get my kiln. Something about someone going out of business so now one of the parts that is used in the kiln is more money, making the kiln over $500. So I still don't have enough. Sad day. And yes I've checked craigslist and ebay over and over and over. They do not have what I need.
I go back to Richmond really soon to house sit again though, so I will be job hunting hard core in an effort to finally move there. Then I won't need a kiln right away since I can work in the studio on campus. Yay. :)
In good new, I do have two new photo's up in my photo Etsy.

Unrequited

The Conversation

I'll have a kiln soon!

2009-09-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

Finally, holy crap. I made enough money from demonstrating at the pottery festival to get a small test kiln. It will be this one:

That is all for now. Tomorrow I have a 25 pound block of porcelain to reconstitute. :p

Pottery Festival

2009-09-05T09:04:00.004-05:00

So, apparently these last few weeks of "putting all my effort into Etsy" has turned into just making things for the upcoming pottery festival. Oh well. Anything that doesn't sell there I will probably put on Etsy, so no worries.
These are pictures I took of the ceramics studio here at the university a couple of years ago. I almost forgot I had them. Thought I would share.

If your in Kentucky you can come to the pottery festival the 12th and 13th of this month in Richmond. It's on Lancaster Ave, right next EKU's campus. You wouldn't be able to miss it, but if you need directions, just send me a message or something. :) I'll be one of the demonstrators for the festival, come say hi. There is also a Kids Fest going on at the same time, right next to the Pottery Festival.

Happy Week: Happy Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat

2009-08-22T18:33:00.006-05:00

I know, I know. I slacked on happy week. :( That makes me...not happy, haha. But I will make up for the four days I've missed, and today, all in one post.
Also, I'm glad you all enjoyed my musical selections! And also that some of you got to hear some music you've not heard before. That makes me happy! heehee

#1 My doggies make me very very happy. :) And since I've been away at Mary's, making things and house sitting, I've missed them lots.

Zazz

Soup

#2 The piano makes me very veeery happy. I'm pretty good at learning music on my own, but I really want lessons some day. I love that Mary has a piano. I've been pecking at it for like two weeks now. I'm too afraid to play on it like I'd like though, for fear of the neighbors hearing me, haha. (she lives in an apartment)

LukeRoberts

#3 Uploading new things to my Etsy makes me happy. :) This is something I just uploaded. It may be new to you, but it's been waiting to be listed for months now, haha. :9

Carnival II - Three strand polymer clay necklace

Disclaimer: I know it doesn't match that shirt, but I didn't feel like changing at the time of this photo.

#4- Completed to-do lists!

Carissa GoodNCrazy

If only that one were mine!! Except maybe the math. ;D But nonetheless, this blog post concludes my to-do list for the day. And that's a feeling I don't get all too often. It most definitely makes me oh so happy. :)

Happy Week: Happy Tuesday!

2009-08-18T19:27:00.002-05:00

If I couldn't be an artist, I'd want to be a musician. Well, I want to play music regardless, but, ya know... anyways. Here are my five favorite bands/singer-songwriters, which all make me very very happy. Picking just one video for each of these to share is HARD because I want to strap you all down and make you listen/watch them all. But I can't do that. :9 So here we go:

The Smashing pumpkins have been my absolute favorite band since I was about 12 years old. That's over a decade. D: They have sooo many visually amazing videos, so ignore what I said about just one video per person because for them I can't help posting more than that.

Tonight, Tonight - One of my favorite videos ever made

Stand Inside Your Love

I wanted to share more but so many of the youtube videos don't allow embedding these days. :(

Joanna Newsom - I love her equally to the Pumpkins. Her earlier vocals are somewhat of an acquired taste, but she's gotten more...control over the past few years, haha.

Ok, screw what I said about one video. I don't expect everyone to watch all of these anyways, I might as well do what I want, haha.

Fiona Apple - <3

Fast As You Can live with Nickel Creek (I love it when artists mess up a bit! Reminds you they are human too...and it's funny.)

Extraordinary Machine

Regina Spektor - Her new album is awesome

Blue Lips

And Eisley!! :D None of their official videos are on youtube anymore. :(

And that's that. If you've watched more than one or two of those, yay for you. :) Unless you hated them....sad day. :(

Happy week: Happy Monday!!!

2009-08-17T15:18:00.003-05:00

Happy week starts now! :D

isofoto

Color makes me very happy.....

stoopidgerl

....Buddhas make me happy. :)

curiousgirllisa

...and airy, clean spaces with lots of natural light are essential to my happiness. I don't get enough of them.

Design Sponge

Next week is happy week

2009-08-12T22:14:00.003-05:00

Next week I'm participating in Curious Girl's Happy Week. :) From her blog: "starting Monday, post a photo (yours or otherwise) and words on your blog about one thing (person, idea, thought, etc.) that makes you happy each day through Saturday.

If you go tell her you want to participate, she will put you on her blog roll thingy. :)
I've been wanting to make an effort to post more and this will be a good reason to. Yay!

Giving the job hunt a break, giving Etsy and my mental well being a kick in the ass.

2009-08-07T12:12:00.005-05:00

Sorry if I've not replied to your comments much recently. I've been in a self loathing funk and haven't been being as productive as I should be. (am I ever?)
My job hunting has taken a zillion different directions just over the past week, but I think I have it settled. At least for now. My frazzled brain noise went as follows:
Relying on the fact that the owner of the local Chinese restaurant is interested in hiring me as soon as the kids that currently work there head back to school. There are pro's and con's to this that I won't get into.
I then had an overwhelming feeling that I need to get out of this town already, and searched online for jobs up by campus where I graduated. Then I could keep working in the studio (cause the teachers are awesome and let us grads use the facilities) and get and early start on my recently acquired 5 year plan. But the job I found (which was art related!) is only part time and I wouldn't be making enough to even split rent with Mary, who I would be moving in with. Other job options I racked my brain over ended up not being good ideas either. Bummer. :(
Then I started getting pretty miserable that all this job hunting made me feel like I was giving up on Etsy. And that was not a good feeling. I decided that taking time out to stay with Mary and work in the campus studio for a couple of weeks would be a good idea. The boy also made me feel better by reminding me that I could really use that studio time to make things for the pottery festival next month, and holy crap is he right. Then two weeks turned into three since Mary will be heading off to Penland later this month (lucky her! :D ) and could really use me to house sit and feed her kitties for her again.
I think this will be a really good thing for me to really focus hard on not only getting things made for the pottery festival, but giving my Etsy a good kick in the bum, and try to get my sales back off the ground. I really want to give it all I have for the next three weeks (and beyond of course). No procrastinating. I look forward to it being refreshing, and helping me get my positive attitude back. And hopefully after the festival in September, I can finally afford that small kiln I so disparately need.

In unrelated news, my dreadies have been looking wonderful lately. They are long enough for me to tuck under my head bands and wraps now (well, most of them,haha). It looks rather nice. :)

Oh hey :)

Shroom in Bloom

2009-07-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

After a good rain, all different kinds of mushrooms begin popping up all over where I live. :)

Shroom in Bloom at The Understory

Hope you are having a zen-filled weekend

2009-07-26T15:32:00.001-05:00

1. Bokeh Buddha - Hong Kong, 2. Toy Buddha, 3. Buddha, 4. The Buddha, 5. Vitarka-mudra, 6. Buddha with a View, 7. Buddha under a Tree, 8. garden buddha, 9. Ko Samui, Thailand, 10. Untitled, 11. Happy Buddha, 12. Buddha Zen Garden, 13. Shrine, 14. Reclining Buddha, 15. ~ take your peace wherever you may find it ~, 16. Buddha Statue, 17. tiny green buddha., 18. Smiling Green Buddha Face, 19. The Pink Buddha of Lao, 20. my Buddy Buddhi, 21. Buddha in my garden, 22. Garden Buddha # 2, 23. Zen, 24. blue buddha, 25. blue buddha

Mugs a hobbit would die for

2009-07-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

I'm finally getting around to listing the tree mugs I made while staying with Mary and visiting the studio. I prefer to refer to them as the mugs a hobbit would die for. :) I have a few more to list, but here are the two I have listed today.

View listing and more photos here.

Photo's from Mary's

2009-07-18T10:48:00.003-05:00

When I house sat for my awesome friend Mary last month, I stayed an extra week when she got back and we got dolled up with leaves in out hair and took photos in her backyard. :)

I want to go back. :( I miss her and her kitties. And being close to the studio at school.

The black one is Neko, the other is Wilco. :) I more to post later, and I need to ask her is she care is I post her pic too.

Time to defunk

2009-07-16T09:49:00.004-05:00

I've been in a sort of funk lately, and as a result haven't been posting much. A funk of being flat broke and unsuccessfully looking for a job, and being angry, bitter, and frustrated about the whole ordeal. It's very demotivating! And it's turned my brain into a whole bundle of negative thoughts to the point where even watching certain things on television will set me off into a bad day because I will go into fits of jealousy over the stupidest thing, such as the home makeover or house hunting shows, or even people winning things on the Price is Right. It's really pathetic and not the kind of person I really am, or want to be. And I really believe that being negative and feeling sorry for yourself only brings more bad things to you. So it's time to get rid of the funk. It won't happen overnight, but I'm trying.
I finally have a new photo posted on The Understory.

Warm Buddha

I have been reading a lot on Buddhism and enjoying it.
Now I'm off to start defunking!

1 year and 7 months of dreads

2009-07-05T18:48:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share that the 4th was my 1 year and 7 month anniversary of having dreadlocks. :) They've come a long way, I'm really proud of them. I can't wait for them to get really long.

House Sitting, and a giveaway!

2009-06-27T10:54:00.003-05:00

I've been house sitting for a friend of mine while she is out of town. Been feeding her kitties, watering plants, and driving her car (woot!). Since she lives by campus that means I've gotten to get in the studio and make stuff. :D I can't wait to post the mugs I've been making. Anywho,

There's a fantastic giveaway at Sweet Bead Studio where you can win these awesome prizes:

I especially want that hammer *drool*. Go enter! I have some pretty pics to post but I'm procrastinating. Also, YESTERDAY WAS MY 25TH BIRTHDAY!!! YAY ME! :D
See ya again soon!

Ceramic pod pendants are back. Also, vote for me!

2009-06-17T19:29:00.003-05:00

I'm uploading some more of my ceramic pod pendants this evening. So far just one is up but there will be a few more shortly.
I've entered n "Etsy worthy" photo contest over at Timothy Adam's blog and would be soooo grateful if you all voted for my photo. The direct link to vote for me is right here. And the link to the whole contest is right here. This is the photo I entered:

Thank you so much if you vote for me. Also if you are going to enter it yourself let me know! I'd love to vote for you too. :D

Post storm walk

2009-06-16T13:23:00.007-05:00

I walk around my block just about every evening an hour or so before dark for exercise and the peacefulness of it. Living in the country right outside of town is nice and full of birds chirping and cows mooing and taking my walk is my favorite time of the day. I go around the block 4 times which is apx 3.2 miles.
A couple of weeks ago a storm had just cleared and the clouds and atmosphere was amazing. I wish I would have gotten my camera out sooner, but I still managed to get some pics of my walk that evening.

There was another, closer, larger cloud like this before I grabbed my camera that had a striking resemblance to a giant pie. :9

LOVE those huge post-storm cumulus clouds.

I don't walk up the dirt path, it's 'no trespassing' territory. But I'm quite curious to see whats up there. I think I'll Google earth it later, haha.

I wish you could see the fog rising up from the street in some of these photos.

Ipod cord :9

I hope there are many more moments like this as the summer progresses, and that I can get some more shots to do it some justice.

Huge bead givaway at Silverparrotdesigns blog!

2009-06-11T09:36:00.003-05:00

Check out the huge bead giveaway from silverparrotdesigns! She's giving away a huge box of destashed beads to a lucky winner.

That box is overflowing! And look at these beautiful genuine emerald beads.

Go check out her blog and get in on this. Or don't, cause then I have a better chance of winning, haha. XD

Better luck next time

2009-06-10T11:53:00.005-05:00

So I participated in Kentucky's 400 mile sale which was Wednesday through Sunday. But the first two days it rained (Thursday was freezing!) so there wasn't that much traffic until Friday. And there was apparently at least two other big events going on in town that prevented the sale from attracting as much people as it usually does also. This is supposed to be fixed next year so maybe I'll have better luck then. Also the economy doesn't help at all. And the fact that I had never even heard of the 400 mile sale until this year and even though it's labeled as mainly 'antiques and collectibles', it's mostly yard sale type of stuff. I was about the only art/craft type booth there. I only made back half of my booth fee. :( But at least I thought my little table was nice looking, and I got a lot of compliments on my things. Several people took down my Etsy address also. Here's what my table looked like the first two or three days. eventually I had some batiked silk scarves hanging all around and I also strung some pendants of mine up on a branch I found down the street that I suspended from the top inside of the tent. It was very pretty. :D

Clcik these for a better look. I painted my own sign. It looks kinda messed up here because it's before I had it hung on the bars of the tent instead of stretched. also when the weather improved I rolled up the two front corners of the tent to make more room for people to view my goods.

Who is that cutie in the chair? :D haha That vase is made by me and I had planned on selling it, but I need to fix the places where some of those feathery parts have gotten chipped off first.

I've started putting these in my shop. although they will be $12, not $10. I always make things a little bit cheaper at shows like this because I get afraid that people around here will think I charge too much (even though I'm usually undercharging) because they usually don't understand the work that goes into these things.
Painted my own cork board and cut the backs these are pinned to from scrapbook paper.

I made that bracelet holder from the Styrofoam you get by the fake flowers, dowel rod, and some fabric.

Hopefully I'll start having some luck at these sort of things soon! At least I got some funnel cake! haha

Paper Macheing a Bust

2009-06-09T10:12:00.008-05:00

I'm back from a long 5 day festival. Well, it wasn't really a festival, just a big sale, but I'll talk about it in the next day or so.
I'm finally going to post about how I made my own paper mache bust form, which was pretty successful. :)

Supplies: newspaper, flour, water, table salt, tape (preferably masking tape), and paint.

I took a bunch of free auto sales papers from IGA.

Start balling it up!

I didn't have masking tape at the moment, so had to settle with what I had. Notice the bite marks compliments of my dog Soup.

Start taping those balls together to begin the general shape.

This was the base. I would build up from here.

Keep going...

Finally got some masking tape! This makes it so much easier. Here you can see where I was beginning to form the neck and shoulders.

Skip ahead a little to see it really start taking its shape. I had trouble with boob placement, haha.

I ended up cutting off some of the bulk with a kitchen knife and tried again. In these pics it seems to look better the first time, but it's just the angle of the the photo.

Then on to the back.

And tape it up.

After taping it all up, I was ready to start adding the paper mache.

I looked up the recipe for this and it ended up being a lot simpler than I thought it was. Just flour and water! Some people may use wall paper paste, or elmers. I guess it's just a personal preference. I stuck to the basics. I read to add about a teaspoon or two of salt to the mix to prevent molding later on. Just mix the flour and water into a thick soup/thin paste consistency. Some like to measure it out certain ways but I try to keep things simple, haha.

After covering your strips one at a time with the goop and squeegeeing it a bit with your fingers, you can start applying them to your piece. I like how the middle of this says 'save money'. :D

I read not to use more than four layers. I guess it can get a little icky and mildew ridden if you put on too much since it may not dry properly. What I would do to dry it quickly was between a couple of layers, I would put it in the bathroom. Then I would blast my space heater in there with the door closed. It gets pretty sweltering in there when I do that, and it dries out really quickly.

Then you are ready to paint!

I painted mine white first to sort of prime it.

Then I painted it a soft yellow because I knew what necklace I was going to put on it, and I thought it would look nice. I think a nice maroon would have looked good too, but my table was going to be maroon and I wanted it to stand out. Plus I had more yellow and white paint than red. :9

This was the finished product on my table! Looks pretty nice. :) I do think my neck is just a litle too big though, but not a big deal.

Those boxes you see I painted myself also. I was going to include them with certain necklaces of mine but the sale didn't really go all that well. (I will more than likely put them in my shop this week) :/ I'll post about all that later though, along with more pics of my table.

Feel free to ask me any questions about my paper mache adventure. :)

Taking a short break

2009-05-30T02:33:00.004-05:00

Oh gentle readers (ha!), I know you are waiting for me to post my paper mache bust process (which went well by the way), but I am so worried that I will not have as much for my upcoming booth as I'd like, that taking time off from creating just to blog my paper mache adventure would make me feel guilty. At the same time I feel guilty for not posting here as regularly lately. Woe is me! So I'm just going to wait until after the festival to get that, along with other things, posted. Then I can hopefully get back into the swing of things.
Since the things in my Etsy shop will be going in my booth for the festival, I'll be closing my Etsy from June 3rd-7th.
In other news, I just applied to my local Walmart. Depressing, yet exciting at the same time, haha.
Depressing:

It's Walmart
Bad reputations as employers
Giving in and trying to get a "regular" job after graduating college makes me feel like a failure, even though I know that I'm most definitely not.

Exciting:

A regular paycheck, holy crap!
I will definitely be able to finally get a kiln
and a car! Man do I ever need a car.
And can start getting out of debt and fix my credit score

Ok it is 3:30am, I should probably get to bed. See you in a little over a week!
Watch/listen to this in the meantime. Not a new Eisley song, but pobably my new favorite Eisley song.