Ever wish you could go back to high school art class to paint pottery and have it fired, or even for the first time? I found a few local places:
Mudslingers Pottery - Concord, NC
Pottery Place Studios - Concord, NC
Meg-art - Huntersville & Mooresville, NC

I visited Pottery Place Studios, which is near Concord Mills, on Saturday for a friend’s birthday outing. They had a wide range of small to large pottery ready to paint; including vases, containers, sculptures, tiles and more. The price includes the pottery, paint, and firing. They had a large tile of all the available colors to see what they look like after they’re fired with one and two coats. It was very easy to do even if you have never painted pottery before. It was very relaxing outing and something new and fun to do. Most of those places even have ladies’ night, parties, and classes.

I get to pick up the tile that I painted in a week, I hope it turns out how I imagined. I will upload a picture of the finished product once I have it.

I find so many awesome websites, sometimes very random, but I feel the need to share! I will come up with a list few of my favorite finds and post them near the end of each month. Enjoy!

stumbleupon.com - StumbleUpon discovers web sites based on your interests.

bubblecalendar.com - a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop everyday

weheartstuff.co.uk - an online lifestyle magazine dedicated to spotting the latest trends and hunting out the coolest new products, places, events and exhibitions.

charlottecultureguide.com - is the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region’s comprehensive, up-to-date website featuring arts and cultural events and attractions.

webdesignerwall.com - a wall of design ideas, web trends, and tutorials.

designmeltdown.com - design Elements, trends, and problems in web design

I have a love for big art. But it can be expensive, and I’m on a budget. Solution: Make my own.

First, I figured out what size would look good above my couch with keeping what I was going to paint in mind, took the measurements and headed to Lowe’s. I found some great cheap wood that was 2 x 2 x 96”, I used 2 to create my 30 x 60” frame, and had them cut it of course.

I found a photo of a tree in Charleston that I wanted to recreate with a modern look. I traced the photo in Illustrator, so I could easily simplify the photo (like color by numbers). Since, what I would be painting would be simple, I wanted to add some texture and depth. I found a nice ivory raised patterned fabric (I also used to recover my dining chairs). The paint came from what I had left over from painting other rooms and projects.

I would guesstimate that I spent about $3 wood + $19 fabric + $3 brushes = $25. I don’t think that’s too bad! The cheapest I’ve seen in stores is usually around $500; and it is not just about the price difference, but I got a personal piece of artwork I am proud of and it ties all of the colors of my place together.

I will upload the finished painting when I finish! ha