Ceramic Garden Project

So, this isn't something I did with students.  Although, I suppose you could.  See, my husband and I go to support group.  It's a group NO ONE wants to be in: a group for those of us who've lost a baby through stillbirth (check), miscarriage (check), or infant death (thank God, no check). And every year we have a holiday or post-holiday party.  We all bring something for everyone else to remember their babies (a Christmas ornament, little memento for the house, etc).  This year, I decided to make garden ornaments:

Most of them turned out exactly as I wanted.  The metal piece is some sort of roofing/tressle thing from Home Depot.  They cost 53 cents each.  I used leftover clay, rolling into slabs, then pressed pasta letters in and rolled a teeny bit more.  I then used a straw to make the holes, let them dry under books (to prevent warping while drying).  Fired, dipped in glaze, re-fired and wired to the metal (which already has the holes).  More photos:

 

 

 

I wrapped them all in simple brown craft paper and wrote who they were to with marker.  Unfortunately, Bad Kitty ripped several of them open overnight (we have Good Kitty, Old Kitty and Bad Kitty--good thing they're all cute).  Our party is tonight, so I'll be doing some re-wrapping this afternoon.

 

I was in a bit of a time-crunch waiting for people to RSVP, so I have NO TIME for re-dos, but I don't really like how the green glaze was so thick it pooled and didn't fill in the letters:

 

 

Oh, well, it's the thought that counts, I guess.  And there's nothing but warm thoughts and prayers for healing behind them.

 

I do think I'd make more of these.  They were fun, and easy and there's so many possibilities: for my vegetable garden, memorials for others (maybe in my Etsy shop?!), adding stamps (I thought I had a butterfly stamp for these, but I couldn't find it).  I'm sure all you creative art teachers could come up with so many other ideas around this.