greenpepperpressblog

Michelle Ward/GreenPepperPress Blog

  • It’s been a year….and it’s been a year!

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    Literally, it has been a year since I blogged.  But what a year it's been.  I'm pleased to be finally set up in my studio. In the previous house I had all my books, my business, my computer, and my art supplies all in one space.  In this house I have an office for my computer and business, a library for all our books, and a studio that is just a studio.  Took a while to get everything organized but I'M WORKING IN THERE!!!  I'm a lucky girl.

    Whether there was an imposed quarantine or not, being home it just the ticket for me on any given day.  My plan for 2020 was to get back on here and become a regular poster.  It's mid-March and I've finally carved out a few minutes.  At least it's still Winter, though only for a couple more days.  You'd never guess it….our flowering trees are blooming, the sunny days are gorgeous.  It's 50-something now and will be in the 70s this week.  

    Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

    I always like to say:  Be Well and Behave.  Now I really really mean it….behave so you can be well.

    See you again soon.  XOXO

  • Happy St. Patrick’s Day

    We have our green on…and are getting the green food ready.  Some salad, some pesto on pasta, green jello (jigglers), and of course, some mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Sam always remind me of the menu.  Just making a quick run to the liquor store for some Guinness and Baileys.  

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    Things are coming along in the new house.  Lots of little projects completed and a few more big ones in the works.  Soon my studio contents will be released from storage.  Can't wait to get set up.  I miss my stuff!

    Hope you have a great day!  Be well and behave.

     

     

  • checking in and catching up

    My last post was Halloween?  Next week is New Years?  My oh my how time has flown.  It's not like I've been slacking….the past two months have been a whirlwind.  Let me catch up by saying a belated Happy Thanksgiving, a belated Happy Birthday to my favorite rock star (I post every year here), and a belated Merry Christmas.  We'll be sending out cards late this year – but we have a good excuse. The news from here is that we are in the process of buying a home in south Jersey.  Graham started a new job and has been commuting home on weekends or we visit him at his temporary digs.  If all goes as planned we will be leaving this home that we've loved for twenty years and will begin adventures at a new address.  It will be our sixth move as a family – while still stressful it is so much easier now that the kids are grown – they've been a terrific help in packing and prepping this home for a sale.  

    A big step in our process is getting my studio contents into storage.  That happens next week.  Ack!!!  So I have to put Green Pepper Press on vacation mode for a few months.  Anticipated reopening is February.  It's likely you won't hear much from me until then.  I've got a lot to do!  I'll say it now, a little early, so I can cross one more thing off my to-do list:  Happy New Year and cheers to a wonderful 2019!!

     

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  • H.H.!!!

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    Feels funny to post about Halloween since my last entry was about Christmas ornaments.  We had a gorgeous day here so it was surprising that we had less trick-or-treaters than usual.  Perhaps the dumpster in our driveway scared them off.  I'm sad that this will be the last Halloween in this neighborhood and in this house.  You know what's really frightening?  Packing up a home you've lived in for twenty years.  OnWARD to new adventures!

  • new article – nov/dec somerset studio

    It's a beautiful Fall day and it's hard to imagine that two months from today it will be Christmas.  In July I felt like I was in a time warp as my mornings in the studio were spent making these ornaments, then by afternoon I was floating around the in pool. It was weird to channel the holidays while wearing my flip flops.  That's the nature of working for a publication.  This week I'm in the middle of a project that you won't see until February.  In case you haven't heard, Somerset Studio is moving to quarterly for 2019.  In a time where we've learned that Stampington has retired a number of publications, and that Cloth, Paper, Scissors has closed it's doors, I am grateful to still have this creative platform.  I've been a fan and reader of Somerset since the inaugural issue in 1997.

     

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    With a handful of inexpensive supplies, you are poised to make a host of ornaments.  Spend and afternoon with a friend, sharing your materials, and you'll have plenty of glittering globes to give away.  

    Here's a sneak peek of my article that appears in the November/December Somerset Studio: 

    Michelle Ward HandCrafted Ornaments Somerset Studio

     

    Do you remember making similar pinned-sequin-ornaments as a kid?  Chime in and tell us about it.

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  • We Three Kings – new article

    The September/October issue of Somerset Studio just arrived, which means it will be at your favorite retail store soon (also available online at Stampington.com). When they announced the theme of Art Doll Extravaganza I had no idea that I would actually heed the call. But I've always wanted to investigate the Three Kings and so what started as a plan to work flat with layers of paper turned into polymer clay sculpture.  I love PC as a medium, but definitely stepped out of my comfort zone when I embarked on these pieces. There were many casualties in the process, which led to better solutions and improvising on the fly.  Don't you love when that happens?  In the previous post I showed you my stencil on clay – that became the garment on Caspar.

    Michelle Ward Three Kings title

    You can read more about these guys in the issue – here's a peek at the article for my column, Make It Your Own.

    Michelle Ward Three Kings Somerset Studio

    If you're a regular reader you have seen my Nativity set, complete with the Wise Men.  Even though I love the collection, I've been interested in making my own Three Kings ever since seeing The Little Drummer Boy when I was a kid.  I'm so thrilled to finally have these guys completed and have so many new ideas for polymer clay!  

  • sneak peek

    Back in May I began what became an ambitious project.  Starting with much different plans, the thing took on a life of its own and eventually morphed into using a familiar medium in a new way.  I will show you the results tomorrow.  Below is a sneak peek where I used my Damask stencil, rolled across it for an impression, then dusted with gold powder.  LOVE how the powder sticks to the clay and stays there after baking.  

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    New-to-me:  using clay to mimic hands and faces.  Here's a peek at the hand process.  Stay tuned for the update on the finished pieces tomorrow.

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  • 5,256,000 minutes

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    We've been missing her for ten years……but feel so lucky to have had her with us for forty.

    *blows kisses to the sky*

  • stencils + stencils!

    So how cool is this?  A few months ago Lorna from Martha Stewart Living inquired about my Frond Collection stencils.  I've been waiting to hear about the results of the upcoming feature and found a copy of the magazine this week. (July/August issue).  It was such a thrill to see my own stencil line (GreenPepperPress.com) along with Mary Beth's (StencilGirlProducts.com) in the article.  The spread is also featured on the Martha Stewart website under DIY, see HERE.  It's so nice that on the site, and in the magazine, all sources are listed WITH the project – unlike the old days where you had to read the fine print in the back pages to find contact info.  

    Thanks Lorna + Martha!  Cool projects!

     

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    And in more stencil news – it's Mary Beth Shaw's birthday and she's throwing a party where you get to enjoy 14% off your stencil purchases today through Sunday (July 6, 7 8).  

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    All designs are on sale – you can find my designs HERE.

    Receive 14% OFF all StencilGirl stencil designs - Use code:  MBS14

    $100+ orders** CHOOSE 1 FREE Large STENCIL***
    ***You MUST put the L### in the comment box at checkout. Sorry, no exceptions.

    **6 of the same size 10% discount is applied first! $100+ orders post-discount.
    *Sale does not apply to wholesale accounts or StencilClub membership.

    The stencil sale begins July 6th and ends July 8th at 11:59 p.m. CST 

  • Happy 4th!

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