McCheek's Mayhem

Summer Camp Update

2011-10-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

Now that I have McCheek's Academy, where I teach mostly ceramics I really seem to have less time to do things like blog and upload photos to flickr, so I thought I would do a little post about my kids summer camps this year - as more of a reminder for me as much as anything else, even though it is so after the fact!

This year the title was Crafty Boot Camp and the kids came for a two week period, every morning and they made lots of clay projects in the first week and the second week was all a

bout finishing off the ceramics and working on designing and printing t shirts, see below.

They also learnt to do some simple origami boxes and first made their own stamps to print a pattern on the paper for the origami box.

They made books and bound them by sewing them together and they were allowed to choose their own topic on what to write or draw in the book, two of the girls decided to write both of their books about ' Miss Carole's Camp' all unprompted by me.

- Much to my pleasure I must say, this is the first page of one of them...

I also taught cross stitch for the first time, and wasn't even sure that I would remember it at all, but my training from the Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner school way back when did me proud, thanks to Mrs Sharman. We did a simple project which we ended up framing and they turned out really well.

New Book of my Photos

2011-07-15T18:16:00.004-05:00

I have to say I really am pretty obsessed with

taking photos, and since I got my Iphone

I rarely use my dslr.

There are so many good photos apps that

I use, but I do have trouble editing

( like anything in my life)

so its hard for me to decide which app

to use or which photo to share, or save.

I did manage to edit this lot of photos

to put in this book that I recently made

for my Mum's birthday,

and it is available on

Blurb to buy too!!

Days of My Life 2nd Edition by Carole F Smith | Make Your Own Book

Part Two of My Loot from Renegade Craft Fair

2011-05-28T17:26:00.003-05:00

I'm so glad I decided to get one of these bracelets, it was a hard choice to decide on the colour, so many to choose from but in the end pink won, I did try for the red with studs but wasn't to be. The girl from Thief and Bandit not only makes these but she also hand prints the material she uses, I was rather impressed by that.

My new wrap around skirt, I could live in wrap around skirts, this one is made from linen and handprinted too, from a crafty chick based in Austin - Craft Chi. Its brighter than the original one I wanted but i like it alot and it feels rather comfy to wear.

Talking of new skirts, the day I was leaving for Austin I got a text from Bronwyn of Freddie Barrett Designs to say she'd made me two new skirts, I'm extra happy with them and got to wear them at Renegade. Will get some photos of those soon.

I have to say that this painting of this cheeky bird has to be my favourite thing I got.

I ended up trading this for a Bird Nerd mug .

I had already bought cards from the Mincing Mockingbird so knew his work already and love the expressions on all the birds he paints. His listing descriptions on Etsy are great too.

Finally we got these coasters for Raya for looking after the cat menagerie, they had been printed during the Fair with a very nice small letterpress printer, but I don't know who made them? Woops.

The card below got me as I love shoes and trainers and the message inside is great, which I only discovered once I got home! But can't tell you what it is, check out Vrooooom to find out.

Showing off my 'loot' from Renegade Craft Fair

2011-05-25T23:44:00.001-05:00

Part of being at Renegade Craft Fair for me is selling and displaying my work and the rest is meeting people whose work I already know , buying from other makers and swopping work.

So this post is all about what loot I came back to Houston with.

First ,Sean bought me this tote bag made by FifiDuVie,which struck me with its simplicity and its just the sentiment I like

I picked this magnet from Pommes Frites booth by dipping my hand in to the stack and I think , no, I know I want to go to Sydney, so this is the start and I now have my magnet to remind me. Kristen made lots of fantastic stuff and her booth was beautiful too.

16 Sparrows made this packet of airmail stickers, and stamp gift tags and a free pencil too, thrown in the bag for good measure

I traded this chihuahua necklace( which you can hardly see in my photo) fromVerameat and Vera got a Bird Nerd mug and some mini owls, she also had lots of other rings that I wanted but most of them were too small for my big crafty fingers

I met Chris from Corky Saint Clair,and couldn't believe he came all the way to Renegade from Melbourne. This is one of his 'birdy' white perspex necklaces

........more loot showings tomorrow

Renegade Craft Fair

2011-05-16T13:02:00.004-05:00

I'm getting all prepped to go to the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend in Austin, been doing masses of work, frantically, and firing the kiln non stop, I even got up at 6am this morning for an early firing which is pretty unheard of for me, maybe I should do that more often as I've got loads done already.

Still got lots to do, but getting there and getting excited to see what else is there, and meet more like minded folks

I got more 70's vintage molds and decals and have cast new pieces and finished them off in the 'McCheek' way, even got the gold lustre out too, its real gold don't you know?

Tiki cup sets in orange and red and turquoise

Owl cookie jar and its little mates

......and of course we know that McCheek loves cats

Parcels come and go and come back again

2011-02-16T19:28:00.004-06:00

I had a funny thing happen last week, the milk jug that I sent on 17th October to Australia came back in the same box, unopened all wrapped up and in one piece, it had travelled to the other side of the world on a three month trip, shame it didn't get to see the sights of australia ( just like me)

It had been bought by a sweet woman in australia who, three weeks after buying it, contacted me and asked if I knew where it was, in the end I sent her another similar milk jug and it got there in good time.

I've never had a parcel go missing before, and I didn't think much more about it, until last week, when I checked over the address and realised I had forgotten to write the street name and number - woops, Carole, doh, :)

So sorry Lisa, for me being such a divvy!

Little Milk jug , back safely from its travels

At the end of last week, I realised I needed to get a valentine card for Sean, so I looked up Bread + Butter and found the one I wanted, I sent a little pleading note to them to see if they could get it to me in time for Monday 14th, I got a sweet note back saying she had taken it to the post office that night, and .... it arrived in time, on the right day, in a brown hard back envelope with lots of stamps (my favourite) on it. Sean was very pleased and said it was beautiful ! - I love their word pressed cards.

(the picture has T Bones paw in the corner- incase you were wondering)

The other parcel I got last week was from Anja Mulder, she takes the most amazing still life photographs and had some made into postcards, I had ordered some and they arrived beautifully packaged all the way from Holland

this is her photo below packing them up

Part two of 365 Photo Project

2011-01-11T22:25:00.008-06:00

I'm posting the second half of the year of my 365 Project and we're now into the second

week of January 2011 and I feel like I'm missing something from my life, because it had really become a good habit to remember to take 'that photo' every day .

I havn't yet made the commitment to even start the project late, not that it really needs to be started at any particular time, as I'm not sure I want to do that exact project again, perhaps something different, like a photo of myself every day (could be cringey) or make something every day like Noah Scalin tells us about, which is very inspiring , but extremely daunting too, and I'm tempted, but if I'm brutally honest, I'm scared of the commitment for that one too.

I'm extremely indecisive this week, so maybe next week I'll take the plunge and go for another 365 'something'.

Does anyone have any suggestions they can throw my way?

A photo a day for a whole year - Part One

2011-01-09T20:19:00.003-06:00

Well I finally finished my year of taking one photograph each day - my 365 Project.

It wasn't just about taking a photo a day, but making it a meaningful photo every day, something that would remind me of that day when I looked back at it and something

to record a feeling or event that happened.

Some days it was really easy and some days it was hard to be inspired, overall it was a really enjoyable project, and I only cheated ( forgot to take a photo on a particular day, and added one from a different day ) a few times through out the 365 days. I like most of the photos but not all of them were something I would have posted if it hadn't been for the project.

I started the year just using my Nikon D50 , but I got my iphone in late january which helped to give me some good 'vintagey' looking shots with the many apps that I've become obsessed with.

I am posting the first five 36 grouped photos and will post the rest in my next blog post.

I was going to explain some of them , but I have trouble editing my thoughts and feelings, so I'll leave that to you .

All the titles are in my flickr set of the project.

Sweet Girl

2010-11-26T20:15:00.002-06:00

I took some photos of Marisa Avelar's wonderful wreathes, gnome scenes and shadow boxes as part trade for her helping me out so much designing my website and postcards.

She really gets my aesthetic and I get hers too!

She collects lots of vintage toys and decorations and pieces them all together with lots of loving care!

I recently got shown round her studio and she has organized boxes with 'gnomes' and 'mushrooms', etc. I really wanted to look through all those labelled boxes, but I restrained myself, Marisa did give me a very sweet little bambi that may have to appear in my christmas cards this year. Her studio is a treasure trove of vintage kitsch and cuteness

Sucker for a bit of Faux Wood

2010-11-16T23:16:00.003-06:00

Yes, I am a sucker for faux wood, and I just made these new planters, the plants seem a bit fragile to send so I havn't added them to my Etsy shop, but will be selling them at craft fairs over the next few weeks.

This one is made with fig leaves from the tree that I grew from a little branch that I got in San Antonio a few years ago. I'm enjoying making the new slab pots which have come about from teaching people how to make them in my classes

This little one is my favourite, but the worst photo of the lot! red and turquoise is always a good match

2010-10-31T16:01:00.003-05:00

The weather is getting cooler, it feels like autumn is finally here, had the windows open today which is a rare thing in Houston, sun streaming in, lovely

I have had such a busy week and more ahead too.

Dj ing for Tina's fundraiser - got me in such a great mood

Designing tiles for the bathrooms of the new cafe - Black Hole

Making some new work for the Craft Fair this weekend

and

She's a Pistol at T'afia

Halloween - dressed up as my Dad, moustache and all

Busy, busy, busy like a bee

McCheek's Stuff

2010-10-18T17:45:00.004-05:00

This last week has been a busy one, with McCheek's Academy and various other new things including taking photos for Houston Dairymaids which was a pleasure to do and I got some delicious cheese to take home too, I love that place and they have the best cheeses.

We also got a great feature on our house over at Casa Sugar too which was muy bueno.

Life with our newest cat Bobby is pretty crazy, but this is one of the fewer peaceful moments with her big brother Bones.

I love my new desk setup at the top of the stairs, it really is my space , still needs a little organising but that'll happen soon.

Me and the cats can check out the birds outside the window.

Review of Clay and Cabernet

2010-10-11T13:15:00.003-05:00

Clay and Cabernet got its first review today on The Height's Life blog!!!

See it here

New work at Hello Lucky

2010-10-07T20:50:00.003-05:00

My new schedule is kicking my ass - well its my poor time management that is. I love my new work life and am finding it really inspiring, but there isn't quite enough time in each day for all my to - do's. I will get there though, and promise I will keep trying to manage my time better!

In the meantime I will LOVE THE LIFE I LIVE and LIVE THE LIFE I LOVE - a saying from my very dear friends Rhonda and Chris

These are all pieces that I took into Hello-Lucky and I have just uploaded more to my etsy shop too. Millie needed to get in on the action when i was taking photos.

Update

2010-09-13T13:23:00.004-05:00

All my classes are going really well so far, the kids have made cats, fruit, plates, hand aprints and have gleefully got their hands dirty in the clay.

The adults at Clay and Cabernet have drunk wine and made planters, door signs, tiles, wine glass markers, cheese plate, plates, coasters.

The pic is of mother and daughter duo Tara and Elliot with planter and plate in hand.

I've also been doing some photo shoots for Hello - Lucky - my favourite shop in the Heights and Yeti Sunshine - fabulous snow cone makers.

McCheek's Academy

2010-08-12T08:17:00.003-05:00

I'm very excited about my new venture - McCheek's Academy , teaching kids and adults ceramics in the studio next door- now that I have registered the name it seems even more real. Marisa sent me the first look at the webpage last night, its very 'McCheeky'.

The kids made some really creative slab pots this week and I can't wait to see what the little ones( 3 year olds ) make today

Bird Nerd Mug Giveaway

2010-07-27T09:05:00.004-05:00

City of Dionne is doing a feature on my work and a giveaway, click here to win this Bird Nerd Mug - saying what kind of slogan you'd like to see on a mug!

Poppytalk Oil Spill Response Market

2010-07-07T20:05:00.004-05:00

Check out Poppytalk Handmade online market this month, its a special one that benefits the Oil Spill in the Gulf.

Each person who is in the market is giving the cost of at least one piece to Oxfam to help go towards the fundraising.

Teaching Kindergarten

2010-07-03T08:40:00.004-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the ceramics Bug project I did with a group of 21 three to five year olds this week, how come I was the only one who got paint on herself, note to self, don't wear your favourite new skirt next time!

The kids loved it too, they got to choose a bug image and transcribe it onto wet clay, I then fired them all and they painted them and fitted them with string so they can be hung on the wall

Fourth Chunk of 365 Photos

2010-06-29T18:46:00.003-05:00

a photo a day for a whole year, the latest chunk

House Feature on Paper n Stitch

2010-06-24T08:46:00.003-05:00

I was very happy that Brittni from Paper n Stitch featured our house on her blog yesterday, you can see it here

Summer Ceramics Camp

2010-06-02T23:56:00.003-05:00

I got my flier done for the Summer Ceramics Camp for kids, starting soon at the McCheek's Mansion

Loot from Renegade Craft Fair

2010-05-21T08:58:00.005-05:00

I had a fantastic time at Renegade Craft Fair, I sold my ceramics and also bought and traded lots of 'loot' from crazy talented and creative people

It was so nice to be around such a big group of 'my people', I felt quite at home and realise I need to do this kind of thing more often . I got to meet and chat with lots of them as I wandered around

The first thing I got bought ( by my lovely husband) was this fantastic skirt made from vintage polyester fabric by a sweet orange haired girl going by the name of Orangyporangy

I traded this fantastic necklace with Danielle Maveal, I finally got my kind of rock, I'm not a traditional diamond gal, this suits me way better

I also traded this vintage french alcohol label necklace from Lucky Me Beads, and the beautiful bird necklace made from a vintage eye glass lens , Whitney's was the most beautiful set up, using old bird cages and vintage metal displays.

I have seen these T towels before online and been wanting to get some for a while, they are made by The Heated

I'm going to make a list of all the great stuff above starting from left top corner going clockwise

Japanese Polka Dot Tape - Tinted Mint

French Liquor Label Necklace - Lucky Me Beads

Texas Produce Calendar - Krank Press

(below calendar) Ceramic Rings - Lusterbunny

Cat Wallet -Eleven Eleven

Diamond Necklace - Danielle Maveal

Mistakes I've Made Postcard Set - Miss Natalie

Postcard - Your Secret Admiral

You Are Amazing - Hello-Lucky

Bird Eyeglass Lens Pendant - Lucky Me Beads

You and Me its Love Card - Rar Rar Press

Thank You Notecards - Your Secret Admiral

Hen Card - Krank Press

Do It card - Rar Rar Press

Cup Cake Stand and Cactus Cups

2010-05-13T20:05:00.004-05:00

I unpacked new work out of the kiln this morning, its been a hive of activity here at McCheek's Mayhem headquarters, and very hot with the texas weather plus the heat of the kiln! So I've essentially created my own sweatshop, with me doing all the sweating.

This 'cactus in a cup' is made using cups that didn't quite make the grade as a functional cup ; ie seconds, I fired on the' I love cactus' ( I know its not grammaticaly correct but couldn't say cacti, because I don't think it sounds right) and ... drilled holes in the bottom and gave a new home to a cactus

This mug is a one off so far, testing Marisa's great idea of using gold lustre on the handle, it came out sooo shiny, but I will be making more after this weekend, I like shiny!

And last but not least, a Cup Cake stand, using two tiered vintage plates with ceramic decal words fired on - so Super, Yummy, Delicious

I have been wanting to make one of these for ages, and finally found the parts.

its so wrong though , I've mixed gold and silver, posh and punk, and to top it all off I got one scary looking cup cake from Kroger, would have gone to Crave if i'd had time, those cup cakes are delicious

anyway, these will all be on sale at the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend, along with all the usual Bird Nerd mugs and bowls.

Renegade Craft Fair in Austin

2010-05-04T22:34:00.002-05:00

getting lots of work done for this, been in the studio glazing today, more tomorrow, kiln on Thursday, austin here we come!

With Hello-Lucky and Mayhem Junior.

Mosaic 3 of 365 Project

2010-04-28T00:05:00.004-05:00

a photo a day for 365 days is harder than you might think, some days its easy peasy, but other days the inspiration isn't there, but i'm treating it like a visual diary of 2010

New Cheaper Mugs areReady

2010-04-22T22:00:00.005-05:00

I have just got the new 'cheaper range 'of my mugs back and they'll be for sale very soon in my Etsy shop

I wanted to have something that would be more affordable as well as my more unique one off shapes that I make

this one is called 'pussy party' with images of cats on stamps all around it

this is the Yummy mug I've been wanting to make for ages

I also have the Bird Nerd one with images of brightly coloured birds that I got from my pal Poppy

New Cactus Gardens

2010-04-12T22:55:00.003-05:00

I was planning to be in my studio today, but did all sorts of delaying tactics and only stayed in there for about 15 minutes in the end.I did infact make some cactus gardens, I realised I just didn't want to be hemmed in , in my studio.

So I got my leather gardening gloves on and made these cactus gardens in the ceramic bowls I made.

They'll be available in my shop very soon

second chunk of 365 photos

2010-03-23T16:46:00.003-05:00

I've just got back from my trip to scotland and england and have been keeping a strict record of my photos to upload for my 365 project, I found that I was a bit more self conscious taking photos over there, not wanting to appear like a tourist or something!

An Elephant Never Forgets

2010-03-01T13:10:00.004-06:00

I just finished another elephant, this time a ceramic one for The Rhonda Kuhlman Art Exchange in San Antonio, Texas.

Rhonda was a really good friend of mine and talented artist who died too young ,in September 2009 .

I met her in the early 90's when she came to London and did an exchange with my then flatmate, Joel Tomlin, who was at Chelsea Art College.

She stayed in my flat with me for three months, and a couple of years later I had my first trip to America where Rhonda, Chris and I did a road trip from Texas to Oregon.

We later shared booths at the New York and San Francisco Gift Shows, with her business Recycled Works ( making everything from recycled vintage bottle caps) and mine at the time- Candy's Chandies- lights and chandeliers.

I met Sean, my husband through her and ended up in Texas living with him, and three hours from Rhonda.

The art exchange is taking place in her town, San Antonio, for friends of Rhonda's and I'll end up getting a piece of work that someone else made, which I'm excited about as, Rhonda had lots of great artist friends.

The piece itself has lots of details on it that were particular to Rhonda

Jimmy Jumbo Knitted Elephant

2010-02-24T19:11:00.005-06:00

I have just finished a few weeks of knitting this little stuffed toy elephant - Jimmy Jumbo.

Thoroughly back into knitting now, but this is a one off made as a present for my Dad who collects elephants. I don't think I could make knitted goods to sell , they take way too long, so you won't be seeing any in my shop.

I found the pattern which is from the '50's at The Vintage Pattern House on Etsy.

Its been perfect knitting weather, sitting in front of the fire, and as I havn't been feeling like going into my studio much ( its way too cold to be doing ceramics right now and I needed a break from a few full on months of it anyway)

He is about 7 inches tall, and a 'footish' long

new trainers

2010-02-12T22:38:00.001-06:00

365/43 new trainers, originally uploaded by mccheek.

there's nothing better than new shoes, I thought I'd get some new trainers for my upcoming trip to the uk. couldn't resist the colour of these ones

Studio Time

2010-02-02T21:51:00.004-06:00

Been in the studio today, and after finishing off some new castings, I took some little vignette photos from around me, can't stop playing with my new phone and camera

Full size John Wayne pop up

Two Britney's, paintings that Sean did around 2000, she's became a tragic icon and now it seems she's back to normality

Small four colour print that we did of a favourite old record cover of mine - study for the large one

365 -First Thirty Days

2010-01-31T16:31:00.004-06:00

This is the first 30 odd photos from my 365 project.

I have taken the challenge of taking a photo a day for 365 days, I upload them to a set on Flickr, and post them to a group called Project 365.

Some days its really hard to get a good photo, and sometimes its hard to figure out what to photograph, but I'm enjoying it, even though I'm not always really pleased with my results.

I'm looking forward to looking back at the story it tells for 2010 for me.

I use all my different cameras, including my new phone, which is extremely handy.

All The Luck In the World

2010-01-29T22:29:00.005-06:00

I love discovering a new person on Flickr whose work I like, I don't even know how I got to find out about Jane Schouten, from Holland , but all I know is I am really inspired by her aesthetic, and her 'all the luck in the world' shop.

She makes all sorts of recycled vintage design pieces from furniture to good luck charms

The piece that got me hooked to her style is the christmas tree that she with 'useless but pretty' objects she has collected over the years ( her own words)

I 'd love to go and see her shop in Holland, but for now I'll look at her pretty pictures.

Love these T Shirts

2010-01-14T21:36:00.004-06:00

I'm really loving these hand painted T shirts by Jessalin Beutler , that I spotted whilst looking at the online exhibition space -Papernstitch

Sean's Video of us in Marfa

2010-01-12T20:17:00.005-06:00

Sean did this video of he and I on our trip to Marfa , Texas in November.

I love this song and the video too, my first time ever on a tandem,

I couldn't stop laughing.

Photo Challenge

2010-01-06T20:22:00.007-06:00

I've been thinking about a 2010 challenge for the beginning of the year, so I'm challenging all of you that have bought from McCheek's Mayhem to send me pics of my work( things I've made) in their new homes ( fantasy settings will be acceptable too)

* I think that the challenge could also be for people who don't have any McCheek's Mayhem goods, and are up for a challenge and a prize -there are ways of stealing images from the internet and playing around with them, know what I mean....not that I'm promoting cheating...

every time I sell something and send it off to its new home, I get very excited about where its traveling to, seeing as my work is like an extension of me, and I haven't done much traveling for a while, this is the next best thing

I can't wait to get some photos sent to me

mccheeksmayhem@mac.com

and the prize ( a McCheek's Mayhem mug of your choice) will be given to the one that I think is the best

the closing date for entries is Jan 30th 2010

I will post the entries as I get them to my blog and notify everyone of the winning photo

December

2009-12-26T19:26:00.004-06:00

I havn't felt much like blogging for some time, the month has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. I feel lucky to just be hanging out at home with Millie on my knee and the fire on.

we got the fairy lights on and i found a miniature silver tree and I finally painted this wall blue, I love it, and then we got the new pew too, still more to do, but I'll get to that later

T Bone loves the cushions, I wish I could get more of these, I've had these a long time, made by an old friend in London, Dawn Dupree

Really liking getting into my cactus gardens too, and looking forward to making more with new shapes and glazes after the holidays have passed and I get back into my normal routine

Bird Nerds all Round

2009-12-04T06:44:00.005-06:00

We have the Craftidote @ Antidote happening tomorrow, it might be cold, but lots of handmade items from 20 or so vendors, so if you're in Houston, come on down

( sean - my husband designed and then screen printed this fab poster)

I've made a load of new mugs and they're fresh out of the kiln, lots of different 'birdie' ones

and some espresso mug sets , inspired by my parents collections of pottery shards they collect form the beach

Road Trip to Marfa

2009-11-19T22:20:00.005-06:00

Sean and i just did a 1300 mile round trip to Marfa, Texas for the weekend, home to the Chinati Foundation ( Donald Judd)

these are his concrete sculptures out in the desert

we saw amazing open landscapes, and so many stars, and the mysterious Marfa lights

we saw these two stags, a family of wild boar, a road runner and a massive tarantula looking furry spider

we were warmly greeted by an interesting artist and craftswoman (Catherine) and got shown round her shop - Wool and Hoop and next door, Fancy Pony Land ( I want one of their skirts)

we ate some delicious food at Cochineal - this is their lovely red tree in the courtyard

saw proper autumnal colours

got stopped by Border Patrol ( we were very close to mexico) and I was given a warning for not carrying my residents card ( woops),

it was like a scene from Thelma and Louise out in the desert, except it was me driving with Sean and we weren't running from the law

we saw some fantastic art - Donald Judd and Dan Flavin

we had a hilarious ride on george and lisa's yellow tandem bike, video to follow soon

All in all it was a really good trip and will have to go back again

Cactus Gardens

2009-11-13T21:39:00.004-06:00

I've had a good time filling my newly cast and glazed bowls with cactus gardens, I got some rainbow gravel too which is quite colourful close up , and I'm happy with my new grey glaze, soft and matt

I need to keep most of them out of my shop for a while until the little plants 'take' before I can ship them anywhere, but I'll be selling them at the Craft Sale @ G Gallery next weekend.

The other exciting thing that happened this week was that I found several mentions about McCheek's Mayhem on different blogs - so I'm tooting my own trumpet - if thats an expression! and letting you know, they're all good names, but the one i like the most for its originality is called Far Out Brussel Sprout, by a girl called Siobhan from Sydney and seeing as I want to go there next year, I was even more into it.

you can see them here (Love Natalie) and here ( Sweet Sweet Life) and here (crystaloicle)

Its your turn- tea towels

2009-10-27T23:23:00.007-05:00

well, it was me and Sean in the studio today, he was helping me to print the new Its Your Turn tea towels. each tea towel is a different size, so the registration was way harder than we expected, and we'll never divide the image onto two screens again, but you learn a new lesson each time, don't you?

So the next one which is in mid design stage, will be sooo much easier.

But it was good to get them done, and I even did some printing myself, which i hardly ever do.

They're hand dyed before and then screen printed with water based inks for softness

new work fresh out of the kiln

2009-10-20T17:51:00.003-05:00

I've got a load of new work out of the kiln, i had a good day doing all the decals last week, they're now in my shop

Not All Glam

2009-10-16T15:53:00.002-05:00

Its not all glamour at McCheek's Mayhem.

To get more decals made by Sean, I had to don a serious vapour mask as the stuff is very toxic, but we got them printed, and today I have made lots of new mugs and bowls, covered in decals, now waiting to be fired on Sunday, hopefully in the shop on Monday!

WOOO HOOO

New fancy font alphabet decals

Swedish Inspiration

2009-10-14T00:07:00.007-05:00

I don't know how I came across this blog all about the Dos Family and the things they make and their house , but I like their style and their house, simple, and filled with light, very inspirational .

Check out this fantastic kitchen cupboard, what a simple idea, but not one I 'd thought of , well, i'd considered spraying ours myself, but thought better of it and now I'm just trying to figure out how I can get our three kitchen lockers into the back of my VW golf to get them spray painted fancy colours too.

Anyone have a truck I can borrow?

Photo collages of the interior of their house

If you ' Dos Family ' ever want to swop your house and have a holiday in Houston , Texas, come on down, I'm up for a trip to Sweden

Roadside Distractions

2009-10-06T09:25:00.003-05:00

Sean ( my husband) and Gabby ( my step daughter) are curating their first show together, it opens this Saturday in our new Gallery 619. It features new work by Give Up, Dual , Eyesore and Trash and Garnish.

Robert Ellis and Fat Tony are playing on the opening night.

Autumn Colour Week - Red

2009-10-02T10:13:00.004-05:00

Its friday, and its 'red' day, and the first thing I saw this morning was a humming bird right outside my window, i thought they'd already left on their warm winter holidays to Mexico, i took this photo above a few weeks ago, and the photo I got this morning is not red, but as they're attracted to red, I thought i'd add it anyway

I love those birds, they are so fast and determined

I also have a few red pieces in my shop including the Miniature Cactus Garden with a juicy red glaze and some red flower decals on my Love Cup tea set

I still want to be in Austin, after our trip last weekend, this Motel is fab, with the best kidney shaped swimming pool

I also got a few red things for my birthday last week, this beautiful Red Spider Lily from Kerry from her garden

Does anyone remember Smash Hits? well I now have the first 40 issues, and I never had the first one until Sarah and Jarvis got me a copy for my birthday present.! I was so excited. I was 12 when that came out, and that was my bible for quite some time .

November 1978 - 25p.

I also got this fantastic book - An Alphabet by Peter Blake from my Mum and Dad, very inspiring, as I'm so into fonts and lettering

and this is the last of the autumn colour week, I'll miss it, I need a new challenge for next week, any ideas?

Autumn Color Week- Brown

2009-10-01T22:39:00.003-05:00

Not my favourite colour at all! But I had to cheat and borrow a photo from flickr( thank you ) of this brown Ford Cortina, we had one when I was growing up, but an estate version, and I would happily have this car in brown again. I couldn't find any brown photos of my own, but this car is fantastic and brings back memories of the 70's in scotland

O is for Orange

2009-09-30T18:43:00.010-05:00

this is my first orange offering, its my birthday week, and one of my many things to do is to sew this patch on my jean back pocket

I think i'm a bit obsessed with this colour week, a task set by Poppytalk , its certainly a fun thing for me to do, and i'm thoroughly enjoying it, especially today, i love orange.

I think the rest of the week will be harder, but we'll see, I'm up for the challenge

My orange cat - T Bone, looking very happy - he's a big softie

my tiles in our bathroom

I just painted a wall in our house orange a couple of weeks ago, so its a good excuse to photograph it

and last but not least Dran gave me this fantastic orange mirror last week for my birthday

Autumn Colour Week - Green

2009-09-29T19:57:00.008-05:00

I've had a hard time with green, I've realised i don't have many green things, except of course many plants and my favourite v necked t shirt in kelly green, but no green glazes, no green shoes and no green nail varnish

this caterpillar is chomping its way through my candlestick plant

Ginko Biloba tree I got in honour of Rhonda

I know this bird photo is technically blue, but there's lots of green in it and i like it

actually after looking around my studio i've found more green, below is a fantastic green apple hanger from pakhuisoost.com, I've just seen lots of fantastic stuff on their website too

this is a painting by Janet Maxwell, my pal from college who lives in Whitstable

it reminds me of fields in the uk

Mellow Yellow

2009-09-28T16:23:00.008-05:00

Faux Wood Mug

I am being featured this month in the online market on Poppytalk Handmade .

This month's collection is called Mixed Tape, I used to love making mixed tapes, so the name brought back lots of memories.

stop, record.playback.rewind.forward.......... making the covers was as good as choosing the music.

this is a photo of the last of my tapes, why oh why did i get rid of so many

Back and front of Love Cup

Anyway, Poppytalk are doing an Autumn colours feature this week, and have asked us to participate, so I've started with today's colour, YELLOW, i love yellow just now, my favourite glaze is yellow, my favourite shoes are yellow, there are so many yellow flowers out just now, i have two yellow stools, i have a yellow wall

i don't really like yellow clothes on me though , the colour just doesn't go with my skin , but i'm always attracted to yellow nail varnish, but that also looks terrible on me!

Friday Friends

2009-09-04T12:34:00.004-05:00

Captain America- Sean Flournoy

Liza - Sean Flournoy

Sean Flournoy ( my husband) and Brian Zievert ( our neighbour and pal) had their opening of their show in the restaurant I manage this week . Above is Sean's image of Keith Moon.

There is nothing like nepotism for getting a show!

We had a hilarious photo shoot over at Brian's one night to get images for the show, it wasn't full moon, but the atmosphere certainly seemed like it could have been. Brian is holding his painting of the Astrodome

Sean's studio

'the terrible two'

The Pros and Cons of Houston

2009-08-28T14:57:00.002-05:00

Well, i've been thinking about the good things about Houston today, I went out for a cycle earlier and it only takes 5 minutes to get to a park which has large turtles sunning themselves on the side of the bayou, Little Egrets, hanging on the banks , (big white birds) , which at about two feet high are by no means little as their name might suggest.

Then there's iced coffee with Sean in the morning on our patio, the con is the mosquitoes, they're big and flesh eating, but if you remember to put lavender oil on after they bite you , they go away.

its awfully hot here, and humid, but i certainly like it better than cold and rain.
I looked out the window earlier and saw the first humming bird of the year.( in our garden) I love those birds, so to try and attract them even more, i've made up some fresh sugar water for them. we'll see if that works.

I might sound like a nerd talking about all this stuff, but i love it, oh, and the butterfly, which hatched from its chrysalis below, thats right outside my window, lots of nature stuff is good and keeps me feeling positive about life!
The other con is the no health insurance thing, living in america in general is hard when you have a job that doesn't provide you with any , and i got thinking about it when i read Seeds and Stitches bit about the NHS the other day, ( who is way more articulate about it than me ) The whole issue makes me blood boil, so please lets get health insurance for everyone.

ok preaching over.

2nd Blurb Book

2009-08-26T23:10:00.002-05:00

I made my second book recently, if you haven't already made one or checked out Blurb , you should!

this one is called the Smith's Go to Texas, I made it for my brother and sister in law about their family holiday with us recently in Houston

you can see it here

Latest Mugs

2009-08-25T22:57:00.004-05:00

I've uploaded some sets of mugs and sugar caddies ( or jam pots ) to Etsy, they are cheaper to buy as a set.

The alphabet mugs are a pair, one with mostly gold letters and one with mostly black, i think i got a bit carried away with the decals, it was a 'mayhem day'

but i had a good time

and i decided to leave this plain, but its being sold with a flowery jam pot in the photo above

I'm also doing a 15% off sale in my Etsy shop over the Labor Day weekend, just mention 'weekend deals' in the note to seller in checkout

Elephants and Ducklings

2009-08-24T14:15:00.006-05:00

I've finished off some of the things I've made with my new 'old' moulds.

i particularly like the elephants, and will need to package one up to send to my Dad, who collects elephants
Then I spent a few hours changing round my studio, why didn't I do that a long time ago, its so much better now, still has lots of stuff in it, but it feels more spacious, yipppeeee

New Castings

2009-07-28T15:59:00.004-05:00

Sugar bowl or Jam container

Antlers

I was given a large amount of plaster moulds recently, they are all sorts of things, from elephants, horses, cactus, beads, you name it, so I've been having fun casting different ones.

I'm still trying to figure out my glaze problems for my mugs, and its been a really frustrating time, so casting these is making it alot better and bringing the fun back into it for me again

cactus

duck vessel

i think i'll definitely use this one

any ideas what to do with the elephant?

Days of My Life

2009-07-03T19:52:00.003-05:00

I just made my first book, its filled with my photographs.
There's a little badge next to this post you can click on to look at it.

I made it as a present for my Mum's birthday, hope she doesn't read this before she gets it.
Its in the post to Scotland as I type.....

tagging

2009-06-23T22:09:00.004-05:00

ok i'm going to tag some people now, if you're up for taking some time to respond, that would be lovely, but this took me a while to manage, so if time's a problem , i totally understand

1. Respond and rework the questions in the post below; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your choice

2. Tag eight other people.

Have fun!

How many pairs of shoes do you own?
What is your current obsession?
Coffee or tea?
What’s for dinner?
What would you eat for your last meal?
What was the last thing you bought?
What are you listening to right now?
What's the best gift you have ever been given?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you?
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Which language do you want to learn?
What’s your favorite quote (for now)?
What is your favorite colour?
What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
What is your dream job?
What is your worst habit
If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
Do you admire any one’s style?
Describe your personal style?
What are you going to do after this?
What are your favourite movies?
What is your favorite fruit?
What inspires you?
Your favorite book?
Do you collect something?
What is your favorite smell?
What are you most proud of?
How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up
Cats or dogs?
What’s your biggest fashion mistake?
Complete the following: Love is...

been Tagged

2009-06-23T21:47:00.006-05:00

Yipeeee, I got tagged by Hannah from Seeds and Stitches, i enjoyed the questions andenjoyed reading her answers too, and will be passing it on to 8 others, if I can find enough people who have blogs.

so here we go

my three cats

my messy kitchen table

What is your current obsession?

Making my ceramics and making them work

Coffee or tea?

Definitely coffee, I have to have a strong cup every morning, then I go to Antidote later and get an iced coffee, as its so hot here

What’s for dinner?

My favourite is to make and eat soup, I just had some carrot and orange soup that I made earlier in the week

What would you eat for your last meal?

Scottish Oatcakes with lurpak butter and cheddar cheese

What was the last thing you bought?

A bottle of Pedro Ximenez dessert wine, yummy, and tastes like liquid raisins

What are you listening to right now?

Fleet foxes, its really grown on me, Brian Jonestown Massacre, new Yeah,Yeah, Yeahs

What's the best gift you have ever been given?

the first thing that comes to mind is my little Nikon Coolpix camera from Sean for my 40^thbirthday, it really helped to get me into photography again

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Cookies and cream

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you? Hannah sounds like a fun girl to know, with lots similar interests to me and she writes an interesting blog, well and wittily ( is that a word?)

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

New Zealand , to a beach on the south island to watch the penguins surfing up onto the beach

Which language do you want to learn?

Spanish, I love the sound of it

What’s your favorite quote (for now)?

‘Love the life you live, live the life you love

’

What is your favorite colour?

Dark gray, hot pink, dayglow orange

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

My red and white dress with embroidered tattoos on it I got from Top Shop in Oxford Circus about six years ago, just before I left London

What is your dream job?

Making my own work and selling it

What is your worst habit ?

Piling things up on the kitchen table

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?

A pair of Camper shoes

Do you admire any one’s style?

Kate Moss

Describe your personal style?

Throw it on, comfy, deep v necked American Apparel t shirts, skirts and knee high boots in winter and sandals in summer with either pink or orange day glo toes

What are you going to do after this?

Eat some soup and blog

What are your favourite movies?

Withnail and I, Breaking the Waves, My Life as aDog, Amores Perros, The Flower of My Secret, my most recent is Happy Go Lucky ( Mike Leigh) which I loved

What is your favorite fruit?

Mango ,without a doubt, I eat at least one every day, they are readily available here, and one of my favourite things about living in Houston

What inspires you?

Nature, cats, sky, bright colours, people, design

Your favorite book?

Don’t think I have one, I have enjoyed lots of books, but I mostly read non fiction these days

Do you collect something?

3 D postcards, cheesy record covers, plants

What is your favorite smell?

The angel trumpet flowers at night, out on our patio

How many times do you press the snooze button before you get up-

once normally

Cats or dogs?

Cats, I have three and love them like they’re my children

What’s your biggest fashion mistake?

Right now I’m not aware enough to know if I’m making fashion mistakes, but when I really cared I was 16, and I wore a pale blue jumpsuit with a double zip , ouch, mmm nice!

Complete the following:

Love is…looking out for each other

Feast

2009-06-19T14:46:00.005-05:00

I've just been up to Feast Restaurant to deliver some T Shirts that Sean printed for them, I'd been thinking about who I'd chose for my Friday friends Feature, and thought, of course James, Meagan and Richard of Feast restaurant.

I've known James from our Joe Allen days in London a long time ago, working and playing hard.

The food is fabulous at Feast , they are very creative and passionate about what they do, and I like that about them.

They've been getting lots of press recently, including a New York Times review and awarded Best New Restaurant in both Houston Chronicle and Houston Press

Check out their daily menus and the video review below

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/06/dining/feast-interactive/index.html

If you're in Houston and haven't been already , you need to go and have a taste. You won't be disappointed.

Photo Show at Antidote

2009-06-09T22:34:00.007-05:00

We had the opening of our show at Antidote on Saturday, it went really well, we had lots of people, sales, and a good party , which as far as I was concerned was the best part.
The washing line helped to have all the pieces hanging off, and it was pretty straight, Sean was helpful with that, thanks Sean !

Susan framed all her pieces and they looked great.

Robert Ellis Music

2009-06-05T10:13:00.003-05:00

My Playlist Playlist by carole on MySpace Music - Play Playlist Songs & Download Tracks

Shared via AddThis

My Friday Friend Feature is about Robert Ellis .

I got to know him through his girlfriend Destiny ( his No 1 promoter)

He is such a good musician , is wise beyond his years, and writes and sings beautiful songs.

I was instantly into listening to his music, and played it non stop . You should take a listen, click on the link above or check out his myspace

Sean printed his album covers for his record release a couple of weeks ago, the video is taken of Sean ( Throttle Tees )and Robert printing them in a very hot warehouse, in extremely humid conditions!

I got to help lay them out and box them up!

Kiln , Tomatoes and Mock ups

2009-06-04T22:36:00.005-05:00

picked most of the tomatoes yesterday, so the birds don't get them as they ripen, must get some of that delicious Dairy Maid feta cheese for a salad, the best feta in Houston. They look so nice in a row though, its a shame to eat them! is that weird?
Also got the mock ups done for the show at Antidote, and last night was up late hanging it, the lines are straight, (unlike the ones in the pic ),got these fantastic tensioners, now i want them all over the house!
Also got a new kiln, well, its an old one, that needs some new parts, but hopefully it will all be in working order very soon
yippeee, we're getting the studio sorted, ready for some serious ceramics and t shirt printing

Invite for Photo Show

2009-05-30T08:25:00.003-05:00

Susan did a great job on the invite for our photo show at Antidote , opening night, Saturday 6th june, 7-9pm

Studio Time

2009-05-25T23:33:00.005-05:00

I had a good day today, it was really sunny and hot and it was also mine and Sean's 9th wedding anniversary, and I'm making time to work on my photo show that I'm doing soon with Susan at Antidote Coffee .
I was busy chopping up photos and listening to a good program on BBC Radio, where the DJ Gideon Coe was playing an hour each of 1979, 1980,1981, so I just had to email him to ask him to play some Specials for me.

I was more than excited when he mentioned that 'Carole in Texas wants me to play the Specials'!

I never actually heard the song, because I was in and out, but it was nice to get a mention.

Friday Friend Feature- Janet Maxwell

2009-05-22T11:41:00.006-05:00

I've decided to do a feature every Friday on a creative friend, this week its Janet Maxwell.

I've known Janet since we were at Camberwell Art College in London, doing a ceramics degree.

Janet is constantly making things, she's into knitting and painting right now, has a show of her paintings on in Whitstable, she may also have something to do with Knitstable, although I can't be sure about that!

Her house is amazing, airy and light, she has such a knack with colour, and her garden has been newly done by her Landscape Architect son, Adam.

She came to visit me recently in Texas and brought these fantastic faceclothes that she knitted, I love them!

I don't have any photos of her paintings, but you should check them out on her website

Antler Magazine

2009-05-19T08:53:00.002-05:00

I have an interview in Antler Mag on line, you can see it here

2009-05-19T08:42:00.002-05:00

I made more cactus gardens, and sent the first one yesterday, via UPS, to Rhonda, hope it gets there ok.

Want to put some in my shop, but unsure on shipping charges, need to work on that.

Entering Paradise

2009-05-15T09:40:00.009-05:00

If you havn't been to Indian Summer Lodge in Houston, you should go.

Its a fantastic paradise garden and home that has been created by Jeff River Law.

Its filled with old painted chairs, little vignettes everywhere, unusual plants and arrangements, private seating areas, like a series of outdoor rooms, water, bamboo, tree houses and more.

So much to look at.

At the moment it can be rented out for weddings and events, but Jeff is selling the place , so hurry down there to see it before you can't anymore.

I would buy it if I could get a big loan and I didn't have my own space to create already.

I can only hope mine will turn out half as good.

What an inspiration!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T23:06:00.005-05:00

Happy Mothers day

to all you mothers out there

the day always reminds me of daffodils

Cactus Pots

2009-05-05T21:43:00.008-05:00

I had this idea last week that I would make my bowls more functional by combining my love of plants, and making miniature indoor (or outdoor) gardens.

Today I got my self a drill bit to make holes in the bottoms of the ceramic pieces and it worked, I didn't crack anything, just made holes in the bottom which are needed for drainage.Then I planted them all up and added a few stones to the top

I used a couple of pieces I made and some that I had bought from the thrift store. These are the results....

Collette Patterns

2009-05-02T14:36:00.005-05:00

I just saw this pattern for a great skirt, I want one! Shame I can't sew.
Can anyone make it for me?
Maybe a trade could take place?
Anyway, if you want to take a look at it all , here is where you'll look

collection of thrifted mugs

2009-04-25T15:10:00.002-05:00

collection of thrifted mugs
Originally uploaded by mccheek

this is my collection of thrifted mugs and some of my own, with the Britney paintings Sean made for me

love that tiger

2009-04-25T15:09:00.001-05:00

love that tiger
Originally uploaded by mccheek

my Studio

2009-04-25T15:02:00.002-05:00

yellow
Originally uploaded by mccheek

I took photos of my studio the other day, I always like looking at other peoples studio's , so maybe yo will be intersted in seeing mine.
not done much work in it for a while, had visitors, but will be getting back in there this week, got lots of new ideas

McCheek's Mayhem Magnets

2009-04-02T22:00:00.002-05:00

MM Magnets
Originally uploaded by mccheek

I've been really getting into making these melted plastic magnets.
I make them while I watch Tv, its hard to do when the cats sitting on my knee, but I do my best to balance them.
I am in the middle of making rainbow ones too, they'll be in the shop soon.

NinaINvorm

2009-03-31T18:01:00.006-05:00

I really like NinaInvorm's blog , there is so much on it, and she is such an inspiration, ceramics, screen printing, collage , photos and interiors.

I got another good feature on another blog recently, Apartment Therapy , glad two people let me know because I would never have known

Julia Potts Illustration

2009-03-16T09:45:00.003-05:00

I've been looking at stuff on flickr and found this girl, Julia Potts whose illustrations i really like, she has done these tea towels for To Dry For.

Bamboo Tiki Pond

2009-03-13T13:05:00.004-05:00

its a wet cold day here today and its Friday the 13th too

but some good things have happened already!

1. its raining, so the bamboo is getting some much needed water

2. i got two mentions on different blogs- The Constant Gatherer and Melissa Loves

3. Tammy's tree is still flowering- its a pink orchid tree i grew from seed and planted the day she ( our one eyed tabby cat) had her eye operation

4. and last but not least I have made a Bamboo Tiki Pond- made from our bamboo from the garden

Green Show @ Hello Lucky

2009-03-02T19:11:00.003-06:00

I have some of my doggy plates and Holga photos at the Green Show at Hello Lucky this month.

The dog plates are vintage with vintage ceramic decals , fired on by me!

The animals are by Rene Cruz.