Thursday, October 4, 2012

Everlastings

Remember when I was making flower shapes and bowls about a year ago? At the time one of my readers suggested I make a flower arrangement from clay. But I got distracted on other projects like my wall tiles, towers, woven baskets, wagons and carts.  A while back I fired the first everlasting flower arrangement and it made it through the bisque and the glaze firing. This everlasting is about 8 inches tall, just the right size for a window sill, bookcase, or a desk at work.

Behind the scenes I've been working on more of these everlastings in different colors, flowers, sizes, and styles. I think a ceramic floral arrangement would be perfect for folks with allergies, for people in hospitals who can't have live plants, for those challenged by flower arranging, or just for fun. These flowers are always fresh and they won't wilt sitting on a picnic table in the sun.

Can I ask your advice on how these everlastings might be packaged and arrive safely in the mail? The stems and flowers are glazed to one another so they can't move and bump into one another. What do you think? I thought I could wrap the piece in a soft batting material and then peanuts or bubble wrap. Perhaps I'll have to do a test mailing to see if they'll survive. Stay tuned for more everlastings coming soon. This post is part of the Mud Colony what's happening in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

13 comments:

  1. Hello Linda:
    We love the everlasting arrangement you show here and, as you say, one can see that there can be a wide variety of ways in which ceramic flowers can be more appropriate than the 'real thing'. However, we can see that transportation of these delicate arrangements might be problematic and there would be nothing more sad than to receive a broken bouquet!

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  2. Hi Jane and Lance, thanks, I'll be working on the transportation issue, where there is a will there is a way. Carrying the piece by hand works well, it's just the mailing that would be a problem. But I know there are delicate sculptures that make it being transported so there must be a solution.

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  3. Very fun, Linda!

    re:Transportation - it might work well to approach this as one would a pitcher or a t-pot or a mug - only with multiple delicate handles! A hefty dose of bubble wrap around each flower should secure it nicely, then the wrap treatment to the whole and tightly fit into a box. For safest shipping, there should be no wiggle room in that box. Then, find a bigger box and nest the first inside with lots of packing materials. Creates multiple layers of shock absorption and increased likelihood of safe shipping!

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  4. So cute! I am with Luke on the packing suggestion.

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  5. Luke has the right idea for the packing. Lots of peanuts in both boxes are the ticket.

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  6. Lovely flowers and they are cat safe *smile*.

    Hugs

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  7. These are brilliant! For shipping, I would also suggest after all the cushioney stuff in box one, pack it in a second box, sort of suspended in there by more packing material.

    I used to ship a lot of stuff on ebay, and double boxed all my ceramic items that way. For packing material in the second box I used crumpled up newspaper.

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  8. I adore these, they are truly beautiful. I think Luke and Joanne Noragon have the packing issue covered.

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  9. Hi Luke, thanks, I made this one to be fun for sure. At first just to see if I could get it bisqued and glaze fired and it would make it, I kind of amazed myself. Thanks for the tips on packing.

    Hi Michele, thanks so much.

    Hi Lori, thanks.

    Hi Elna, thanks, yes I didn't even think of that. good one.

    Hi Joanne, thanks, I think there are many people or occasions where these arrangements would hopefully brighten someone's day. thanks so much for the tips on packing, these are easy to carry and not break, but you know how packages get tossed by some.

    Hi Elephant's Child, thanks so much I plan to show more styles soon, stay tuned.

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  10. Hi Linda, I love this little flower arrangement, another place where they use such ceramic flowers is in France on gravestones, which makes the cemeteries really pretty, m

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  11. Hi Linda, I love this little flower arrangement, another place where they use such ceramic flowers is in France on gravestones, which makes the cemeteries really pretty, m

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  12. Back to the packing issue, the biggest problem with shipping is the conveyor belts. If your package doesn't make a turn properly, gets stopped and then piled upon by everything coming behind the contents will be squashed, no matter how much cushioning. That's why I double boxed, to handle the crush.

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  13. Hi Michele, thanks, what a good idea so much nicer than the plastic flower arrangements found in some cemeteries.

    Hi Joanne, thanks, oh I see why the double box would definitely help, thanks for your thoughtful advice.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment