Your totems are wonderful.
No wonder they sell well!

Those are gorgeous, the materials are beautiful. Of course they are selling, you are doing a great job putting together quality pieces. Don't be shy about making money on them either!

Very nice!! Are you sellig them on eBay? Cheryl

Beautiful! I especially love the blue and white one. Very well put together.

I think these 2 are great also, mary! I see that you're turning your plates upward...some of the GJer totem makers say that can be a problem with rain water sitting/staining etc....I've noticed that happens frequently in one of mine. But I love the plates turned upward in your totems...just wondering if you had read about that on this forum. The pottery pcs you're using are very pretty...and A+ on the composition. TFS & yes, you are hooked! LOL! Jeanne S.

Two more gorgeous totems! I love your colorful ones. They would be great in a shade garden where there isn't much color. Beautiful job on yours!

The blue is very "regal" & the pottery 1 is so colorful & great piece of whimsy for the garden.!! Glad you are selling them!! Jan

I love both of these, Mary. What wonderful pieces you found and put together. Good thing I'm not able to come to your sale, I'd have to take BOTH. They are so different and so wonderful.

Like Jeanne mentioned on the saucers...I too like them up the right way. But unfortunately I have a major problem
here with hard water/lime deposits on mine. Sure is irritating. I ended up tossing a lovely crystal totem as it was just impossible to clean after several years. The pottery is so much easier to clean, thankfully. Plus I love the colorfulness of it.

hugs, Karen

They are both beautiful. My problem with up facing dishes is that they may break if water freezes in them. Not a problem in some places (or if you take it inside or lay it down for the winter.
Congratulations on the orders. How are you selling them?
Kathy

so funny I just broke my green plate like yours about 10 minutes ago.
Love your totem

Those are great and it's nice your able to sell them too. I love the blue and white one, I did a couple of those and they were the very first to sell when I did a craft show. I have to agree with everyone though, I always turn all the pieces down so they don't catch water, unless it's a bird bath. They hold up better and look cleaner. However it is hard to find pretty plates with the pretty bottoms too.
Frou

Those are VERY pretty. Love the colors.
I agree about the plates. I make bird baths and always put the plates upside down except the top one of course. TFS.

Gorgeous, but I think the blue is my fave. Isn't it nice when you get a color scheme going and finally get enough pieces to make a complete totem

mary...I got your e-mail & happy that you are getting orders! Your totems are very pretty! I think totems are very appealing inside also...I moved this one inside to my enclosed porch so I don't have to deal with rain/dirt deposit or freezing weather! And added some mint green half glass bobbles loose among the birds. Happy to hear your weather is good! Keep up the good work! Have fun! Jeanne S.

{{gwi:135912}}

Mary- I absolutely love the color and quality of your pieces. I saw a similar small teapot with a cup lid at GW and passed on it. NOW, I am kicking myself all over the place. I love BOTH totems - It's a good thing I'm not able to come to your sale, I'd have to mud-wrestle purplemoon for BOTH. I prefer the upturned saucers as well. I often thought that I would assemble my totem in 2 or 3 pieces (somehow, securely) so that I could pour off the rainwater. Congratulations on your sales. I hope you are charging a good price for these. They are gorgeous.
Jeannespines - I love your doves totem, very classy!!
-Sprout

jeannespires - Love yours too! That's pretty much the idea I had in mind for mine. Good to see one for inspiration.

Still working on the pieces though.

Beautiful! Love the colors and patterns!

I say the heck with everyone. That blue and white totem is soo beautiful, I think it would be perfect for a garden party and place some little desserts on. Why not serve your picnic brownies in style. I think it is almost too pretty to just give the birds. It is perfect on a little covered porch

of for heavens sake get a life with your silly piles of teacups. they are RUBBISH

Campanula-
RUBBISH is in the eye of the beholder. Too bad that's what you see when you look at someone else's creations. And you have the bad taste to describe yourself as nurturing in your bio? I feel so sorry for people that look at the world thru jaded eyes. Too bad no one ever taught you the golden rule or were you too busy eating paste while that lesson was happening?

It's amazing to me I haven't really logged into gw since someone else just had to open their mouth and abuse others. Here I am today and it's the same. It looks like the mean spirited have to insinuate their way into every corner of the world bringing the misery they perpetually live in with them.

So for heaven's sake get a life with your heartless, unncessary and totally off base comments they are worse than RUBBISH!

If you think these totems are RUBBISH, campanula, I have to say it is people like you who bring joy to our hearts! I love when thoughtless people like you throw away perfectly good items so we can fetch them out of your trash, clean them up and reuse them all for free! What a blessing! If it weren't for people like you, Junkers wouldn't be able to create delightful artwork like these totems that are appreciated not only for their beauty but because they keep your RUBBISH out of landfills! So thank you so much for your free RUBBISH. Please tell all your fellow thoughtless friends to throw out perfectly good items too! Please spread the word around your little world! You will make a lot of Junkers very happy.

I had to laugh at Luna's comment!
Last week on a craft site, a lady had a yard sale, and had vases left over. I suggested coming here and seeing what we do with vases.
Her comment was "I don't do garden or garden items." I apologized by saying "Sorry, a lot of people who do crafts do a lot of different things but if they don't know about those things they can't make them."
Those comments come few and far between on this forum. It always shocks me--they don't have to come here.....
Neither of these people know what they are missing, do they?? The fun of the hunt and the joy of a 'new' item
being made!

Lizzardly, luna, nona, love those supportive comments! I'm liking this site more and more for your wonderful approach even when I don't have something to share.

Constructive help is always welcome, but useless criticism is...well...RUBBISH!

A big THANK YOU to all who have posted in support of my totems. You give me great inspiration. I'm putting the finishing touches on two new totems. Will have pics for you soon. Thanks GJ friends!!!

Mary, I LOVE your totems...especially that blue and white one! That one belongs in MY garden! :o) I showed my wife...she wants to now make a similar one!!!! Thanks for the inspiration!

I saw Campanula's post the other night and was flabbergasted that someone who doesn't post on our forum would pop in and post such a comment... I did a search on Gardenweb and saw that she believes in posting whatever is on her mind... A Negative Nelly is what I say... I am a classroom teacher of young children... I always tell my students, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. ...AND if you have constructive criticicsm, say it in a NICE way. So, that said, I have something nice to say... I LOVE YOUR TOTEMS!!!!! Keep doing what you're doing! :o) You are INSPIRING others!!! :o)

Bear Hugs! Kirk

A big Diddo to what all the previos posts said in your and our defense of loving junk and recycling. Sure hope that old sour sordid person never has the pleasure of meeting any of us!!!

Mary, you have made some of the most beautiful totems I have ever seen! Don't let one person discourage you from your passion.

To bad Campanula has no taste. We shouldn't waste our time on her or him!
You have done a very good job. TFS.

I have become addicted to buying thrift store pieces for my garden totems! I've made 5 but I'm having trouble with them falling apart. What kind of glue is best? I've been using Loctite clear, waterproof silicone, but the weight of some of the pieces is causing my totems to fall apart. Help! Thanks.

Libby, I too am addicted to buying thrift store, yard sale pieces for my garden art. I've been making them for 3 years and enjoying every minute. I know most people have been using GE Silicon II and have had good luck with it. I've been using E6000 all weather adhesive for 3 years and have had good luck with all of my garden art pieces. I've been using the GE Silicon II for the backs of my plate flowers where I attach the spoon hangers. I like it because it's thicker and seems to fill in the gaps better. There is a new one out called UV 6800 that I just started using that is also clear. I think it depends on your weather. I live in Northern California where we get 100 + summers and 30's in the winter. The other thing is make sure you let your totems cure for 3 or 4 days before you put them out in the yard. Also important is that you check the expiration date on your tube of adhesive. Good luck.

Mary, your totems are wonderful. I would love to have one in my garden. I think some people are just mean spirited and have to make mean comments. Keep making garden art!

I love your totems !! It's funny that someone from the UK would hate teacups ~~ LOL I bet she's just sooooo jealous because she doesn't have any talent *wink*

Keep making more !

Totems aren't normally my "thing" but I really love the two pictured, and Jeanne's with the two birds.

I love these totems, too, very pretty. I'm so excited to find someone posting recently, seems like every time I look for something, all posts are a few years old. I made a totem, but it is plain and totally ugly, so I'll have to plan embellishments to make it look good. Have some broken colored glass and some half glass thingys that jeanne used, I'll give it a try!!
MaryJo

Beautiful totems! Wondering if anyone has a good idea of how to transport the large free standing totems?

Actually, Lizzardly, she said she had a "nurturing urge"
"nurturing and creative urge now that being mum is redundant (thank god)." yeah, I bet her child is happy too. sheesh! real nurturing! LOL LOL

totems aren't usually my thing either, bookjunky, but I do like these. It's not that i don't think they aren't pretty in the garden, it's just that in MY garden they would be toast in two seconds flat! They would be broken so quickly! lol

As far as using the plates and saucers upright, how about drilling some small holes in three or four places to let the water run out?

Kat_wa, sometimes it doesn't seem like I can think of simple things like drilling holes to let the water out. Next time I think that a saucer, bowl or plate would definitely look better upright I'm going to remember I can drill a couple of holes. I just get stuck doing the same thing that has worked in the past. Thanks for the suggestion.
Marilyn