Mud-Luscious Clay: Sea Relics & Shore Botanicals

Mud-Luscious Clay: Sea Relics & Shore Botanicals Hi! I am Michelle Stambaugh of Mud-Luscious By Michelle! I am a mixed-media artist who begins all of my work with a piece of clay.

I love to create using texture and color, utilizing what is around me for inspiration.

Finally getting around to posting what I have been making and many of them have already sold! All of these were made usi...
05/30/2026

Finally getting around to posting what I have been making and many of them have already sold!

All of these were made using Mexo White self hardening clay. They are painted using various types of paint and other finishes and sealed with UV cured resin.
All of the driftwood was picked up on the shores of Deer Island and Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi Sound.
Our boat that we lived on February and March, and will be returning to in January, is in a Marina in Gulfport. I curated all of my driftwood and planks while on day trips around and down the Biloxi River and out in the sound/Gulf of America. It is an amazingly beautiful place!

I will be making more as I spend my time in our motorhome this summer and fall in Michigan. I am getting used to another move and trying to adjust my “not so cheerful” attitude that I have been (and my husband has been living with) for a bit since I moved my b***y from my home on the water…I really liked it there 🏝️💓🥹.

I will update you on what we are up to before I get to creating again. At the moment I am painting cabinets in my new “land yacht” that I am settling into. It was nice the way it was, but anyone who knows me knows I have to “make it me” before I can settle myself in it.
Cupboards are everywhere, but I’ll share pictures anyway—-tomorrow….🙃

In the meantime—here are some pictures of my creations.
Whichever ones are not labeled “sold” are available for sale. They are in my friends store, “Oh My” in Dowagiac, Michigan. If you are not local, message me as soon as you can and I will have her hold them. I will get them shipped out to you as soon as I get them picked up from the store.
If they were already sold I will let you know.
I won’t collect any payment until you are notified of its availability.
Thank you for your patience as I get back into the swing of this again!
I can’t tell you how grateful I am to all of you who have loved —and love what I make. —I can’t even tell you in words how much it means to my heart.
Your encouragement and interest is the bestest, hands down!

I can’t believe it’s been a month. A month since we have been living another life. Now a life in a motor home-in a campg...
05/16/2026

I can’t believe it’s been a month. A month since we have been living another life. Now a life in a motor home-in a campground.
The boat still floats without us in Gulfport Mississippi. She waits for us to live aboard her again in January, Lord willing.

My head is not right. My heart is all over the place. We are moving our camper again tomorrow. Maybe I can settle and create again then….I hope.

Then we will move again. To new property that we purchased to build another land home —yes—-Scott will build another home-I still haven’t wrapped my head around selling everything yet.
Now we are starting the building process over again…
….in all truthfulness, I don’t do well during these times. The first time we did this building thing, went back to school and started my clay journey to not be involved. We lived in a camper and a barn for over a year with two teenagers, two cats a big dog. We even lived in the camper IN the barn with our horse for awhile in the winter months…

The second time, I started a business in Dowagiac —that I wasn’t at all prepared for—so I didn’t have to deal with the emotions and non existence of my husband as he worked full time while he built our second home…I should mention that in between our first house and our second house that he built, he also built my brothers house and barn….mind you—he was working a full time job during this time too.
I ran a business, he did his life.

Then we sold it all, and for 6 months we tried to adapt to a completely different life together.
I haven’t had enough time. I have not adapted. But I still made things. I’m so glad I was still able to make things.

I seriously want to enjoy and be excited about “the process” - “the journey” ..I was just hoping it would be a new process- a new journey.

Please keep my head and heart in your prayers. They need it.

In the meantime:
I have some things that I have been working on and am ready to share with my little world. I will be sharing them starting Monday and giving information on how they were made and where their bits and pieces were foraged from. I will add pricing and other details if you are interested.

Thank you for reading and for being interested and always supporting my creative endeavors.
I know it’s been awhile. ♥️

The picture above has actually sold, but is a tiny example of one of about 30 items I will post for sale. 🤗

04/18/2026

Heading home today.
Yes- I call Michigan home. 💓
That’s where my people are.
Though I have no physical home there right now—I just left that in Mississippi—-my heart home is there; in Michigan -with my people.

04/13/2026

So I asked Chat GPT to write me a song based on what they know about me. Then I put it in an app and asked AI to write music with the lyrics provided. To say I am amazed (and somewhat freaked out..😳) this is the song it wrote!
I quite enjoy it myself. 💁🏼‍♀️

As we wrap up our time here in Mississippi and put in the past our very first taste of life on the water, I am so,so grateful.
This has been a journey of rest.
A journey of slowness.
A journey with water and the shore that I am so excited to repeat and continue next late fall.
Who knows where it will lead us.
In about a week we head back to Michigan to live in our new-to-us motorhome (Thank you Clayton and Shirley) for the summer. More creating aboard “Shirley” our ship on land will be coming soon.
I should finish up all of these pieces before we head back to Michigan and have them available for sale once we get settled on land!
I can’t wait to tell you all about it!


The little porthole window near my table is pretty close to water level and when the sun hits it just right it sparkels ...
03/28/2026

The little porthole window near my table is pretty close to water level and when the sun hits it just right it sparkels into the little nook where I create.

Today we had guests from Michigan visiting our floating home and then I sat at the table to paint some pods.

I think that soon I may have enough elements to finally put some pieces together.

I have seashells and sea fodder from our month on Marco Island Florida and driftwood and other beach ephemera from our time in Mississippi. I even picked up a piece of old lace off of the beach that is perfectly weathered and torn to add somewhere in the mix.

I sometimes miss the work of pottery, and the alchemy that happens in the kiln; but the act of playing in the clay is still there using self-hardening clay. The colors of the paint and the mixing and layering and experimenting has been incredibly satisfying too.

My mind has been simmering on things coastal and loving the peace and visual inspiration that water and the shoreline bring. I am excited to see how it all culminates through my hands.

03/22/2026

Sitting on the bow of the boat taking pictures of my wrist decorations…I wonder what the neighbors think..🤔 Michelle Couturier Stambaugh

The aft salon in the perfect place for me to sit on the futon and practice my “slow stitching. I have been pinning thing...
03/21/2026

The aft salon in the perfect place for me to sit on the futon and practice my “slow stitching.

I have been pinning things on Pinterest about slow stitching for several years hoping to use it on some bracelets someday.

Someday finally came. I took the time-
I decided to use what I had and just go for it.

I always have so many doubts when I start something—hoping others will find it as cool as I do..

Hoping I can sell it.

This time I figured I’d just enjoy the process, and if I can’t sell them I’ll wear them all myself. 🙌

These are only the beginning of the completed pieces using some of the components that I made from self-hardening clay.
The components are hand carved, hand painted, and sealed with resin which makes them very durable.

These are my “First almost -completed”project aboard our little floating studio/home!

Although I have never actually found a seahorse, in the water or on the shore, sculpting them with clay is such a soothi...
03/07/2026

Although I have never actually found a seahorse, in the water or on the shore, sculpting them with clay is such a soothing practice. I think I could get pretty addicted to them.

Putting a few pieces together since some inspiration is finally starting to come. ♥️

02/03/2026

We are in our new home in Gulfport Mississippi! First cruise for us with our big boat! What a beautiful, even though it was cold, trip!

Twig is enjoying new experiences with April McCoy, her foster mother for the month! 💞 Peanut Butter Martinis are her new...
01/09/2026

Twig is enjoying new experiences with April McCoy, her foster mother for the month! 💞 Peanut Butter Martinis are her new favorite!

Meanwhile, I am experimenting with stuff I sn**ch from the ground and watered down DIY paint!

Address

1408 Cowan Rd
Gulfport, MS
39507

Telephone

(269)4709840

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