So I tackled my pile of reclaim clay this afternoon. Fun, huh?
It had sat out open to the air for a couple days on a large plaster bat.
And it was still a little wetter & gooier than I would normally use.
But this time, I had a plan…

Knowing that I have a couple older bags of clay that are a little hard, I decided to use
this opportunity to soften it up with the reclaim. So I pulled it off the plaster bat,
cut it into smaller pieces and did very little wedging to get it more reconstituted.
All in all, my pile of “goo” weighed in at just shy of 90 pounds of new clay! Love it.
So I cut thin slices of reclaim and layered them with thin slices of the stiffer soda clay.
Fun with a wire tool. And lots of layers.

So the trick is to cut the thin layers of clay and alternate the clays you’re trying to incorporate.
Once you have a tall stack, it’s just a matter of slamming it down on the table to “compress”
the layers together. Then you slice the stack in half vertically through all the layers, and place
one half on top of the other half. Pick up the new stack and slam it again. Slice it in half again
vertically and stack it again! Slam it again. Slice it again. Stack it again. Got it?

Several repetitions of this simple task will surprisingly mix your clays effectively. Each time
you re-stack the two halves, it doubles the number of layers. So when you slam it down, the
layers get thinner. Double it again, double the layers and slam it so each layer gets thinner.
Over and over again! I then pounded them into simple blocks of new clay and put them into
clay bags. I’ll keep them sealed up far a week or so before I start using them. But after that…
the possibilities are endless. And I now have a LOT of “new” clay with just a little work!

Tonight was the first night of my new session of pottery class at Lillstreet Art Center.
And it’s always exciting to get a new “crop” of students excited to get started in clay.
Imagine my excitement when I found out that three, yes, count them three…
are working PASTRY CHEFS. I’m hoping for some really good snacks this session!
I brought Oreo’s tonight… I’m sure they can do better than that.

The New Year always make me excited with the promise of a new beginning.
Back to the studio. Back to a routine. Starting again with new possibilities!
So I did a little New Year’s shopping at the Container Store… which also gets me excited.
And I bought myself a new storage tray for my handmade stamps!

Why?…
Because the other three trays are already full!!!

And I once again started the New Year by making myself some new stamps!
Because you can never have too may, right?! New Year. New stamps. New patterns.
Each of them hand-carved… and double-sided with a pattern on each end.
At least now I have some place to put them after their bisqued… in my new storage tray!!!

See how nicely that story came around full circle?!

I’ve always said “I like to play in the mud”…
so I’m starting the New Year with a big pile of mud!!!
I couldn’t decide what to do when I got into the studio today. So it was a bunch of cleaning
and organizing. Prepping for production to begin. Cleaning. Scrubbing. Refilling. Sweeping.
And “cookin’ up” some nice new clay…

Actually, it’s my latest pile of reclaim clay. Having slaked for a couple months over the
holidays, it’s all nice a gooey and ready to start turning it back into clay. So today I turned
it all out onto a large plaster slab to get the drying process started. A couple days on the slab,
and my clay should be “sturdy” enough to start wedging it back up into some nice “new” clay.
And then the possibilities are endless… and I love “free” clay!!

Apparently, this little blog of mine has been “honored” by Pottery Making Info.
And was chosen as one of the Top Ten Clay Blogs of 2010.

Pottery Making Info gathers information & posts from various blogs, and re-posts them
to a wider audience. Which is great, because my work & blog get seen by more people.
So it’s kind of a win-win for me! Good exposure… and a Top Ten shout-out!!!

To see the others who made the cut, click here… Top Ten Clay Blogs 2010.

So I’ve decided that MY New Year will start next Monday.
Okay, so it’s a week later than everyone else’s. But this past week has been
a little crazy and I wasn’t quite ready to buckle down and tow the line yet.
So this week I’ve been trying to get everything put away, packed, cleaned up,
de-holiday’d and get back into a normal routine of some sort. So it all starts Monday!

Until then… I’m eating my way through the kitchen to get rid of “bad” foods.
Can’t throw it away, right? So today I made a Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Pie! Yum.
Luckily, I went to Step Class this morning so I don’t feel quite so bad eating pie all day!
Tomorrow is my first Flash Mob happening “mysteriously” down in Millennium Park.
And Sunday is Step again, plus dinner, movie & fun with my good friend Nancy!!!
Chances are it might even include a trip to Rose Angeli’s?! Fingers crossed…

Next week I’m re-focused.
Next week I’m eating better.
Next week I’m back in the studio.
Next week my pottery class starts up.
Next week I’m starting the New Year’s Resolutions!!!
My “New Year” starts next Monday!!!

Finally… the holiday season has come to end.
And I’m trying to get my life back to normal.

My Home Show pottery & shelves are finally in the basement.
My Christmas tree came down today and is now in the basement.
My decorations are all packed away and down in the basement.
My outdoor lights are off the porch and down in the basement.
You should see my basement!!! It’s a disaster.

But I did take some time today to clean my condo as the Christmas décor came down
Is it weird to watch past episodes of “Hoarders” as you’re packing everything
downstairs in the basement? I saw certain “parallels” that I wasn’t too too pleased with.
At least I know that I’m not “hoarding” animals like those crazy characters on the episode!
One lady was hoarding chickens & goats… another was hoarding rabbits and they’ve
taken over the house!!! Literally shtoopin’ like rabbits, running free in the house
and even eating their way THROUGH the walls!!! It was great!… crazy!… fun!!!
So great… I got “extra” motivated and even deep-cleaned two rugs today!!!

And luckily, I know I can take some time to clean my storage room area next week!
In fact, today I bought some new plastic storage boxes on sale at Target in anticipation!
Until then, my condo is finally getting back to normal… and I took some time to enjoy
the quiet beauty of my place after all of the Christmas craziness!

My poinsettias are still beautiful – especially with the sunlight streaming through
my dining room windows! Love the vein textures & details of the leaves!

My new orchid took an a dramatic flair as the sun created some great shadows!
Thank you Kel & Kelly for my newest floral addition!

And my fern is “over-wintering” in my dining room… counting down the days
until it can return to summer on the back porch! And so am I…

Yesterday was my first morning bike ride of the New Year.
Sadly, the sunrise was pretty anti-climactic… gray & dreary!
Just another “Hazy Shade of Winter”… cue music… you choose…
“The Bangles” or “Simon & Garfunkel”?

But today was another story… and a better sunrise!
It was also a lot colder this morning. But when I got up early, stepped out onto my back porch
to check the weather, I could see that there was something beautiful brewing over the lake.
So I threw on the layers again and went out to brave the elements. And pedaled off…

It was beautiful, and a great “2nd” kick-off to my morning rides… even if it was a day late?!
And pay no attention to that chunk of cloudy “ugliness” moving off to the north!

So the cool clouds were moving off, but the temperature was still in the mid-teens!
And for the first time I found myself riding with frozen ice crystals on my eyelashes actually
scraping against the insides of my glasses every time I blinked. Seriously! It was that cold.
Even with a double-layer of gloves, my fingers were freezing too! But still worth it…
to start the morning off with a bit of exercise, a lot of fun and an incredible sunrise like this!

The Winter session of clay classes at Lillstreet Art Center begin next week!
Just when the holidays are over… and everyone is looking for something fun to do!!!

My wheelthrowing class for beginners & advanced-beginners starts one week from tonight!
Don’t worry if you’ve never touched clay… or did, but it was back in high school…
We start each session with introductions to find out where we all stand and determine the
10-week syllabus based on who’s in the class. We always cover the basics, from centering
to cylinders, onto bowls and other forms… but I do take requests!

Tuesday evenings beginning January 11th from 7:00pm-10:00pm.
Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60640 – (773) 769-4226

I just found out tonight that there are only three spaces left. Sign up soon – don’t be left out!
Call or stop by Lillstreet Art Center – or register for class online: www.lillstreet.com

After a long holiday season… too many holiday parties… too much fun…
even Michaelangelo’s “David” is looking forward to getting back in shape!

So starting tomorrow, I am back “on the wagon.” Focused on getting back on track.
Too many cookies. Too many holiday dinners. Too many reasons to pig out.
So tomorrow I’m re-focused. Tomorrow I’m eating better. Starting tomorrow I’m back.
Back on the bike weather permitting. Back to Step Class. Back to the studio.
And backing away from all of those goodies that have tempted us for the past month.

And hopefully, “David” will be back on track soon too!
Nobody wants a flabby David… or a flabby Gary for that matter!