Jack-In-The-Pulpit above… and Lily-Of-The-Valley below…

The lake was loud and I was layered.
With a chill in the air and a strong wind blowing south, the lake was quite choppy…
and I was forced to put all of the layers back on once again.

I also found a box full of fortune cookies waiting for me when I got into the studio. My friend Marian had fired them in her cone 10 kiln for me. I love making kiln filler… and I’m glad I could help fill someone else’s kiln too!!! And a nice surprise to find them done. How fortunate.

I unloaded my latest electric kiln last night and got out these cute little terra cotta trays. They’re small & textured… ready to be matched-up with my new salt & pepper shakers!

It’s hard to believe that we’re already kicking off the Summer Art Fair Season.
What a great way to kick off the Memorial Day Weekend.
With wonderful art & friendly artists all through the park.

Schaumburg Prairie Arts Festival
Saturday, May 25th & Sunday, May 26th
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center, 201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg, Illinois
In the park, around the pond, between Meacham and Roselle Roads.

It’s the perfect chance to see what I’ve been working on over the Winter.
Inventory has been fully replenished with a lot of new pieces. I’ve been busy.
All of them are handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. Bowls, vases, mugs, planters, tumblers,
salt & pepper shakers and ClayQuilt tiled wall hangings… and much more!!!
I hope that you can make it to Schaumburg this weekend.

I’d love to see you in my usual booth spot… Booth #51 right on the corner!
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and we’ll see you this weekend…
                                                                                    … and bring your friends!

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And if you can’t make it this weekend… you still have a few more chances…

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, June 8th & Sunday, June 9th
Burlington Park on Chicago Avenue between Washington & Garfield Streets in Hinsdale, Illinois

Evanston Lakeshore Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, August 3rd & Sunday, August 4th
Dawes Park on Sheridan Road at Church Street along Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois

Art In The Barn: Barrington
Saturday, September 28th & Sunday, September 29th
On the grounds (and in the barns) of Good Shepherd Hospital on Route 22 in Barrington, Illinois

“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show
Saturday, November 23rd & Sunday, November 24th
At my place with pottery & handmade pretties in every room of my condo…
as well as my annual “Tired Of Shlepping Sale” on the back porch!

Yep… made ’em in February.
You know, part of my monthly Holiday Ornament Challenge with Sarah Chapman.
Then it took almost three months to get them into a final soda kiln firing.
But I think they were worth the wait.

Now I just need to add wire rings to hang them from. Here’s a few sneak peeks…

It seems like I made these pieces so long ago, They survived the bisque firing, but I’ve been worried ever since about warping & slumping in the final cone 10 soda firing. Well, they finally went into the soda kiln last Friday… and made it back out WITH NO SLUMPING!!! Yeah! My first attempt at 10″ cake plates was a huge success! So there will be a very limited quantity of them at my first couple art fairs. It’s going to be first-come, first-served… just like cake. And if they get a good response, I’m sure I’ll be making more. And again, hoping that the new ones don’t slump. Just because they survived once doesn’t mean I can get cocky! And please disregard my poor photos. They were just taken quickly as I pulled things out of the kiln. They’re actually in the Lillstreet spray booth with some packing foam to cover some bad stains on the table! Glamorous, huh?

10″ Cake Plate #1  – with a hint of teal blue glaze

10″ Cake Plate #2  – with a touch of temoku

10″ Cake Plate #3  – with a smattering of matte blue glaze

10″ Cake Plate #4  – with a soft, satin yellowish sheen

10″ Cake Plate #5  – with some crackling slip “sealed” with temoku glaze for this crazy effect

Still a little hotter than I might like… but I couldn’t wait.
I figure as long as I can pull then out with bare hands they’re not too hot, right?!

Tonight I finally got to unload my soda kiln. You don’t know how tough it is to wait. You’ve worked so hard to make the stuff, waited for it to dry, fire it, glaze and then fire it again. You want to see it as soon as possible!!! But of course, the kiln decides to cool off at it’s own speed… and you can only open it when it’s good and ready. So finally… after waiting all day… I finally opened it… revealing the treasures inside brick by brick!

A little closer examination of my pots… and some kiln posts?!!!

So now everything is unloaded, packed up, piled into my car and shlepped into my storage room. Now I need to find some time to unpack everything, do a little prepping, cleaning, pricing and RE-packing to get ready for this weekend’s art fair in Schaumburg!

When I got up this morning it was already warm & steamy. The air was thick… and I was instantly sweaty. Everything seemed heavy, including the sunrise & clouds on the horizon.

Later, when I got home, I heard a radio newscaster refer to the morning weather as “soupy”?!!!
Seemed oddly fitting.