For this week’s final pottery class of the session, we had a fun potluck & pottery exchange! Ashley suggested we go with a potluck theme and chose “tropical”… which goes against my “all-chocolate instincts.” So I went with a pineapple cheesecake with coconut cookie crust.

But the real question… who cuts a cake from two different sides at the same time? What? I was confused.

GOOD NEWS!!! I finally have overhead lighting back in my studio!
I CAN SEE AGAIN!!! And it only took a two and a half weeks to be fixed?!!!

Couple little cuties that came out of last weekend’s soda kiln.
Mini vases with mini stamps! Lots of these little bud vases
on the shelves for this weekend’s HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!!

While unloading my soda kiln I practically filled a box with textured tiles.
The larger ones are already “spoken for” with an upcoming installation…
but I need to pull something together with these smaller ones for next weekend’s
HOLIDAY HOME SHOW. A couple new ClayQuilts coming soon!!!

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a trio of new mugs
fresh from my last soda kiln. Stamped, slip painted, soda-fired and ready
for this weekend’s HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!!
Mark your calendar and get ready to make your coffee taste a whole lot better!!!

A chilly & cloudy morning. I thought there was good sunrise potential…
but that low-flying big cloud thought otherwise!

Started out by making another batch of wheelthrown ornaments. I like to throw them off-the-hump… making the pointed “finial” to the top.

And then I do a bit of stamping… and trim off the bottom into a smoothly rounded dome. Then I add a “cap” with a ring to hang the ornament. A little bit of handbuilding on top of the wheelthrown ornament.

And then I added some colored flashing slip accents to some of the ornaments.
Bands of color going around and some dots of color in the center of some of the stamps.

After they’re bisque fired, I get them ready for the soda-kiln. I make these little tripods ahead of time, bisque fire them and dip the tips in kiln wash. When I’m loading the kiln, I carefully balance the ornament upside down on the tripod.

After the firing… if everything went well…
the ornaments are now fired and still standing on the tripods!

As I unload the kiln, it’s always so much fun to find these little cuties coming out.

So for now they’re done… but when I get home I’ll be adding a metal ring through the top loop to hang the ornaments with, And in case you’re wondering… they are a LOT lighter than you would think!!! Yes, if you throw them thin, and trim then even thinner… you can make some pretty lightweight ornaments!

There will be LOTS of ornaments available this weekend!!!

My HOLIDAY HOME SHOW this weekend.
Saturday, November 17th & Sunday, November 18 from 10:00am-6:00pm both days!

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A couple weeks back I made a new batch of oil lamps. Wheeltrown stoneware stamped and painted with some colored flashing slips. You can’t really see it too much, but the colors should “pop” a lot better after the soda kiln firing.

After bisque firing, they were glazed with a liner and a bit of glaze inlay in the stamped indentations. A bit of colored accent glazes sprayed here & there.. and here’s what they look like after the soda kiln firing. And now I’m matching up some wick stones for the top to hold the wick.

All of them will be on the shelves this coming weekend for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!!

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Last night we played with clay to celebrate Kieran’s upcoming nuptials.
The “bachelorette” group had already been to the Art Institute, and had pizza for dinner,
next stop was the studio for some terra cotta fun! They all made textured slabs
that they turned into vases & mugs. So much fun to see them working together
through the generations. Such a wonderful group of family & friends…
which I’m honored to say I’m part of!

Who’s to say what “trouble” the girls got into though after they left the studio?!!!

Lots of fun & laughter… lots of encouragement & support… a lot of great pots!
All of which ended with little Ryann scrubbing down the tables!

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