As we near the end of our pottery class session, we’re also nearing the “Big Reveal” of THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW. Last night we celebrated the latest batch of “losers” who didn’t quite make it to the finals! Yummy treats based-on & inspired-by the four bakers… baklava for Karis, churros for Sean, key lime ice cream parfait cups for Nerali & purple ube cupcakes for Susan! Quite the night for my students. Exciting to see that our very own Martin has made it into the Top Three & will be baking & competing in the FINALS!!! Go Martin!!!

All lined up… ready for a quick layer of wax resist on the footrings… then some quick glazing before teaching class tonight. I’d love to get them in the kiln soon… as this coming weekend is the Schaumburg Prairie Arts Festival!!! And I’d really like to have some of these berry bowls ready for this weekend!!! Fingers crossed…

I always love when this little guy pops-up in my front garden!
A fun Jack-In-The-Pulpit flower blooming on a graceful stem.

A little on the monochromatic & hazy side of things this morning. Quiet & serene… luckily with a bit of a sunny breakthrough at the end. Shimmering reflections without much of a cloud-show!

Looks like Julie has been busy in the kitchen again… baking up some beautiful cream puffs! It’s a shame that Keith ate too many of them… and only THREE made it to their blue sgraffito platter!!!

Forgot to mention the yummy breakfast we had at GOOD DAY CAFE before going up to the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour last Friday. We knew we need some good sustenance before a long day of pottery shopping! I mean.. I could have gone with some sort of healthy protein omelette or something… but they had these oven-baked apple souffle pancakes on the menu! How was I supposed to pass that up???

I didn’t.

For anyone who might be in the Central Illinois area this weekend… a quick POP-UP SALE near Peoria! I will bringing some pottery down to share with my “first art fair friends ever” as they host their Annual Plant Sale! Their gardens are AMAZING… and they have been splitting, dividing, propagating & germinating just to have LOTS of plants to sell. Lots of homegrown perennials, annuals, succulents, garden accents… and some of my POTTERY too!!! If you’re in the area, be sure to swing by!!!

2314 Skyway Road, Bartonville, Illinois 61607… 9:00am-4:00pm…
right by the Peoria International Airport!

Some microgreens in a micro-bowl…. thanks to Kristy’s lunch!

Great old kiln hidden in the woods. Moss covered, rusted through & seemingly unused for years at the Matt Krousey stop of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. My guess is that’s it’s still a leftover from the Bob Briscoe days there?!