A dramatic start to the morning… albeit for just a few mere minutes! So many clouds with just the tiniest sliver of sunrise. And then the sun went behind the grayness seemingly for the rest of the day!

Handles attached and setting-up a bit. A lot of scoring & slipping… attaching & smoothing.

I tell my students all the time… I love making handles & I love making mugs.
Two relatively unpopular opinions!

Handles pulled…looped over… and starting to set-up
before I begin attaching them to the newest batch of hybrid mugs!

Hybrid mugs moving another step forward…
after going back on the wheel for some nicely trimmed footrings.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE trimming??? Well, I do!!

Texture, texture… TEXTURE. Yep, a lot of that going on in the studio today! Assembling my latest batch of “hybrid mugs” with great textures made with my MKM Pottery Tools! Wheelthrown bottoms with handbuilt sides… combining to make my “hybrid mugs”!

For those of you attending NCECA this week… the national clay educators conference & trade show… be sure to check-out the folks at MKM POTTERY TOOLS! They’ve got some amazing hand rollers to try out… and some fun postcards they’re passing out!!!

Hey, lookey there… it’s ME!!! …and some of my soda-fired “hybrid mugs” on the MKM postcards!

Time to start another batch of my “hybrid mugs”…
a combination of wheelthrown & handbuilt parts.
And amazing textures & patterns using hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools.

And while it may “officially” be Spring outside… looks like my Thanksgiving cactus is a little confused?! One last “volunteer” blooming this morning??? After a full blooming last Thanksgiving… so fun to see one more four months later!!!

We finally made it! Today is the first full day of Spring. And while it’s still a bit chilly in Chicago… it looks like my Peoria pals have brought a little Spring inside! In what might be one of my “vintage” vases with a little bit of stamping along the edge… before I started soda-firing!

As part of our final classes each session, I like to have a little fun with my students doing a “white elephant” trading-stealing-exchanging game! Tonight with my Beginners, the category was a handmade mug. And I came home with this beauty made by Maryanna! Which let me just say… worked perfectly to hold my hot fudge sundae during our potluck… a couple times… burp!