For the final class of my SURFACE DECORATION class, we pulled together all of the glazed bowls we had gotten back from the kiln. A couple weeks prior, I had challenged them all to try a different technique on a little slip of paper. It was fun to watch how each student approached their glazing challenge… but even more fun to see all of the final results!!!

I mean, who doesn’t need a “bowl” to put your donuts in when celebrating NATIONAL DONUT DAY?! Everything tastes better when served in handmade pottery… even donuts!!!

Food always tastes better in handmade pottery…
like we could even make Mint OREO’s taste any better??? They’re ALWAYS yummy!

We hope to see you in Sandwich… perhaps with sandwich cookies???

For more info… www.northernilpotterytour.com

Plenty of bowls for everyone… always food-safe, dishwasher-safe & microwave-safe! I mean, if you can’t really use it… why bother??? Stop by the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR to get a few bowls of your own! This weekend in Sandwich, Illinois at the home studio of Cory McCrory!

For more info : www.northernilpotterytour.com

So last night in class we had our usual end-of-session potluck.
But turned it into a little bridal shower for Rachael, one of my students.

In a previous class she had shared her plan to make some “salmon bowls” for herself.
None of us knew what she meant… and the stories went on forever. Turns out they’re just bowls that she & her fiancé Matt eat their salmon out of. First from Costco… then maybe IKEA… had to check with her fiancé? Not that it matters?! But the drama & stories about these dang “salmon bowls” dragged on forever… because it was so funny… and we just wouldn’t let it go!!! For our own entertainment of course!

So when the idea of a bridal shower came up, we all decided to secretly make her a “salmon bowl” as her gift! And last night was the big reveal… she LOVED THEM!!! There will still be a few more that didn’t quite make it through the kiln in time!

But it was an AMAZING surprise for Rachael…
and now she has her own custom “salmon bowls.”
Great fun for all… as “something fishy” was definitely going on!!!

I mean…
it’s not every day that I put coho salmon on a bowl?! But this once I will…

So… I’ve been working on a little “undercover” project for one of my students. Couldn’t give anything away too soon… or she might have thought something was “fishy.” And yes… I put two salmon on my bowl. More story to come…

Ripe for the pickin’… plenty of functional bowls headed to the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR next weekend. I will once again be setting up my booth at the Sandwich, Illinois location… home of My Talented Friend Cory McCrory… she’s a peach!!!

Just a week away… still trying to pull together a few last pieces in one last kiln!!!
For more details : www.northernilpottery.com

Possibly my fastest turn-around ever?!

After returning from Minnesota… I realized I had nothing ready for my SURFACE DECORATION class for a night of glazing fun. So Tuesday early evening, I threw fifteen bowls before teaching my Tuesday night class. That same evening late after class, I trimmed them all… dried them as much as I could overnight on plastic racks… and then they were in a bisque kiln early the very next morning! Done, fired & ready in time for last night’s class… a fun SURPRISE!… with a “free” bowl for each student to experiment on instead of using one of their own “precious” pots!!!

Whew, that was a quick one!

Drilling holes making berry bowls this morning. Using drill bits for assorted sizes of holes…
and a decorating disk from MKM Pottery Tools for even segments & spacing!