Today I tackled my holiday ornaments. They were all thrown on the wheel and were ready to be trimmed. So I took of some of the “bulk” with a fettling knife before actually trimming.

I LOVE MY GIFFIN GRIP!!!
I don’t know how I would do these without it?!
I think every potter should have one!!! You’ll wonder how you ever got by without one!

Anyways, I “float” the ornaments on the posts of the Giffin Grip. It closes in and holds the ornaments pretty firmly for trimming. For a quick trimming video, click here to go to my Facebook page.

A lot of ornaments… a lot of trimming…

After awhile thyey were all trimmed. Next up, I need to add some handbuilt caps & rings to the tops. But that’s for another day. So for now they’re back under wraps.

Started another batch of wheelthrown ceramic ornaments today…
even though I haven’t quite finished the first batch yet.
Taught my class tonight how to throw ornaments as well.

Summer is over…
So I guess tonight was a good night to start making Christmas ornaments.

They’re thrown off-the-hump. When they stiffen up a bit, I’ll stamp them, trim them, slip paint them and add a hanging hoop where the “squishy” part is.

Another holiday “photo” greeting… this time from a Facebook Fan in Utah.
And proud new owner of a Fire When Ready Pottery Mug from the
“Happy December Online Sale.” Thanks for sharing Scott!!!

“Hi Gary – Enjoying some Christmas coffee in my new favorite mug as the snow falls here in Utah. And if you look close you’ll see last year’s ornament hanging from the tree. Thanks for your blog – it is informative and inspirational. Happy Holidays.”    – Scott

Today is my MUD & METAL Holiday Home Show from 10am-6pm.
Anyone who enters the front door of my condo already singing a Christmas Carol can have their choice of a FREE ceramic Christmas ornament! I have several styles to choose from. Each more festive than the next. All worthy of a holiday sing-a-long.

Just finished adding wire hoops to the last of my ornaments during the Lillstreet Studio Holiday Open House. One more thing checked off the To-Do-List. Still more things on “the list” than I would like at this point. Next…

Sure, I “should have been” home getting ready & finishing up everything on my To-Do-List before tomorrow’s Holiday Home Show. Instead, I decided to go to the Ceramics Showcase in Evanston to visit a few of My Talented Friends!!! How could I pass up the chance to see so many great pots in one place… made by some pretty terrific people!!! Friends like Cory McCrory, Roberta Polfus, Delores Fortuna, Amy Higgason, Nancy Gardner & Mary Dye… plus even more!

So, here’s the deal…
AFTER you come to my Holiday Home Show, you can go to this Ceramic Showcase.
But only AFTER you come to my place first…   got it?
Sure they all make beautiful pots as well… but come to my place first!…  deal?!

And of course I can’t leave empty-handed. So I had to snatch-up a new Christmas ornament by Cory McCrory…

As well as another cup to add to my already overflowing Mug Collection. This beauty was made by Nancy Gardner. I’ve been coveting from afar for a few years. This time I decided to dive in… choose from several sweet ones… to come out with this wonderfully whimsical, delightfully painted and perfectly pinched pot.

And then after all of THIS fun… then I had to go to the Holiday Opening Night Party at Lillstreet Art Center. Again… “should be” getting ready for my own Holiday Home Show. But duty calls…

Next up on the to-do list?…
Adding wire hanging hoops to my latest batch of wheelthrown ornaments.

Why does it seem that my ‘project list’ is getting longer instead of shorter?!

Okay, so not everything was a treasure…
one ornament jumped off its stilts and fused onto a tile, and another tile
got a “huge glop of lovin” from the kiln! Oh well… it’s just clay!

The back stack of the soda kiln gets loaded first. I tried putting the bottles a little lower than normal. Usually the taller pieces go on the top shelf. But I don’t want them to get “blasted” with soda, so I’m experimenting by putting them a layer lower… and leaving 1-1/5 shelves of tiles on the top.

Once it’s all the way up to the arch, then you can start the two front shelves which typically load together. Again, trying to keep the bottles a little more “protected” than the top shelf “blast zone.”

And some of you have asked how I fire my Christmas ornaments. Well, I make a little tripod and then balance them upside down. This is what they looked like as they were waiting to be loaded in with the rest of the pots.

Once completed, the front of the kiln is closed up with bricks. One by one, all the way to the top. Burners on for about 15 minutes as I clean up. Then its OFF for the evening as I rush home for a few hours of sleep – and then back again early tomorrow to get it started!!!