Okay, so I’ve been a little busy with unloading my soda kiln, scraping shelves, kiln washing the shelves, teaching & Summer Camping!!! So here are a few “delayed” shots from Monday night’s unloading. I’m pretty pleased with all of the bright pops of color throughout! So glad that soda-firing does not have to be all gray & brown all the time!

Celebrating a little MUGSHOT MONDAY with this cute little “curated” shelf of mugs, cups & the perfect mini vase for one single zinnia bloom. Thanks for sharing Kristy!

Another “sneaky-peek” as start to unbrick the soda kiln. It was tough to wait… but I had Summer Campers all day who had to learn how to throw on the wheel (in three hours?) More fun with them tomorrow… but now they’re gone so I’m hoping to unload before I teach again tonight!!! Fingers crossed… so far so good!!!

Plus, you’ve gotta love when your friend & pottery “follower” stops by to say “Hi”… and brings along a sweet treat or two!!! You’re the BEST Melissa!!! Thanks again… burp!

With a long weekend & great weather ahead of us, it looks like the “perfect” weekend to kick-off my summer art fair season! This Saturday & Sunday from 10:00am-5:00pm in Schaumburg… same booth space as always! Hope you can swing by!!!

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!

And you can’t really call it “a collection” with just ONE… so… this little sweetie came home too!!! Such amazing sgraffito line-work on such a small piece of porcelain pottery. Just for the record, this little pot is only 2.5-inches tall. Another AMAZING piece from Becky Lloyd from North Carolina… and already thinking about what might piece join these two next year?!

Okay, so I “may” have done a little more damage while shopping at the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. I’ve followed Becky Lloyd on Instagram for awhile now… and have been amazed by her detailed sgraffito work. I saw her pieces for the first time last year during the tour… and have thought about them every since! Dare I say coveted? So this weekend I felt myself slipping… sensing the start of a new collection… and YES, I took this amazing piece home with me!!! The sgraffito carving is so tight & precise… and so tiny in spaces that it looks gray, not black & white… until you look really close and see that there are still individual carving lines there!!! BEAUTIFUL… and I’m so excited to own this stunner now!!!

Be sure to check her out on Instagram – @beckylloydyogamama

Two of my students made the trek up to The St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour… and found a great photo-op when they swung by The Rogue Potters! You know how the movie “Ghost” is kind of the bane of a potter’s existence?!… and how that song & movie get referenced at the start of almost every session?! Well, I guess if you can’t beat ’em… join ’em?!!! – – – Well played Katie & Jen!

Driving the Pottery Tour… there’s another great “unofficial” spot along the way! Just north of the Taylor’s Falls area, a fun group of local potters have set themselves up with a bunch of sandwich board signs to draw the people in! THE ROGUE POTTERS are a fun bunch of potters… with one of the coolest wood-firing kilns around. I swear one strong breeze might take it down, even though Randal says he’s tightened it up a bit with some new steelwork. Still a great, well-used & well-loved kiln!

To see more about THE ROGUE POTTERS… http://www.roguepotters.com/