Inspired by Sarah’s recent “non-collaboration” succulent plantings… I decided to replant a new succulent for my window too! Luckily, I had a large flower pot all ready to go. Can’t wait for this new one to grow into its pot!

Looks like my friend Sarah has done a little succulent re-planting! Loving the line-up of my stamped & soda-fired flower pots… sure, they were intended for a “collaboration” between us. But after a “couple” years of collecting dust in her studio… it’s good to see they’ve come out of retirement with a wonderful solution!!! Beautiful Sarah… and I still love the ONE piece that came out of that original project!!! HA!!!

Just a quick glimpse at some of the new stamped mugs added to my online store today. You know they’re my favorite thing to make… so there’s plenty for everyone!!!

Click here… http://firewhenreadypottery.com/my-online-pottery-store/ .
Remember, you need to “order” your mug through the link on the blog, and not just a comment to this post. Sorry… just trying to keep it all organized in one place!

Back at the start of the Covid Pandemic, my very first art fair friends Gerry & Rosene had a little “incident” in their back yard. A storm blew through Central Illinois and took out one of their largest trees. As if that weren’t bad enough… it also smashed my ceramic totem pole that was residing their yard! We had installed it in their back terraced garden about a decade ago. a beautiful addition to their incredible garden treasure. But that big tree coming down did a LOT of damage to their garden… and what with a pandemic just starting to take-over! Bad timing!

Luckily, we had cemented the totem pole into the ground… so their insurance claim covered as it was a “permanent” piece of their landscaping. With funds coming from the inurance company, Gerry & Rosene had me start making a replacement totem for them I threw the pieces, stamped them and started decorating them.

Once they were soda-fired, I packed them up in crates and stored them in my basement until Gerry & Rosene were ready to install into their yard. Turns out yesterday was the day!!! I I packed up my car with all of the stamped & soda-fired sections… grabbed my cousin Kim… and drove down to Peoria for the day yesterday!!!

After a tour of the garden… a lot of chatting & catching up in our masks… and some food, it was time to get started with the totem pole! So we set out all of the pieces in the beautiful sunshine and got the project started!

I started by digging the hole for the pole to be planted into. I used a great auger tool to make the hole, and a sledge hammer to pound in the pole. We then added a bag of cement around the pole to fill the hole and secure the pole.

Rosene & my cousin Kim worked to organize and sequence the pieces in the right order… not that there is a right & wrong… just a preference. They looked at colors, textures, patterns & shapes and tried to randomize them as much as possible to it all stacked together nicely. Not quite as easy of a project as it sounds!

As they continued to organize the pieces, Gerry & I started to stack the pole from the bottom up. Piece by piece, section by section. I finally made it to the top to put on the every last piece. The topper to the totem pole!!!

And then we were done… and ready for our “photo shoot.” It was so nice to give them back the totem pole they lost in the storm. I do think that this “version” is much nicer than the original. The pieces have a bit more stamping &detailing on them. The colors are a bit more vibrant… and they chose a fitting spot for it right in their front yard! They were SO excited… and SO CUTE!!!

So there it is… their NEW replacement totem pole. Bigger & better than the firs tone… thanks to State Farm and their homeowner’s insurance!

However, they also still had a few pieces left from the original one that had “survived” the tree crash! So I planned ahead and made a new base & a new topper for them “just in case” we could re-stack the survivors and make a smaller totem in the back yard. It worked great… as it is very close to the original location of the first totem. In fact, in the next photo, you can practically see the “dead space” where the tree fell!!!

So no they have TWO new totems in their amazing garden!!! It was a wonderful day playing in the garden, chatting, eating all the while trying to keep our safe distance with our masks on. Okay sure, we may have gotten a little close a couple times… but we tried... we really tried!!!

But in the end… THEY HAVE A NEW TOTEM POLE… or two!!!

Not to be outdone, or out-bling’d…
here’s a little sneak peek at what Retta Hentschel did with the three lidded jars I sent her to play with. Such an amazing assemblage of colors, textures & bling on each of them. Stop by ART IN THE GARDEN to see them all… before they’re gone!

Another glimpse into some of the collaborations we’ve been working on for this weekend. Months ago I soda-fired some porcelain lidded jars and then “challenged” some of my fellow ART IN THE GARDEN artists to add a knob to the lid. Here’s what metalsmith Amy Taylor did with the three jars I sent her. A beautiful addition to my pottery.

Collaboration projects like these are part of what makes ART IN THE GARDEN so special.

For more information, click here.

Once the interiors were painted, it was time to tackle the faces of my newest addition to The Ghouls Collection… aka Calaveras de Azucar!!! Lots of details, lots of colors… lots of time!!! It was a very long evening after a full day of Summer Camp! If all goes as planned, these will be making their “Big Debut” at ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend!!!

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a collection of stamped & soda-fired mugs that will be making their appearance at ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend! Saturday & Sunday, August 29th & 30th from 10:00am-5:00pm in Glenview, Illinois.

Click here for more information… www.grassrootsartfair.com

Looks like it’s a fresh-picked morning in Pittsburgh!
Beautiful blackberries fresh off the vine… and into a cheery summer green bowl!

Thanks Jody… enjoy your homegrown treats!!!

And what’s better than a fun day at an art fair?… when friends drive two hours from Central Illinois just to see me, my pottery AND they bring homemade fudge!!! Plain chocolate & chocolate-marshmallow fudge!!! So yummy… fresh from Maurie’s Candy Shop down in Eureka, Illinois.

I love good friends & good fudge!!!
Thanks Keith & Julie so good to see you… and your fudge!!!