So it seems like everything is coming together nicely…
and my “intriguing proposition” project is coming to fruition soon.
I can’t quite reveal it all yet… but here’s another hint.

Don’t get too excited… it’s really not THAT big of a deal.
More to come!

Trying to keep busy… replenishing the inventory on some of the “basics”!

I had a potential client meet me in my studio this morning
and we discussed a very intriguing proposition. By now you probably know
that I’m not a huge fan of commissions… but for this I’ll make an exception!
I hope it comes together… and then I can share details!

Plus, a new “toy” arrived today for my studio…

A set of really cool “speakers” to amplify my iPod music… straight from my earbuds!!!
They show up in this little, flat package. And then expand into horn-shaped speakers.
No batteries or power needed. No cables, chargers or converters. They’re flexible,
stackable & washable. The folks over at Tembo Trunks make a lot of claims about their
product. I think my studio will be the true test of their marketing claims!

Let the music play…. from my iPod, my iPod Shuffle, iPhone or even my iPad 2!!!
Yes, I’m obviously an Apple geek!!!

The speakers come in a a few fun colors… sadly, not orange!!!
So I went with classic iPod White. Check ’em all out on their website!
www.tembotrunks.com

So my day in the studio started with me moving around a LOT of clay.
I had to organize all the boxes & bags of clay strewn about my studio.
And then I had to move up my most recent clay purchase from the loading dock.

It was a lot of work & sweat. Moving everything around in my studio. But once it was done,
it looked great. And I just kept telling myself that it was “thirty boxes of potential.”

My goal for today was to “crank out” a bunch of pots.
To get back into “full production mode.” To get dirty. To play in the mud.

First off, I finished up the terra cotta trays…
and then got a little sidetracked into cleaning my studio. Sidetracked for 7 hours!!!
Yes… I cleaned. I organized. I threw away. I rearranged. I relabeled. I washed my floor.
And sadly, I didn’t realize that the evening had flown by and I made no pots!!!

At least now my studio is clean. And looks ready for some “pot making” tomorrow!
And the orchid arrangement I saved from the “glitter gig” dumpster looks so much
better now than they did in my dirty studio!

Another productive night in the studio. It’s always so much fun
when you pull a bunch of handles… and your cylinders finally become mugs!

Tonight I trimmed a bunch of things, added bottoms to the ovals and
added handles to the mugs. Getting ready to wrap them up for the night
to keep them “workable” for another day. Once the moisture levels “balance out”
a bit, I’ll add a little slip for a splash of color and then they can start drying!

After throwing some basic shapes last night in the studio, I came back tonight
to start the stamping. It feels good to have things “happening” in the studio again.
The holidays are finally over and things are getting back to normal.

So I pulled out some stamps and started pressing them in. Making the first “impressions”
of the New Year. Sadly, the newest batch of stamps has not been bisqued yet, so I’m still
using last year’s stamps… picking from the “thousands” of stamps in my studio arsenal.

Next up… trimming the mug cylinders, adding bottoms to the ovals…
and handles to the mugs! Otherwise, they’d just be cylinders, right?!

It seems like it’s been far too long…
And with classes starting again in a couple days, I thought I might want
to get back into the studio and make sure that I still remember how to throw!
It seems like so long ago…

After a two-hour Lillstreet teacher meeting, sheesh, I finally made it into the studio
to get my hands dirty. First, I started with a lot clay layering & wedging to get some
of my fresh reclaim clay prepared to go. I had reclaimed a huge pile of clay shortly
before the holidays, and just put it into clay bags to store it until I had time to
properly wedge it up. So today was the day. And then, once I had that “task” done,
it was time to start throwing. I started with a couple simple favorites… mugs & ovals.

Some simple cylinders… proving that I am still ready for class to start on Tuesday.
It may have been a long holiday break… but I’m back and ready to throw!

While packing up more pots in the studio to re-stock my Home Show shelves tonight,
I found a large platter waiting to be trimmed. All stamped. Wrapped in plastic.
Just waiting. And waiting. Yes, I had completely forgotten about the platter –
a class demo piece from several weeks ago! No kidding… at least four for five weeks!
I guess I have been “a little busy” and totally spaced it out. Luckily, I used good plastic…
and could still trim a foot ring. Glad I found it when I did.