For today’s Facebook Challenge, I’m focusing on Tile Thursday. Small, soda-fired textured tiles assembled into what I like to call my ClayQuilts. Including the last photo which was featured in “500 Tiles” by Lark Books on page 219.

As part of today’s challenge, I’d also like to nominate my friend Nancy Jana-Kent who got me to take my first pottery class several years back!!! Thanks Nancy.

For today’s Facebook Challenge, I’m focusing on Tile Thursday.
Small, soda-fired textured tiles assembled into what I like to call my ClayQuilts.
Including the last photo which was featured in the “500 Tiles” book by Lark Books page 219.

As part of today’s challenge, I’d also like to nominate my friend Nancy Jana-Kent who got me to take my first pottery class several years back!!! Thanks Nancy.

Since we had “extras” for Mugshot Monday yesterday,
I figured I should continue the trend with a few “extras” for Texture Tuesday!!!

Remember, there are a LOT more textures to see on my Pinterest Page!
Over a hundred textures pressed in clay. A lot of visual eye-candy to get lost in.
Click here for my TEXTURES Pinterest Album.

Tomorrow is my last holiday home show of the season!
Mud & Metal : A Collaborative Holiday Home Show.
After Saturday, the shelves can start coming down… finally…

And I thought I might just taunt you a bit with a few shots of some of my work that will be available tomorrow! Lots of stamping. Lots of textures. Lots of soda-fired flashing. Be sure to stop by for some great holiday shopping… and warm apple cider too!

We’re open from 10:0am-6:00pm on Saturday, December 13th.
Me, my pottery, my tiles and Amy Taylor with her beautiful jewelry.
The perfect chance to knock some names of your holiday shopping list!!!

And as always, we still have “The Tired of Shlepping Sale” going on my back porch. The shelves have been replenished with even more clearance & discounted pricing! First come, first served… they’re priced to move!

Another good reason to come over to my place today for Day Two of my Holiday Home Show?… you can see the wall I covered with my little textured tiles. Touch it, love it, rub up against it, fondle it, whatever. Just 2,894 textured tiles on the wall… not that I’ve counted. Okay, maybe I have…

Well, the “instant” tiles I made on Tuesday before class turned out just fine. Surprisingly flat after the bisque firing… none of warping or cracking that I was dreading. The textures pop even more when I add temoku into the stamps. Lets hope that they stay as flat and un-warped when they come out of the soda kiln too?!

Another batch of textured tiles in the studio.
Drying on a plastic grid hoping to avoid warping.

So Bowl #1 of my class demo was the “plain” smooth one. The bowl that was the basis for all bowls to follow. Tonight I trimmed the bowls and had “trouble” leaving it plain. It’s so not me.  So I figured a little carving here & there couldn’t hurt, right?

So I started to carve out a pattern using the rounded edge of my loop trimming tool. I started with a smaller one for the first couple rows, and then switched to a slightly larger one for the rest of the carving marks.

So much better than the “plain” bowl, right??? And thanks to Amy Higgason of Pigeon Road Pottery for the carving & detailing inspiration. She came and did a quickie workshop for my class a few session s ago and taught everyone this technique. So easy. So beautiful. So much better than a “plain” bowl.

And if a full coverage of loop tool carvings is good… why not add a knick of the sgraffito tool in the center of each one? Because you can… and I did. Thanks again Amy.

Last minute assembly as we’re getting ever closer to ART IN THE BARN. So while we’re packing, pricing & setting up today, these wooden jewelry boxes will hopefully be drying. Gotta keep the tiles in place so I can sell “something new” at The Barn this weekend.