More morning dahlia magic! It’s so impressive, albeit a bit confusing… that all of these dahlias are blooming at the same time on the same plant?! I’m so glad that I planted these back in the Spring, as the pay-off is great now. And I’m totally loving how the dahlia flowers just seem to change appearance every day! This plant has been blooming great… but I have three other dahlia plants that have yet to make a single flower?! Not sure why… same garden area, same sun, same watering, etc. Fingers still crossed… but better luck next year!

After several hours of painting with underglazes, the textured hats are done & ready for a layer of clear glaze to finish them off. Then into a kiln later… hoping to get them cooled off before I bring them out to Barrington this weekend for ART IN THE BARN.

Textured terra cotta is pretty sweet.. . but even more fun when some of the details & accents are hand-painted with colorful underglazes! So… time to paint some hats before finishing the Ghouls! I could while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers, consulting with the rain… while painting the hats!

So like I said… I’ve been busy-BUSY!!! I typically make a Limited Edition of forty Ghouls each year for ART IN THE BARN. But why not make my job harder than usual?… and so decide to make a two-parter Ghoul this year?! Yes, my new Ghoul will come with a hat. I mean, who doesn’t like a Ghoul who can accessorize?! Yet at the same time… now I need to make forty hats AND forty Ghouls! That’s EIGHTY pieces instead of the usual forty!!! Yikes! At least I finished assembling the hats over the weekend… which gave me a bit more time to focus on the Ghouls!

So it’s been a VERY busy past couple days… knowing that I’ve got to get my new Halloween Ghouls done by this weekend! I’ve spent a LOT of time in the studio over the weekend!!! So I’ve been handbuilding… adding parts & pieces to create the characters… and texturing as much as I can! And it’s so much easier with great textured handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools.

Pretty proud of my Beginners from class last night… when they tackled trimming & handles for their first mugs of the session! It’s only Week Two & they already have new mugs!!!

So much fun when a friend finds you some new OREO’s that you haven’t tried yet. Sure, I think we’ve figured out that the “imported” OREO’s aren’t as sweet & yummy as we would expect… but it’s always fun to try a new flavor! Or in this case… half & half combined flavors??? Thanks for indulging my OREO addiction Emma!

Looks like my cousin Kim’s backyard is still in full bloom… including the wall pocket vases she’s installed on the side of her large tree! While they may not have drainage holes, you can still plant in them if you add a layer of pebbles in the bottom & be cautious while watering! Plus, it doesn’t hurt any that Kim has a green thumb!!!

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a bunch of the stamped mugs that came out of my most recent soda firing. I’m always so excited when you open up the kiln and see such bright, soda-fired colors… and not all of the blasted “dolphin-skin” darkness that so many soda-fired pieces get. Remember, not all soda-fired pottery needs to be black, gray or brown!!!

So today I’m packing up many of these mugs to come with me to ART IN THE BARN next weekend in Barrington. Be sure to stop by… I’ll be in the Lower Barn as usual in my double booth!!!

Looks like Jan is celebrating a yummy MUGSHOT MONDAY with the new hybrid mug that she picked-up during ART IN THE GARDEN! Your morning rituals are always better in handmade pottery. Don’t forget… you can get yourself a new mug this coming weekend at ART IN THE BARN in Barrington!