The NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR is coming soon… just four days away! Mark your calendar & plan your route to visit six different pottery studio locations & see 43 potters along the way! I will once again be a Guest Artist at the the Sandwich location… home to My Talented Friend Cory McCrory!!!

For more details : www.northernilpotterytour.com

I met Cory McCrory MANY years ago when we were both setting up our booths at the Hinsdale Art Fair… we were intrigued by each other’s work & have become fast friends ever since!!! She is now one of the hosts for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… and I will once again be one of her Guest Artists! Can’t wait to play out there again… and maybe add a little sumthin’-sumthin’ to my Cory collection.

For those who have been to my Holiday Home Show… you’ve already seen my Cory McCrory Shrine!!! And for those who come to ART IN THE GARDEN in September… Cory is my favorite “collaborator” for that show too! Always creative… always an inspiration!

So last night in class we had our usual end-of-session potluck.
But turned it into a little bridal shower for Rachael, one of my students.

In a previous class she had shared her plan to make some “salmon bowls” for herself.
None of us knew what she meant… and the stories went on forever. Turns out they’re just bowls that she & her fiancé Matt eat their salmon out of. First from Costco… then maybe IKEA… had to check with her fiancé? Not that it matters?! But the drama & stories about these dang “salmon bowls” dragged on forever… because it was so funny… and we just wouldn’t let it go!!! For our own entertainment of course!

So when the idea of a bridal shower came up, we all decided to secretly make her a “salmon bowl” as her gift! And last night was the big reveal… she LOVED THEM!!! There will still be a few more that didn’t quite make it through the kiln in time!

But it was an AMAZING surprise for Rachael…
and now she has her own custom “salmon bowls.”
Great fun for all… as “something fishy” was definitely going on!!!

I mean…
it’s not every day that I put coho salmon on a bowl?! But this once I will…

So… I’ve been working on a little “undercover” project for one of my students. Couldn’t give anything away too soon… or she might have thought something was “fishy.” And yes… I put two salmon on my bowl. More story to come…

Fresh from the soda kiln… I will be bringing plenty of my “hybrid mugs” to the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR!!! Wheelthrown bottom, handbuilt sides, re-thrown & trimmed on the wheel… back & forth a couple times! Looking forward to seeing everyone on the Pottery Tour!

For more details : www.northernilpotterytour.com

Looks like my friend Rhonda has cut a few yellow flowers from her garden… some beautiful iris & a couple yellow peonies! Luckily, she had two of my square vases ready for simple arrangements. Thanks for sharing Rhonda… you know how I LOVE your yellow peonies!!!

Here’s a quick preview of the seven potters (eight?) who will be showing their work at the Sandwich location of the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR! Our host is the mega-talented Cory McCrory. I will be joining her again this year… as will Kenyon Hansen, Lindsey Heiden, Natalie Steinmetz , Jam & Bee & the NIPT organizer Amy Song! I’ve never seen the work of Jam & Bee… do they make it seven or eight??? Ha!!!

Click here for more details : www.northernilpotterytour.com

Ripe for the pickin’… plenty of functional bowls headed to the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR next weekend. I will once again be setting up my booth at the Sandwich, Illinois location… home of My Talented Friend Cory McCrory… she’s a peach!!!

Just a week away… still trying to pull together a few last pieces in one last kiln!!!
For more details : www.northernilpottery.com

Another stunning Sunday bike ride along the lakefront. Great colors. Great fun.
A bit breezy, but well worth the extra pedaling!