When is a simple sphere not so simple?… well, when you only have ten minutes!!!

THROWDOWN Decathlon Event #3 : Largest “perfect” sphere with one pound of clay!

Next up in our THROWDOWN Olympic challenge…

THROWDOWN Decathlon Event #2 : Longest coil with one pound of clay!

Last week in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, we celebrated a little Olympic spirit with our own “Pottery Decathlon!” Ten “events” using 10-pounds of clay… one pound for each event!!! And only ten minutes per challenge!!! Kinda tough… but so much fun as winning points were accumulated through all ten events!!!

THROWDOWN Decathlon Event #1 : Tallest cylinder with one pound of clay!

Morning sun streaming in… catching a wonderful pop of red as my waxed amaryllis bulb is in full bloom!!!

Continuing the celebration of NATIONAL TILE DAY today!!! With another post… this time showing a commission piece I made for Diane & Jim over the past couple months. They brought in a cool wood-carved wall piece they had purchased during a vacation. They decided to augment it with some of my handmade tiles in the form of a ClayQuilt. We discussed some options… and we landed on this triptych design. With my pieces flanking their wood piece for a little more emphasis on their dining room wall. Along with their commissioned tiles… I also made a few “custom” tiles with some initials & significant dates “hidden” amongst the textures!!

Just a “few” textured & soda-fired tiles on my condo wall. If you’ve ever been to my “Holiday Home Show” you’ve already seen ‘em, touched ‘em, loved ‘em… just a couple thousand tile squares!

Perfect to celebrate NATIONAL TILE DAY today!

Early morning sun streaming in on an oval casserole dish full of fruits & veggies.

I have no need for fabrics currently… but there is something so satisfying about these neatly stacked shelves of woolen patterns & textures at the antiques shop today! And as a tactile-texture guy… I pretty much had to touch every one of them!!!

Everyone’s “favorite “ barn on a road trip in central Illinois!

Okay… so today was a double-whammy of yummy holidays. We started the day with one… and now we’re ending with another one. As today is also NATIONAL CHERRY PIE DAY!!! You know I love a good holiday… and a good pie!!!