This week in our GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, the “homework” challenge was to make their matching dinner plates from last week’s class more decorative with only SLIP TRAILING as their chosen surface decoration technique. They had the option of going all matchy-matchy… or a design theme that works well together for a tight cohesive set! As some of them had never really done slip trailing before, I think they totally knocked it out of the park!!!

From the looks of my windows this morning… it’s still pretty darn cold outside!!!
Can’t wait for the “warm-up” they’re forecasting in a couple days!

While it’s still freezing in Chicago, it’s never to soon to start planning a fun pottery adventure for the warmer Spring days! So excited to see the newest poster arrive in my mailbox for the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour up in Minnesota! So much fun to travel around to see pottery studios, potters & beautiful pottery everywhere! I’ll be up there touring & shopping… and you should too! Mark your calendars now…

When cleaning out a shelving unit to take down Christmas decorations, and switch to her next “theme”… Rosene found these two mugs that she had been coveting… but resisted & didn’t buy for herself.

Instead, they “may have” just been left behind one day “hidden” in the shelves for her to find. It took a couple months… but she finally found these two surprise gifts hidden amongst some Christmas decorations!!!

These two days of frozen tundra weather in Chicago have sure been a workout for our “vintage” heating system. I mean, I love the old radiators in my condo… but this on & off thing… there’s got to be a better way. Thankfully, we’ve added a few more segments of “ON” to get us through the cold snap! It doesn’t usually look this crazy!!! HA!!!

Celebrating a little TEXTURE TUESDAY with a quick-pick of Rosene’s platter… with more than a few stamped impressions! Pretty enough… but always prettier with a big chocolate cake on top!!! Just sayin’… hint, hint…

So while we’re all frozen in & curled up on the sofa for the day… I might just have to re-watch THE TRAITORS!!! Yes, it’s that good!!! Season Two just started… and I’M ALL IN!!!

When I first started “streaming” not all that long ago… I binged through THE TRAITORS season one pretty quickly & loved it!!! Followed immediately by binging “The Traitors UK”… and then right into “The Traitors Australia.” I just couldn’t stop. Addicted!!! And now the first three episodes have dropped for Season Two of the American version… with twenty-one of our “favorite” Reality TV stars as competitors!!! Including my all-time favorite player from Survivor… and plenty of crazy Housewives!!! So much fun… so funny!!!

Woke up this morning to some VERY frosty windows!!! Whew baby it’s cold outside!!! The actual temperature is below zero… but the “real feel” temperature is about 30-degrees COLDER!!! Thinking it’s a good day to hunker down at home and try to get some things done. You know, all that “busy work” you wish you had more time for?… fingers crossed.

While in Pontiac yesterday, right there on historic Route 66… I also took some time to visit the War Museum. Complete with hundreds of uniforms from all of the historic wars around the world. Most came with photos & stories of the actual soldier who wore the uniform… with plenty of QR Codes to click on for more information on each uniform throughout the exhibit.

“If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66. Well it winds from Chicago to LA.
More than two thousand miles all the way.”

A mural map in Pontiac, Illinois… right there on historic Route 66.