Sometimes a blue vase just makes the blue hydrangeas even prettier! A stamped & soda-fired oval vase helps spread out the flowers so you can see more hydrangeas side-to-side!

You know I like to make my life “harder” than it needs to be… so why not make MORE?!!! Sure, I “should” be focused on making & finishing all of the new Ghouls for next weekend’s ART IN THE BARN. So then why did I decide to make a dozen new pumpkins as well… throwing more than ten before 10:00am??? Ummm… because I’m an over-achiever… and ever so slightly CRAZY?!!! What was I thinking…

After a fun birthday dinner for my Dad last night, with far too much pizza & ooey-gooey-fudgey-marshmallowey-birthday cake… I was looking forward to a nice morning ride to compensate for last night’s festivities! I was a couple miles in when the rain started… although nothing was listed on my weather app?! So I aborted that plan & started to head home in the rain. But then the rain stopped… so I continued north instead. We never got a real sunrise to speak of… but the clouds were nice. And I still managed to get in some good mileage!!!

After a fun birthday dinner for my Dad last night, with far too much pizza & ooey-gooey-fudgey-marshmallowey-birthday cake… I was looking forward to a nice morning ride to compensate for last night’s festivities! I was a couple miles in when the rain started… although nothing was listed on my weather app?! So I aborted that plan & started to head home in the rain. But then the rain stopped… so I continued north instead. We never got a real sunrise to speak of… but the clouds were nice. And I still managed to get in some good mileage!!!

Building a prototype. A little piece here, a little chunk there. A rippled squiggle here, a concave dent there. All trying to figure out the best production process & plan for building this year’s new addition to The Ghouls Collection!!!

We’re just about a week away… and I still have a lot of work to get done, glazed & fired before ART IN THE BARN in Barrington. Sure, I have some new platters & bowls ready to go… but I’m still working on my newest Halloween Ghouls!!! Racing towards the deadline as usual.

The new Ghoul isn’t gonna build itself!!! So I’ve been working on my newest character addition for the past couple days. Starting with a prototype… and deciding which of my tools might help facilitate my Halloween Ghoul production & personality this year?! Obviously… some handmade stamps & MKM handrollers will be used!

Ohhh, that color though!!! Just a crazy pop of color on “that one special tree” along my morning bike route. As much as I’m grasping for Summer to last longer… this tree is pretty AMAZING!!!

Just loving these last few days of Summer!
The weather was AMAZING again this morning…
warm & humid with a gentle breeze for an easy ride home.

Beautiful color… but FAR too soon!!! I’m still desperately trying to hang onto Summer!!!
Officially we have three more days of Summer… no need to jump too fast into Fall.