Looks like a yummy success to me! It smells amazing, the leaves look golden brown… and nothing sunk into the pie!!! Gotta let it cool a bit… pull out the Cool Whip… and find a fork!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Giddy-up!

Yes, Cool Whip!!! Remember, I have the palate of a four-year old and I grew up with Cool Whip. So it has lots of good childhood memories attached. And it’s creamy-yummy on pumpkin pie… so I bought TWO!!!

So here’s my sweet baby ready to go into the oven! As I was adding decorations to the top… cuz’ MORE IS MORE… I started to wonder.

Maybe there’s a “reason” why pumpkin pies never have crust or decorations on top?! But I was already committed to it… but will the leaves start to sink in as it bakes??? Only one way to find out… let the baking begin!!!

It’s time to kick-off your holiday shopping… make your list, check it twice and then head over to MY HOLIDAY HOME SHOW this weekend from 10:00am-6:00pm on Saturday & Sunday. We’re taking all of the proper precautions to keep it safe & socially-distanced for everyone with a limited capacity of six shoppers at one time.

Check here for more details, address & safety precautions!

We’re open today for Day Two of MY HOLIDAY HOME SHOW from 10:00am-6:00pm. Yesterday went well with plenty of social-distancing… limited access, full face masks, hand sanitizer, contactless check-out & sanitizing spray!!! I know these are tough times… but I’m doing everything I can to keep it safe for everyone who “needs” a little pottery shopping therapy!

Remember, you can still sign-up for socially-distant time slot appointments this coming Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday evenings. Click here for complete details!

For the rest of you safely staying home… I will be adding a LOT more pottery & ornaments to my assortment online very soon!!!

Here’s a quick glimpse of what’s in store for those who make it over to MY HOLIDAY HOME SHOW this weekend. All set-up and decorated for the holidays! And this is just the living room… there’s MORE in the other rooms too!!! Remember, we’re “open” for limited access shopping from 10:00am-6:00pm tomorrow & Sunday.

Click here for more information, details & safety precautions!

Thank you for understanding that crazy times call for crazy measures.
So we’re doing Pottery With Precautions this holiday season!!!

Click HERE for full details and to book an appointment.
There’s a LOT of information & changes, so please read carefully. Thank you.

So this all started with an ongoing thread of text messages. With the virus ramping up again as predicted, many people are taking their temperatures throughout the day. Just checking to make sure everything is still good. But the question apparently is… “WHERE do I store my thermometer?!”

In some Gary Pottery apparently…

And then the “trend” seemed to be catching on…
and showing up on the text thread…

But then the question was… Where are the apples???
Oh, right there next to the mini vase… now called a thermometer holder!

And some people seemed to have too many apples… which look yummy...
so they needed an additional “apple bowl”

And then another entry in the mix…
not quite sure that thermometer will tell you if you have the flu or not… but it will tell you if you’re poultry, lamb or smoked ham!!!

But again the question… Where are the apples?!

Apparently this time… not “quite” an apple, or at least not a natural apple… but the faux apple does look pretty great on this large green stamped platter!

As the trend of apples & Gary Pottery seemed to be catching on… another entry of an Apple with “one of Gary’s rare cat steins.” Well played…

To which I quickly responded… “That cat stein is SO RARE that I’d be lying… err, make that fe-lyin’… to say that I’ve ever made one of those.”

Matthew’s response was… “But how do you explain this?”

Apparently I had “signed” the bottom of this??? HA!!!
I had just forgotten & blocked this one out of my memory!!!

Last night in my Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class we did my FAVORITE demo of the session! I started with a class demo on how to throw a basic bowl on purpose… and NOT just a cylinder gone bad. A nice smooth curve though the bottom of the bowl… and no “beginners ledge” near the bottom! So we did the demo… made a bowl and they went back to their wheels to start making their bowls… on purpose!

While they were throwing their bowls, I continued to throw more of mine. After throwing a bunch of basic bowls, we reconvened for more demo. Where I showed them some quick decorative tricks, rim alterations and colored slip to make their bowls not-so-basic anymore!

Bowl #1 – four fluted edges

Bowl #2 – if four is good, maybe eight fluted edges is better?

Bowl #3 – flared out rim

Bowl #4 – an even wider flared out rim

Bowl #5 – combined flared rim and four fluted points

Bowl #6 – two indents… with the intention of adding a basket handle over the top from indent-to-indent.

Bowl #7 – a split-rim… pinched back together in eight places.

Bowl #8 – a split-rim with four indents to make it kind of like a quadrefoil shape

Bowl #9 – another split-rim with four INdents & four OUTdents.. giving it kind of a lotus shape!

Then we switched our focus to colored slips… again with the plan of just showing them some “quick tricks” and encouraging them to play & try more things!

Bowl #10 – a full coating of white slip inside with a paintbrush spiral

Bowl #11 – a fuill layer of white slip with a wooden tool dragged through it while the wheel was turning to reveal the darkness of the clay as a spiral.

Bowl #12 – finger-painting a squiggle through the white slip while the wheel is spinning.

Bowl #13 – rhythmic chattering with a plastic rib through the white slip while the wheel is spinning.

Bowl #14 – a full coating of white slip, the vertical lines dragged through with a rubber rib, and then the center re-applied & smoothed out with just the cutest little spiral ever!

Bowl #15 – I introduced using two colors of slip with simple banding.

Bowl #16 – and then an ombre blending, with a spiral dragged through.

So for now they’re under plastic so they don’t dry out too quickly… as there’s a “good chance” that there just “might” be a bit of stamping, texturing & embellishing of these bowls before the dry too much.

MORE IS MORE!!!… right???

Looks like a yummy lunch being “wrapped up” in Stevens Point… always better with handmade pottery on the table! Love the fresh & vibrant colors. Thanks for sharing Kristy & Matt!!!

So today is the first “official” day of Fall… and it looks like my pal Rosene has already started switching out her pottery collection to reflect the season! Gone are the bright colors of summer… enter the warm colors of Autumn!!!