It’s that time of the year again… time to kick-off your Holiday Shopping Season!
And there’s no better place than my own “My Home For The Holidays” Home Show.
It’s the perfect place to find a handmade gift for everyone on your list…
including yourself.

Feel bad splurging on yourself?… well here’s a coupon to take care of that.
A little something for you. Keep it for yourself. Or give it as a gift. It’s up to you.
Just think of it as my holiday gift to you!

If you can’t see the coupon on your computer… for some strange reason…
I’ll let you know that the coupon is good for one free mug with a purchase of $50 or more.
I will have a few “extra” coupons printed out and ready for those of you who can’t get it
to show up on your computer. I’m not sure why it doesn’t show up all the time?!
Limit one per customer. Only valid during the two-day Holiday Home Show

It’s hard to believe that it’s time for the holiday season to begin…
but it is – and we’re kicking it off next weekend with my annual Holiday Home Show.

With pottery in every room, this is the largest selection of pottery you’ll see all year
from Fire When Ready Pottery. A whole lot more than the standard 10’x10′ art fair booth!
Bowls, mugs, vases, oil lamps, salt & pepper shakers, ceramic masks, soap dispensers,
tumblers, ikebana vases and so much more! The list goes on & on…
From large tiled wall pieces to small star ornaments & ceramic bead earrings.
There’s something for everyone on your Christmas shopping list.
Plenty of stamped textures for everyone!!!

Including the annual “Tired Of Shlepping Sale” on the back porch…
full of marked-down prices on lots of pots! Samples, class demos, “seconds” and some pots
that I’m just tired of shlepping from art fair to art fair… and now, up three flights of stairs!

Saturday, November 21st – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, November 22nd – 10:00am-6:00pm

Stop by with your holiday shopping list – or just come by to hang out on my sofa.
Either way, we’d love to see you next weekend to kick-off the holiday season!
Perfect gift ideas for everyone on your list… including something for yourself!
Make plans to stop by next weekend… and bring your friends!

If you’re in the Chicago area and would like to come by, please e-mail me
for specific details, address and directions!

gary@firewhenreadypottery.com

So tonight I unloaded another bisque kiln – in preparation of my upcoming Home Show…
just trying to squeeze in one last firing before next weekend! I unloaded the last batch
of pots (while they were still a little warmer than they should have been) and waxed
the bottoms in preparation for some big glazing this weekend. The bottoms are waxed
to help keep the glaze from adhering to the bottom  – making it easier to clean off the bottoms
before loading them into the kiln. I’ll need to get them all glazed over the weekend
so they can be loaded into a cone 10 reduction kiln that I’m sharing with my
studio pals Karen Patinkin & Marian Castro-Palanyk.

Another night in the studio… a night of bowls… a night of stamping.

Another night of stamping in the studio. More pots… more stamps… more fun!
Still working to get some new work ready for the holidays. I have three glaze kilns lined up
in the coming weeks… gotta get the pieces thrown, stamped & trimmed…
and dried in time to get them bisqued & glazed for the kiln firings! Busy, busy…

Stampin’ round & round… quite literally!

One month.
That’s it… shocking, I know. It kind of caught me a bit off guard too.

One month.
That’s how long we have until the annual
“My Home For The Holidays Home Show.”
Mark your calendars… I know I have… and production will soon be in full swing!

Saturday, November 21st – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, November 22nd – 10:00am-6:00pm

My niece Taylor stopped by the studio today to play in the clay!
She brought her Mom & Dad (my sister) and her grandparents (my Mom & Dad)
to play with her. Since fall is quickly upon us, we decided to make autumn wreaths
out of terra cotta. We all started making clay leaves of different shapes & styles.

After we all had plenty of leaves, it was time to connect them all, layer them and
score & slip them all together to create our leaf wreaths. Layer after layer, leaf after leaf,
the wreaths came together. We then painted them with some underglazes to give
them some autumnal coloration. They’ll dry for the next couple days… then I’ll glaze them
and fire them! Sadly, we didn’t have quite enough time today. As always, the time flew by…
too many leaves, not enough time. So we did finish them… barely… but we would have
all liked another hour to finish them off & paint a few more details! Maybe next time?…

A mug is just a cylinder without a handle.
So to make a mug… you’ve got to get a handle on it.

Once my cylinders are stamped & trimmed, I make my handles while keeping
the cylinders wrapped in plastic to keep them from drying out too much.
I prefer to pull my handles separately, let them set up a bit and then attach them.
I start with a small wedge of clay, hold it firmly at the top and “pull” it down with
a firm hand and a lot of water. It’s basically just the friction that does it…
kind of the same motion like milking a cow! As the clay begins to stretch and become
more strap-like, I try to shape it and then bend it over to let it set up. Once they
have become a little stiff, the segment that will become the handle is cut out of the
bent strap. That segment is then attached to the side of the cylinder with a little
scoring & slipping. Once attached, I let them dry slowly to avoid cracking.

A  lot of people avoid making mugs because they are afraid of the making handles.
I actually love making mugs. In fact, if I could only make one form for the rest of
my pottery career, I’m pretty sure I would choose mugs. I love making mugs!!!

Back in the studio… replenishing he inventory… making more mugs!!!
After the pieces are thrown on the wheel, I allow them to dry partially so that they are
malleable, but not squishy. Once they are at the proper stiffness, I stamp the patterns
into the sides with my handmade stamps. After stamping, the bottoms of the pots
need to be finished to give them a more professional look.

I place the pieces back onto the wheel upside down and re-center them.
They are affixed to the wheel surface and then spun really fast. With a sharp trimming
tool, the clay is cut off the sides and bottom into thin ribbons of clay.

As the cylinder spins, and the ribbons of clay removed, you can finish off the bottom,
the sides and create a nice footring. The footring is the circle of clay that is left on
the bottom for your pot to stand on. This is your last chance to “finish off” the pot
before you let it begin to dry. Once dried… it’s off to the bisque kiln firing.