It's a living...

So, Wolf's office is having a craft fair and I've decided to make some stuff to take and try to sell...  I put together a bunch of different things - wine bags, gift bags and fleece duffle bags... and I plan to make some toffee.  

I'm not really certain about pricing everything.  You speak to one person and they say t go low and another says to go high and I'm torn because I don't want to give it all away and I don't want to be left with all kinds of stuff left over (and have to give it all away)... we'll see...

So, maybe it's not a living, but I needed to do something to break up the monotony of job hunting.  Wouldn't it be great to be one of those people who can make a living doing all those things that they love to do?

sadly, the elf shoes that I intended to make for the craft show just take too long, so...

here are some pics of the stuff I've made.  

note: I've not posted pics of any pottery as I have been throwing pieces for a wood-firing that will be happening in February.  Since I need to have 30 pieces to take there really hasn't been time to make other stuff...

-silly

"I got a rock"

=)  What Fun!  I found some really cute Halloween fabric at Joanne's and put together these Trick or Treat bags for the kids.  It's basically a pillow case (was there anything better to use as a kid?) with a tie near the top.  Really easy and I am very happy with how they came out.  My fave is the googlie eyes, but the purple with owls is a great fabric. 

the teapot...

I had mentioned to Louie that I wanted to learn how to make a teapot in pottery class...  so, sure enough, last night she mentions it to Franni.  I was in the middle of throwing something else, but as soon as I was done I was set with the task of throwing a sphere for my teapot - and then the lid.  Being 5'5 and rather round I have an affinity toward teapots, no small thanks to the teapot jingle - "i'm a little teapot, short and stout.." which is a fine song for one's niece to learn when she's in preschool and not so fine for one's 20 year old nephew to sing while patting you on the back.  Hrumph...  But, there it is.

Having given it some thought, I'm gong to devise a way to put a speaker in the lid (like those singing Hallmark cards).  When you open the lid the song will play... -  my voice, singing, "I'm a little teapot, short, dark and handsome..."

the gecko...

here's a silly one... I lined the hip of this porcelin urn with beads (that I used cobalt oxide to color) and a lizard to knock them off the vase... I'd actually like to display it with the lizard at the back, but I probably won't... ...so silly

the red cracked pot

so check out this one... it's Coleman Red glaze that really did what it was supposed to do. I think the cracks look artificial, well... they are... Have fun! -silly

Orchids and the cracked pot

Well, Cricket sent me flowers and they are gorgeous. I brought in one of my cracked pots to put them in. I'm going to do a bunch of these in Raku - I hope they're as successful as the stomeware piece pictured. I need to get a better shot of this, but wanted to post it before the flowers faded...

New Pieces

I haven't posted anything in a while and was kidding MrStevers about needing something new... so, last night was pottery... I've got some new pieces back and took some shots at the office so I figured I'd post them... ...the daffs were something I had in my cube a few weeks ago... a bright spot in all the dreary... i can't wait for peony season...

A few years ago I had a friend Marian whose garden I cared for. When I'd moved from Sparta to my apartment I took half of the peonies that I had planted over the years and planted them in Marian's garden. Spring after spring they were gorgeous along the driveway of her little house. About a year and a half ago we lost Marian to brain cancer. Marian's sister Abbey asked me to take any plants I wanted before they sold the house - I took the peonies. They now live at Cricket's place and when they come up I can't help but think of Marian O'Neill.

the peonies will look great in the red vase with the black band...

Raku with the boys

Here's a fun pic of me with Cricket and Wolf... It was from the Raku class back in Feb at Ceramic Supply in Lodi... yeah!!!

-silly

Louie and the broken pot

Here is another of the pieces I fired at the Raku session last weekend. (YEA, I know why aren't you using the digital camera that you got for Christmas - it's only February!!!)

I had to laugh, I took the pots into the office to show off some of my work. ...so...When you raku fire, you place the glowing pot into a garbage can (ummm, metal garbage can) that has combustible materials in it (like newspaper - not gasoline). The combustibles ignite from the extreme heat of the pot and then you close the lid (this is not a lesson in raku). Well, it seems that with some of the thicker glazes that the side of the pot that rests in the newspaper loses that smooth glaze look because it is resting on the burning stuff (kind of like the impression you get in your cheek when you fall asleep on an afghan...)... anyway... the copperish piece that I posted about the other day has a whole side of it that is creased like that... I turned that part to the back when displaying the pots at the office and wouldn't you know that everyone who picks up the pots comments that they love that side and the effect... and there is another pot I made that had a green band of glaze around the top, but was unglazed below... the green glaze ran in one spot and that one spot was the part of the vase that everyone loved... alas, lessons in the effect of human nature on art appreciation...

Oh, and I have a picture of an elf shoe I made because Cricket hadn't put it away with his Christmas stuff... I designed these a few years ago for Christmas with Mr.Stevers... more on these later...

silly

RAKU-Feb 08

So Cricket and Wolf and I took another Raku class over the weekend. What fun!!! This time at Ceramic Supply in (Lodi?)... I have to tell you, I just love doing raku... maybe it's the instant gratification, or the crap-shoot of how things will come out of the kiln, but it is really an exciting process.

It was a whole different group of people, but what a fun selection of different types of work. It is always funny to me to find how much potters have in common when we get together for a workshop. Plenty of odd people to be sure, but some really great folks overall.

Well, here are a few of the new pieces. Oddly enough the green one and the brassy one are the same glaze.

-silly

...throwing bowls...

So, Blu's Mom showed me how to throw a bowl last night... VERY FUN!!! I need to work at it, but I think I'll get it. The first two turned out great (it helps having the instructor standing right over you to remind you of the technique), but the third one flopped. I'm going to try and make something of the third one as there was so much clay left over on the bottom... and in a month or so I should have a couple bowls to show you...

Louie was working on pinch pots that she formed into little people. Her whimsical style is such an inspiration to me and has been integral to the development of my imagination.

...silly

some pots...

so these are a couple of my pots... well, a vase and a jug... I got a real digital camera from Cricket for Christmas and I need to take some good photos of my stuff (like Wolf does), but, as I gave these away already, I figured that these are the best shots I'm going to get. -silly

Raku Class

So we decided to take a raku class at Peter's Valley... What a scream - fire, smoke and glowing pots! Working with Bruce Denhert I came away with 12 great pieces... ("great" being relative for a firsttime raku-er who only learned to throw last spring) ... I got to work the propane torch and managed to singe all the hair off my hands (no I didn't have the gloves on at the time), but "It'll grow back"... ...we're taking another raku class in February wish me luck...