Am I Crazy?

In my last post on 7/13 I just spoke about how little time I had to post on my blog with part being due to our new puppy and the amount of time it takes to grow up. So what do I do? We add this to our pack:

 

 

So I will just have to get better at time management and take lots of advantage of naptimes!

I’m finished with the Fused Glass Pendants for now. Moving back to my clay which I’ve missed for the last year. Feeling pretty good about the recovery of a number of decals which had to be re-done after the WD Passport crash. I’m working on getting pictures processed and online on the Etsy store but here are just a few that I’m happy with.

 

 

Decals – The Learning Continues

I’ve been so busy testing, developing, throwing, deciding. Even with a heavy workload at work I’ve had so much fun continuing on my decal journey. I’m still not confident on what causes changes in looks in decals but I have moved a long way towards being consistent with the glaze, decals that don’t burn out and firing processes with the glazes I use.

I’ve learned so far the Coyote Clay Shino & Light Shino thickness plays a large part in the appearance of the decal. They have to be fired back to Cone 1 to keep the glaze from turning to underfired matte. They don’t seem to eat the decals as some other glazes I’ve tried.

I see my testing continuing for quite a long period of time as I try to find different combinations. How fun is that!

 

 

Days of Grace mugs continued

My first set of Days of Grace mugs are out of the kiln and fired. I'm very happy with the first firing. I have a few updates to make to the templates and I know the smallest font I can use now with these glazes. I have them up on my ETSY store or on my website for more pictures.

The Days of Grace (DoG) series came from a desire to encourage women through scriptures and affirmations. There is nothing I like better than to start my day in a little peace and quiet with my hands wrapped around my cup of coffee before the day goes manic. I need a reminder once in a while to slow down and remember to take care of myself also. I hope whichever mug you choose will do the same for you.

Days of Grace mugs

I'm having so much fun with a new technique for a series of mugs aimed at encouraging women with scriptures and affirmations. While some might speak to men I think of women and our unique challenges we face as I make each mug. I can't wait to get the first kiln load fired and glazed within the next week. I'm so anxious I'm only firing the kiln about 2/3 filled. Here is an example of a group of mugs still drying.

Dogstock Pottery

I'm breathing a sigh of relief. After hours of working to get enough thrown to fill the kiln and working around my other work commitments I worry it won't be a good firing. I was relieved to see some nice items when I peeked at about 760 and even more relieved when I pulled those last shelves up to see almost all pieces were decent. Several turned out very nice and to my expectation.

Dogstock pottery

It's been a super busy springtime. Not sure if I should really call it springtime since the weather has been more like winter. I'm enjoying every minute of below normal temps though. I'd never miss the 100+ temps if they went away. I can't wait to see how some of this fires out in the glaze firing.

One small oops in the last batch of handles. So do you market it as a second or as a left-handed mug ;)

Mugs

A new style of mugs from what I normally make. I liked throwing them but I'm not sure about the handles yet. The curl at the bottom is what I'm not sure of on the handle. I'll see what it looks like when I glaze it.

When The Green Glob-lins Strike

I was so looking forward to a new batch of green glazed pottery. I love this glaze but you really have to be careful with not too hot and not too thick. Unfortunately I did both. I can't bring myself to hammer them since I really like the rest of the pot, just not the foot.

Maybe I need to start a Penguin Pot series. These look just like the roll of fat at the bottoms of a penguin when they are holding an egg.