My hunting trip ;)

I hunt for leaves and other found objects to press into clay. My recent finds around my neighborhood are shown above.

Maybe next time some kudzu leaves. We have plenty right across the street from our house!

All glazed over...

Not my eyes, silly! My pots!

Pictures right before a recent glaze firing. The plates are currently for sale in my etsy shop.

The first pictures are everything that needs to be done before pots can be put in for a glaze firing. It's a lot of work!

Kiln Wash has to be put on the shelves to keep pots from sticking and also keep dripping glaze from seeping into the shelves and ruining them. That's pretty important because one 1/2 shelve costs 20 clams. That can get very expensive!


The kiln must also be vacuumed out before each firing to remove debris and dust, all of which can potentially damage pots and the fragile kiln brick. Adequate kiln maintenance is a must!




And then FINALLY I get to glaze pots to put in the kiln! I put a wax resist on the bottom and anywhere I do not want glaze and then wipe away any excess. Then they are all ready to get fired up!

I really needed to unload...

So I did. Pottery is very therapeutic. lol.

These are pictures I took from a recent bisque (1st) firing. The first firing basically zaps and cooks most of the water out of the clay. The 2nd firing, or glaze firing is to vitrify the clay and set the glaze.

Working on an alchemy order through Etsy

In addition to DIY overload, I am working on an Alchemy order through Etsy. Here's the progress so far.

The leaf is from a Sassafras tree, at least that is what Erik tells me. It borders one side of our yard. And the seashell is from Ocracoke Island. The bowl was made, as seen below, by slumping a piece of slabbed clay over a covered shape. In this case it is an empty pickled beets jar. Yum! This is a simple and effective way to make a handbuilt bowl form. The bowl was scalloped but I excised those portions and pinched the bowl back in. I have to trim the edges tomorrow for a more finished look.

My latest curating efforts on Etsy: Fall berry harvest in red and purple

Harvesting the Berries: REDS and PURPLES






These as well as 13 other luscious handmade goods. Check them out here.

Meet and greet with the TotallyToTheT mascots

Well, just one of them because the other one, my Corgi named Gidget, kept hiding behind the couch! So, included are two pictures of the other pottery pup, relaxing on her favorite pillow and sofa. This mascot's name is LeeLooDallasMultipass, who we also call LooLoo or LooDog. She is a little over 3 years old and a Yellow Lab with a pinch of Boxer mix. She's a sweet girl! The girls keep me company in the home studio when there are no other humans around. Their camaraderie and good work ethic are appreciated.

Behind LooDog is the HUGE picture window we had to special order as part of our pre-house-selling renovations. We are almost done getting the house prepped and will be putting our house up for sale by Tuesday, September 6th.

Milk and Honey DIsh on Etsy

This beauty keeps ending up in Treasuries on Etsy. I am honored other people like it so much!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50207386/handmade-lace-impressed-ceramic