How did it get to be February already?

Piggy bank orders have slowed down a little in the last few weeks, but I was happy to get an order for a large bull pig bank. I always have fun making these and while I was at it I made a smaller one too.
My back has been bothering me lately, mostly late in the day when making piggy banks. I have been thinking that my work table is a little too low. It's a standard height, long cafeteria table which isn't the same height as the bench I worked on when we were in the log cabin. Last week I decided to buy bed risers to give it an extra 3" in height.

I found a set on Amazon for $7.99. They are neon green and are supposed to glow in the dark! The black ones were a few dollars more, but for the studio I really didn't care about the color. I haven't been out at night yet to see if they really do glow. I like the new height but haven't yet determined if it will help my back. It's the left side that starts to ache and since I am left handed, I think it may also be an "overuse" issue. Time will tell.

I have enjoyed the warm weather we have been having. It's great to walk each day without a coat, hat, and gloves. The downside is that many of the trees are blooming early, which probably means we won't have that big splash of color when we get closer to real Spring.

I usually walk on the streets around town, but occasionally head to the local park. They have a walking track that gets rather boring. There is also a nature trail loop that includes a good hill. I like to do that at least once during my laps, for a better cardio workout and to increase endurance. When I first started I had to take a break half way up the hill. Now I can do it without stopping... YAY for progress!

Slowly moving forward...

The last two days have been spent glazing. I have quite a few orders for "Bull" piggy banks so while I was at it I turned a couple of the larger banks into bulls as well. I think I finally have the "Bull" assembly down and the making is going a little quicker.

We are a few days behind in our firing schedule. I can blame some it on the heat. It takes longer than usual to stand outside, sand pots, and load, when the temps are in the 90's and the air is tropical. Add an elderly, sick cat to the mix and some days it felt like I was crawling along. Sophie cat is hanging on but some days she is just pitiful. I am not sure how much longer she will be with us. Last night, after a "bottom half" bath and some new meds, she seemed to have rallied a little. At 17 years of age, she has lived a good long life.
We love her dearly.

Good-Bye to January

Despite feeling like I got very little accomplished last month, I seem to finally be catching up on having a few piggy banks in stock and ready to go to new homes. I am slowly getting them photographed to add to my Etsy shop.

The "Bull bank" is one of my favorites.

Then again, I have a soft spot for anything glazed in shino!

I am happy to say good-bye to January and hello to February... we are getting closer to Spring every day.

The "Bully Bank"

I spent the eight weeks leading up to Christmas assembling piggy banks and making sure that I stamped names correctly, and then glazed them in the right combinations. Every so often I take on a challenge from a customer and do something new. This year the request was for a personalized "Bull" piggy bank. The buyer had a few requirements, but pretty much left the rest up to me.

I had a lot of fun making this one.

I was so happy with the results that I am going to add it to my repertoire.

The buyer was really happy with him as well. 

When I created him, I didn't know that there was a new movie coming out based on the children's classic book "The Story of Ferdinand", which I loved as a child. Maybe the "bull" piggy bank will be the best seller this year.