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Nothing too exciting has been going on around here. We have had some great weather, so over the weekend I cleaned up the yard. Last week's storm brought down lots of tree limbs. They are now out back in the burn pile. We will have a big bonfire very soon.

The kiln building is moving along. More work would have been completed this weekend, but we needed ceramic mortar and none of the local suppliers had it. Jeff ordered some last week and we are expecting delivery today. Still no word on the propane tank. As long as it's here by the time the chimney is up, we will be happy.

I have been feeling like I am in a clay rut. I have been completing orders, but not doing any creative exploring. Without our larger kiln, it feels like we are in limbo. Making and carving these two small bottle vases has been the extent of my creativity these days.

The daffodils are blooming everywhere, many of them off into the woods. I had been cutting some to enjoy in the house, without stripping the yard of blooms. Last night I snapped this photo of the dining room. I glanced in from the kitchen and the shadows of the flowers and large pot caught my eye.

I thought about deleting this post, it seems rather scattered, but in the end I decided to publish it, because this is where I am at right now. Scattered and trying to get my sh&t together.

Winter Blooms on Valentines Day

6:00 pm is closing time around here. Not for studio work, but for the sales gallery. Last night I was heading out to bring in the open flags and I mentioned to Jeff that I was taking scissors with me to cut some daffodils that were blooming in the yard. He quickly dropped what he was doing to join me... he had planned to cut some for ME for Valentines Day! We went out together and each picked a few for each other and proclaimed, "Happy Valentines Day".  We like to keep it simple.

and wouldn't you know, our flowers were photo bombed by a pig.

Not So Round Pots

 Remember the oval bakers from last month, the ones made by cutting a crescent out of the bottom? I have fired a few of them and so far no cracks. One cracked during the drying process (of course it was one with ginkgo leaf carving) and ended up in the scrap bucket. The other carved ones came out of the kiln and off to the "Treasures of the Earth" show in Shelby, NC.  They came out nice and I hope they don't come back home in March!

Even though I had more success with this round, I am not going to do ovals using this technique any longer. It's just too iffy.

Despite the snowstorm last week, we have daffodils and a few crocus starting to bloom! I am always excited about the first flowers of the year. Especially since they are so much earlier here in North Carolina than New Hampshire. While I was taking photos of flowers, my friends and family in New Hampshire were dealing with another foot of snow.

I am so ready for spring this year. We have gone through nearly four cord of wood and I am tired of writing giant checks to the propane company!

Spring Blooms

I thought these garden beauties would be more pleasing to the eye than photos of bowls being trimmed and slipped, that was the only thing happening in the studio yesterday. I have decided that I prefer glazing to trimming bowls. I know potters who LOVE to trim, I am not one of them.
The flower arrangements are a combination of daffodils from around the yard and tulips that were purchased at Wally World (GASP!). The rock vases were made by League of NH Craftsmen member, Lee Spiller. I bet Smartcat is familiar with his work, his booth is very popular at the Craftsmen's Fair at Mt. Sunapee. I really love the natural look of the flower and rock combination.

I know that it is only April 5th but it I think this month is going to scream by us. Celebration of Spring Studio Tour in Seagrove is only two weeks away. We will fire at least once more before the event. Two days after the tour Jeff flies to South Korea.
Next thing you know... It's May.

Trying out new stuff

I have always been intrigued by ring jugs. I think it's the mystery of figuring out how they are made when you first see them. The other day I was getting bored with making casseroles and decided to give it a try...

I threw the ring form and THEN decided to do a little research on this form. What I found out was that the Moravian potters of North Carolina threw a fatter ring with a small circle, while others made them wide and thin, as I did. Of course mine just turned out that way because, as usual, I was just winging it!

I did however look at a gazillion images online to figure out what type of neck or handles that I wanted to add. I finished it off with some slip trailing. My plan is to bisque fire it and set it aside for a future wood and salt firing. It was a lot of fun to make and I might explore this form a little bit more.

The other thing I did this week was to throw a cake stand in one piece. This one is sort of small and low. 

I am letting it dry slowly, upside down, to minimize warping. If this one is successful I will try throwing a larger one in one piece.

Sadly, with all this unseasonably warm weather, our daffodils are sporadically blooming. While seeing them makes you hopeful for real spring, it also means that come March, we won't have a yard full of blooms.

How can anyone deny global warming????

where does the time go?!

Jeff and I have filled the last few days getting all those behind the scenes things done that it takes to run a pottery business. Third quarter sales taxes (me), grind shelves (Jeff), pack a big order, tweak websites and take photos.

We are shipping more pots in recent months, between Etsy, wholesale etc and we have spent some time exploring the least expensive options. We use Fedex for large boxes, pay online and schedule a pick up. Etsy orders typically have gone out USPS. In the last month I have started to use USPS online. Perhaps everyone else knew this (I didn't), it is usually cheaper than bringing it in to the post office. I use the "print a shipping label" button on Paypal and then you choose USPS as your carrier. Many times Priority is less than standard mail. You can also schedule your carrier to pick the parcel up at your location. I can tell you that it's not always reliable... last week the post office sent me an e-mail that said my parcel was picked up but there it sat on the front porch of the gallery! Luckily the post office is a short drive and I got in the car and brought it to them. With the talk of closing small post offices we don't know how long we will have a local branch. I think right now it was voted that no closures would take place for at least another six months. If we lose our post office, carrier pick up for packages will make our life easier. For now I don't mind a trip into town... you can chat with the clerks and maybe run into other potters and do some catching up.

Daffodils in January... just doesn't seem right

This mild weather sure has made January fly by... no complaints from here!