TGIF

I don't usually use that term, since my work week doesn't revolve around the Monday through Friday grind, but this sure has been a tough week. As if the big pot theft and crappy show weren't enough, I woke up on Tuesday morning with a very sore left shoulder. This in of itself is not unusual. It has bothered me off and on for many years. I had some testing done some years back, to eliminate a pinched nerve as the cause. The doc determined it was just a overuse. Tuesday it felt like someone had punched me in the arm, Wednesday I could hardly lift it without yelping. Thursday I spent the day trying to get comfortable in between icing it and taking Aleve. I can't even lift my arm to brush my hair or put on a shirt. This morning doesn't seem much better. I really need to be making pots right now, but they are going to have to wait. I am hoping it's tendonitis of my rotator cuff and not a tear. I will give it the weekend and if it isn't better go to the doctors. I am pretty sure hanging and taking down the sidewalls on the tent last weekend are what did me in.

My good arm has been able to help my bad arm take some new photos for etsy...

Salt Pigs or Sugar Jars, you decide.

Here is one of the carved rim bowls that came out of the kiln last Thursday. I decided to go all green.

I almost forgot to mention that yesterday we woke up to a gurgling hot water heater with a puddle under it, geesh, what more could go wrong! Thankfully the plumber was here in the afternoon and by 3:00pm we had hot water.
Have a great weekend, I know I am going to try to!

Working Weekend

This is what I did this weekend...

I assembled "salt pigs", that also make nice piggy sugar jars. They come with a cork to keep whatever you put inside, clean and dry. I have these listed on Etsy, and you can choose your glaze color. I have an order for two, one in tenmoku, the other Temple white... they buyer plans to use one for salt and the other for pepper! If you click on the photo it will take you to the Etsy listing.

The weather since Friday has been amazingly conducive to finishing work. The low humidity allowed me to throw, trim, and carve, these 1 quart casseroles in three days.

I have five of these completed and now I guess I should move on to two quart casseroles. The humidity has returned, so it may take a week to get them finished. I guess that means I should turn this computer off and get out to the studio.

Rant Reprieve

I have been a grump. I wrote a post that I deleted before publishing. It felt good to put it in writing but decided it didn't need to be read by the world.
Yesterday in my grumpy non-productive state I went on a rant to Jeff about all things pottery business-wise that was bugging me. While he patiently listened, a FEDEX delivery arrived. Jeff accepted the package (which I thought was LED bulbs) and he said, "Hey, this is for you!". I hadn't ordered anything so I didn't have a clue what it could be.
It was from a facebook friend named Michele. A virtual potter friend that I have never met.

Inside the box was this sweet little pig!!

She purchased one of my piggy banks this winter and said she really loves him. When she came across this little pig she thought of me and decided to send it as a gift. He is a spirit pig and the card that came with him said that the Spirit Pig can help you attract abundance, fertility, honesty, leadership and protection in your everyday life.

This thoughtful gift stopped my rant dead in it's tracks. It came at the perfect time. Isn't the online world amazing? Thank you Michele, this little pig will have a special place in my home.

It's time for me to move on and get back to work.

Online selling

I set some goals for myself this year, and one was to double my sales on Etsy. I figured it was attainable because I really hadn't sold all that much in the past, mostly due to the fact that my interest in it came and went.
This was the year to get serious.
I am getting close to my goal and I figure with the holiday season coming up, I might even surpass it. Don't get me wrong, I am not making tons of money through the site, but Etsy has brought in money that I otherwise wouldn't have in my pocket. To make a living in clay you need to be selling work in a variety of places and venues. Compared to craft shows, Etsy is a piece of cake... but we won't stop doing them. As a matter of fact, this year we have kicked it up a notch and are doing a few more shows... check out my events listing on the right side of this page.
Tracey Broome did a blog post the other day about Big Cartel. I hadn't even heard of it (where have I been??). Tracey already made a sale through the venue! Since you can give it a try for free, I am considering jumping in.

In the meantime, I have been adding some new items to my Etsy shop...

as always, pigs are the #1 sellers!

Pot Roast...

or pork roast?

Jeff loaded the bisque kiln and when I went to unload it, I had to laugh at the mini piglets inside the baking dishes. Next up...

pulled pork

... yes, I think the hot weather has fried my brain.