Things that bring you joy...

I have been in a weird place this week. I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what my focus needs to be in terms of making pots that sell. In between the thinking, I needed to keep moving forward. There were piggy bank orders to fill and more sponge holders to be made.

Sponge holders are a pain, but I do like throwing them. They are quick and don't require a whole of thinking. The pig are fun to assemble, as long as there aren't 30 of them!

We have had a lot of casserole inquiries, so I have been working on some designs that won't involve a lot of deco work and can be reasonably priced...

It will be really hard not to carve some leaves into those lids!

The real joy of being an artists came late in the day today. Two women came in after 4:00 pm. One  bought the obligatory sponge holder and a small cup... the other asked lots of questions about my raku wall tiles. She asked me to take down a few so she could look at them closely and see how they would look in a group.

She purchased three of them to hang in her newly redecorated living room! She told me that when she saw them she knew they had to go home with her.
It brought me great joy to see how much she appreciated my work and was willing to spend the money on them ($95- $100 a piece)  and I hope that having these tiles in her home will bring her joy everyday.

Liebster Blog Award - all about ME!

Judy, over at New Day Pottery, nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. It's Wordless Wednesday for some of my blogger friends, so this where you can get your fill on words!

First I have to list 11 random facts about myself: 1. I am growing out my hair color and it may be scary. 2. I have big feet, size 9 1/2. 3. I like liver but don't eat it anymore because "they" now say it's not good for you. 4. My Memere (grandmother) lived with us growing up and we clashed horribly. 5. My sister and I were born on the same day, 4 years apart. 6. I was an early childhood educator for 19 years. 7. I collect little cups. 8. I have a cat, her name is Sophie... and she is so pretty, and smart (that's a joke that Jeff and I share). 9. I really like monkeys, chimps, and apes. 10. I am happy to be in North Carolina 11. I have one child, a daughter named Danielle... and she is so pretty, and smart, and is a pharmaceutical sales rep for Pfizer Animal Health in Connecticut.

Second here are the questions that Judy asked me:

1. Where did you grow up: The great little State of New Hampshire

2. What is your favorite place to visit?: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston MA

3. How many pottery mugs do you own that are not made by you?: 30+ seriously, and that is erring on the conservative side. I know, maybe I should get some help for that obsession

4. What is your favorite book?: A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving

5. How many art shows do you participate in every year?: 5 +/-

6. What is your favorite pizza?: ALL pizza is my favorite!!!

7. What kind of music do you listen to most?: I have eclectic taste - my cd collection is everything from alternative, jazz, blues, rock, I LOVE twangy music but not top 40 country... let me define twangy: Lucinda Williams, Alison Krauss, Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams in his Whiskey Town incarnation, Lyle Lovett... ok, I know you get it now (I hope).

8. Beach or Mountains?: that's a hard one... I love them both for different reasons.

9. Favorite TV show?: We don't have cable or satellite, so we stream things online via a Roku player. I like The Office and just started watching Modern Family.

10. Last movie you saw?: Mostly Martha (German film with subtitles - liked it a lot)

11. Favorite child hood memory?: The Thanksgiving that my mother put our pumpkin pies on the porch to keep cold... we had a houseful of company and a new Husky puppy that was under foot. Someone let the pup out onto the porch. We didn't have any pumpkin pie for dessert that year... but that Husky puppy sure looked cute with an orange face!

Here is the latest pig in my Etsy shop. He is salt glazed and branded with the word "Bacon"!

Today it's Jeff's turn...

Aren't these beauties? I believe all the mugs like this are sold. The pitcher is listed on Etsy... clicking on the photo will take you to Jeff's online shop. Wouldn't this pitcher make a great Christmas gift?

The tree limb project

Last winter when I was visiting Danielle in Connecticut, we visited a gallery in the Yale shopping district that used painted tree limbs throughout the gallery. Theirs were painted light blue, but immediately I thought limbs painted white would look cool hanging from the rafters of our pottery gallery. The rafters are dark and we have white lights strung on them to create some interest and tree limbs would lighten it up even more. 

Last week I finally got around to executing my plan. Jeff did some pruning and saved the limbs for me. They had little berries and pods on them, and I was really happy with how they turned out. On the down side, I bought the cheapest spray paint out there and my fingers were killing me after emptying 6 cans of paint onto those limbs. Of course when I was done, my facebook friends let me know that there is an attachment to put on top of the cans to make it more comfortable. I am definitely going to get one of those gadgets.

Jeff helped me get them into the rafters and trim whatever was looking too crazy. It was hard to photograph, but I think you get the idea...

I didn't waste a thing. I used the clippings to do some funky stick arrangements in vases...

I need to paint a couple more limbs to fill in some bare spots in the rafters, but I think I will wait until my fingers feel better!

blogger frustration

The test pizza photo...

Once more I am having trouble adding photos to my blog. It seems a setting has changed on my computer in iPhoto and the photos are too large for blogger to accept, without paying for the upgrade for storage. Last night I tried to write a post and I couldn't get my photos to load. It was late, I was frustrated, and finally gave up. I guess until I figure it out I will have to go through one more step for each photo.

Maybe I shouldn't be such a cheapskate and start paying.

... at least the pizza was delicious!