Lollipop tea set

I made this set a while back and I have recently started using it all the time. I'm planning to make a couple more tea pots in my home studio. Teapots are the perfect project to make at home because I can really take my time with them, instead of trying to rush through them in class.

Adding flavour to life

I made these salt and pepper shakers a while ago now but I've held on to them because I love them. They're like two little characters sitting on the table - I feel like I should name them. I'm open to suggestions....

Lucky Bamboo

I'm feeling lucky these days. Friends are coming in to town for Christmas and life is good. Two weeks off work doesn't hurt either. I'm not completely sold on the colour of my lucky bamboo vase, but I like the idea of it. I'm going to try making one that holds 5 and another that holds 7.

My first sale!

I took part in my first mini-craft sale over the weekend at Culina Highlands and made my very first sale ever... to my lovely Mother-In-Law! She bought my Tulip bowl. Yay!

The slab bottle family

This is a family of five (Priscilla wanted to display two of them so there are only three in this photo) slab built bottles. I wanted to play a bit with my underglaze collection as well as add texture. I stained the bisqued pieces and used a clear glaze on them. The tallest bottle is about 14" and the shortest one is about 6".

Split-rimmed bowls

Priscilla learned this trick during the classes she attended in the summer. About half way through throwing the bowl you split the rim (like you would if you were creating a gallery for a lid), then finish throwing the bowl and defining the split. It's a nice detail that creates something special from a simple bowl.

Fun times with wax resist

This session of classes was all about trying new techniques. I can't believe it myself but after all the many classes I have taken this is the first time I've ever really played with wax resist. It will not be the last. I double-dipped the glaze on all of them hoping that it would bubble up a bit - using a coloured glaze below white.

Bert and Ernie

Peter named these little canisters so now I'll never refer to them as anything other than Bert and Ernie. They were wheel thrown and altered, then I carved the pattern. They are glazed in my favourite glaze - faux celedon.

Another textured vase

This one is from the latest firing, glazed with satin clear and a charcoal underglaze rubbed in to the texture.

Satin turquiose

Here's what those satin turquoise pieces look like. I applied 2 layers of glaze this time as a test, but I think next time I'd try three to see if I could get a more solid colour.

Lidded mugs continued...

I'm still working on those mugs with lids. Now that I've carved in the pattern all I have to do is wait for them to slowly dry....

Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey

My brothers made a request for whiskey jugs for Christmas, and since their requests for pottery will likely be few I have decided to oblige. I took the opportunity to try out my new lead type and have incorporated words from Corb Lund on each jug. "Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry, if I don't get rye whiskey I think I may die", and "It's time to switch to whiskey we've been drinking beer all night".

Mugs with lids

I'm still working on those mugs with lids. A lot of potters claim that mugs are their money-makers. I guess that means I'm never going to make any money because I find that mugs take forever! Especially when you add a lid...

Studio shelves

I got some new shelves from my boss last week and put them in my studio. I love them! They make my studio look like a mini gallery....

You saw the before...

And here's the after. I opened the kiln today and here's what I found. Another success!! I tried a satin turquoise glaze on three pieces, and a satin clear glaze on a couple of others. I love the satin!

It's good to be ugly

It was my nephew Devin's first birthday party yesterday so I made him a knock-off of an Ugly Doll. I made one for each of my other nephews too - so they can have an ugly party!

Ready to fire

I'm firing my kiln tomorrow - here's the before shot. I'm excited about this firing because I'm trying something new....

Soap Kitchen

Mom and I made our Christmas soap yesterday. In this collection are Peppermint Paddy, Orange Spice, and Mocha Fudge. They smell good enough to eat!

Happy Halloween!

Meet "Little Walter One-Eye" and his friend "Jack O'Lantern"!

Inspiration

I've bought a couple pottery pieces in the last little while. I bought a casserole dish from Christian Barr near Wildwood, and a vase from James Hibbert near Naramata.  The casserole is wood-fired, and the handle is Pembina River stone. The vase is pit-fired with straw. You can see the straw markings on the side of the piece.

The Great Okanagan Squash Hunt

I just spent the weekend in the Okanagan, during which time Allison and I went on a squash hunt. If you've ever taken the time to look closely at squash and see their distinct "personalities" you'll understand why it was hard to choose which ones to take home.

Adding textures

I've been doing some carving work on some of my pieces - I like it because it makes them feel more organic.

Once I glaze this piece the texture will become more defined.

Walter, my love

This photo was taken in August, by Dustin from Laughing Dog Photography. I love this photo because Walter looks so happy in it. He's a tough little guy - one eye and not enough teeth to keep his tongue from hanging out. xoxo

Wednesday night pottery

Now that I'm glaze firing I need to start making more pottery - so tonight I started work on four tall mugs that will have lids (to keep your coffee warm) and long handles.

Bird Party

For the past couple of days we've had these crazy bird parties in the backyard. There are so many of them and all different kinds - robins, waxwings, sparrows, chickadees, and yesterday there was even a woodpecker. They all flock to the bird baths and the chokecherry bush. There's a couple of really big robins who try and dominate the bird bath - they sit right in the middle and try to chase all the other birds away. It's good entertainment!

The big one in the middle is trying to chase the others away.

I thought the bird on the right was a young robin but I'm not sure...

My Cheerful Mind

This little blog will be all about the things that help me to have a cheerful mind.

First up - pottery. I fired my first glaze load in my kiln yesterday. I was so excited - I felt like a kid at Christmas. The nervous, anxious anticipation made me giddy all day today - waiting for the moment when the kiln had cooled enough and I could finally open it and see what was inside. I'm happy with the results - it over fired slightly but didn't seem to have an effect on the glaze.

I glazed everything using an off-the-shelf transparent glaze (because I'm too chicken to mix my own glazes yet) and used under glazes to add some colour.

The top shelf

The bottom shelf