Today is a "Do lots of The Things" type of day.

I need a new computer and have been going back and forth between a Mac and a Windows machine. I finally decided the extra $1k isn't worth it for the Mac. I've been using Dell laptops for 15 years and am happy with them, so I ordered one today. I need the new one before my audio class starts on January 9th. This old laptop that I'm typing on at the moment won't run the software I need for the class. Hell, it's so old I am pleasantly surprised when it fires up every day. I give a mini double fist pump and say, "Yay, little laptop, Yay!" Speaking of which, I'd better do a backup after this post. You just never know!

Another thing I want to do during this break is work on my living room. I hardly use it because the chairs I have are uncomfortable. I want to get rid of them, the credenza and old desk and get a loveseat that has a pull-out bed. I'm planning to get my grandmother's china cabinet from Robyn's house. It has been there for ten years! I also plan to take down the artwork and rearrange the entire room. It'll be like moving into a new place with renewed energy. :) Also it'll give me a place for guests to sleep.

I'm in the market for a kiln. There are always lots of them on Craigslist at a fraction of what a new one costs, so I've been looking and emailing with folks. I'll need a fairly small one; it'll go in my Dad's garage. He is going to put casters on the kiln stand so it can be rolled into the corner when not in use. I think I found one that will work, is a good price and not too far away (Phoenix). I'll follow up with the person shortly.

So yeah... I'm finishing this year up by spending quite a lot of money. I'm okay with that, I was pretty frugal last year (okay not really when it comes to the music stuff, my god). Anyway, whatever. This is why I work!

From my phone sorry no lj cut.

 

Three-bowl dish

Two-bowl dish
Yarn bowls from the top

Skipping Girl Design mugs!

Yesterday I also got two of the multi-bowl dip bowls out of the kiln. I forgot to take pics so will do so when I go back in tomorrow (today is a day off!! Woo!). They turned out so cute and have got me thinking about what else I can do with multiple pieces. I'm thinking perhaps a single bowl surrounded by several in a circle... probably a bigger one in the middle with six or eight smaller bowls around the outside. Something like that might make a great olive/pickle or condiment tray. What do you think? Maybe I could find cute little spoons to sell with it.

Also, square stuff. This summer I bought a little tool that helps me cut a 45 degree angle along the edge of the slab. It makes fitting slabs together SO much easier. That, and years of trial and error have got me to a pretty good place with piecing flat pieces of clay together. I'm anxious to see the finished olive oil bottles and expect that they'll turn out well. I've been thinking about what else I can do with square pottery - herb pots, butter dishes (I have a prototype in the works), vases. What else might be square? Would you serve food from a square dish? If it were wide and low enough?

I'll likely continue making the yarn bowls and am going to try making some with lids - that was recommended here by one of you, and I think it's a great idea for anybody who has a playful cat. I'm sure a rolling ball of yarn would be just too much to resist, but it can't be seen if it's inside a pot with a lid! So there's something for me to play with, and a challenging piece at that, because cutting through the rim of a bowl can cause it to warp and have lid fittage problems. Ha. Fittage. I made up a new word. Go me!

Butter keepers. Yes, finally! I have two butter keeper prototypes in progress. They seem pretty straight forward, yet technical. A lot of pieces to fit together... hmm... bottom pot, flat lid, butter bowl attached to flat lid, and a knob on top. So four different pieces thrown on the wheel, carefully dried and trimmed, and then fitted together. They won't be cheap. My late friend Jim bought one for me when he was back East and it's mass produced and the price tag on it was $35. Mine will probably be around $50 which is appropriate for a piece with so much work put into it.

Here's the work that came out of the kiln this week for tomorrow's show.

Colorful stuff! Chip & dip bowls, shallow bowls and cups.


Close-up of the colorful cups.


Bird ornaments - sketches done by my friend Christina Scherer, ornaments made by me. She had rubber stamps made of her sketches, and I used the stamps with underglaze colors to impress the designs onto the clay.


And finally, an item that is not going into the show but I wanted to share. This is a gorgeous six-compartment tea box, a collaboration between myself and my Dad.

I just cleaned up my friends list and removed quite a few people. I removed people whom I haven't seen in months and months, and those whom I don't interact with, even though you and I both post.

The Friends management tool is sort of a pain - so if we interact often and I removed you please let me know!

Another productive day... trimmed a bunch of stuff and finished up the parrot butter dishes. If these turn out OK I'll make a bunch more of them. I updated my ceramics blog, if you're interested in reading the entry it's here! There is a pic of some olive oil jugs in the post.



We've got salmon in the oven, sweet potatoes and broccoli on the stovetop. A huge spring snowstorm is moving in tonight and they've already called a snow day at the university for Monday - an extra day in the studio for me. Hooray!

I went through fifty pounds of clay today.


Thirteen teacups, ten mugs, four plates (one plate on a shelf above).


One very large fruit platter and three parrot butter dishes. The parrot is a departure from my normal style; a lady at work asked if I could replace hers (the one shown in the pic) because she dropped it and it broke into several pieces. She glued it back together so I could see what it looked like and how it was put together.