Craft Beer and potter mugs

 We have noticed that as the craft industry has grown so have our sales of our beer mug.
We keep this item on the must make list and try to keep a good stock of them in the store for sale.
We have been pleasantly surprised at the steady sales of this item.
For us it is nice to not wonder, but to just make sure it is on the list.
We had a request for a mug that would fit a large hand. Mark worked out the size that would be needed for the customer and we just shipped 2 off to see if we are on target.

We have a favorite brew pub in Asheboro that we go have a pour now and again, the beer is great. We brought in our own mugs to use and that makes it even better. We enjoy sitting there and watching the different mugs used by the locals. I need to get a picture of the how the behind the counter looks as you are sitting at the bar, nothing warms the heart better than to see clay being used.
If you are in need of a new beer mug let us know, we ship.

Best,
M

Mugs!

 Here are the mugs that I had promised to take pictures of. The pictures don't do the glaze the justice that they really deserve, but for now, this is what you are getting.
It has been fun to revamp an older glaze, and, while doing so, develop something new.
Mark latched onto one right away when I unloaded the kiln. We took it along when we stopped in to Four Saints in Asheboro for a pint. If you remember we made mugs for their fundraiser. They also buy beer mugs  now and again to replace ones that meet with a hard floor or some other unfortunate event.
They also let us know we could bring our own mugs in to drink out of and store them there. We took them up on the offer and "carried" up a couple to drink from.
One night while we were there I was handed a different mug, it was still one we made, but not the one I had taken to drink from.

 Excuse me, but this is not mine. Yes it is they said. No it's not I said. It's your number, they said. Yep, it's my number but a different mug. I had brought in a black and blue mug, this one was iron red with an accent of wood ash.
They looked again, funny you have two, but one is marked with your number plus A on it....
Okay...
Long story short, someone had seen that mug I brought in and wanted it, they wanted it really bad, bad enough to get the owners to exchange with me.
Did I mind?
At first I did and then I thought, if they want it bad enough they could have it.
We were there one night and I punched Mark, hard, Look! There is the mug!
The woman who wanted it was enjoying a beer out of the mug, she looked so happy I did not have the heart to knock her off her bar stool.

Now, I am very fond of the iron red mug, we bonded. I could take another mug to drink from, but we are pretty happy.

Mark on the other hand, took a mug much like the one below. It caused a new stir with some of the customers and one of the guys working behind the bar.
We ended up with an order of 6 beer mugs from one person, and one for the bar keep.
A happy ending for all.

 Some rain this past week has allowed some of the flowers I planted to bloom.
Rain is good.

This week I head back to teach on Thursdays. I am looking forward to seeing my students and putting them all back to work.
I just have to remember to go!
I hope the summer has been good to you, I know there are many things going on. Many. I will keep neutral here, saving my thoughts and actions for other places.
Hold your family tight.
best,
M

A Friday in April

Oh, Mark you do make lovely vases that are rich with color.

The plan this week was to make this a non-clay week. With the exception of pricing, lugging and delivering finished pots, we accomplished our goal.
No raw clay was used or even looked at this week.
It was a week to work outside moving plants, work on the book keeping, go sit at a friends house, grill out and then sit in the dark and watch the flames of a bonfire lick at the night sky.
It was a week to go to a beer tasting, to deliver pots early in the morning, and then go have savory crepes for breakfast as a reward.

It was a week for tossing out papers and filling up the trash can.

A note here: I love trash pick-up.
We lived for years here without it and had to haul all the trash to the dump ourselves.  I am here to tell you that having someone come and get that trash can and take the things inside it away is a luxury. It is one of the bills that I really do not mind paying.

A night for a Pink full moon, that is not really pink but, the full moon of the month of April.

 It has been a busy, yet, lazy week and I could use another one.

How about you?
How are things going at your house?
M

I had planned

to sit down and bore you all with my life here at Whynot but I picked up email from Tracey who wanted us to meet her in Asheboro to listen to a friend of her's and Jerry's who was playing music and off we went.
It is not often that we just walk in from a long day and say yeah, let's go.
Well truth be told we always want to go some where and grab a beer, but even Asheboro is 20 minutes up the raod and usually we can talk us out of going.
We were glad that the voice of reason did not win.
It was great to finally meet Gerry, Tracey's husband, and their friends and guitar player Jeff Brown.

We were sitting in Asheboro, outside, drinking a beer and listening to music. For some of you I know you are thinking so what, but I never thought we would have such things here.

Did I get pictures? No, but I think Tracey did.

Instead you get a picture of my morning view as I have coffee and anticipate the day.
I love sitting here and looking out at the yard and the studio just a walk away.
I just have to get there.

I am still fascinated by the butterflies that have always been here I am sure but that in my haste to hurry past them for many years I just missed them.
I am positive I was too busy protecting the parsley and dill from them  that I was not allowing them to be.
Now that I am fully aware of them I look all the time.
This past week 7 caterpillars on the parsley.
Seems like a lot for their great appetite and yesterday there was one looking for something else to eat.
Note- put in more parsley.

    Yesterday it was survival of the fittest:

 Yesterday was also glaze away day and I am close to my tile load while Mark is exploring the pots for Ms. B.
Tiles get fired first and then we will see what we can do with Ms. B.
You know she can be a bit of a pain.

All is still on for our 30th and we are really excited to have Four Saint's here with their beer. We have become (old) groupies and tend to look them up to see where they will be next, showing up like stray puppies for yet another chance at their beers. Everything we have tried has been good.
 The one they are unveiling on the 13th at our 30th Celebration is a new one and sounds great.

Best get cracking on some pots- the commute to work is so hard.
M

Taking down the door and some quick looks

We are slowing opening up the kiln.
There is still a whole mess of heat in there and even with rain it is still a tad muggy out there, what did I expect spring?

Here is a quick look in the kiln at the Beer Mugs for Four Saints, soon to be Asheboro's finest brewery,
Pretty nice.

More coming...
M

Beep, Beep, Beep

We are in that mode where you just get up and check the list pick some pots that need to be made and get spinning.
It is one of my favorite things about being a studio potter.
I can stand at my wheel throwing and in the background I hear Mark doing the same thing.
I hear his wheel turning, the movement of water, then the air is full of those studio sounds that only potters understand.
The thwack as the ball of clay hits the wheel head.
The whirl of the motor as you center.
The contented sound  as the motor slows while a pot is being made, the wheel stops... the pots comes off and is shelved and then thwack, another pots being made.
I know that many potters post video of them working and I love watching them work, but there is something so deep in my soul on the sounds that are being made in the studio.
Maybe it is the same when you hear bees buzzing, a sound of contentment.
Nothing to see just going about our day.... 

The last few days there is some work going on in the neighborhood and we get the beep,beep,beep of a trucks backing up. It is so foreign to my brain that my brain wants to response- beep, beep, beep.
It becomes a back ground noise that the brain wants to swat away like a fly.
 The sounds carries through the stillness of the day on the wind.
Beep, beep, beep , thwack, whirl, beep,beep,beep, thwack, whirl.....like a dance tune.

 
 What are we making?
Beer mugs/steins for Four Saints Brewery
Here is a sample:

 Cruets for me.
I had swore them off after loosing two rounds to the glaze running too much, but- but I am back, kick me now...I had good luck with the teapots so maybe..maybe.

 And for Julia- pumpkin jars, not crocks, jars.
These are not real big, but are great for many things.
I have a customer that loves to give them to family and friend's daughters who are graduating from high school.
A bit back I did a step by step on this closed form.
They came to me one day while watching Martha, you know which Martha, cut a squash to use for dip.
I thought why not make a pot you could use and it would not rot. And, the great thing about pottery, you could use it for so many other things. Multipurpose I love you!
So they are thrown, then stamped or carved on the top, then cut.

Wee pumpkin jars.
I know I Started making these about 20 years ago- yikes! Where did that time go??

 What's on the wheel for today?
Spouts and handles, and going to carve me some pumpkin jars.
How about you?
Oh, and maybe go beer tasting....
Cheers!
M

Kicking off the weekend with a little fun

Mark and I kicked off the weekend last night by hosting a beer tasting party at our place last night.
There are a couple of really nice guys, Joel McClosky and Andrew Deming ,who have been on the path of beer making and that path is taking them to actually opening a beer tasting room in the Asheboro area. They are in the process of looking for space now in or around the downtown area.
They approached the local potters to help them in their Kickstarter program  by having us make beer mugs for them to use. Mark and I are happy to be a part of this new adventure and kicked off with a tasting party last night so that potters who were interested could taste the product.

I have planned to get some pictures and was too busy tasting and enjoying one of those nights outside with good food, great beer and good conversation.
For the most part I liked just about all the beers I tasted . The first Potter's Clay was my favorite and some of the others grew on me. All in all they have a very good start to a what I am sure will be a successful business.
We hope to see them all again.
Plus how could I not have a soft spot for another Joel?

While Mark and I were cleaning up and getting ready Mark noticed that something had been in the utility room that is attached to the carport. In the past we have had possums get in our buildings and they can make a mess. I figured it was just a baby one and we could leave the door open for it to leave. Later Mark went in for something and then noticed this head looking at him.
(Gary- do not read or look I know how you feel about these lizards with no legs!)
I hear Mark calling me in a voice that tells me it is no possum but something else and I have to come see.
Do I want to?
Well, noway out now.
Here is the animal and yes he did grab it and pull it out of some pipe...ewwww....

  This snake was the biggest we have had around the house for awhile.
At least 5 foot.
Don't ask me where he is now.
I don't want to know.
This is about the size that got in the house a few years back.
 We have since put different doors on the house and that seems to have stopped them from getting in.
Really, we don't keep these things in the house if we can help it.

Kiln Opening:
Cookies are made, pots are unloaded just come on out for a southern minute.
Tom what time will you be here?!
Cheers,
M