Rabbits

 I have always enjoyed the top rabbit and decided that I needed to add this other rabbit to my tiles.

He's fat and looks like he would enjoy a good love squeeze. I am now working on a tile that has 2 of the new rabbits looking at the moon from different sides of the tile.

So near and yet so far.

The new one makes me think of the distance of love and how we can not just jump in the car and see our loved ones right now.  I will post them soon.

Be safe, be well, wash your hands, wear the mask, do your part, vote.

Ms. B 2019

 It was a great week to load a kiln and get it fired.
Please call or email for summer hours.
meredith

Let's March, it's March

 Here we go, month 3 is marching forward, week 2 is quickly here.
I am piling up enough tiles to fire soon.
Mark is working on a gas firing for Ms. B.
 Last month he worked over at the college firing the gas kiln we have there. It was full of students work. He was a little nervous firing a kiln load of pots worked on by others. It is hard enough to lose your own work, but the thoughts of messing up other work is a different set of jitters. He did a fantastic job, it was a great firing.
The students were very excited over some excellent results, with almost no glaze on the shelves we were ecstatic. They are ready to fill this again soon.
Now to teach them how to fill the kiln with less bowls and more other items.
If you are interested the college has a facebook page, Montgomery Community College Pottery, they are in Troy NC, not Troy NY or other big cities. Just look them up, I have posted pictures of the firing.

 The trees and flowers tell us that spring is coming, we are excited to see the usual signs of trees budding, flowers in the yard. There is still that chill in the air, but the promise of warm weather is here.
Check with us on your next trip to the area our hours have changed. We are closing some in order to get work finished here, but we are always open to you. Come down, we will have a key ready.
Otherwise you are very likely to find us open Wednesday-Saturday.

Cheers!
M

Show & Bread

I am in a show in Greensboro NC, being held at Greenhill in the downtown area.

For information and times, here is a click

If you are in the area, stop in and see it.

Thanks!

A new bread recipe that we tried this week.

Dried Fruit Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

 1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Cinnamon

2 ¼ tsp yeast

1 1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1/2 cup Bread flour & 1/2 cup Whole Wheat set aside

1 cup mixed dried fruit, raisins, cranberries, Apricots

Grease and flour, or use spray, one bread loaf pan.

Place the 2 cups of all-purpose flour in a bowl with sugar, salt, cinnamon and yeast.

Place the salt on one side of your bowl and your yeast on the other.

Mix well and add in warm water, beat well, add in egg, beat, drizzle in cooled butter, beat well.

Stir in the ½ cup Bread flour & ½ cup Whole Wheat, add and stir in fruit.

Pour this into bread pan, use flour on your hand to pat into pan, will be sticky.

Cover loosely with a plastic bag, let rise 1 hour

Before hour is up preheat oven to 375, you can preheat to 400 but be sure to turn down the heat to 375 when you place bread in the oven

Bake 40-45 minutes

I have been playing with bread, we like this one for breakfast.

Toast, butter, eat

Just some Red

 Not much news except there is sunshine out there!
Have a wonderful day.
M

A taste of spring in winter

6x6, more like 61/4

 We did get over to unload the kiln the other day. It took some careful steps with ice on the ground. I am much more aware that I do not want either of us to take a spill.

I was overall happy with the tiles. I always see what I could have done better first. Then I have to tell myself to set it all aside and sleep on it, look with fresh eyes, note issues and move ahead.

I am guilty of taking a left on a sharp curve instead of staying straight on a path. I am always rethinking the background of the tiles. I jump back and forth and sometimes I just jump off the deep in and try something else. I don't want those areas to take over the tile just to add to or sit quietly in the back part of the design. 

6x6 more like 61/4

It is always a process.

I tucked this one in a frame because that is another thought that I have, framing some of the tiles.

I always come back from that just wondering if it is what I want to do.
I can make a tile and then let someone decide how they want it to be used, framed or not. I like both.
Still mulling this one...

When I am choosing color I will quickly go red. I like red, I like the pop of color. We are in the age of gray walls, red loves gray walls.
But, this yellow combination has grabbed me lately. Oh, I am smitten with the yellows and greens. They are bright and cheery.

8x8, plus

 True confession on the tile on the bottom, I think I got carried away by the dragonflies...too many?
 Or, not enough!?

We are still waiting to be safe from ice on the driveway and will be closed another day.
Thursday I head over to teach, let's melt this stuff today, please. I will leave it up to Mark to open tomorrow  while I am gone. We should be open on Friday and Saturday.
Put Seagrove on your list of places to visit. I would be happy to point you to places to stay, eat or have a drink.
Stop in!

I am working on a house

I try to look back at all the designs that run through my head when I am working on tiles.
I notice what seems to be gone, and those things I need to repeat. It is hard to fully repeat any tile since they are all handmade and vary a bit here and there.
So I added in one of the houses that I have been doing.
The houses came out one day when I was waiting for the older granddaughter to come join me in the studio when she was visiting me.
As I waited I was looking at a needlepoint that was sitting in front of me.
I picked up a pencil and out came this house.

  The house changes every time I make one. In this one there is a tree, the sky is going to be a lighter blue. I planted some flowers in the yard. It has a stone walkway. There are times the door is retangular, this one begged for a Hobbit type door. I enjoy making these, this one went a bit faster, I had one that I worked off and on for months. I just was stuck and couldn't get moving on it.
I was happy that this one was built in a day.
I thought we needed more red flowers, so, there are red flowers coming.

 And, bunnies, those bunnies creeping through the night are also in the works.

More bottles and jugs are heading in the kiln as well.
I might be stuck on those bottles and jugs.

I'll post some after pictures next week.
Be safe,
M

Looking for Rainbows

We have now been through the middle of 2 hurricanes that came through our area. The first one bought us buckets of rain, the second one brought in the wonders of wind.
One of the granddaughters asked me why we had a hurricane, do we need them? I thought about that and my thoughts are no, we don't need them, but we have no control over them.
They are nature making its own path, cutting rivers where there should be none, moving sand, making change.
 It has been devastating for many folks who have lost all that they have in the world.
How do you come back?
I worry that some of them never will.
I hope after this last storm that we have a break coming for the many that need to start over.
We are once again cleaning up debris, cutting and dumping the small trees that came down.
It has tossed us into the land of behind, behind on everything.
I sometimes think I should just let this year rest, put it to bed and let it wake up slowly next year.
We are working when we can, as we can, and if you need us we are here.

 Share a little love today, tell someone you care.

October 2018

Open

The roads around us are in good shape and open. 
You can get to us with no problem. 
We are reading post about NC being closed. 
Yes, east of us they are asking people to be careful before going home, but we are in central NC.
 If you need to you can email or call.
Thank you!
Meredith

We make pots and we grow butterflies

This happened this morning when I was taking pictures.
What a treat to be there at just the right time.
Cheers!

Tiles

I have worked on a number of tiles this summer and now is the time to get those ready to hang.
I use a simple d-ring on the back of the 3x6 it works great to make them ready to hang.
I find that most people prefer having something ready to go.
All they will need to do is pick a spot, put in a nail or screw and hang.

I like to let them sit at least 24 hours for the glue and d-ring to set up.

I already have 2 more round of tiles rolled to add to these.
This round has more of the 6x6 and a few larger ones as well.
The hard part is decided what to put on them.
Sometimes I just enjoy letting myself draw all over the tile and go for it.
Other times I hold myself to things I think I need to make.

Here is one of the tiles that I played with last round.
Of, course I see things I might change on the next round.
I have been watching the dragonflies dart all over the pond they are really busy right now.
I have seen many butterflies making their rounds through the yard as well.
I planted some flowers just for them to enjoy, I am watching to see if they lay a few eggs here and there.

Keep your eye out for those sheep, they are always getting out.
Sh, don't tell the farmer......
Stay cool out there, it's hot.
m

Tiles and those crazy small items.

 I was pretty pleased with the firing for the last bit of tiles. I am always trying something new because that is just how the brain works.
And, I am always trying something new because I don't pay attention to the glazes and pick up the wrong glaze. The wings on the dragonfly below were in one glaze, and, then, just like magic, I picked up the wrong glaze and covered it with another glaze.
Well, let's just see what it does.
I like it. Can I repeat it? Maybe.

 The reason I take so many pictures is to remind me to remember what I did.
I can't remember why I walked into a room any more. When I go to glaze I start thinking again, maybe thinking too much. There are times you just need that inner voice to go silent.

The small tiles below I have made and glazed in the past usually using several glazes. This time I was under a time limit and just tossed them in a single glaze. I like them as well and I think they would be great as an accent in a bath or kitchen.

Here are more of those bits.
Buttons, and things that hang.
I just make them, you need to come do something with them.

More soon!
M

What I am working on

This is my work this past week:

Drawn in pencil, then waxed

Layers of glaze are applied

More glaze

wax is painted over glaze

This has been my slow work this past week, I am ready to apply the background glazes next.
Then hold my breathe when we fire.
m

Who's there?

I'm pretty happy with the results.
 I see a few things that I need to be careful about, but overall, this is a great place to be.
More to come.