Oh, the weather outside is

just a mess!
I hope everyone is safe from the storms that blew in here yesterday.
I was teaching when we went on lock down mode, safety in place, which for us is the bathrooms.
Once we were called out it was only minutes before they wanted us all out and heading home.
You know it's bad when your maintenance man rolls in and asks if you have your key and can lock up.
I say yes, of course, go, be safe.
I had all the students out in just under 15 minutes heading in all different directions.
By the time I locked up a howling wind with a big mass of rain came in and my coat was in the car. I grabbed a trash bag knowing I would still be wet. I crawled home around some downed tress, with loads of debris covering the roadways. I just held my own, but as I drove closer to home the winds and rain were less threating.
Although, they were right behind me. We lost power for awhile but we have several of our oil lamps  in the house ready for power loss. With those going we dug out a board game to keep us busy until the power came back. As soon as it did we fixed some food, just in case it went out again.

It's always an adventure living where we do.
Last month we worked on making pots and I have been working on a tile order.
Open hours are still mostly by appointment.
If you call, leave us a message.
Or, email.
Stay safe.
Be kind.
Come out in the spring for the open house in the area.
Hopefully the weather will be wonderful.

The aftermath

 It was great to be out at the show in Seagrove and see so many old and new customers. We are back home, the shop is filled and we plan to put our feet up and relax a bit this week.
The best part of a show is watching folks buy gifts for others and watching them buy something for their own home as well.
It is a lot of work, but worth the effort it takes.
I have to thank my sister who drives down from Virginia to help.
Thanks Sister!

 We have plenty of work left if and when you are out and about in the area, do stop in.

A customer favorite, our oil lamps, great for when the power is out or just to enjoy on the dining table.

Our customer favorite small bowl for those yummy treats or sides. I like this as a dessert bowl, Mark thinks it's too small, Goldilocks and I think it's' just right.

 More oil lamps

The best spoon and utensil  crock. These work so well for all those things you need close at hand.
Number one with our customers.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Eat some pie!!

It was time

 It was time to get down to some dusting in the shop. We live on a long dirt road and if you know dirt roads you know they can be dusty. We have had a lot of rain the past week which can bring down the dust making it a good time to spruce things up.
Our sales shop, "gallery", is not really big, but even a small space needs to get a dusting now and again.
I don't even want to tell you about chasing out the spiders.
It looked nice, shiny, and clean enough to share.
I am back on tiles while Mark is throwing pots to help fill out the kiln.
Tomorrow I am back in the classroom my one day a week at the college. I did enjoy the summer off, it gave me more days of focus, time to put in a flower garden, and time to chase some butterflies.
Fall is coming, come out and see us!
Cheers!

Some Pots and Tiles

 Here are a few of the tiles and some pots from the kiln.
All looks good.
The sheep on the bottom would not load any other way but sideways.
You will just have to turn your device on it's side.
It's been that kind of week.
Tomorrow will be my day to get hangers on everything.

That's all for now!

Ms. B is in

And fired!
Stay tune for pictures tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!

We are working

 We are working on a wholesale order this month and it is all in the iron red glaze. We feel lucky that it is in a glaze that Ms. B seems to like.

The iron red has stayed, but we are changing up the wood ash for one that works in Ms. B. We both would prefer to work with the old wood ash glaze but it is not as happy in this kiln- things need to be worked out and we may do that as time allows.

I hope you are all having a great start to our new year. We had the most wonderful weather this past weekend and I made sure to go walk over at the NC Zoo.
It has paid  to have a membership for us, and, if I want to walk alone, it is a safe place to be. Also, what a great place to people watch while I shake off the winter blues.
I am a fan of the two legged critters as well as the four. I am that person who tries to nod and say hello to everyone.

Be safe, be happy.
M

Yes, it's wet

 Top to bottom, Front, Middle, Back.
Overall good firing, a little crawling on a few pieces.

Some gems, flattened bottles by Mark.

What Moon?

 And, away we go.
We have been working on the latest load of pots for the big gas kiln. It use to be that we could knock this out in 5 days.
Now that I am gone for a few of those days it takes longer.

We also had to make a trip up to Virginia to remove the last of the items from my mother's house. It has sold and the closing is coming up.
We walked all the rooms on each floor, taking in the memories that were so much a part of any house that has belonged in a family such as ours.
 The weather was nice enough to walk to lunch, something we don't get to do here, unless you count the walk across the yard. We stopped in for cups of coffee on the way back and did what we loved to do the most at my mother's house, we porch sat.
 We just sat on the top step of the porch while we watched the world pass us by.
This trip we were not in a hurry, we had nowhere to be, we could just sit and watch.

  I always find a new story to tell Mark as we sit there. You would think after all these years there would be nothing left to tell.

We moved to this house when I was 12. I built my teenage years there along with my 2 brothers and 2 sisters. If those walls could talk.

After coffee, as the afternoon started to head into late afternoon, I said my good-bye.

I talked to my sister that night and she asked was Mom there. No, she is gone. She loved that house, loved her life there, loved growing old there, but she is not hanging around. That was not her style. My mother always told me that life was for the living. So get out there and do some of that. Oh, and if you have a shot of good bourbon, raise a glass to my mother.

 You know the drill.
Top to bottom:
Back stack.
Middle stack.
Front stack.
Fire tomorrow, cool down on Wednesday and Thursday, unload is Friday.

Oh, yeah, about that moon.
I don't want to talk about it.

See you on Friday.
M

For most of us

 we don't really have to worry about winter. We are the people who like to watch winter on the news. Oh, look, we like to say smugly to one another, snow. I am so happy they have it and not me.
 Watch out what you say, make those words sweet, winter is listening.
As soon as they reach the tip of your tongue you need to swallow them back down, DON"T say a word, don't even think about it.

Snow has come our way again this week, with promise of more.
Is this a problem?
I am trying to make it a non-issue by not fretting about not being able to get to school once again. I was up, showered, dressed, lunch packed when the snow started.
So what to do when you plan to go away and then find out you are staying.
First thing is enjoy that cup of coffee.

 Then make a plan.
Or, try to make a plan.
Last week my plan was tiles.
In order to get these made, carved and finished for dying, I need more than one day. It takes one day to roll, one day to start setting up, one day to lay out designs, one day to carve and one day to finish them enough to leave them alone.
That is 5 one days.
If I am going to teach, I have to plan this for when I know I have 5 days, even if that means that Sunday, before I work on Monday, is one of those days.

To your left, a blank

 To your right, a cut out of the tiles.

I like the 6x6, but I like the fun of leaving  some of the tiles with that natural roundness that happens as I am rolling.

I have a number of patterns that I use 8x8,6x6,4x4.

I try to get as much goodness as I can out of the space, but that is not always possible. I use to make many small items from the leftovers, but now that eats into my days, so I don't.

Mark is staying on the wheel as he adds to his pile of production pots.
Oil lamps, bowls, and pitchers are flying off the wheel on the other side of the room.

I love a good pitcher.
There was a discussion the other day asking if any one still needs a pitcher, or if people still use pitchers.
I started thinking about how I use them; water my plants, water my guest, flowers, gravy, maple syrup, melted butter, oil, salad dressing...
 just to name a few.
How about you, do you have a favorite way to use all those pitchers? Tell me, I need to know.



A public service notice from Mark.
Happy 24 days people, 24 days, just hold on.

The small stuff

 In the past I have posted many of the larger works that we make, but in reality it is the small stuff that can make or break you.
In order to make a living as a potter, or any craft, you need to have some small works that are something you enjoy making as much as the big stuff.
We love the glory of the big works, the work that screams, "look at me!"
The reality is there are many folks who love to own some of the simple pots. A mug, tumbler, bowl and yes, we make and sell many oil lamps. There are always discussions in the world of clay about the things that potters make.
For us it has never been about following the crowd, but more about finding a place in which we are happy with what we do.

 My father was a writer, a newspaper man, an editor who loved and knew words. He and his best friend wrote a book together. I once asked him if he would write another.
"No, he would say, I have scratched that itch ."

There are times that you have to follow a path of need, want, discovery to take the clay somewhere you have not gone together before.
Then there are times that the simple act of making a shape over and over can be the comfort you need. There are times that I feel a peace when just throwing those simple forms.

 Then there is your customer who has given those pots as gifts to family and friends. They know that they can come and find a pot that is affordable, useful and a way to share their love of the handmade item.
( maybe we are a gateway drug)

I can not even tell you how many of the lamps we have sold over the years.
I can tell you that they are enjoyed, my customers tell me so.
Plus, when we know we are going to have no power we line up our own.
We have found that with 2 we can play cards or dominoes.

We always tie a set of instructions on the lamps before they are set out to sell. You can not expect that folks will know what you know. These burn best with a good lamp oil, the smokeless, oderless oil. The other stuff smokes like crazy and can make a mess. Plus, the others smell.

The wick is fiberglass and unlike cotton will not burn up. It absorbs the oil and pulls it to the top. What you get is a nice flame like a candle without the drips of wax.

I did my first 3 days in a row of teaching, a long day for me finds me going to bed pretty early since I need to be up about 5:30 am to roll out of here on time.
Mark has been steadily tossing clay on the wheel and should have a bisque load going next week.
My only problem is that it is not Friday on the last day of the week I work.....I'm getting my days mixed up and Mark is not going for giving me a 4 day week-end. ( I need to work on that).
Coffee calls,
M 

Working the set

 I have a weakness for cream and sugar sets. I know, they just tug at me.

I always think that no one buys them any more. Really, I think, who uses cream and sugar?
Apparently someone does since they still seem to find their way to new homes.

When they come out of the kiln I have favorites. This one I think, or this one... I can see them taking their respective places in the kitchen next to the coffee pot.
Or, set up on the dinning room sideboard waiting to be brought out to be used  for a family occasion.

 As I have stated before, I love making jars. For me there is something about not only making the jar, but making the jar with a well fitting lid.

When we first opened the pottery the customers here were use to the fact that the local potters made jars and then made lids. They would then mix and match them until they had one that fit well enough.
I, on the other hand, had learned to make a lid to fit the jar.
One day I walked into our newly opened shop to find all the jars lined up on the floor, with all the lids off and 3 women walking around trying to match the lids to the jars.
I almost had a heart attack right on the spot. I quickly regained my composure and was able to explain to them that the jars all had their own lids.

We manage to get them all put back together......

I am happy to say this does not happen anymore.

 I think that our buying public is more informed now.

Mark and I have been busy listing pottery for sale in our Etsy shop.
If you can't get here and want to pick up something, go use the Etsy shop.
If you see something there and want to bundle a few things you can call or email us.

We would be happy to help you.

Labor

We were able to take off over the week-end for some family time with our son and his wife.

Today our plan is to load a kiln and I am back on the pots that need waxing.
I thought I would post some of the planned shelves for you to see, giving you an idea of the variety of pots that fill a shelf.
Each of the boards on the ware-cart is a planned shelf.
You can see that the various shapes and heights.
This helps get some heat around everything.

It also takes out the guess work on loading.
Although, I am known to rearrange if I see that we need to open up an area or close it down a bit.
After all, one should never feel that they can not mix it up even when you think there is a set plan.
My favorite loads are when I get every planned pot in the kiln.
It is like having your cash drawer come out to the penny.
The majority of the time there will be a few of the pots left over.
Those are sat aside to be planned into the next round.
Better get on it,
M

Mid-week rumble

 Nothing starts the mid-week like jumping right back into the work cycle.
Mark made some vases on Wednesday and yesterday they were ready to put some texture on.

The new clay body seems to dry a bit quicker than the old and by yesterday afternoon it was time for some carving and stamping.

The pot to the right will be a lamp.
We made a lamp for a customer back in January and they like that one enough to ask for another.
They will not match to perfection, but will be kissing cousins.
Plus,I figure we will leave the matching to the mass production marketing. They are pretty good at the mass market where we are looking for the individual market. Those folks that love something different in their home.

This vase is a possible wedding gift.
How lucky will that couple be!? I love the shape of this vase it has some great angles going on that will lend well to some carving and stamping. I expect this one will have some changes before the end of the day.

Here is a vase just after Mark has done his work on it, but before it has its handles added to it.

Handles on, hats on, now its all about drying.

Me?
I have many small fillers waiting for me. Mark went straight to the big pots, I went straight to the small stuff and we will meet somewhere in the middle.

A few oil lamps from the last firing, don't they look great in a group?


I am going to pay some bills, join me, bring your checkbook and we'll play with numbers.
M