I’m Back!

July 1, 2019 mud&stringLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Remember me? Well, here I am, still an insomniac and getting over a back issue. Actually, I developed back pain about a week ago that kept me from wheel and kiln until yesterday. Anyhow, I’m much better and eager to get back in the studio. 🙂

Here’s a sneak peek at a couple of things I was able to finish before my back turned on me.

First up is a medium sized sized, textured vase –

Next, a sweet little ring bowl –

I especially love the green shades inside this little bowl!

These will be going up in my Etsy shop,ClayDreamsPottery in the next few days, as soon as I can take a breather from playing pottery catch up!

Knowledge is addictive. Keep it up. Teresa Sjoquist

Everything Else

Well, It Held Together

April 29, 2019 mud&stringLeave a comment

WHAT I DID TODAY

Quite a while ago, think years, I came into possession of an old Hoosier cabinet which was just sort of pushed back against the wall and forgotten about. When I decided to set up my studio and started cleaning, guess what I found!!!! That’s right, the old Hoosier came out of hiding. It was a bit dirtier than before – it’s been in the garage after all and the evidence of a failed attempt to antique it was still there. Whoever painted it painted EVERYTHING, the hinges, the latches, everything within reach. Anyhow, I’ve decided to clean it up, repaint it and use it in my studio. It has at least 50 years of grime built up – seriously – that has to go before I can start it on it’s road to recovery. First things first…..knock as much gunk off as I can. So, out comes the pressure washer, off come the doors, out come the drawers and off come what looks like 20 years of kitchen grease and grime. Yay! My biggest fear that it would explode into a million toothpicks didn’t happen. Everything withstood the pressure washing with no problem. Great – half the first step – done. One more wash with a bit of Mean Green detergent should do the trick and I’ll be on to the second step – paint – soon.

Here’s a before photo –

Sorry for the bad focus, but you can see the shape it’s in. Yuck!

After first pressure wash.

ON THE WHEEL

This week I threw a couple test batter bowls, one of which I promptly broke off the handle, I tried something new I saw in Pottery Making Illustrated, Throwing in Two Parts and threw a sweet little rounded pitcher.

Crap

I threw a flashlight!!🔦🤨

Sweet

Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you into trouble. Frank Tyger

Everything Else

Lather Rinse Repeat/4 a.m. Is Better Than 2 a.m.

April 13, 2019 mud&stringLeave a comment

THURSDAY MORNING

So – it’s been a busy few weeks. I set up an Etsy shop, ClayDreamsPottery and have been putting a lot of hours writing and rewriting, tweaking and retweaking my shop stuff, working at getting more pots photographed and listed. This is much harder than it should be since I’m a bit technophobic, computer illiterate and way out of my comfort zone when I encounter something unfamiliar computer wise. I have to reinvent the wheel over and over again. I’m figuring it out slowly but surely.

Today, I’m running a full bisque kiln this morning, then tomorrow or Saturday go into a glazing frenzy, then finally run a glaze kiln. I guess one good thing about insomnia is that I can start all this 2 a.m.

I’m anxious to see how the spiny things turn out. I plan to stain them, fire them and then lace them back together with a thin leather thong. I hope it’s going to match the picture I’ve been carrying around in my head for a long time.

FYI – The spiny things behaved exactly how I’d hoped (for once)! The toothpicks burned away, leaving perfectly shaped holes for lacing them together later. I LOVE it when a plan comes together!

SATURDAY

Wow, I slept late this morning – til a whole 4 a.m.! If you guessed this week wasn’t exactly a good one sleepwise, in other ways it absolutely rocked. Let’s see. What happened this week? OK, got it.

Mr. Insomniac had cataract surgery on his right eye on Wednesday morning and is doing great! He is seeing better than he’s ever seen, 20/30 on the right about 24 hours after surgery.
I sold a pot in my Etsy shop, ClayDreamsPottery
I’ve had time to work on several knitting projects that have been languishing for what seems like forever. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I also have a knitting blog. You can check out this particular alter ego at http://iknead2knit.net.
Filled a pew at Mass last Sunday with nearly the entire fam, three grands, a son, a daughter in law that I love, my bestie, who happens to be dear d-i- l’s mother, me and Mr. Insomniac.
Successful glaze firing of pots to restock my Etsy shop. Shop update is tentatively scheduled for April 22.

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on man unless they act. G. K. Chesterton

Everything Else

True Confessions

March 31, 2019 mud&stringLeave a comment

Happy 4:44 am! Sigh………….

I really do have a confession and here it is – I absolutely hate throwing mugs. Hate it. I hate it because I have trouble throwing such a small amount of clay, give me 2 pounds to start with and I’m good to go.I don’t enjoy pulling handles and attaching them, kinda fiddly and they never look quite the way they should. Yada Yada Yada as Seinfeld would say. 🙂 They’re not my thing I guess.

What brought this on? I recently started an Etsy shop and have been working to get it stocked. Well, I thought it needed a few mugs and spent most of a morning trying to get at least a couple to add. That’s when it hit me – I don’t like throwing mugs, so why am I so bent on adding them to my inventory? This is MY shop. I provide the inventory – which really is a labor of love – so why can’t I fill my tiny corner of Etsy with things that fill me with happiness from beginning to end? Why can’t I fill it with bowls and plates, bottles and vases and anything else that catches my fancy? It’s decided, no mugs for me. 👏👏👏

I have several pots in progress and my kiln (almost) runneth over this morning. Be on the lookout for a shop update in the next week or so.

One more thing: I’m thinking of changing my shop name. Potshards just doesn’t seem fit. A few I’m considering are:

I Dream of Pottery

Dream Come True Pottery

Happy Place Pottery

Any suggestions out there? I’d love to hear them!

I’ll leave you with a peek at my “studio” also called a garage.🙂