Monday, February 29, 2016

Another Monday....Mug


Two views of yet another mug that has gone into my very slow kiln loading process. 

This one is a little different from a lot of my other work.  As all the mugs that I have posted lately are tests I made for shrinkage I'm enjoying the freedom to experiment a little.



It's breezy but the sun is out and the days are definitely getting warmer.  Morning yard walks have become pleasurable again!

Enjoy the week ahead, and as always, thanks for stopping by.............*s*

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

I'm a Little Tea Pot!

Interesting things happen when you sort and clean.  Yet another piece that was lost and then found on the back of a shelf that I now use for towels and pet blankets.

It's quite small; I think I would call it a cruet rather than a teapot.

It's thrown and altered in white earth with a white base glaze that I put on  before I forgot about it.  From the way the stains are going on, I'm guessing that it's a shiny glaze rather than matte. The mermaids and fish are done and outlined.  Next I will wax them and lay down a sea blue/green wash.  When that dries I will blend it to get rid of brush marks and put in various seaweeds and plants.

One of the hardest thing for me to do is to let each step dry before going on to the next.  I usually work on something else to keep my hands off and my mind on something else! 






I had my four month follow up with my doctor yesterday.  I had not been paying very good attention to my diet so my Alc numbers had been climbing over the last year.  I had agreed that if I did not lower it from 6.7 to 6.3 I would consider medication.  It is now at 6.2!  Needless to say I am very happy.  Having something work is a great incentive to continue, especially in these days of the winter doldrums.

 I have to give a huge thank you to Mariette at http://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com for teaching me about palm sugar.  I don't eat a lot of sugar, but when I do I want the real stuff.  I can't eat artificial sweeteners as they give me migraine's.  (So far Stevia seems to be okay.) So THANK YOU, MARIETTE! 



As usual with the weather it has gone through another drastic change.  It's now 45F. and sunny! My daffodils are up about three inches!   I am going to clean up the deck a bit more now that the snow is gone!

As always, thanks for stopping by.............*s*

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Valentine's Day

A mug for Valentine's Day.

Wishing all a happy day!  I haven't really celebrated since 1997.  But there are a lot of happy memories I like to revisit.

This is a design I came up with many years ago.  I have only resurrected it in the last year or so.  It is is a test piece.  The bottom is glazed in one of the Spectrum low fire metallics.  The rest in majolica base Spectrum #799 with my own mixed stains.

I am still practicing building tripod mugs.  It's not quite as easy as it looks!





I should learn how to use the movie function on my camera.  Then I would not have to post four photos for one mug!

I may make some fish today in honor of the fish in the pond who are snuggled down in the depths of the pond.

It's sunny and cold the temp has fallen since earlier this morning.  It's now about -2F.  Toes crossed that it really does warm up later in the week.

Enjoy the day, and as always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Snow Daze



Mother Nature and Grandfather Frosty have ganged up on us after lulling us into a false sense of security.  Lulled, I tell you LULLED!          

Enough pictures of storms have been posted.  Instead here is a photo of sunrise on Saturday morning.  As much as I dislike snow this was magical.  There was no wind so all day we enjoyed a very special light.  Usually the wind blows the trees clean, so this was a particular treat!



I have also been baking bread a little more often.  This loaf is one of my experimental sourdoughs.  It was so tasty that we ate it all up!


Stay warm and cozy or cool and cozy.

As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Friday, February 5, 2016

Weather.....or Not!

Yesterday it was cloudy and warm.  The fish were swimming happily in the pond.


Today we woke up to this!

Needless to say we are staying inside and going nowhere.  Even the mail will have to wait.

If a tantrum would do any good I would have one.  Alas, such is not the case!

  I am sure there will be people who will not listen; please don't be one of them!  Stay inside and don't drive!

Have a terrific week end, and as always, thanks for stopping by..............*s*

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Candlemas Day

Half your wood,
And half your hay
You should have left on Candlemas Day.

Only we call it Groundhog Day!

This is a photo I took of Woodrow May 2015 before he left for other climes, or perhaps the call of a lady woodchuck.

His favorite entrance was on the west side of the shed so even if he were still here, he would not have seen his shadow!


This is a tile I did three years ago as a special request!  I think he looks rather tentative about coming out of his hidey-hole!


We're expecting another great day with sun and high 40's.  Lots of rain is expected in a day or two.

Enjoy the day and, as always, thanks for stopping by..........*s*

Monday, February 1, 2016

Hey Diddle Diddle!


For Mugshot Monday:

These are three views of the same mug painted and ready for the kiln.  The colors are a little off because everything is waxed.





We have had a day of sun and clouds with highs in the 50's.  We had door and windows opened to get fresh air into the house.  If this keeps up we could have daffodils by early March.  I don't think they bloomed until April last year!

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Success! At Last!

This is a test!

I think I have managed to solve my posting problems!  I switched to Chrome and everything seems to be working.

We'll see, grasshopper......we'll see.......