Monday Mug Abuse

Monday Mugs is a group I post to on FB.  This is by no means a new mug, but I am putting it through it's paces to see what it will stand up to.

I did not like the original glaze so I gave it a couple of brushed on coats of Spectrum #799.  It had been sitting under my heat lamp so I don't think I did anything else to get the glaze to stick.  You can see some of the original design bleeding through.

Normally, I do not put any of my mugs in the microwave.  However I have  put this one through numerous two minute tea heat ups with no adverse effects, even when it's heated repeatedly.

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

It's raining hard enough right now to make good sized splashes in the pond.  I think it's going to keep up for most of the day, which is kind of a good thing!

Aloysius and KikiLaSois have decided that best way to spend the day is sleeping!  Way to go, kitties!

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

Catching Up?

I use the phrase catching up advisedly.  When are any of us truly caught up with stuff?  Ideas breed ideas, so always feeling a little behind may be a good thing!

I have been glazing and painting stuff like crazy, and also making things. This is the joy and benefit of doing bisque and glaze at the same temperature.

I made this pig around a balloon last week as an experiment.  Taking a little time for a new idea helps keep me going during busy times.  I wanted her to have a sort of patched together structure, which worked quite well.  Unfortunately, there was a minor but time consuming emergency elsewhere.  Poor Pig was left out for too long and split over the balloon.  Most of the time my balloons lose air relatively quickly; however, not this time!  See what happens when you go for the quality product?

I managed to get these photos, mostly for my own records.  This looks like a neat thing to explore when I have more time.  Meanwhile Poor Pig went to the slop bucket!

Oh and yes, she does have three legs.  Three legs are so much easier to stabilize than four.  Three legs add to the general goofiness I am aiming for! 

I picked my last dahlia a week ago today.  There were some buds I could have brought in for forcing, but didn't.  This is a smaller version of what were some huge flowers earlier during warmer weather.  Today all the toes are coming up and will be stored in peat over the winter.

The lack of rain was hard on a lot of plants this summer.  As soon as we started getting regular showers and the weather cooled just a bit the flowers went crazy....good crazy!

 Aloysius and KikiLaSois are back in their favorite box by the stove so I guess cold weather is here to stay for a while.  We have offered some very comfy kitty beds, but the box with packing bubble sheets is the preferred resting spot.  Winter uses the other bed quite happily!

I have been patching my 4RUNNER with fiberglass to get it through inspection.  It's not difficult but I am not fond of fiberglass and resin and bondo.  For the last bits I am going to rig a small drying tent with a tarp and a heat lamp.  I really should have started earlier, but it was far more fun to lie around the pool all summer!

It looks like we will be enjoying a sunny but chilly day today.  Toes crossed that everyone is enjoying weather to their liking!

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

Never Underestimate

I have two sides of the house more or less finished.  I don't usually work in sections like this.  I prefer to consider the entire object, but this is so radically different on the other two sides it's almost like two different buildings.  I may make the remaining parts a little surreal, or go for a straightforward farmhouse.

I need to think about it.

Never underestimate the power of clean laundry.  KikiLaSois and TheFriendlyKitty arrived about a year apart.  Friendly is friendly to humans not other kitties so this is a surprise.  Once last summer they curled up next to Breezy when she became geriatric, but mostly it's been kitty stink eyes.  Yesterday I brought up a basket of unfolded laundry.  These two curled up with each other within a half hour.  I wonder what will happen when I put the clothes away.

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

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