Coffee Table Bowl

This week has been surprisingly busy.  After the Seagrove show I started listing pieces for sale online.  The great thing is that I started selling more items so I glazed some more, then some more.  Today I unloaded the kiln again and have started listing more items on Etsy.

The only bummer was that while I was sanding the bottoms of the pieces, I dropped a brie baker onto two yarn bowls.  The brie baker didn't break but it broke two really nice yarn bowls.  This is a double bummer because I have had a hard time making these pieces fast enough.

This handled coffee table bowl was a special order by a customer at the Shelby show and it came out beautifully.  It took me three tries to get it to finished size of 16 inches.  I wasn't sure how much shrinkage was going to play a part in size.  This bowl started at 18 inches, then shrunk to 17 inches before it even went into the kiln.  It barely fit into my 7 cu ft kiln.

Next week I will be going to the John C. Campbell Folk School.  I will be taking a course from Sylvia Coppola.  My mom will be rooming with me and she will be taking copper enameling.  I am so looking forward to this, since we signed up 6 months ago, it seems like it will never get here.  Hopefully I will come home with all kinds of new ideas.

While I am gone, my son Tarick will be taking over my shipping duties.  This is a little scary for me to turn this over to him but I didn't want to shut down my online shop during the busiest season of the year.  When I get back I need to glaze one more load.  I have 2 more platters to finish for a dinnerware set I started a few months ago, plus I am sure that I will need more items to post online.

Liebster Blog award

Thank you KAB for nominating me for the Liebster blog award.  This is the first blog award I have ever received.

The Liebster Blog award is given to bloggers who have less then 200 followers.

Each blogger should post 11 facts random facts about themselves.

-Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award on to.

-Choose 11 bloggers (less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them to your post.

-Go to their page and tell them about the award.

-No tag backs!

Random facts about me.

1. I have been married for 25 years.

2.For 15 years I was a hairdresser.

3. I grew up on a dairy farm.

4. I was a band geek in high school

5. I have two boys (18 & 22).

6. I read a lot.  When I have books I like sometimes a book a day.

7.I like pop music. Gangnam Style is my favorite right now.

8.My husband and I spend lots of time at our cabin near Asheville.

9.I love flowers

10.I am enthralled with waterfalls.  We try to hike to as many as possible.

11. I have always said that we would go to Europe by our 25th anniversary.  Didn't happen, but cross my fingers that it will happen before my 26th.  Italy is the goal.

KABbeading's Questions for me:

1. What was your favorite book as a teen?  Boy, so long ago and I read so many books. I remember reading the whole Little House on the Prairie series, but it may have been preteen.
2. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry Daiqari
3. What color do you look best in?  turquoise?
4. What is the one thing you hope to accomplish with your blog?  Giving an appreciation for the arts. 
5. Have you ever been to another country? mexico
6. What is your favorite Christmas Holiday song? O holy night
7. What is your favorite thing to blog about?When I have finished throwing a really interesting new piece.
8. What would you like me to blog about? fun events you attend
9. What do you do to relax? Read, go to our cabin to chill
10. If you could be a super-hero, who would you be? Super cleaning woman, all I would have to do is think clean and my house would be clean.
11. What is your favorite mode of transportation?  Plane - it means that I am going somewhere fun.

My nominations:

Meesh's Pottery

Sue Pariseau Pottery

Free Spirit Designs

Whistle Creek

Crazy Green Studios

Willow Tree Pottery

Food and Pottery

JBF Times

John Bauman

Kings Creek Pottery

Dirt Kicker Pottery

New Day Potterys questions for you.

1. Where did you grow up.

2. What is your favorite place to visit?

3. How many pottery mugs do you own that are not made by you?

4.What is your favorite book?

5. How many art shows do you participate in every year?

6.What is your favorite pizza?

7. What kind of music do you listen to most?

8. Beach or Mountains?

9.Favorite TV show?

10. Last movie you saw?

11.Favorite child hood memory?

New Items for Etsy and Galleries

Yesterday I finished with my fall art shows.  Today I sorted through my remaining pieces and some are going to galleries and others I am listing on Etsy.  This brie baker and cracker tray was photographed and listed. It would make a great hostess gift. Over the next few weeks I will be added many more pieces.

Tomorrow I will be going to Rubys Gift, FABO and the A New You Bodyworks Wellness Center to drop off new work.  Bodyworks is a new place in Mooresville that asked to carry some pieces.

Wednesday I need to try to make the 16 inch bowl again.  This will be my third and last try.  Next week I will be glazing again.  I have a few orders and I need more gift items for Etsy and the gift shops.

Heading to Seagrove tomorrow

Last weekend at the Carolina Pottery Festival I got a request for a extra large handled bowl.  The bowls are usually about 13-14 inches so that they can fit in my boxes when I pack up for shows.  The customer wants her bowl to be 16 inches.  A few days ago I threw 2 bowls and achieved 16 inches but after firing it will not be big enough so today I will try again.  The smaller of the two bowls I decided to try a cross hatch pattern around the rim. (see photo).  It turned out nice.

I was supposed to be done throwing last week, since my last show of the year is Seagrove (this weekend).  Instead I have to make enough pieces to fill my kiln, just so that I can fire this piece.  Hopefully this weekend I will get some more custom orders.  The six platter order I started last month will need to be glaze fired anyway and will probably take a few loads.

Tomorrow I will head up to the Seagrove Pottery Festival to set up my booth.  This year my Auction piece will be a teapot. Check out my Facebook page for a photo. The forecast is chilly, so I need to bring warm clothes.  The festival is always very busy, so I hope that is the case again this year.

Early next week I will start adding new items from my leftover inventory to my Etsy site.  Then I will take some new pieces to a few gifts shops in town.

In a few weeks I head to western N.C. to attend the John C. Campbell school for a week.  I will be taking a pottery course with Sylvia Coppola.  My mom is going to be my room mate and she is taking the copper enameling course.  I am looking forward to the trip.

Gravy Boat featured online

Today I found out that a gravy boat I have listed on Etsy has been featured in a video put together by the Handbuilt Pottery Online.  It's featured about 3/4 of the way through the video.  There are over 100 items now listed for sale on my online shop.  In the coming weeks I will be adding a bunch more to get ready for the Holiday rush.  Remember, some of the items are one of a kind, so order early if you don't want to miss out.

Tomorrow I will glaze my last load before the Carolina Pottery Festival.  I am also getting pieces ready for the Art for Christmas Show in Kings Mountain that runs November 18th - January 1st. The reception is November 18th, 1-4pm.  There is also an event called "Get Mugged" that I am donating a few mugs for.  It is on December 8th, from 10-4.  For $18 you get a mug to fill with a beverage while you shop, then take it home with you.