Took a week off to go up to the cabin. I'm between clients right now for work so I was actually able to really take a break. I read a few books in gazebo, went kayaking, and did some clearing to widen pathways. It was hot and often humid, but it was the break that I needed.




Willow took to eating corn on the cob right away. River gave up pretty quickly and just started licking.




River came on the kakak for the longest right she's taken. Going to make her a boat dog yet.




Night skies on the river.




Two very exhausted puppies sleeping in the gazebo. Took them a few days to decide they could share the couch vs fighting over it.




Sunset drive around Pillar Point.

While I was making a batch of pieces—including my crab bowls—I decided to experiment with a ghost bowl. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I think it came out super cute! It’s always fun to try something a little different, and I love how much personality this little ghost has.

This is part of my last batch using this clay before I give the studio a deep clean and switch back to my white clay. I have so many ideas I’m excited to try—especially some lavender-inspired pieces. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

I think this is the most soup mugs I’ve ever made at one time! This is also the first time I’ve made my alien soup mugs. I added a new stamp for them and went with the Big Dipper—it felt like the perfect fit. I also made a few blank mugs so I can have some fun getting creative with decals.

I was making more cat trinket dishes this weekend and, once again, wishing I’d found the perfect dog cookie cutter to make a matching version. Then I spotted my chicken cutter and couldn’t resist giving it a try. They’re super cute!

This shawl was made with a discontinued Florentine Silk yarn from Kim Dyes Yarn in the colorway Jellyfishing. It’s not a color palette I would normally choose, but I ended up loving how it worked up. One thing I’ve noticed about Florentine Silk is that, although it’s classified as a sport-weight yarn, it has a bit more heft than you might expect, which gives finished pieces a beautiful drape.

When I first started this pattern, I remember having to frog several times before I finally got the stitch pattern right. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find that stitch now. I’ve been so busy with work over the last few months that it’s definitely been cutting into my hobby time. I may need to work a little less—ha!

I finally had a chance to get back into the studio and try out a few press plates I purchased from Shayla Marsh. There are two different styles, and the first is a true press plate system made up of two pieces. The outer piece is used to cut the shape and acts as a guide for centering, while the inner piece is used to press the form. Working with these has me dreaming about buying a laser cutter so I could make custom shapes of my own. Every time I start looking into it, though, I remember both the cost and the reality that designing all those forms would probably turn into an entirely new hobby.

So here I am using the outer templates to lay out and cut the shapes from my slab. I used a needle tool to carefully trace around each form before removing the excess clay.


Here are all of the cut pieces laid out on the board, ready for the next step in the process.


This photo shows the two pieces together on top of the clay shape. The outer guide allows the inner press to be positioned perfectly in the center. Normally I estimate placement by eye and use my thumbs as a guide, but this method is much more precise and gives more consistent results.


Once everything is aligned, I carefully remove the outer guide, making sure not to shift the inner press off center.


Next comes the fun part. I press down onto a piece of foam, which allows the clay to sink and form the raised edges of the plate. This particular piece of foam is my dedicated dark-clay foam. I keep a separate one for white clay to avoid any unwanted staining or contamination.


And here is the finished piece, freshly formed and ready to begin the drying process.