As I've been ramping up production for 2023 I realized I have nowhere to store this stuff. I still had things in bins from the last show plus my dining room table was completely full. In the basement I had a really old entertainment center. My husband suggested that we pack up the stuff that was in it since a lot of it wasn't being actively used (I need to find fancy friends and have them over to use my grandmother's crystal goblets) and get rid of the 1970s pre-ikea but ikea like unit. I should have taken a picture before we dismantled it, but neglected to. It was quite ugly and very
In it's place we put up this wall shelving. The tracks and the shelves came from Home Depot. It was a lot cheaper than buying prebuilt shelves or using wood. I usually hate the wire shelves, but they had this plastic that snaps into it and with the weight of the pottery it works.
I made the decision to unpack everything that was in the bins since the last couple of shows were fall/holiday focused. Everything is now in one place where I can see it and I have a lot more than I realized. I have been debating whether or not I am ready for the Maryland Home and Garden show in March and I can now say that I am. I have all the basics and I can focus on making some creative show pieces for the show. I also need to stop making mugs until I sell some because there is no more room. I still have another dozen or so working their way through the drying to glazing process.
So I think that the overall process of making many of the same things makes my process better, but it make kiln openings a little less fun. This kiln opening has a lot more variety than the last couple. Lots of bright springlike colors in this kiln.
I think my favorite 2 pieces are the doggy prints. A friend of mine got a new puppy in the fall and her Christmas present was puppy prints. I made two just in case one got messed up, but when I had an extra one the W and R are my puppies Willow and River. Delilah was a little wary of it but once she sniffed it she was fine. With my puppies you would have thought the clay was hot lava with how the reacted. It was funny. I actually think there is a market for these if I could figure out how to do it - probably only local.
I really like how the tree experiment came out. I think that with the white it will likely only be sellable in winter, but the speckled clay with the white with the trees came out exactly as I wanted.
Also - the last kiln opening lost the glazes somehow. Not sure how that happened, but it's been updated now if you were curious on any of the glazes.
I think my favorite 2 pieces are the doggy prints. A friend of mine got a new puppy in the fall and her Christmas present was puppy prints. I made two just in case one got messed up, but when I had an extra one the W and R are my puppies Willow and River. Delilah was a little wary of it but once she sniffed it she was fine. With my puppies you would have thought the clay was hot lava with how the reacted. It was funny. I actually think there is a market for these if I could figure out how to do it - probably only local.
I really like how the tree experiment came out. I think that with the white it will likely only be sellable in winter, but the speckled clay with the white with the trees came out exactly as I wanted.
Also - the last kiln opening lost the glazes somehow. Not sure how that happened, but it's been updated now if you were curious on any of the glazes.
This will be the most colorful kiln opening I've had this year. I feel like the last few have been a little boring with little variation. There are some birch trees, but also some flower bowls, morrocan tile, and a gaggle of gnomes.
My two little bird baths look really cute on the top. They were meant to be earring holders, but they dried too fast before I could put the holes in them. I broke two before I decided - they are now very fancy trinket dishes.
Also in here is a gift for a friend with the puppy prints you can see on top and another one of my puppies prints. I feel like this is something I could sell locally for pet owners if I figured out the logistics.