Whole lot of jewelry on that top shelf. It all looks good and like it didn't merge together! I always worry that somehow it's going to shift in the kiln because I bump it somehow or the wires bend or something.
Look at that sweet little lavender mug in the back. I knew it would be good, but I didn't know it would be that good.
Also loving the daffodil candle holders and the swirl bowl. There is nothing in this peak that isn't awesome.
I need to make some more bird jewelry pieces because I sold out. I started out making birds the same size that I made last time and then decided to make really small ones. They're so cute!
While I had the clay out I made some Halloween jewelry as well. Witch hats, tiny pumpkins, and ghosts.
My studio is in my basement and my husband has been promising to finish the bathroom there since before we were married (we just celebrated our 12 year anniversary). I've been using the sink upstairs which theoretically isn't all that far, but sometimes it seems like it is. I also worry about clogging the pipes with clay, especially as I've been doing more and more pottery. Diamond Core Tools had a "cinko" de Mayo sale last month and I took the plunge and bought the Cink.
The Cink is a closed water system. It uses two buckets to filter the clay out of the water. It was really easy to setup - basically fill up the 2 buckets and the filter with water, plug in and go. I've had the cink downstairs for a week or so now and it's life changing. Having water right there makes clean up so much easier. I feel like I'm able to keep things cleaner. It was a big investment, but I'm glad I made it.
There is a lot of lavender in here. It's finally growing again in my garden and so I am taking advantage. I'm really annoyed by the blue dot on the one spoon rests. It's totally my fault for putting in a mug that wasn't quite dry, but it ruins it.
I'm also experimenting with another new color for my Calla Lily candle holders which I think came out great.
I'm starting to make fall things. You've seen me start on pumpkins and in here are some really amazing maple mugs, bowls, and spoon rests.
A much more exciting sneak peek than the last one. I have a few more sets of Cala Lily Candle holders in here. Also have some new fall bowls on the top - you can't see it, but the sides all have maple leaves.
I've been wanting to play with the Mayco Magic Metallics for a while. There are several of them, but the copper one in particular called to me. When I was at the workshop last month with Michael Harbridge I bought the copper and the copper patina. I made a few mistakes that I would change next time, but I'm supper happy with the results.
Above is the finished elephant ear and below is what it looked like after the glaze firing. I knew I was going to use this technique on it and so I just left it unglazed.
I also had this bee plate which just didn't turn out well at all. Michael had mentioned you can use this on a badly glazed piece. The only difference is that it takes longer for things to dry. You can use this technique on bisque or glaze fired pieces, but of course glaze fired pieces are going to be stronger over time since they're vitrified.
I wiped both pieces down and then added 3 coats of the copper on the back with a fan brush. I started on the back since it will be less likely that it will be seen if I messed up. I also determined that I didn't need 3 coats.
For the front I only did 2 coats after the learning I had on the back.
With only 2 coats on I could still see the veining of the elephant ear which I really wanted.
Once that was mostly dry I added in the patina. You can see the patina start to work immediately, but it will develop over time.
The patina pooled in the middle and I read after the fact that I should have wiped that with a sponge - lesson number 1 for next time.
It was really cool to watch the patina develop.
I let these dry overnight, but lesson #2 is to put the sealer on sooner as the patina will keep going until you seal it. I used Mayco's gloss sealer. Depending on the look you're going for, you could also use the matte.
Looking at the finished bee you can see where lesson #2 really came into play. I let the patina go so long it ate through and you can start to see the yellow glaze. In this instance it works, but I could also have added more copper and patina to fix if I wanted.
I'm really happy with both of these and now just need to find a spot in my garden for them
Posts
