Going Lid Crazy

Hello! Hello! So I just got a small part time job to make a little extra cash and since I know it might consume me a bit at first I am trying to finish up the last 10 pounds of clay I have. I have been practicing my knob throwing on lids. They look great! Most of them are in the kiln right  now (as part of the small army of honey pots I made). I have a few to share though. I am just going lidded pot crazy though. I am very happy that I am getting better at sizing them up. Before I had problems even though I used the calipers. Here are some cylinder canisters or jars I have just finished on Monday. I got some red clay on them, but its no big deal.

Here is another thing that has been on the drying table for a while. A little teapot. It is the first one I have made with an attached handle and not a cane or bamboo one. I'm not crazy about how it came out, but overall I like it.

And last are some pots that I got around to posting today. The serving bowl is my first finished Terracotta piece. I decided the "naked" natural clay needed to stay that way. Have a great weekend!

I Love Fall!

So I am going to show you some things that I have been up too, but I am not going to lie that I have had major fall fever. I know some people get spring fever, but I get it for fall. I have carved two pumpkins (both scary faces, no template needed), bought countless gourds, and cut out too many paper decorations for the house. I loved every minute of October and I am sad to see it go. I also spent some time at the County Line Orchard, which I can't get enough of and might make another trip to. Here is a picture of me chilling with the pumpkins. I couldn't really open my eyes due to the crazy sun.

I have been making more than I actually get done, which means I make stuff and later think that it is ugly! Hate when that happens. So tonight I have about four honey pots to trim and their lids to attach handles (or throw knobs) to. The owner of Tru Bee Honey purchased one of my honey pots and I hope to hear more from her. I was like, "Why don't I make more honey pots? They always sell!" So that is what I have been working on. Here are few pieces that I just posted to today and you can feast your eyes on them below. I just realized that they are candy corn colors. I told you I had the fever!

New Goods!

Okay so now that the weather is getting cold, you can imagine my dungeon like studio in my drippy basement is like a frozen tundra. So I really really hate working down there! I often feel like when I have to get a lot of glazing done I have good ideas for throwing and get good ideas for glazing when I have nothing to glaze and should go on the wheel. Whats a potter to do?! So anyways I have gotten some goods from the kiln earlier today that I just posted today. Here they are!

Okay well since I use geometry when making these pots, they make cool patterns from the top too.

 

I had a hard time deciding whether or not the blue one was fish scales or scalloped pattern. Maybe scalloped is only with edges and potatoes, so I listed it as fish scales. I also took my photos differently this time. I used a piece of white paper to make it seem seamless in the back. To see more check out my shop. www.lizetpotterystudio.etsy.com Here are a few mores pieces that I posted last week too.

Some Mega Duds!

Hi people! I have had the worst creative rut ever. Last night I finally got back in to my painting groove. I can't say that I have really made as much progress in my throwing routine, but I'm getting there. I'm not having a problem on the wheel as far as being able to make stuff, its just that I don't know what to make lately. It hasn't helped that I have recently had some real duds come out of the kiln. It can make you feel like real crap when you invested material (a lot of it!) and time into some pieces (especially if they are custom orders!) and they don't come out anywhere close to what you envisioned. These bowls below had an accident in the kiln and did not come out as planned. The pretty blue turned out like ugly bruises. There are four of these fairly sizable bowls and they are all crappy nasty bruises! Oh yeah, and they are supposed to look warped. I squished them once I pulled them off of the wheel.

YUCK!

This one was a very pretty teapot that I loved. Then I had this idea for a geometric pattern and I don't hate it, but I definitely don't love it. I may still post it in my store. I still have to put on the cane handle. The glazing took about two hours!

Don't even ask me why I chose Barney colors.

Today I have class to teach and a few red clay pieces coming out of the kin as bisque. I'm going to see if I can glaze them in time for the glaze firing tonight. Never completed a terracotta piece so I am excited to see them all done. One is a teapot! Other than that, I have been on a 12 oz bottle making craze lately and these are some I am having dry.

Here are a few pieces that I worked on last night. Right after my Mexico trip I had a love affair with the art of bowl throwing. I just couldn't stop. There are just so many shapes to make so I experimented with different types. So here are some I stayed up to glaze. Sometimes you just get a really good idea and don't care how long or meticulous the work will be. Thats what happened with these bowls last night. The one on the left is going to turn out dark blue and white and its hard to see the sharp pointy flower I painted in the bottom of it. The one on the right is coming out orange and white and I really like the way it looks.

And last are the set of bowls I recently added to my shop. They also have that warped edge look. The process is so slow lately I just want to restock my shop already! I am such an impatient potter which any potter or hand builder knows is really kind of a contradiction isn't it?

Etsy Halloween Finds

I am absolutely crazy about fall. I love pulling out sweaters and the Halloween smell in the air. Since I have been completely uninspired up until last week, I have nothing of my work to really share. I just started getting on the ball with restocking my store and finding my rhythm again and my new students are great. I have to say, I believe my teaching skills are getting better with each group and I am very proud and often impressed with my students! Each group makes things batter and faster than the last. It gives me hope that maybe one day I can give my own classes in my own studio. So anyways, I am letting the Halloween spirit take over this post until I get more things out of the kiln. I found some of the coolest stuff on Esty for handmade Halloween goodies. I have the link to the shop underneath the photo. Take a peek!

www.lepinkpig.etsy.com

www.loveleesoaps.etsy.com

www.AubreyEApothecary.etsy.com

Check out this awesome looking soaps! I really love them. There are all kinds if you look it up. There are also lots of body lotions, candles, candies, and cookies.

www.lacegrl130.etsy.com

www.oohlalacrafts.etsy.com

These are some handmade tags for parties or gifts. They are too cute! There are all kinds of paper goods for the season. Below are a few other pretty handmade things that really get me feeling the season. I could not get enough of these paintings and that pumpkin man, just might have to be mine!

www.tascha.etsy.com

www.indigotwin.etsy.com

I am absolutely nuts about everything fall, so I am sure you will hear and see more about me and my fall-ness and doings. Can't wait to carve pumpkins and its not even October!

Where Have I Gone?!

Hello! I know it has been just about forever since my last post. I was very busy dealing with my first wholesale order and the stress and nerves that come with it! It was a very exciting and rewarding experience. I will have a post set up soon about it when I get pictures of everything set up in the store this weekend. The cute boutique is about an hour from my house so, I haven't gone yet to visit my pots. Well...they aren't really mine anymore are they? So other than that and an fun weekend trip to Minnesota, I have been very unproductive in my studio. I have been having issues with getting to the school where I usually teach in order to get stuff fired. So if all goes well this weekend, I will have an electrician here to look at my kiln situation and give me an estimate. That way I can fire all on my own!

These are a few pieces I was working on. The top was actually a custom order that I have to redo (she decided after I made them that she wanted them bigger), but I can still sell these as a set no problem. The edges are supposed to be warped, which is a lot harder than it seems. I beat the crap out of them right after they were thrown and they still ended up drying fairly round. The bottom is a teapot that I finished last week and I can't wait to see how the handle will look on it. The lid has a thrown knob. I think those look best.

These pots are custom orders that I didn't share, because they were sent out right before I left for Mexico. The top bowl came out really nice, but it cracked during shipping! It will be a challenge if I continue to sell such large items. I might not anymore. The bottom creamer and sugar set are a blue version of my popular orange set. They came out perfect and the customer was very happy.

I'm Back!

Hello! I am back from my very fun vacation in Mexico. Now, I know I had mentioned something about a food blog, but it just didn't happen. Besides days of being sick and eating nothing more than a few saltines, I often forgot my camera. However, I will share what I did happen to get photos of. The big problem with traveling and everyone having their own camera: you often leave it at home so you don't weigh your purse down and leave the picture taking to one or two people! I had so much fun in Puerto Vallarta, but I think the best part was spent with my family down there. I hadn't been there in over five years and had a lot of catching up to do. Here are some pictures of where we rented out house.

There were iguanas and small lizards everywhere! I caught this one walking past the pool. I did happen to get in a few photos of the food that I was so passionate about eating.

This was probably my favorite and most simple meal of the whole trip. They are tacos al pastor sold in the down town area. You can get these anywhere in Mexico and they are so damn good! I had five and felt embarrassed to order more. These pics below are of a cook out we had at the beach house. We bought a very fresh whole red snapper, some shrimps, and some tuna steaks. The tuna was my favorite. The spread we had on the table was beautiful. My family made plenty of salsa and cactus for the meal. Check out those beautiful bowls that we used from the kitchen. The kitchen had a huge collection of handmade pottery to dine on.

Sadly the whole trip seems like a dream now that I am back. I have spent most of the day e-mailing people and resetting my etsy shop and taking photos of a few pieces. Can't wait to go back!

Vacation!

I am leaving on vacation very soon and I am so excited! Before I go however, I have some custom orders that need to come out of the kiln, posted on etsy, purchased, and sent to the post office. Lets hope it all goes well, because if they are not buying their pot before 5pm (when the post office closes) they might not get for another three weeks!!! Talk about last minute! It was this blasted kiln schedule I swear! Anyways, besides that, I am really looking forward to my trip. My sister and brother in law are coming from Germany to meet us at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where we found a nice place to rent. After our stay at the beach we will be visiting family in Guadalajara. I have declared that this trip will be all about food and how much of it I can stuff down my gullet.

the top picture is of a huge monster torta which I will be eating a lot of and the bottom one is coke light which I will also be consuming in extremely large quantities. It tastes much better than diet coke...not sure why and they come in glass bottles which is always better than plastic. I plan on making a food journal and maybe posting it all on Tumblr when I get back. I will be sure to share some photos with you guys too!

Been So Long!

Hello there! I know I haven't posted in so long. It has a little to do with summer fever, vacation planning, and mostly to do with the fact that I have little access to a kiln. I still haven't gotten around to getting my kiln hooked up (surprise, surprise!), and I have only a few chances to get my pots into the school kiln since school is out. Some good news is that a United Arts store has opened up near by and I no longer have to make my boyfriend take me downtown Chicago and circle the block while I haul out 150 lbs of clay. Here are some new things you will find in my shop.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77591132/red-drop-vase

http://www.etsy.com/listing/77595311/fire-orange-and-white-bud-vase-with-lace

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75642043/geometric-chevron-coffee-mug

In that last one with the mugs, I actually made two originally and just got around to fixing up the second one to complete the set. I have also been working on some custom orders that should be ready at the beginning of next week. Here is a simple photo of some custom bisqueware (sugar and creamer and a honey pot) I have to get glazed tonight. 

Also before I go, a little something exciting to add. Danielle Oakey Interiors Blog featured me last week. The blog is great! If you like good interior design and decorating blogs, check her out. http://danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-pottery.html