Images

It Was A Struggle…

Image Leave a comment
but we made it to New Hampshire. We realized on Tuesday that there was no way we were going to have our trailer packed and be ready to hit the road early enough to drove eight hours to Hazleton, PA., the half way point to Newbury, NH. Mid-afternoon we made the decision to finish packing, sleep for a few hours and drive straight through. Jeff has a vessel sink with accessories in the “Living with Craft” exhibition at the show this year. It needed to arrive before the day ended on Wednesday.
We hit the road at 2:45 am, which should have put us in Newbury by 4:30 pm.
Boy were we wrong! We had to stop and repair the trailer, somewhere in Virginia. Then we hit multiple traffic jams along the way… and we weren’t even on 95! We like to take 81 because there is usually fewer delays.

 We arrived in Vermont, just as the sun was setting. We needed a pit stop and pulled into this rest area. I think it’s the prettiest rest area I have ever stopped at. I would have liked to linger but was still had about an hour and a half left to go.

Since we knew it was too late to deliver Jeff’s work, we stopped for dinner and then drove to Mt. Sunapee Resort to leave our trailer in the lot for the night. The plan was to come back at 8:00 am, when the office opened and deliver the display. Since it was 10:00 pm and we were coming back early, we just dropped the trailer at the far end of the giant lot and left to spend the night with friends.
This is what we came back to in the morning…
Yep, this guy had the whole big lot to park in and he chose to park next to our trailer… obviously blocking us in.
Do you think he could have found a different spot in the lot?? It took us about an hour to find him and move his truck. 
Once we delivered the sink, I was able to take a look around to see what else was in the exhibition. I immediately fell in love with this conk shell light. I am not 100% sure what it’s made of but it appeared to be a paper fiber and copper. 
I am sure it’s way out of my price range!
Despite the obstacles, we set up our booth in record time. The show opened today. The crowd was steady, and spending money. If the next three days go as well, Jeff and I will be very happy campers.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

Brunch for Two

Image Leave a comment
Last month, when Danielle was visiting, we enjoyed a fabulous brunch together at Printworks Bistro in Greensboro. I had a really yummy tart that I knew would be easy to make at home. Since I have an abundance of fresh tomatoes, today was the day to experiment.
I loosely followed an Ina Garten recipe, substituting garlic and herb cheese spread for the herb goat cheese. I would have loved the goat cheese, but Jeff is not a fan. The cheese spread worked well, along with a little parmigiano reggiano. I also didn’t cut the puff pastry into rounds. It would have been prettier, but you also end up wasting quite a bit of pastry. I think the square worked out fine and it was easy to slice into four pieces.
This is definitely on my “make again” list. Served with a green salad, it would make a great brunch/lunch for guests.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

Summer Splendor

Image Leave a comment
Despite the relentless heat, we are still enjoying the fruits of summer. 
Last night was a simple dinner of fresh tomato pie and “zoodled” zucchini. The tomatoes came from Latham’s Pottery. Along with making pots, they grow and sell a variety of fresh vegetables, berries, and honey. I chose my favorite plate for this meal… a beautiful soda fired one, created by Tom White. Tom will be at the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair next week. We are usually in the same tent. I long to own one of his butter dishes. I regret not purchasing one of his “church and steeple” butter dishes many years ago. I had the extra cash then but waffled on the purchase… one of these days…..
This evening I cut some flowers from our front yard garden. A mix of zinnias, cone flower, lavender, catnip, and yarrow. I had the perfect vase for them. A wood fired gem that was a gift to JZ and I from my good friend Andy Hampton. I love this vase. It was a gift given during a very difficult time. I think of Andy, his wife Mim, and their generous spirit every time I use it. Andy will also be at the fair. His booth is always as amazing as his work.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

It’ Hot, Hot, Hot!!!

Image Leave a comment
The heat has been relentless here in North Carolina. By late afternoon my New Guinea Impatiens is looking rather droopy. 

Luckily with a good watering, it bounces right back. We really haven’t had any rain to speak of in a few weeks. Wherever we have bare earth in our yard, it is beginning to crack. There have been many afternoons with the threat of a thunderstorm, but it all we get are a few rumbles of thunder and a little sprinkle of rain.

Most of my plants are thriving, thanks to a nightly hand watering. The butterflies are enjoying the zinnias.

Despite the heat, we have been sanding bisque ware outdoors, and loading the kiln. We manage to get it done with lots of water and A/C breaks. Everything seems to take longer than usual.

The last two days were spent glazing. Tomorrow we will fire the gas kiln one last time before we head to New Hampshire for the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair. We are hoping for cooler temperatures when we head north! We are in a new space at the fair this year… tent 6, booth 611. It’s a corner booth, which should give us some good visibility. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends. Just not looking forward to packing.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

A Little Excitement

Image Leave a comment

What started out as a quiet day, ended with a little excitement. It was around 5:00 and I had just finished scooping the cat box in the laundry room. Jeff was sitting at the counter in the kitchen checking e-mail. The lights over the counter flickered, went out, then came on. It happened quickly and I told Jeff that I heard an “electrical” buzzing noise and it sounded like it came from outside. Since the electrical panel is in the laundry room, Jeff feared it came from there. After inspecting the panel it seemed fine. We then realized that the A/C wasn’t running. When we looked at the thermostat, it was blank… no read out. Nothing we did could make it come on. We figured there was a power surge and that the thermostat was fried. Jeff put a call into our electrician for advice and went back to work. I decided to go outside and water plants and that’s when I saw it…

A power line had snapped and was laying across our driveway!

I called the electric company to report it. The strange thing was that we still had electricity… just no A/C. I decided to message my brother, who is an electrician in New Hampshire. I sent him photos of the line and he thought maybe it was the 220 line that was down. He had me check if my cook top and oven were working… they were dead too. He told us to shut everything in the house off because it could be trying to pull in more amperage than was available (or something like that!). We shut everything off except the refrigerator. 

Around 7:30 the power company arrived at the same time our electrician called back. They both said flip the main and shut power off to the house! In no time at all the line was repaired and our 220 appliances were working. Luckily nothing was fried when the wire broke.

During the chaos of our electrical crisis, I never went out to bring the gallery “OPEN” flags in. Much to our delight, we had a customer come in at 7:00 pm. After wrapping his pots, Jeff directed him out of the driveway so that he wouldn’t cross over the live wires. Thankfully he managed to avoid them coming in.

I am hoping that’s all the excitement for the week. I will leave you with a couple of piggy banks that came out of the kiln last week. If you need a pig, I have quite a few in stock right now. Clicking on the photo takes you to the Etsy shop.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

It’s a Celebration Weekend!

Image Leave a comment

We unloaded the kiln yesterday, in the midst of 90+ degree heat. I had an order that needed to ship before the post office closed, which meant we couldn’t delay the job until evening. Overall we had some nice pots. A couple of spots in the kiln didn’t get enough reduction. The frustrating thing was the shino glaze on two pots, on the same shelf looked completely different. One reduced just fine, the other, meh. The joys of making pottery!

I was pretty happy with these two…

They will both be available to purchase at our 6th Anniversary Open Studio Celebration tomorrow. I can’t believe we opened shop in Seagrove 6 years ago! It’s been a wild ride and the time has flown by. There will be pottery demonstrations throughout the day, and refreshments to enjoy. We will be open from 10-5, so stop in for a visit. Our annual sale tent will be out in the yard. Under the tent you will find some nice seconds and other good finds at fabulous prices.
505 E Main Street, downtown Seagrove – next to the big red barn.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

Following the Latest Trend…

Image Leave a comment
…and it’s not “bubble glazing” (as seen on facebook)!
It’s the VEGGETTI… As Seen On TV!!!!
I know so many people that have one of these and love it. Since I have been gifted lots of zucchini this summer, I figured it was time I got one. With a 20% of coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond, I spent a grand total of $15.99 (plus tax & shipping).
We are always trying to get more veggies into our diet so I figured this would be a good way to help us achieve our goal. There was a little learning curve on use, and carrots are trickier than zucchini. What I wasn’t expecting was to be left with these funny discs of veggies with attached tubes. Not one to be wasteful, I bagged them up and will chop them into a salad tonight.

Our maiden voyage with the Veggetti was to make “zoodles” from zucchini, along with some spiralized carrots. I sauteed them in the wok along with some shrimp. When the vegetables were just starting to soften I tossed in freshly made pesto, my first batch of the season.

It was absolutely delicious! Jeff and I didn’t miss the “real” noodles at all. I am sure this little gadget is going to one those things that in 10 years we say, “Remember the zoodles craze?”

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

It’s Official!

Image Leave a comment
Seagrove is the Pottery Capital of the USA!

The town of Seagrove unveiled a beautiful new welcome sign that visitors will see when they exit the highway, coming in to town. There are actually two signs, another on Pottery Highway 705, as you enter town from the opposite direction.

Last fall Seagrove elected Mayor David Fernandez, who also happens to be a potter in town. He has been instrumental in making a lot of things happen here. Along with the new signage, we have large planters, pots, and a pretty concrete table with benches in the downtown area. Then there is also the alcohol referendum that passed last month. It’s so nice now to go into the local market and buy a bottle of wine to go along with the fresh salmon that you purchased for dinner. 
Now that’s what I call progress!

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

The Creation of The Whimsical Flower Pig

Image Leave a comment

I unloaded the bisque firing today. Probably during the hottest part of the day. I had a few piggy banks that needed some underglaze application and I was more than happy to do it in the comfort of our air conditioned studio. It’s such a treat to work in an air conditioning!!!
I thought I would share the process of creating my “whimsical flower pig” design. When the piggy bank is leather hard I apply a white slip and carve the flower design through the surface of the clay. I then bisque fire to cone 06 and after that, apply underglaze.

I brush black underglaze into all of the carved lines. As you can see, I am not too concerned with precision!

Once all the piggy banks have been underglazed, I go back and give the area a wipe with a moist sponge, to remove the excess.

I am not too fussy with the sponging. I like to leave some of the underglaze behind for a sort of “smudgy” look. I then dip the bottom half of the pigs in our Temple white glaze, the upper half in our gloss green. The overlap creates a nice pink blush. These are fired in a reduction atmosphere to cone 10. Our gas kiln typically takes anywhere from 12 – 16 hours to fire.

I also can personalize these piggy banks with names or phrases. Check out my Etsy shop for more information. 

meeshspottery.blogspot.com

A Working Holiday

Image Leave a comment
 
I tip toed out to the studio this morning to snap a few quick photos of work that I have in progress. I had a big need to make pots that I wanted to make, not pots that were ordered and needed to be of a certain type and design. This weekend I spent some time with my favorite b-mix clay body. I have had oval bakers on my mind, but opted for round instead. I just didn’t want to deal with the heartache of cracks after spending hours on assembling and decorating. The plain round ones will get some ginkgo leaves carved into them. I altered the rims on a couple and played with stamps and slip trailed dots. The dots are slip I made with b-mix. They wont have a color, they will just add a texture to the surface.
I just had to step out of the studio and snap some photos of my zinnias, despite being in my pajamas and despite the fact that we now live in town. Thankfully our house sits back from the road and I don’t think anyone saw me… and who cares if they did?!
These flowers are growing like crazy and I love that I planted them from seeds. Something I have rarely done. I am much more frugal as I get older. I also think that I take more time to enjoy nurturing them and watching them sprout.
The holiday weekend was great for business. We had a lot of traffic through the gallery. People were spending money. It was our best weekend in months. Last night we took a breather to celebrate Independence Day. Our friend and neighbor Phil came over with a juicy, sweet watermelon to share. We grilled some chicken, and watched the fire works in Boston on the television. No crowds, no bugs, a comfortable sofa, and air conditioning. The air conditioning promptly decided to quit when the fireworks were over. We have been battling with it all weekend. A part is on order and should arrive today or tomorrow. Hopefully it does the trick, if not, it’s time to call in the professionals $$$$.

meeshspottery.blogspot.com