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Foraging in the Freezer

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I was searching through the bottom drawer of the freezer and found a bag of over ripe bananas. I didn’t date the bag so I had no clue how long they had been in there. They didn’t looked frosty, so I thawed them, and they were fine. I pondered making a traditional banana bread, but it seems that in a household of two, the last bit always ends up wasted. Muffins, on the other hand, always get eaten. Since Jeff and I are both huge blueberry fans, I searched for a recipe for banana blueberry muffins. The recipe I chose has a cinnamon crumb topping… I knew it was the winner!
I tweaked the recipe slightly by adding 1 1/2 cups blueberries, because that is the increment I freeze them in. This couple likes a muffin LOADED with blueberries! I made 11 muffins instead of 12, because I prefer odd numbers. Actually, I prefer larger muffins.

They turned out great. A perfect breakfast on a chilly Saturday morning. Here is a link to the recipe:
Banana Blueberry Crumb Muffins
On the pottery front, I am back to making piggy banks.  I love the names that I am asked to put on pigs. This week I have Stella, Grant, and Rayla. Check out my Etsy shop if you need to gift someone a pig. They are great baby gifts! 

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The Lazy Potter

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I will admit that deep down inside, I can be a lazy potter. Especially when it comes to glazing. It took me some time to realize that shortcuts usually don’t work and in the end cause frustration and then extra work.

Now I tell myself, “Do it right the first time!”.

I used to try and glaze everything in a five gallon bucket. The thought of pouring the glaze into another container, then pouring it back in, cleaning the container, made the lazy side of me say, “I think this plate will fit in the bucket”. I can guarantee you that 9 times out of 10 it didn’t! Either the glaze wasn’t deep enough to cover the piece, or it scraped against the sides, creating a mess.

That’s when the frustration kicked in.
Then the extra work of trying fix the glaze or washing it all off.

My other cop-out for large pieces was, “It’s going to be shino”. Why shino? Because we mix shino in a large trash can… you can glaze almost anything in there!
I have nothing against shino (I actually love it very much) but not every plate or large bowl I make is suited for it.

So I have learned to embrace the pouring out the glaze into a proper container, dipping pots without stress, and cleaning the container afterwards.

Over the years we have collected a variety of big bowls and tubs to pour glaze into, to accommodate different sizes and shapes of pots. My favorite for plates is the big plastic bowl in the top photo.  A great place to find big plastic containers is at an Asian market. The Korean’s make kimchee in big quantities, therefore you will usually find a good assortment there.

Glazing day this week went quickly. Two colors, nuka and celadon. I fought my lazy side and there were no catastrophes.
This is what’s happening outside. No matter how long I live in North Carolina, flowers in winter will never cease to amaze me!

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Collaborations

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Jeff and I collaborated on a mug order last month. All wide bottoms, some with his strap style handles and some with my pulled handles. Like most potters, if you have an order, you make extras!
These two are my handles with watercolor glaze combo and some fun little dots.

Someone special might like one or two for Valentines Days… clicking on the photo will take you to my Etsy shop.

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Drippy Glazes

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One of the great things about moving is that you have to pack and unpack stuff that has been ignored for some time. We tossed a lot of seconds during the move but also packed a box and labeled it “needs grinding”. These drippy ash glaze mugs fell into that category. They only needed a little bit of grinding but it just never happened. Until yesterday, that is. 

I still love this glaze combination of shino and ash. I think I am going to explore it some more in 2016. The down side of it is… grinding bottoms and grinding shelves. 
My NH potter friend, Paul Haigh, shared this joke on facebook this week. I thought some readers might appreciate it:
What’s the difference between a potter and a large pizza?
A large pizza can feed a family of four.
Have a great day, and an awesome weekend.

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Getting it done…

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The itty bitty gas kiln is firing tonight. Inside it’s belly is an assortment of mug, plates, and a vessel sink. All are orders. Fingers and toes crossed for a fabulous firing. We are fortunate that we have this little kiln to hold us over until our larger kiln can be rebuilt (soon, very soon… wish for good weather so our kiln shed will be installed).

While the kiln fires, I have taken some new photos of mugs for the Etsy shop. It’s always good to freshen things up for the new year.

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Giving it Away…

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As I rolled out of bed this morning, I heard my phone make that little sound that means I have a message on Etsy. Yay, maybe someone wants to order a piggy bank and has some questions. I clicked on the link only to find a message from someone wanting me to donate a salt pig to her pig rescue charity auction… it will be great exposure (yes she said that) and it’s tax deductible (artist’s can write very little off when they donate work).

Really? You want me to pack up a salt pig, pay for the postage, and ship it off. I don’t even know you. You live in another state. How do I know that you aren’t looking for free stuff for yourself?

This isn’t the first charity request I have received via Etsy and I am sure it won’t be the last.

I am getting REALLY good at saying NO.

As artists, we are often living hand to mouth. Some months I wish there was a charity that benefits me. Don’t get me wrong… Jeff and I make donations. We have a few groups that we give to every year. Causes that have meaning to us. We don’t do it for the exposure, because despite what many beggars, I mean solicitors, will tell you… the exposure is miniscule. I also don’t give donations to groups that tend to get less than the real value of the work.

That’s my rant for the day. Onward to more productive and positive thoughts.
Thanks for listening. Comments welcome.

Green and White Salt Pig – STILL available in the Etsy shop – clicking the photo will take you there
I would love for someone to rescue him 😉

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Back to Reality

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What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we enjoyed bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. Everything was melting. It was a perfect day to get outside, sands pots, and load the kiln for a bisque firing. It was late afternoon when the work was done. I wanted to enjoy every minute of outside time before the sun set, and the cold returned. With phone in hand, I decided to walk around the house and take some winter photos.

We got our slab poured just in time. Now we are waiting for our kiln shed to arrive.

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The Day After

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We weathered the storm without incident. The ice was minimal, the power stayed on, spaghetti and meatballs were cooked, and bread was baked. It was actually a rather enjoyable break.

It was still cold today and the sun won’t make an appearance until tomorrow. I am counting on it to melt the ice and reveal green grass and pavement once more. The studio was chilly today no matter how much heat we pumped into it. I finally managed to get handles on mugs before calling it quits. The rest of the afternoon will be spent curled up with the cat and a book.
I might even put my pajamas back on.

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