Bad day..

I don't know where you are in the world but here in Md we are getting pounded with heavy rain. All day. I came home from class today to find my kiln room 4 inches under water. Luckily the kiln is on stilts and the electrical parts are up higher than the water can get to. Apparently the guy who installed it did know what he was doing. No damage but I did need to use the kiln tonight to fire work for a show on Saturday.

My original plan for the day was to come home from class, glaze my work and get it in the kiln by 3-ish. What actually happened was this... After scooping up two 5 gallon buckets by hand and getting no where I got out the wet-vac only to find it broken so (tick tick tick) off to Home Depot I go to buy a new one. Back in the studio I spent at least an hour (tick tick) sucking up 100 gallons of water from the kiln room floor. I could only afford the 6 gallon wet-vac and after heaving multiple 6 gallon containers of water into the utility sink I was actually happy I didn't get the larger size 'cause I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to lift it.

Once I got the water up I went around the basement to suck up any little leaks that pop up on our floor when it rains really hard (tick tick tick). I came back to the kiln room only to find that while I was gone another inch of water had crept back in. So I sucked that up. And it came back.

I thought it was coming through the door so I plugged that up the best I could with some old towels. Still coming through.

Then I saw it. The waterfall streaming down the stairs coming from one really large crack in the basement steps. Really it's amazing it took me so long to see this because it was shooting water in a steady 3 inch stream out of the step.

Frantically I raced around the house trying to find something to stop the water from coming in. Epoxy, water proof tape... anything! Everything I came across had to be applied to dry surface (hello, it's a leak?) and wouldn't work. I didn't want to drive back to Home Depot for fear that all 4 inches of water would creep back in while I was gone.

Then I had a brainstorm. I just needed something waterproof and moldable to shove in the crack. It only had to hold until the rain stops and we can properly fix the stairs. What I had that fit the bill was old modeling clay from college. I dug it out of my studio drawers (hey, sometimes it pays to be a pack rat), pulled off a hunk, rolled it into a coil and shoved it into the crack. The water stopped. I can't even believe that worked. I found every other major crack and jammed some it to them too. It's still holding.

I wet-vaced up the rest of the water and started glazing my work. Of course I realized that I was out of black liner glaze and had to run to the clay store to get more (tick tick tick). By now it's about 4:15 and the store closes at 5, since it's about 20 minutes away across town I hop in the car and take off. Of course since the weather is so bad there is an accident on the way and it takes me twice as long to get there but I do, just in time. I pick up my glaze and race back home to start my glazing.

It is now almost 6 by the time I get back home and in the studio. It takes me a few hours to glaze but I manage to get everything loaded by 9, which is exactly when it starts to monsoon again and other leaks start popping up. Bah! I am wet-vacing again! I hate the rain today!

Lessons learned:
1. If it's the weekend before a major show do NOT drink too much wine at a wedding on Saturday and decide that you can have Sunday off to laze out on the couch.
2. In a pinch, modeling clay will stop a leak.

I will let you know how the firing comes out.

Photo Booth

Happy Friday and 4th of July weekend! Here are our pics from the Pile of Craft Photo Booth. I clearly didn't see the first shot coming:)

Happy Memorial Day!

Yesterday we had a few friends over for a BBQ in our backyard. I made all the food which was a little exhausting but well worth the effort. The menu consisted of egg salad and crackers to start with, I used freshly grated horseradish in the salad for a little bit of kick. Rosemary studded burgers with homemade brioche rolls, marinated chicken kabobs with roasted peppers and for dessert I made s'mores treats with homemade graham crackers, and my cardamom marshmallows. Yum! I also picked a bunch of mint from the garden and M made us fresh mojitos. Let summer begin!

It's me again...

Well, hello there. It's been awhile. I do apologize for my absence but it's been a crazy crazy month. That's not entirely true, it's been a crazy crazy year so far. I haven't written on this blog because to be honest, I was feeling a little down and beaten by the world and I don't want to spread the negativity. But, things are turning around, I can feel it.
Just to fill you in a little this year so far I have had my mother's illness (which you know about from other posts), came home to be snowed in for 2 weeks, my kiln needed repair, my clay supplier stopped selling my clay body, my husbands car was smashed with a brick through both front and side window, my car was totaled while parked outside my house at 8:30 in the morning (we just got a Honda Element to replace it), my mother had to have cancer removed from her lip, twice, and my father whom I haven't spoken to in 2 years went in for open heart surgery and still didn't call me. Don't worry, I'm over it.
Like I said, I feel a change in the universe. The second half of 2010 is going to be soooo much better. I'm working on getting my buisness together, shows are going to pick up, I found a new clay body that I like (it's actually an old friend but I'm making it work with my way of decorating now) and summer is coming. I love summer. It means long evenings sipping wine on the porch, BBQ's with friends and fresh veggies from the farmers market in my kitchen. I just changed my display a little (you can see it in the pic above, but please note that that was a very rainy show so it's not the best set up) and can't wait to get my hands in a little more of this white cone 6 clay body. I've started doing yoga and strength training to help clear my mind and keep my body healthy. I'm a firm beliver in not letting life get to you. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try something else. There is always a solution, you just have to think outside of the box, or in this case...wait for the storm to pass. Here's to more sunny days ahead:)
p.s. Sorry about the grainy iphone pics.

Spring break comes to an end.

Well we did it, we finally finished our upstairs room. Since our basement is used as our studio we have a major storage issue in our little house and up until last week this room was the dumping ground for all of our show displays, boxes of comics for M and just about anything else we didn't know what to do with. After 5 years the piles were just plain embarrassing so for this year's spring break I asked M to help me refinish the room into something we could use for storage, office space and guest quarters. I started the painting a couple of weeks ago when M was out of town for a show and this week he helped me rip up the old nasty blue speckled carpet (you know that 70's style muddled carpeting, yuck) and paint the floors (I know, I know painting wood floors is a "no-no" but they were already half painted and now I have a usable room so I really don't care). After many hours of hard work, several trips to Lowes, Target and Ikea, we are finally almost finished. There are still a few more things that need to be taken to goodwill or the dump and a mountain of recycling to be dealt with once my car is back from the shop (don't ask) but once that is taken care of as well as some picture hanging and minor decorating touches, we will be DONE! Hello new office space (not the dining room table as it had been previously), guest room, drawing studio (not for me) and sewing area (for me), I am sooooo happy to welcome you to our home:)

Keping one for myself...

It's not very often that I keep a pot for myself that hasn't been somehow damaged in the process or has an ugly glaze. Most of the pots in my kitchen are pretty ugly and I'm actually a little ashamed when I pull them out for guest. There is always the "this one isn't my best work" disclaimer to go with the mug of coffee. Recently I have started a really nice collection of other potters work as I travel to shows and workshops, some of which I reach for everyday and some have special homes on a high shelf where the cat *hopefully* won't knock them over. These beauties are making my own collection look even worse! So this round of pots I'm keeping one. And not because it's ugly or glazed wrong or a little too wonky. I just like this pot and it now has a home in my kitchen.... happy birthday to me:)

Coming home.

Thanks for all the well wishes, prayers and general good vibes sent over this past month, they were all very much appreciated! My mom is doing much better now and is home recovering. I should be able to come back home and to the studio this weekend so if I still owe you an e-mail or contact I will hopefully get caught up next week. I will also be starting on all those orders that have been piling up while I was away.....anyone want to be my intern/clay slave? I can cook for you:) I will sadly not be participating in this years ACC show (had to cancel) but already have a space reserved for next year and hopefully will have my mom there to help me! Be sure to check out my shop in the next few weeks as I restock with new work that I started at the start of the year including some mid-fire white ware.

Away from the studio

This is just a quick post to let you all know that I am currently out of town due to my mother being rushed to the hospital on Friday with some pretty serious breathing problems. She is still there and I will be staying here in PA until all is right again. If I owe you an e-mail or phone call please excuse my delay, I will get to you as soon as possible. I will resume the blog when I am back in the studio or if I get super bored sitting in the hospital (and the internet works!). Until then, thanks for understanding.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Michael and I are back from our trip to Savannah where we spent the week with my brother, sister in law, mother and 2 adorable little munchkins. I thought I would share some pictures of our Holiday trip since the studio has been closed for the last week and I don't have anything new to post yet. The photos above and below are from our Christmas day which we spent at the Ronald McDonald house (if you don't know about this amazing organization click here to learn more) cooking dinner for the families who were staying there. Actually, my brother cooked and gave us directions, so technically we chopped, sauteed and stirred while he whipped our prep work into a delicious turkey dinner for 30.
After Christmas day while we were all relaxing M, my mom and I made cookies with the kids. The kids did most of the work...and taste testing while I directed, M got himself covered in flour trying to navigate the kids measuring cups and my mom handled the oven.
I think these two will be growing up to have their own show on the food network!
This isn't flour, it's powdered sugar which Tru cleaned up from the counter by scooping it into his mouth!
The original recipe we made didn't call for chocolate chips but the kids took a little creative licence and M thought they were even better with the chocolate decorations.
We had a great time in GA and can't wait to go back:) I hope you all had a lovely time with your family also!

Check out my super famous hubby!

This Monday I was given the job of photographer at M's book signing at a local Barnes and Nobel. It was a total mad house! M does a wonderful job of speaking to the kids and interacting with them to explain how he comes up with his characters. He even draws some of the kids as space creatures or evil monsters! It's so fun to watch and the kids really get into shouting ideas out and watching M turn their words into crazy drawings. Monday he wound up selling out of books and the line was around the store! I actually left to do a little shopping in the middle of it all and when I came back there was still a line! So I just had to share some of my favorite pictures of the night and brag about what a super star my husband is.
If you want to see what all the commotion is about you can check out his new book for kids Adam Wreck by Michael S. Bracco or his more adult series (rated PG-13) Birth and NOVO. They would make really great stocking stuffers and he will even sign and draw on the inside cover!

Happy December!

I can't believe it's December already! Where did the time go? Sorry to have left everyone after my rant about grad school, I didn't mean to leave things that way. I did decide to put it off for now. It's not the right time and if M and I are ever going to start a family that would put a major shift in our plans. So it's on the back burner for now.
Otherwise, I have been totally lost in my own little world of Holiday Prep for a show at the end of November (yes, I know that's over), Thanksgiving with the in-laws (and 2 days of baking to prep for that) followed by a weekend of back to back craft shows until December 13th. Then I will be getting ready for a trip to Savannah to see my brother and his lovely family. Is it January yet?? I will try to keep up with blogging throughout this crazy Holiday Mayhem to keep you posted on events and work in the studio. I have had this itch to dive back into the white mid-range body that I had used before but am fighting the urge until after the holidays. M seems to think I get my greatest ideas that I have to try right before a major deadline or swam of shows. Then I'm really cranky when things don't turn out the way I had imagined and I am left with no work for said major event. So I will save him at least one headache this year and contain myself until slower times.
Click here to go to read my post on the Lillyella blog and get the recipe for the Rosemary Walnut Shortbread Cookies!

The MFA factor

So I have recently been looking into getting my MFA. Well, ok....I've been thinking about it for a while...like a few years now. My dilemma is this....I have a degree from MICA ( a very good art school) and a teaching certification. I have always dreamed of going to one of the big ceramic programs for my masters but the truth of it is, I don't live near any of them and we are not in a position to move any time soon. Plus, we own our house and I have worked really hard to get my studio set up and everything. I have been looking into the program at Towson, which is very close to me, and they are about to get a new program director in ceramics (don't know who yet). I can start taking classes there as a non-degree seeking grad student until they have the ceramics program in place and then transfer over. I need to do something by next semester (it's a job thing). Does anyone have any experience with grad school or opinion about where to go? Does it matter where you get your degree from? My head is pretty much spinning. I'm not sure how I'll handle going to grad school and keeping the business up but it's really important for me to keep that going. Any thoughts....advice?

My Dream Dinner Party

Ok. I admit it. I get way too excited about the food network, I read Martha Stewart Magazine and Real Simple while I wait in line at the grocery store and I tear out pages from cooking magazines and paste them in my sketchbook with little notes next to them like "great pot" or "love the colors". I'm a domestic junkie. There, I said it. I also dream of how I will decorate for my (completely fictional because really who has the time for this kind of thing anyway?) fabulous fall themed diner party. I would invite all my closest friends and we would nibble on goat cheese appetizers and sip crisp red wine while the fragrance of sauteed mushrooms mixed with rosemary and garlic wafted from the kitchen. My tiny dinning room would magically expand to fit everyone comfortably and they would find their seats by way of the beautifully hand lettered place settings. My house would be covered in arrangements fall flowers, branches and berries which the cats would not eat them and throw up on the rug later. A delicious apple pie with homemade caramel ice cream for dessert and then we would say farewell to our friends and fall drowsily on the couch, sipping the last glass of wine while the dishes helped themselves into the dishwasher. If I were to host a dinner party like this one here are some things that I would decorate my table with.
1. PopMat paper placemats by Publique Shop
2.Vintage Milk Glass Bowl by Full Circle Retro
3.Felted Wool Acorns by Lilfish Studios
4. Vintage Bird Salt and Pepper Shakers by High Street Market
5. Vintage McCoy Green Bowl and Pitcher by Lil Thrifty Girl
6.White Ironstone Ceramic Gravy Boat by High Street Market

8 Years

Today is the 8 year anniversary of when Michael and I met. We celebrated by stopping by the farmers market so I could stock up on my favorite Pear and Cardamom jam (I bought 4 jars since I may not see them until next summer!) and then to Clementine for Taco night! Finish it off with a mug of steamy Chocolate Bar Chai tea topped with a cardamom marshmallow *sigh* how perfect:)
Image by Ashley G

The pots they fly!

Currently I am slumped on my couch in an almost dark den after a 13 hour day of making pots. I am so happy that my work is going over so well but I never expected to have this many orders so fast! I feel like as soon as I make them they are photographed and out the door. To be clear I am NOT complaining. It's really nice, to be able to say I'm a working artist, how many people have that opportunity? Anyway, I hope to post some work in progress shots this week....um, I guess this week is almost over so maybe next week:) Until then enjoy this new bowl that celebrates the journey of flight!

Taking a leap.

This post isn't really about the pendants I have posted above but I don't have any pictures to go along with this topic so instead I'm sharing the pictures I took yesterday. I'm trying to clean up the pics for Clayworks but I lost the light yesterday when a storm rolled in and blocked out the sun so I'll try again today.
This post is really about the god things that can happen when you take a risk and follow your heart. Most of you know that this spring I quit my job teaching elementary school. I just felt that there was more out there for me and I really needed time to work in my studio. I've been really stressed this summer wondering what I was going to do to make ends meet, if my pottery was really going to support me and pay my share of the bills.(By the way I just have to add that Michael has been so supportive and never doubts me one bit...all this stress is self induced) My studio is really bare at the moment and I have lots of work to catch up on but a few great opportunities have come my way, I will share them as they get closer but for now are still secret:) It still takes a LOT of pots to make a living and since I really have trouble charging what I should for them it's a slow process of bringing in money. So how does any of this relate to the good that comes from following your heart? I just accepted a job offer from Towson University to teach a couple of their Art Education classes. Having student teachers is something I have always loved doing and I think I'm pretty good at so this will be a really neat opportunity. It's only 2 days a week so I will still have plenty of studio time but will also have a paycheck coming in. Not to mention I've always wanted to teach at the college level. It's funny how things sort of fall into place when you just give yourself up to fate. This might not be a long term thing but for now it's helping my stress and opening a new avenue for me. I really do love teaching I just couldn't do it full time, 1 hour away anymore. Towson is only 15 minutes from my house so no more highway commute!! So from now on you can call me.....Professor. Just kidding!

Another day of jet lag.

I still haven's fully recovered from the red eye flight + time difference. Michael and I successfully slept in until noon today. By the time coffee was made I found myself asking him if he was hungry for lunch or dinner. He never answered so I settled for waffles with nutella along side of fruit and yogurt. I really need to get to the market to restock on fruit and veggies. The farmers markets of Seattle had me wanting to get back in my kitchen. I was so bummed that I couldn't take any of the fresh produce with me! Here are some pics from Pike's Place Market, just 5 blocks from our hotel!

I'm Back!

Ok, we got back Monday morning but having been on a plane since 11 the night before I wasn't much in the mood for blogging. Today I had to drive to PA to pick up the kitties and then back again to work on updating my resume...don't ask, we'll talk later. Seattle was fantastic!! I loved it there and would move in a second, well if my mom came too (Michael is a given, he has to come!). Over the next few days I'll share some pictures with you so you can see what an awesome place Seattle is too. Here is a picture of the view from our hotel room, we stayed on the 37th floor of the Westin, fancy right??? Thank you Hotels.com for making our 4 star hotel budget friendly. That's about all for tonight though, it's after 12 and I can barely see my keyboard anymore. Time for a little TV and bed. See you tomorrow!

Vacation time!

Things will be quiet here as I am taking a summer vacation! Check back later in August as I will return with some new pots I am just about to unload from the kiln and I also have quite a few surprises in store but you''ll have to wait a little longer for more info. Until then, enjoy the last month of summer and see you in a few weeks!

Mugs?

Sorry to be absent the last few days but I have been playing in the dirt outside my house for a change! I ripped out the forest of weeds in the backyard and in their place planted some really pretty flowers, a butterfly bush and lots and lots of herb plants. I know I'm kinda late in the season for such a big overhaul but everything I planted is supposed to be hearty and come back next summer. Now my backyard is petty but I am covered in bug bites! So my itchy self decided to take a break today and work on some stuff inside. It helps that it's been raining all day. I took some pictures of some new pots and some stuff for Michael to list in his shop. Here are some mugs I made using my new molding technique, not sure I like the hand built handles. Thrown doesn't look right but these look too.... amateur-ish? I'll have to play around a little more. Handles are my least favorite thing to make. I have never felt really good at it so I guess that's why. Oh well, here you go anyway!