This mug does a better job showing off the glaze. It is a rich turquoise, but it has a lot of interest. Where it is thick, it is prone to blistering, so take care to finger sand any drips well. Hopefully, you can see this glaze is glossy and smooth. The turquoise color ranges from pale to almost teal in places. Even where the glaze breaks over the rim and handle, the surface remakes silky.
The first step is to wrap my items in bubble wrap and the box pack them in a small box. I want to be sure that they fit this small box securely and fill in with packing materials so the pieces cannot shift in the box.
When I am sure the inner box is well packed, I seal it and then fill around the box with peanuts. Notice that the inner box is cradled all around by at least a two inch cushion.
These tumblers were only in our etsy shop for a couple of hours before they sold. Stamped "MINE" and "NOT YOURS", they bring out the toddler in all of us! Now I am feeling selfish and sad to let them go. Goodbye selfish cups! I'd really like to keep you! I know I'll make some more, but you will always be my first.
A girlfriend called to see what I was going to be up to while the kids were in school - my so called "day off". "I'm going shopping in Ashville!" I replied. She regretted she couldn't go and I thought she probably didn't have in mind what I did.
We enjoy doing custom orders for people, but lately, we have been covered up with them! I do not get over anxious about making the items perfect. I am comfortable knowing they like our style enough to trust us to create something just for them.
Once my photo is imported, my first step is to go under Image > Adjustments and select Curves. If your version of Photoshop does not have curves, you can do the same adjustments by choosing Levels and continue following along.
I little box will pop up. just under the Options button there are three boxes with what look like droppers in them. Click on the white dropper. We are going to set the white point. We are going to click on the darkest area of the picture that should be white.
In this case, I clicked on a spot just above and to the left of the top of the sake bottle. For some reason, my cursor does not appear in the screen shot. Bummer.
Now it is time to crop my photo. I know Etsy says to crop photos to square, but I do not. I believe most people view the site in gallery mode which is the default. Also, the front page and treasuries are seen in a gallery view, so I crop with those views in mind. In the tools menu on the left hand side of the page, I selected the upper left tool, which is the rectangular marquee tool. I simply click and drag my mouse to create the box shape I want.
Then under the Image menu, choose Crop.
Once the image is cropped, remember to go again under the Image menu and choose Image Size. Etsy requires out images to be under 1000 pixels wide, so I always set my width at the maximum of 1000 pixels. Click OK and save. You should have your product shot.
Below is the image ready to list on Etsy: a fabulous Pumpkin Pie Sake Set glazed in a rich orange and then dipped in whipped cream white. It's perfect for getting you warm during those first autumn cold snaps.
We have been thinking about applying to Trunkt for ages. We are confident in our craftsmanship and artistic abilities. We love what we do. We regularly pull things out of the kiln jumping up and down and shouting, "This rocks! I love it!" So why is it so hard to put ourselves out there? If we were rejected from Trunkt, it wouldn't change the quality of our work. So why did we wait so long to apply?
In honor of the Etsy Mud Team's Mud in the Trees Event, all of our personalized ceramics are $5 off through November 11th. The EMT's Event will run November 4-11 and during that week, anyone who purchases from a participating EMT shop will be entered into a drawing to win a free handmade ornament. You will be able to view available ornaments on the EMT site and mark your favorites, if you'd like.
I love doing the family portrait ornaments. I feel so connected to a family after looking at their photos and creating cartoon versions of the family. I often add the family pets and once they included hamsters! It is so nice to hear back from families who say that Grandma cried she was so pleased or sister gave it a place of honor and displays it year round. Even though the orders for ornaments get overwhelming around the first of December, every year I take so much joy from them.
Speckled Glaze ^6 Oxidation
I have been trying my hardest to figure out how to get more hours into a day, but so far, nothing is working. I have custom orders lined up. I tape the invoices to the wall behind my wheel, and I am running out of space! I have tea sets, sets of bowls communion, sets, and huge fruit bowls to get done. On top of that I have monogrammed ornaments to paint, baby plates, and Christmas platters to paint. And I still need to keep finished pottery on my shelves for shoppers.
Alex and I own a paint-your-own ceramics shop - the kind that families visit at the holidays to make hand print plates and ornaments. Most of our clients are families with young children. They come and go and we see but a snapshot of their lives. But some families return again and again, year after year. While the children paint, we catch up with the parents. If older children are still working we entertain the younger ones. We look forward to their visits and they work their way into our hearts.
There is an amazing group of artists participating. All voters are entered into a drawing for ceramic magnets made by EMT members. The artist receiving the highest number of votes will receive a pendant made by Ginny of GinPins. Please vote at the EMT web site.
Have you heard of a butter keeper? This special pot is made to safely keep butter unrefrigerated on your counter. The cup or "bell" under the lid is filled with softened butter. You then place an inch or so of water in the pot. When the lid is put on, the water creates an airtight seal, keeping your butter fresh for up to a month.
This butter keeper is my entry in the Etsy Mud Team's Autumn Challenge. It was thrown from a rich black stoneware clay, and then glazed in my pumpkin spice glaze. The leaf on the lid was painted with wax, which resisted the glaze when the pot was dipped.
The marshmallow is the lid of the teapot and the handle of the spoon makes up the spout! Congratulations, Ginny! Your teapot is amazing!
Why are you so comforting? Is it because you only appear twice a year following a wonderful meal with a loving family? Is it because you are shared while laughter floats above and children crawl below? You are a harbinger of the holidays - a time of joy, giving, and love. You are the goodbye to autumn, the hello to winter. Your orange pays tribute to the leaves now browning and crumbling under the trees. Your white cream whipped to perfection welcomes the coming snows. Today, I pay tribute to you, pumpkin pie, with a mug that awaits your arrival.
I had a definite vision for this little tea bowl and I was bowled over when it came out of the kiln exactly as I imagined it.
Alex and I have been preparing all month for the Teapot Challenge that the Etsy Mud Team is holding next week. Twenty-three team members are participating in the contest and the competition is stiff.
Every kiln load brings about great pleasure, and usually sadness, too. There is always something that didn't turn out right or whose glaze isn't what you expected. It is the nature of pottery, but it can be harsh. These are all from the same kiln load and all bringers of pleasure. I won't too often show the disappointments here, at least not until I've lived with them a while. I don't know if other mediums are such harsh masters. Do other artists frequently have to trash their work? I suppose if I stopped experimenting I would not have theses disappointments, but I am not willing to give up the joy of an experiment that wields something amazing.
