The End Of An Era

Once upon a time (January 2004), a passion grew inside of me to make pottery.  My hubby, right by my side every step of the way, encouraged me to pursue my dreams.  The passion grew and unfolded such a great desire to have my own home studio.  Again, hubby right by my side made all of my dreams come true.

As time went by, my work made its way to galleries, art shows and the like.   I also donated… quite a lot of my work to the Food Bank in Fort Worth to sell for profit for their organization.

My dream stayed alive and survived for several years while I didn’t have a studio thru a series of moves.

Then we moved to San Diego and hubby once again gave me an amazing studio where I started my passion where I left off.  It was then that I realized that I wasn’t getting any younger.  The 50 pound boxes of clay felt heavier than they once did.  My aches and pains grew in my back at the end of the day.  However, I still fought to keep things going.

Last year I was in contact with several galleries in San Diego and was on the brink of getting work out there but the writing was already on the wall, physically.  The day arrived when hubby and I put our heads together and once again he walked me thru this decision.

In the end, he let me understand that if it’s ever something I want to pursue, to go for it.  The ad was placed on Craigslist and everything sold to the first person that called.  Might I add, he wasn’t just any person, he’s “Master Potter” of 40 years.  He was purchasing all of the tools to give to the cause of helping others learn the skill of pottery.  He’s also giving of his time teaching others such that he can leave this world giving back.  He purchased the Kiln, potter’s wheel slab roller and chair and we donated everything else in my studio to his cause + 450 pounds of clay.

I could not have done any of this without hubby and his amazing support.  He decided to purchase the rest of my pottery so this means I am completely sold out of everything and I could not be happier.

The gentleman (in the above photo) who purchased all of my things, brought this beautiful gift of pottery that he had made as a token of thanks.

At times, it was hard to come to grips with the end of this era.  But in my heart of hearts, I feel so happy and at peace with where my tools have gone.

Blessings – Debbie

June Happenings

I can’t think of a better way to kick off the month of July than to kick off June from my list of things to do.  I hate being this far behind and only seeing three posts last month has me a bit disappointed.  There is only one way up and that = start where I left off and catch up as much as possible.

Time was spent in the studio creating – this vase stands 21″ tall.

Another creation…

I find the garden to be a soothing place to chill, even if it is for just a short break.  Picture taken just outside my kitchen window.

Fresh summer produce – these guys have already made some amazing strawberry smoothies.

A little statue in the garden – love him.

Time in the studio – one of my favorite pastimes…

Creating what comes to mind…

And letting some things go with the flow…

I started my diet in June and I feel really good with the progress I’ve already made.  Just thought I’d throw that in here somewhere.

Hubby and I spent many hours last month around the pool table.  I’m thrilled he takes the time to help me improve.

Another joy last month was taking pix in the garden and playing with them in Lightroom.

Lightroom fun…

The joy of Lightroom, I can’t seem to get enough.

We’re also busy downsizing.  After much thought and consideration, we came to the conclusion that it’s time to part with our china.  I spent time taking lots of pix for craigslist.  Love that place!

On the evening of June 27th, I had a little accident.

I had a spill off my bike Tuesday evening = Two hands messed up + one very sore knee + 1 scraped up arm + a scrapped up tummy (my stretchy pants did not stay in place).  I think I’m going to be ok.  Hubby says “next time I’m going to have you in full body armor” and I won’t argue with him either.

The above picture was taken after airing my hand 24 hours.  Hubby wanted me to see the Doctor (yesterday), I’m glad I did.  At least we know there’s no infection and the antibacterial soap and prescribed ointment should do the trick.  The Doctor also wanted x-rays of my knee, the results came back normal.  It will take 4 – 6 weeks for my knee to feel happy again.  I certainly can live with that.

Cheers to July 1st, it’s a new month and time to get back on track.

Blessings – Debbie

First Pottery Reveal Since 2007

Most of my friends know I haven’t been in my studio since 2007.  To make a very long story short, we moved from TX (the last place I had a studio) in 07 to NY.  We stayed in an apartment while our home in TX sold.  Then our belongings were shipped to storage while we finished building our home in NY.

Things didn’t go so well with hubby’s job in NY as the program he was working on got canceled by President Obama.  Then we were off on our next great adventure to beautiful Southern CA where we now call home.  This pretty much brings us up to speed.  I now have an amazing pottery studio and I’m so thankful for my dearest who invested so much time getting it all set up.

I’ve come full circle…Remember this bag from the previous post?  Well here she is fresh out of the glaze firing.

Another piece (I think of this glaze as stormy blue) hot off the press.  The glaze firing took these all the way up to 2,170 degrees F.

Handles – I think we’ll be seeing this glaze on handles in the future.

Here’s the other bag (from the last post) all dressed and ready to go.

The handles, side and inside were coated with this delicious gold/black undertone glaze.

We should be sharing 4 more bags all dressed and ready to go sometime next week.

Words can’t describe how happy I am to be doing what I want to do when I grow up.

Blessings – Debbie

The Last Couple Of Days

Tuesday was another big day.  Not only was it my birthday but it was the first time we fired the kiln (for a glaze firing) since 2007.

It was a day to keep really good records of the kiln temperature every 1/2 hour (not a requirement, something we wanted to do for interest sake).  It was fun to record and sometimes I was out there jotting every 10 min (not something we’ll do again).  The records will help us in the future, especially if the kiln is not firing right/taking too long to fire.  Then we will know to check the coils and health of the kiln right away…

So during one of my 30 minutes away from the kiln, I took interest in this butterfly.  He/she allowed me to get especially close.

The wings – I could see this as fabric with that beautiful trim along the edge of a long flowing dress.

I took pictures of roses while in the garden…

Here’s a couple of test tiles (the end result) that were in that glaze firing.  Note:  The glaze firing top temperature reaches 2,170 degrees F and held there for 15 min before the kiln turns itself off.

Remember how I made these test samples?   Now they serve as my guide based on how the glaze will respond to the clay body I’m using.

Yesterday was a day full of glazing.

The bell (in the above pic) on the top right would be the color I used on the lid of the purse below.  That spring green color on the flower is the color I used on the base of the bag.

The same colors were applied to this bag as well.

A labor of love is all I can say.  Words can’t begin to describe how much fun I have when I’m in the zone.  Lets just say I had no breakfast, only coffee and from 9 – 5 I didn’t so much as have a drink, use the lady’s room or have lunch.  I was totally in the zone all day.  Now these guys are in the zone as the kiln was fired up at 5:30am.  I couldn’t help myself nor could I get back to sleep.  As I told hubby, “a million things are going through my brain per second”.

I have so much to be thankful for.  I’m especially grateful hubby shows interest and supports my greatest desires.

Blessings – Debbie

Testing 1 2 3

Yesterday was Huge!  It was a big deal around here as the kiln fired once again for the first time in since 2007.  I’m back and happy to have a full running studio after all this time.

It was a bisque firing on low/slow up to 1888 degrees.  It took a full 12 hours and 11 min. to reach temperature.  I wasn’t able to capture the full 1888 degrees but this was pretty close.  She’s a hot one right there.

I had to wait for it to cool to 200 degrees before opening.  Finally just after 9 this morning she reached 199 and I opened her as fast as I could.  Everything on the top shelf turned out just fine.  I’m waiting on hubby to help me with the rest.

I have 9 new glazes and put these test tiles to the test.  Each one holds 1 coat on the bottom, 2 coats on the left side and 3 coats on the right side.  This test will let me know how many coats to apply (to the good stuff) based on the results.

I’ve also been working on some new designs.  I can’t wait to give these a go!  Hubby gave me a French curve several years ago.  I’m learning to enjoy it more and more.  I love using it for these type projects.

The kiln will be busy again tomorrow as this time I’ll be running those test samples through.  The results should be in Wednesday.  I can’t wait to see how the glazes react to not only the flat surfaces but to see how they respond/pull away from the areas with pattern.

I’m so blessed my hubby works so hard to make my studio all that it can be.  He helped me so much over the weekend – He: put up more shelves in the studio for the kiln furniture, helped me recover my wedging table with fresh new canvas, ensured proper venting for the kiln such that we could fire it up and so much more.  He not only makes things happen but he makes them happen joyfully.  I’m so blessed.

And after all that, he asked if I’d like to join him for a lunch date today.  It was so yummy and nice to visit a little while with him this afternoon.

Blessings – Debbie

Pull Chain + Clay = Fun

Good evening!  Where did the day go?  That’s what I want to know.

The hours of the day move so quickly when creating is involved.  This bag was crafted with the finest Armadillo Buffalo Wallow clay.  The design was stamped with none other than a pull chain.  I have no idea where I came up with the idea of using a pull chain but the results are fun.  Oh, now I remember.  Once upon a day I recall seeing a pull chain and thought…”I think that would be fun to stamp clay”.  Voila!

After a full day in the studio, I couldn’t think of anything better than throwing dinner on the grill.

Corn on the cob was seasoned with butter, salt and pepper and wrapped in foil.  Chicken was marinated and homemade sweet potato fries were seasoned.  The fries were popped in the oven while the chicken and corn hung out with the grill.  I’d say after a full day of work, we equally enjoyed our sit down meal.

The evening hours are moving right along and I’m ready to wrap it up and call it a great day and night.

Night!

Since I posted/created the piece this week, I’m using it for Behold My Work Thursday hosted by none other than Crystal B.

Blessings – Debbie

Saving The Best For Last

Good evening (my time) or good morning.  Depending on where you are in the world, it could be one or the other.

I snapped this today during a little misty rain.  For whatever reason, I like the soft hazy tone. 

Q and A

I was asked “how do you make the lines so straight with the drill bit”?  This question came from (Beth) regarding my post Drill Bits + Clay = Cool Designs.

I thought it would be nice to do a little show and tell, so this is the way the straight lines were achieved.

Here we have a little scrap of clay to demonstrate and a massive drill bit.

 

Take the drill bit and simply roll it across the clay, using a little pressure.

It makes precise lines and a pretty cool pattern.  That’s all there is to it.

I tooled around in the studio today and came up with another creation.

By days end I was feeling great with the accomplishments of the day.  I closed the doors to the studio sometime around 7:30 PM and came indoors to chill for the remains of the evening.

I just sat down in front of the computer, when I finished taking that last swig of soda and it hit me.  The colors from my monitor seemed to twirl through the glass and they struck me.  It was an immediate reaction to capture that feeling.  Does this hit you like it hit me?  That is my hand wrapped around my glass and those amazing bright colors are from my monitor.  And that right there floats my boat.

Hence, saving the best for last.

Till next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Drill Bits + Clay = Cool Designs

Drill bits are fun!  I just used hubby’s huge handy-dandy drill bit to imprint the design into this bag.  How cool is that?

Sometimes it’s just fun to use things for stamping that I wouldn’t ordinarily think of.

These pieces take a good 2 + weeks to dry (I keep them under plastic) but I’m already getting antsy to start glazing.  I’ll just put on my patient cap as I still have quite a few more things to make before I have a kiln load.

And by days end I have another bag creation.  I hope to be right back out there creating again tomorrow.

I wrapped up in the studio sometime around 7 PM and took a little stroll in the garden.

It’s this time of day when I really miss visiting with the hubby.

On the bright side, I have another day down.

I’m getting ready to put on a pot of chocolate raspberry coffee and get to work designing my next handbag.  It should be another glorious day in the studio tomorrow!

Blessings – Debbie

Rumor Has It

What catches your attention? 

 

This guy caught my attention while preparing lunch for hubby this morning.  I get sidetracked pretty easy.

And I do realize this has nothing to do with rumors.  See previous sentence, well the sentence before the previous sentence to be exact.

Rumor has it that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth or so that’s what my girlfriend (Linda – Hi Linda) down in FL thinks.

Ignore the white stuff slathered on the flower.  It’s just wax resist – It’s there to protect the flower from drying faster than everything else.  I just finished applying it to the handles after I shot this pic.

Rumor also has it that I won’t answer hubby’s calls…(Hi My Love)

He came home for lunch yesterday (teasing) stating that I won’t even answer his calls these days.

Rumor also has it that I really need a phone in the studio as I can’t hear it ring when I’m out there creating stuff.

But the one thing I am grateful for is this.  Hubby loves that I’m doing what I want to do when I grow up.  And I love that he supports my dreams and helps make them come true in every way.

Just for today, I finished up two purses that needed a little more attention.   And I’ll be closing up the studio doors so that I can get on with the cleaning of the house and laundry.  Yay, tomorrow is hubby’s Friday off!  I love these three-day weekends together.

So with that, I’m outta here.  Happy Weekend Everybody!

Blessings – Debbie

Test Samples

Today was all about making a large batch of test samples.  I think there were at least 20 or so samples created this morning.

The goal is to use these pieces for glaze test samples.  

All glazes will be tested on these samples prior to using.

As the afternoon slipped away so did the time as I completely lost track of it.  Hubby rolled in at 6 pm and I was still up to my elbows in mud.  As a matter of fact, I remained in the studio ’til nearly 8 pm.

Hubby made dinner, fixed me a drink and insisted I finish what I was doing and that he had everything else under control.  He’s pretty amazing.

So while he took care of things, I finished assembling another handbag.  I should be able to wrap up the details tomorrow + start another project.

Right about now (yawn = sleepy), I’m ready to call this one very successful day.

Blessings – Debbie

Another Day – Another Creation

Creating in the studio would be one of my favorite things to do.

Speaking of creations, this is the creation I came up with for lunch.  This was as enjoyable as the patio dining.

Utensils

Playing with my utensils

I lingered a bit longer playing around to see what else I could come up with.

And with that, we’re off to a great week.

Blessings – Debbie

Yesterday's Blessings

What happens when friends get together?  Well I’ll tell you.  I met Vicki in her lovely home in San Diego and from there we commenced to paint the town.

We started off with a quick stop (in and out) at the local Starbucks and from there we went to the local pottery supply store.  Loved shopping with my buddy who equally enjoyed the whole experience.

Glazes, oh the glazes.  And there was enough glaze purchased to paint the town.  Not to mention all the tools we we walked away with as well.

Time was on our side as we didn’t have a set time to be home.  All I know is from 9 am ’til noon we covered Starbucks and the pottery supply store.

From there we hit Olive Garden for an amazing 3 hour lunch/visit.

I arrived back to the home front to these cheerful flowers.  Of course I had to play in lightroom, it’s becoming an addiction incase you can’t already tell.  🙂

I love spontaneous days,  we look forward to many more just like this.

Now the wheels are turning and I look forward to slinging mud around with all my new toys.

Blessings – Debbie

One Of Those Days

It was one of those days I had to get back into the groove of housework, laundry and ironing.

One of those days I packed hubby’s lunch for the first time in a week.  Not because I didn’t want to, rather he was home with me, sick.  He did see the doc yesterday, but still struggling with that nagging cough.

One of those days I lived in my jammies all day long.

One of those days I took a nap.

One of those days I needed to absorb the great outdoors.  It’s a source of inspiration.

And I love that all these pics were taken in the comfort of my jammies/backyard.

Lots of thoughts crowded my mind.  Thoughts of my studio and pottery and wondering exactly where I’m going with it.

Will I strictly be known as the purse lady or what else shall I create?  Shoes – high heel shoes – fun strappy high heel shoes – bright colorful shoes – flip-flops – perhaps shoes and purses – matching shoes and purses – just one shoe or will I make a pair?  Oh I don’t know, these are just a few of the many thoughts running through my mind…

Even though the questions go unanswered, I’m creating and doing what I love.  In time, the answers will come.

I had more fun in lightroom this afternoon.  When playing in lightroom, I think about pottery and all the colors out there begging to be used.

I strolled the winding paths in the backyard.

And found the lilies, lots of them.  But the little snail on this one caught my eye.

This rose hails from a bush that must be 7 – 8 foot tall.  It’s loaded with roses.

That rose underwent the lightroom as well.

But for now, the plan is to clear my thoughts and enjoy the remains of the evening with hubby.

For more outdoor fun, enjoy a trip over to A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday!

Blessings – Debbie

How 'Bout 'Dem Britches

My grandma, for as long as I’ve known her has called pants/slacks, britches.  Britches happens to be one of my favorite words.  I got tickled over Christmas when I said britches and my step-daughter thought I was referring to underwear/panties.  We all got a nice chuckle over that.

So, here’s my take on this decorative pottery handbag with britches in mind.

This was such a fun piece to fabricate.

There are still a few areas that need a little smoothing but I couldn’t wait to share.

Bits and pieces

  • Hubby’s not well as he’s been fighting a cold the last few days.  I’m trying to take care of him.
  • Food shopping is on my to do list today
  • I’m already excited about the next handbag.  I pretty much have the pattern and design all figured out.  I may be back in the studio over the weekend.
  • I hope to share some studio pix in the days to come.
  • Hubby has given me one of the stalls in the garage and I couldn’t be happier.  The perk is that I can play in the mud while hubby enjoys working in his area.  How fun to tinker together.

Blessings – Debbie

A Glorious Day In The Studio

The bland handbag is alive!  Today I attached the handle, finished the belt, signed the bottom and finished smoothing .  It’s currently under plastic as we’re shooting for a very slow drying process.

I’m so excited with the next decorative bag I started.  I have high hopes for lots of fun in the studio tomorrow.

Blessings – Debbie