Mom

10/4/1933 - 7/12/2011

I miss you Mom!

My award

I participated in one of the two or three shows I do each year.  I was in Clayton, GA for Celebrate Clayton.

The weather was fabulous, the entertainment was great, and the organization these volunteers have come up with as the show has grown is amazing!

 They have streamlined their set-up times so as not to have any one vendor waiting forever to get to their space.  You are given one hour to put up your awning and unload your 'stuff', then you move your vehicle and make room for the next vendor to come in and do the same.  In the past, some vendors have wanted to do their entire set-up before moving their vehicle (which sometimes was a BIG truck with an even bigger trailer!)

 On the two days of the show, they had a shuttle van that brought vendors to and from their vehicles (parked a couple of blocks away).  The amazing thing is that the van on loan for the shuttles is a church van from Mountain City, GA,  If you saw some of the news photos of the tornadoes that hit that area a couple of weeks ago, that church is shown with it's steeple upside-down.

 You may see a flash of blue in some of my photos.  I was honored again with the Judges Choice of Best Pottery at the show.  This is something I still have problems believing.  I know I like my work, it comes from a place deep inside my creative self.  But to have a pair of judges pick mine is an honor and humbles me.  As one friend on facebook said, I was channeling Sally Field when I said 'They like me, they really like me!'  Hey, if I have to channel someone, I'm so glad it is a talented person like Sally Field!

 My new Large Mugs were a hit!  And I had return customers buying the Small Mugs as well.  That is another heart-warming thing, to know I have return customers; both at this show, the Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum in November, and mostly, at The Mercantile.  Thank you from the bottom of my creative heart!

 The one down-side to the weekend was somehow wrenching my back!  Friday night set-up went great.  My friend and fellow vendor Mike and I put up both awnings and set up the tables, zipped down the sides and all was well.  The next morning we went to load in our product and set-up the displays.

 As I squatted down to un-zip the sides of the awning, my back wet out.  I could not get up.  I just sat myself down on the street in agony.  Luckily, the extremely helpful Boy Scouts from Troop 40 were on hand to help, as well as some event volunteers.  A very BIG thank you goes out to all of them for their help!

I slowly and VERY carefully worked my way through set-up and asked for help when I couldn't do something.  I even fashioned chair cushions out of the foam pads I pack around my pottery.

One of my customers is a massage therapist and gave me some simple exercises to do to try to relieve the pressure.  Thank you Joyce!  While I was down by the Rock House to get my award, Joyce stopped by my booth to check on me.  Mike told her I was still hurting, and she brought some pain-relieving rub for me.  My friend Pat, who is a nurse, told me how much Ibuprofen I could safely take.  Thank you Pat!  By Sunday, although still sore, I was able to move MUCH better and still asked for help when needed.  And lastly, but definitely not least, my friend Mike made sure that I got to the drug store to get more Ibuprofen and some ice packs before returning me to my car to get to where I was staying for the night.  He also was usually the only one around to help me when I needed someone to lift anything.  Thank you Mike!  I would not have made it through the show without the help of all these wonderful people.

The most humbling moment of the show was when I saw a convoy of Search & Rescue vehicles from Athens & Augusta headed out Route 76 toward Lake Burton & Mountain City (and on toward Ringold, GA and possibly beyond) to help with those so severely affected by the tornadoes.  I admire the people who can take on jobs like that, they are a special breed!

Pottery Photos from 4/27/2011

Another special order Sake set...

The mug with an almost all-over glaze is a special order.

Preparing for Clayton

Life has been hectic lately.  I was off cat-sitting & house sitting for 2 weeks at the beginning of this month, back home for about a week, and then another week dog & house sitting.  Add to the mix that I work full time in our family business, and I have been preparing to go to my Spring show, and trying to get the special orders completed.  When I am not home, it is hard to do.

I have my final glaze firing for the week going in today... photos tomorrow, leave Friday.

With the power cord to my laptop dead, I cannot get it to re-charge, so I was without for the last month.

Still here, but not having much to report...

I have been just lurking the last month or so.  

I had a bit of a creative stoppage, but I am back on track now.

The photo is one they took of me in 2008 at Celebrate Clayton.  I ran across it on their web site today and decided to copy it.

My current projects are #1 - first and foremost, figure out what is causing the handles to crack on the large mug and fix the problem.  #2 - produce for Historic Pendleton's Spring Jubilee (I am not a vendor, but I add to The Mercantile's inventory at that time.)  #3 - produce for Celebrate Clayton.  #4 - begin making some clay beads.  #5 - decide which design ideas to make next...

Hope all is well with all of you!

My Snow Day

I have lived in the South for over 11 years now, and although I feel I can most probably still drive in Northern snows OK, I prefer not to drive much in the snow down here.  That is for a number of reasons, #1 being that there is seldom enough snow to warrant the purchase of the big plows and sanding trucks like up North. #2 a large number of native Southerners are not accustomed to driving in the snowy conditions.  #3 if I don't have to go out in it, then I won't!  Nothing is open anyway! Because #4 they can't plow and sand the roads as well... because of #1...

 

As I walked out to clean off my car at 8 AM

 A few photos of the wintry wonderland in our yard...

A look at Dad's car before it was cleaned off...

The pots on the potting table, partially under the eaves...

 Then, what to do with an extra day off from work... play with clay!  

I have been having some technical difficulties with the handles on the large mug.  I re-worked the mold and hopefully they will stop cracking on me!

mugs!

 I was able to get a few more rounds of pouring done today... concentrating mainly on mugs, my orders are waiting, and my supply is in need of replenishing...

studio clutter!

Who knows what the weather has in store for us tonight... hopefully, we will miss out on the freezing rain and sleet... schools are closed again tomorrow... not sure if we'll be open yet, depends on the road conditions...

1/10/2011 - SNOW!

Looking out over the side yard

This was taken at about 8 AM today... there was about 4 - 5 inches or so at that time, and it was still falling...

A few photos to share...

I was driving home from my dog-sitting and it was a dreary morning.  The fog was laying low and everything had an eerie cast upon it.

This was the look in their back yard as I took the dogs out one last time before heading home... the crows in the tree just add to the eerie feeling...

I took a little detour to where I go walking, just to see what the trees there looked like...

 

 

 

Then I went to the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson

Not far from home...

These were all taken around 10 - 11 AM on 1/1/11

Gertie & Hops

And these two sweet pups were my New Years Eve companions...

I will try to get some things posted soon about what I have made lately, I have posted them on facebook, but I will go more in-depth here.