Home Stretch

 Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum is one week from today!  EEEEEEEEEEK!

That being said, I am 95% sure I am ready.

Some of the hand painted wood ornaments I will have this year.

This piece is sold, but I can take orders. It is larger than the rest and the tree is attached to the snowman.

This piece is also sold. Again, it is larger and the tree is attached to the Santa Gnome.

A few of the friendly snowpeople.

A close-up mug of the newest friends of the batch - Hedgehogs!

Some of the trees (and a few cardinals in the background).

I am excited. I love, Love, LOVE this show! 

The organizers are wonderful, the customers are too! 

And the other creative folk showing are fab-u-lous!

I have most items that are finished already priced, some packed, some in progress still, but I only have 2 - 3 more kiln firings, one glaze firing tonight, and maybe just one more glaze firing, I think it will all fit. If not, 2 glaze firings, I have time for that. 

(And time to add the gold and other acccents, sign and price them.)

I wish all of the exhibitors at the show a wonderfully fun and profitable time!

I thank the museum staff and volunteers for all they do to help this be such a great show.

See you Friday!

Keeping busy

 In my "off" time from my full-time job, I try to find times to create. The gnomes and angels have been well received. The mushrooms are a little slow on the uptake, but still moving. I do plan to bring back the Santa Hat ornament this year. 

That being said, I have worked on some new ideas that seem to be doing pretty well, and they have not even been finished yet! The owls are leading the pack at the moment with a few requests for them already. The first two are in the glaze firing now to see if I like the glaze technique I used. The kitties have had a few requests as well. The snails have been a little sluggish... (OK, you don't have to laugh or even grin at that.)

Here are a few pictures of some of what I have done the last week or so... 

A painted gnome on a wood plaque.

Gifted to a friend.

Some of the Patriotic Gnomes after they arrived at their destination.

Bride & Groom Gnome

Shipping box art.

New friends...

A few more kitties.

Some fun things...

 A few things I have been working on lately:

Mushrooms

Owls

The inside of the shipping boxes for the Patriotic Gnomes 

(limited edition gnomes - sold out.)

The Limited Edition Patriotic Gnomes

Sold-out

owls (angels in the background)

I am thoroughly enjoying the process of making the gnomes still. 

Each of them has their very own personality.

About two months ago, I started with the mushrooms as well, and then recently have begun work on the owls. They are not finished yet.

There are so many additional ideas for decorations on the hats of the gnomes, and ideas for other things to add to the collection of friends that are floating around in my head. (As you can see in the background, I am still making my angels as well! I will also be bringing back the Santa Hat ornaments.)

Recently, I submitted my application for the Mistletoe Market at the Museum (Anderson County Museum, Anderson, SC) again for this year. I am always on pins and needles waiting to see if I get juried in or not. I understand the process, and the fact that the jury may be different people each year.

I hope the year has been good to everyone so far. We have been busy at the store. I am still the President of the Pendleton Area Business Association. Dad will be 91 this August. My car unfortunately needs a new head gasket... the possibility of buying  new-to-me car is out of the question right now. 

Gnomes!

 I have been busy, busy, busy making mini gnomes since November!

I made 40 for the Mistletoe Market and then they started flying out of the store. By the end of December I had made 94!

I then decided to make some limited edition ones for Valentine's Day, St. and Easter because a friend had asked me to. Silly me didn't think they would be in high demand, so I made a limited run of 12 each. I now have people waiting in line for me to finish any gnomes!

None of the ones in any of these photos are still available...

they have all been claimed or sent to their new homes.

The only ones I have that are not claimed yet are these 30 every day gnomes that are not finished yet.

I am not complaining at all! But, I do need to get some more angels made as well, there are only 4 of those left.

Thank you all for appreciating my creative venture. I appreciate you!

PS: The facebook group Cindy's Gnomes & Friends was started to help people see what I have available and to let people know a little more about my process.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1302988350199628

Is it October - ALREADY???

 Oh how time flies!

I am in the midst of creating for the Mistletoe Market at The Anderson County Museum which will be November 5 & 6 this year. After a year off due to the pandemic (and the county cancelling any indoor events last Fall), it will be nice to be back. I have always loved this show.

Pictures?  Well, I am taking new pictures and I also need to figure out how to get Drop Box set up on my new computer... I may have to remove it from my old computer (which I still use for a few things), or my tablet... if I recall, the maximum is 3 devices for the account.

When I get the photos taken, I will share them here.

I hope this post finds you all doing as well as you can.

Moving right along

 I have tried to make at least 6 angels each day. I missed yesterday because I was at work until 9:00 PM waiting for FedEx. I won't get started on how fed up I am with their driver for LYING about attempting to deliver yesterday afternoon.

I am please with the angels made so far.

Some friends gifted me some new glazes for my birthday and Christmas (a little early) and I am eager to try them out!

A New-to-Me Glaze!

Another update...

60 angels survived the glaze firing. (YAY!!!) They were too hot to take out of the kiln this morning. I will unload them after my Business Association meeting tonight. I was able to glaze 8 more last night, 8 remain.  Then on to the Santa Hats and the soap dishes...

I will be ready to go for Mistletoe!

Progress report

I have no photos to share.

I do however have 60 angels glazed and ready for the glaze firing tonight. I have 16 additional angels, 12 Santa Hats, assorted soap dishes, bowls, and a few pumpkins to glaze tonight and tomorrow night. They should fire Wednesday morning. I will be adding gold accents, heads, and halos to the first batch while the firing is being done.

Mistletoe Market begins Friday evening and I should have everything completed by Thursday evening.

Thank you for your support of my artistic release.

Pre-show Crunch

I am participating in the Mistletoe market at the Anderson County Museum again this year.  It is scheduled for Friday, November 22 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM and Saturday, November 23 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

As usual, I am in a crunch to finish creating stock. Yes, it is still 2 weeks away, but I have a lot to do in that 2 weeks to be ready. There are 76 angels in progress as well as some more soap dishes and Santa hats and Sake bottles.

There never seems to be enough time.

The glazed bowls from A MUSE

Really quickly, here are the results of the bowls that were glazed (as well as a soap dish prototype).

Wishing all that celebrate, a very joyous Easter tomorrow.

Is it April already?

My, how time does fly!

I do have a photo of the completed heart pieces my students made.  They turned out beautifully!

I did not glaze mine yet, I have not decided how I want it to look.

Last month at our A MUSE meeting, I brought clay and everyone was able to make whatever they wanted.  I did bring a couple of templates for simple slab bowls if they wanted.  Terri decided to make a wall pocket and Nanelyn was the only rectangular piece.  Suzanne had the ruffled edge.

The ladies who were able to come to yesterdays meeting glazed theirs and I will fire after I am done with house/cat sitting.  I do promise to post a photo of their completed pieces.

We had a wonderful Spring Jubilee last weekend here in town.  But I am surely enjoying the first day off in 2 weeks today!

I have been trying out use of essential oils for a variety of things in life.  I don't know if they have kept me from getting sick, but I feel better because of them.  I diffuse them at night in an effort to help my sleep and they do seem to help.  I also have a diffuser bracelet that I wear with my favorite EO (Thieves).  Thieves is purported to help with overall health and well-being... I LOVE the smell of it!  Essential oils date back to biblical times and sometimes the tried and true natural ways do make more sense than artificial chemical derived ways.

Just a couple of days left to house & cat sit.  Enjoying the lake while I can.

And, before I go, here are the candy bar wrappers I designed and made for Easter this year.

Happy Halloween!

Here are the finished pumpkins!  Only 4 of them are ones I made, the rest were made by my students!

Progress!

I have been busy with a lot of house & pet-sitting jobs lately, but I am trying to squeeze in some creative time in between to build stock for the Mistletoe Market.

I have a kiln load of angels bisque firing at the moment, and included in that firing are some pumpkins!

The pumpkins second from the left in both rows are mine, the others were made by 3 of my students.  I have since made more and will have some available at Mistletoe Market.

A customer came in The Mercantile yesterday and asked if I had a new design for ornaments this year (in addition to the angels), so I am working on a couple of ideas there.  I am also working on some leaf ornament samples for a class I will be offering in a couple of weeks.

I had a scare today while Dad was out, I looked out the front window as a Pendleton Police car pulled into our driveway.  P A N I C!!  It turns out that some kids called 9-1-1 and would not let the operator speak to an adult.  And it was from a cell phone that showed it was about where our house is.  I sent him to a house a couple of doors down where I know they have children.  There aren't many on our street.

So, that is about all I can report on today.

A bit of progress

More work on angels today.  It was rough because I was not feeling in the creative groove.  But I was persistent and completed 10 more for a total of 16 so far. 

When I started working on these, I had orders for 21, it is now up to 24!  That is good!

These angels are hand-built out of a ^6 stoneware clay.  No two are alike. 

Suggestions anyone?

As I have been working on getting large mugs made for the people that have ordered them, as well as mugs for other orders, I have been thinking.  (I know, I better be careful, thinking can be dangerous!)

I would like to offer a little more diversity in my product.  I will keep the current items, and I will pull out some of my Victorian Hands that are just waiting to be fired, but I am looking for an idea of where to go next?

Another look at my booth at Mistletoe Market 2010

I have thought of several different things... a nice vase or two, a teapot (shorter and rounder than the coffee pot), I'd love to do plates (but haven't had too much luck with them in the past), beads, pendants, buttons, spoon rests, the list goes on (and on).  But I would like input from all of you out there as to what you think would be a good thing for me to add.

All suggestions are welcome, I value your opinions.

Thanks for stopping by my blog, and thank you in advance for your suggestions!

A little comparison...

Just to let you know the difference in sizing for the mugs...  My original mug, if I don't cast it too thick, holds 8 oz. per the dinnerware industry standards (to the rim).  The new mug is about 18% larger.  Why 18% you ask???  Well, because the porcelain shrinks so much (18%) I was asking a few people over the years how large they'd like the mug.  I showed them the mold for the original mug.  They liked the size it starts out as the finished size.  Wha-la!  That is how I decided to make the larger mug 18% larger.  How much it will hold is an unknown at the moment.  (I should be able to start casting them tonight after work!  YAY!!!)

Original side-by-side with Large...

And, a photo of my nephew DragonBen taken yesterday, his last day of summer vacation before starting 5th grade!

What a face!

The Larger Mug Mold is FINISHED!!!

Despite the heat and humidity, I persevered and finished the mold for the Large Mug...

Measured & marked carefully... secured model to the coddles.

First, There was a lot that went into making this mold... I have taken some step-by-step photos to walk you through it.

Making sure the coddles meet tightly...

Adding the last side with the model attached...

After I had the box made for the plaster to be cast in, it was time to pour the plaster....

The plaster was slowly added to the water and allowed to slake for a few minuted before mixing...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gently mixing the plaster so as not to introduce any bubbles...

What happens when the plaster is mixed too long... it gets messy!

I don't know where to look in that storage unit for all of my formula sheets to know how much plaster to make... so it was trial and error.  My first pour (besides being too thick) was not enough, so I needed to make more to top it off.  This part of the mold was a waste mold part to help set up for the actual working mold parts.

It cleaned up pretty well!

 After pouring that, I needed to cut some keys (registration) into the waste mold so when the working mold is finished it will fit together properly every time.

The waste mold with keys all set up for the next pouring.

Again, I sealed the surfaces with release and set up the coddles once more...

The new mold part - looks fabulous!

And the pair of working mold parts - FINISHED!

I won't show you the pouring of the second working mold part, it looks pretty much the same...

Here is the completed mold with the model showing them off for us!  

The mold all strapped together and set to dry.

I made my mark!

What to do with left over plaster :~)

Now my mold is complete!  Yay!  I just have to finish the handle mold today (it dries faster) and I can start casting.  

Please, don't put any visions in your head of me doing a happy dance, it isn't a pretty sight!  Which is why I only do one when I am alone!

And, for those of you who know that you NEVER pour unused plaster down a sink without the proper settling tank, what do you do?  I just poured it out on the ground and picked it up after it cured and threw it away!

And, as a side note... today is my Dad's 79th birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

The Larger Mug

Some people started asking for this when I first started making my Ebonyware mugs... 20 years ago... the current mug sold so well, I procrastinated... then took a couple of years off from production, for a number of reasons... and now, do not have the equipment to make the turned models.  What to do?  Then, in talking with my brother Bill back in April, I discovered he has a lathe.  A-Ha!  Out comes the drawing I've had - FOREVER!  And he agreed to make me a wooden mug model.  YAY!!! Thanks for being such a wonderful and helpful big brother!

The beautiful turned wooden mug model - out of cherry!  Gorgeous as a piece of art in itself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The model and my newly made plywood coddles to make the framework to pour the plaster into.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took some photos of them as they were drying after a coat of clear polyurethane was applied... light sanding in the morning and another coat...  Plaster should be able to be cast on Saturday!  If the sun stays out, I should have a dry mold to work with on Monday...  I can't wait!

Hopefully the new coddles and the mold in the imminent future will entice my muse to return from wherever she has been hiding.  I am taking all the extra time I would have been in pottery classes and just diving in!  Well... almost all... I did take a bit of time to feel disappointed, but I'm over it now... I guess my pottery related creative slump is officially OVER!

My first few large mugs are spoken for already (and YES - I will complete the wish lists of others at the same time), including the Cider Mug Sale at the Clemson Arts Center in September.