Who is new among the Gnomes & Friends?

Hello everyone. I have listed the house again and you can see the information here. It has been on the market for 3 weeks now, hopefully it will move quickly. I am more than ready to move forward. I have been struggling to create because of needing to keep the house showable all the time. Clean-up takes away from creative time... But, as I may have mentioned before, a friend asked if I could make her a Highland Cow (Coo). I told her I could only promise that I would try. After a few unsuccessful attempts, and lots of thinking about how to create one, I finally had success last weekend.

I ended up making 4 last week, and they are currently cooling from their bisque firing. I made 6 more this morning. Keep in mind that this is the very same friend who asked me if I could make her a gnome, and we know how that went! Also in the kiln are some more snowmen with hats and an owl with a book (another request attempt). I hope everyone is enjoying Spring.

Getting ready for Mistletoe Market

 With Mistletoe Market coming up on November 1st, I have been busy in all my spare time creating.

Even though this year's Mistletoe Market is only 1 day, I have over 250 pieces that are slated to go, not counting the wooden pieces. That is, if everything makes it through the firings.

Flat pieces to become magnets, pendants, pins, or whatever I think they might want to be, and squirrels.

Glittery paper stars that I plan to use in my booth.
Some as a yet-to-be-made garland, and some loose as a give away for the kids.

The results of one of my glaze firings.
I had a special order for one of the snowmen and a black chicken.

I mentioned the bit about "if everything makes it through" because of my weekend run-in with an inhabited Joro spider web at the kiln. And, when I say run-in, I mean face first into the web. That caused me to jump, drop the tray of pieces slated for a bisque firing, and losing about 80% of them. Hopefully, the few that survived will make it through their firings. 

Using a very long stick, I relocated the spider. cleaned up my mess, and then after an hour or so calming my nerves, I remade most of what was lost. Luckily, it was a small batch of many.

I know that Joro spiders will not hurt me, but when irrational fears jump in (arachnophobia - big time), that knowledge goes out the window. When I went to do another firing the next morning, I took a leaf rake and a can of bug spray with me to be sure the coast was clear.

As always, I look forward to this show. It is such a wonderful event space, fabulous staff & volunteers, not to mention great fellow vendors. I usually do a good portion of my Christmas shopping there.

Hot summer!

I have been working on some stock pieces, as well as requests for Chickens and Squirrels.

These are some of the chickens I have drying, waiting for the bisque firing. (There are a couple of squirrels hanging out in the background as well.)

I'm still struggling a little with my creative flow, but I am definitely moving forward. 

Now if the weather will cooperate, I can get these bisque fired in the next few days. 

(There is a threat of thunderstorms again today...)

When finished, the Chickens and Squirrels will look somewhat like these completed pieces.

I have had someone request a turkey... I will try, but I cannot promise anything.

Now to get my photos ready to send to Mistletoe Market for their social media blasts.

I hope all is well with anyone reading this. We are in the midst of what might be classified as a Heat Wave (not sure if it's officially one yet). I am ever so grateful to the inventors of air conditioning!

 

Breakthrough

 I have had a breakthrough! For some reason, I have been in a creative slump these past couple of months. I have been imagining things I can create, but just have not had enough mental motivation to actually create much of anything. Oh, I may make a thing or two, but the drive to actually create, has been hard to come by. It happens to most all creators.

What started getting me out of the slump was to create a project for the creative group that meets once a month at our store. I had chosen paper quilling as the medium. 

I found a free pattern and tutorial on line for the crab. I made it to her dimensions in the red. Then, I doubled the length of the strips and made it again in blue. (thepaperycraftery.com) The bear and the squirrel were from the instructions in a kit we have at the store by Quilled Creations. The gnome, I designed myself. When we had the creative session, a few people made the gnome into Santa by making a red hat with a white pom pom at the tip.

The flower is one I created on-the-go for my aunt's 87th birthday last week. 

The beagle is another design-as-I-go for a birthday card for a friend (she has not seen it yet). I know improvements can be made if I make one again.

The bear is another birthday card for a friend who has not seen it yet. 

And, finally, this weekend I made a concerted effort to take out the clay and get started. I created 20 pieces over the two days. (I possibly could have done more, but I had to take care of other things like laundry, sorting through some boxes, running the dishwasher, paying some bills, and some R & R to re-charge for work this week.)

The creative slump is over. I may not be moving at a record pace, but I have broken through and hopefully will keep some momentum going. Next weekend I should be glazing and firing these so I can re-stock gnomes and angels at the store... they are seriously low. 

I hope all had a safe Memorial Day weekend and that you have a good week ahead. May the moments you share with those close to you be full of wonderful memories.

Back in the saddle - sort of

I am grateful to have my kiln finally up and running again. It was a mix of emotions every time there was a delay of some sort. 

Now, I need to re-adjust my expectations of glazes at the correct temperature. This glaze on the shamrock pin had a wide range of firing temperatures. When the elements in the kiln were old, it was not reaching the top temperature, but that was OK for things that did not have to be vitreous to hold food and drink (like gnomes and friends...). So, I thought the green on these wouldn't be quite this dark. Don't get me wrong, I love how they look, they just were not the shade of green I was expecting.

Now I need to finish packing and hauling off things to be donated (that we once thought could be in an on-line estate auction) so I can move some of my boxes of things I am keeping out of the corners of rooms and into the closets and cupboards. This is all so I can list the house again. I need to downsize or I will literally go broke. I cannot afford the upkeep of this house. It is also much too much room for me.

Speaking of downsizing, the house I really wanted to buy 2 years ago, when mine was not ready to list, was back on the market. I was getting hopeful as it stayed on the market for several weeks. Unfortunately, it has a contingency offer on it now. 

The right house for me will come on the market when the timing is right.

I hope all are doing well. I'm putting up with the arrival of pollen season here. 

 

This year I decided to make some gnomes with shamrocks on them, but using artistic license, they are round leaflets. I didn't create these as Limited Edition, they are just part of the "Everyday Gnome" collection.

I also was asked to create 4 gnomes with 4-leaf clovers on their hats, one of them is in this photo.

I also have been toying with the idea of creating a shamrock pin in homage to the ones my parents used to get around St. Patrick's Day back in the town I grew up in. (St. Pat is the patron saint of at least ceramic engineers - not sure about the other engineers...).

Their glaze firing is tonight and I will add gold trim around the edges tomorrow. I have 8 in the kiln at the moment with one of those being spoken for.

 

February Check-in

 

I brought in my little work-horse of a kiln so I could change the elements where the temperature is a bit more comfortable. Rick & Alice had removed the old elements in December when they were visiting, with all intentions of putting the new ones in. Unfortunately, I had ordered the wrong size. (Fortunately, they will fit the larger kiln.) 

I then ordered the correct elements. (They have tripled in price since the last time I bought the size for this little gal.)

Once I got the new elements in place, I decided to change the sensing rod for the kiln sitter. I then discovered that the old sensing rod was permanently fused to the collar that holds it in. So, I had to order a new Tube Assembly. The old tube was broken for years, but I was able to use it despite the break as it was supported by the kiln bricks that form the outer shell of the kiln.

The new Tube Assembly arrived and has been successfully mounted. Now to make the connections of the elements to the control box. That will wait until Sunday when I have more time so I can make sure I do it right without feeling rushed.

*** Frustrating update - because the parts are not labeled on the website as to which kiln-sitters they fit. I, of course, ordered the wrong one! It is too short and does not clear the bricks, so it is not useable for me. I have ordered the longer version and hope it will be here by Tuesday, USPS willing... they delayed the last one's arrival...****

~~~~~~ Update! The correct part arrived, has been installed, test firing completed, as well as a bisque firing and one glaze firing! ~~~~~~~~

Next, I tried creating a new Friend... This is one chunky, floofy-tailed squirrel! 

Stay tuned for more new Friends.

I hope you all are having a good start to the new year. We have had snow this winter, the first in 3 years! I know it is nothing compared to what is falling up in NY, PA, and elsewhere with it being measured in feet rather that fractions of inches. 

My heart goes out to all of you dealing with WAY TOO MUCH SNOW! 

(Not to mention the frigid temperatures!)

A Busy Fall

So, I have been busy. 

At the end of September Hurricane Helene came through our area and left her mark. 

Fortunately, the tree uprooted in my yard (that fell over the street) did not hit the houses on the other side of the street. And, neither my house, Terri's house, nor the store had any damage. 

There were trees down all over town, most of them uprooted. BIG oak trees, and at one time there was no way to get in or out of town. We all were blessed that as bad as it was, it was nowhere near as bad as the mountains of North Carolina. And there were places in South Carolina that were hit worse than we were as well. We knew we would have wind and rains, 

but never expected to have such strong winds for so many hours.

We lost two days of business because there was no power at the store. 

Terri and the store were without power for 2 1/2-3 days. 

I lost almost a week of production time due to having no power at my house for 6 days.

However, I was able to continue to create enough Gnomes and Friends to stock my booth at Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum the beginning of November. 

I had a great show and have brought most of the remaining angel & gnome stock to the store. 

My booth at Mistletoe Market.

Limited Edition Christmas Gnomes in the background.
Penguin and Polar Bear ornaments, and Black Bears.

In between, I had house guests (my sister Regina & her husband Matt, as well as my brother Bill) who were in town for a surprise 70th Birthday celebration for my sister Sue. 

(Brother Rick also came to town but stayed at my nephew's house.) 

Sue's comment when she saw Bill & Regina the first time was "It's not nice to surprise old people!"

The whole family that was here including Sue's children (Bobby & Karen), son & daughter-in-law (Matthew & Shelly), grandchildren (Blake, Logan, Cara, and Sawyer), and grand dog Tic, Terri's husband (Rodney) and son (Ben), Rick's wife (Alice), his dog Wrigley, Regina's husband  (Matt), Aunt Celeste, and Betty (Dad's friend in his later years).

While everyone was here we took to opportunity to place Dad's ashes in the columbarium with Mom's. This was something that Terri and I did not want to do with just the two of us, 

we wanted as many of our siblings to be there as possible. 

Dad in the car on the way to the church's columbarium.

Dad on the kitchen counter wearing his Elon cap that Rick gave him and Mom's crab hat giving him a hug. The urn was designed by my father-in-law Wally Higgins and made by my sister-in-law Laurie Higgins Lang.

At the beginning of October Terri created a scarecrow display for Scarecrow Season in Pendleton. Those scarecrows are only 12" tall! The title of her display was "Fairies of the Garden".

Faeries of the Garden

Now we are prepared for Christmas at the store. And, I need to get my house listed for sale again...

 

Busy Summer

 I didn't realize just how long it has been since I last posted. My apologies to anyone who may have been looking for any kind of update.

The painting is complete, and the house has been back on the market for 3 months now. 

I decided to introduce a new friend to my collection, as well as a new Limited Edition Christmas Gnome.

Black Bears (Brown/Grizzly/Polar to come soon)

A Black bear came to mind, inspired by a couple of my favorite clay artisans. Theirs are SO very different yet very inspiring. I have made 17 so far, and only have 2 or 3 remaining finished ones. I am making more for Mistletoe Market!

In addition to the Black Bears, I will make some Brown/Grizzly Bears, Polar Bears, and more Gnomes, Cats, Fox, Owls, Ghosts, Snowpeople, Pumpkins, Angels, Santa Hats, Mushrooms, Penguins, Bluebirds, Cardinals, Hedgehogs, Mice, Bunnies, and maybe more... Ideas keep percolating in my head.

2024 Limited Edition Christmas Gnome

As I was making some Polka Dot hat gnomes, I decided that I would make the dots multi-colored, like the Christmas Trees I started making. The background colors so far have been black, purple, and yellow. Anyway, that inspired me to create the Limited Edition Christmas Gnome for this year with a Christmas tree for it's hat. I have pre-orders for 40 of them! I will make plenty extra to bring with me to Mistletoe Market.

In other news... I am frustrated with the fact that nobody has come to look at the house in 2 months! I had both bathrooms worked on (as per my previous post) as well as painting the one bathroom, and painting the large kitchen wall. I then hired a crew to trim the greatly neglected trees and shrubs. We lowered the price. We would rather not lower the price too much more. The house is 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,300+ square feet of living space with an out building and 1.55 acres. Our agent grew up on this street and her dad still lives in the neighborhood. Any pointers on getting people to at least come and take a look?

I know it will sell when the time is right. I just am stressing about how long it is taking to get to the right time.

I will do my best to update things before Mistletoe Market (which is November 1 & 2 this year!)

Renovations complete! (Now to paint.)

 In the effort to get the house ready to put back on the market, I hired a contractor to completely re-do the small bathroom and to put new flooring and toilet (plus some cosmetic upgrades) into the larger bathroom.  I cannot say enough good about the job they did (local peeps - try to hire Carter's Remodeling & Construction LLC). 

Now, I need to finish painting the kitchen and the large bathroom. The small bathroom needs absolutely no more work.

Why did I go to this expense if I am selling the house? Because the only feedback from potential buyers last time was "How much would it cost to re-do the bathrooms?"

And, I need to get my hands back into the clay again and do some creating! I was accepted into Mistletoe Market again this year! Happy dancing!

The new floor & toilet in the larger bathroom.
I still need to paint.

The view of the small bathroom from the door.

The new vanity in the small bathroom.

A closer look at the new shower in the small bathroom.

The kitchen wall that has been colonial blue from the chair rail down 
is becoming all white. It needs at least one more coat, probably 2.

Busy creating for Mistletoe Market

I've been busy creating stock for Mistletoe Market. The show is in 1 week. The creative flow has been difficult at times because I need to clean and put everything away every time I leave the house for more than 10 minutes, just in case someone wants to view the house.

Glazed and ready for the final firing.

Some angels ready to assemble. Other items I ran out of time to glaze for tonight's firing.

The last of the items formed for next weekend's show. (I will make more after the show too!)

Collapsible bar that comes with it's own carrying case.

And a shelf underneath for boxes, bags, and tissue.

I have stopped shaping things for the time being so I can finish those that are already shaped. I will resume after the show so I can build stock for the store. I also found this wonderful collapsible bar that I can use as my wrap stand for the show.

Ghosts in the House!

The first batch of Ghosts are finished. All of this batch are spoken for. I am making more!