Life

 

I am back creating the Limited Edition Autumn/Halloween Gnomes. It was difficult to jump back in, but I know it was the right thing to do, and putting it off was not in my best interest.

The 40 in this limited edition are all spoken for, and are all shaped. I have bisque fired half of them, the others are drying. I will begin glazing this week.

I also will be making some commemorative pieces for my family. When Mom was half way through her treatments in 2000, a tree was dedicated in her honor at the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson. At the time of her passing in 2011, we took a few tablespoons of her ashes (at Dad's request) and sprinkled them at the base of the tree. we did the same with a small amount of Dad's ashes last week. We also took a few snippets of leaves from this gorgeous Japanese Maple. I will impress them into clay and make ornaments for my siblings. I will share photos when I get them started.

Below is the labor of love my family contributed to and my nephew's wife put together for the funeral. A life well lived with much love. He will be missed but we all must continue on with life.

Goodbye Dad

 

Last Wednesday was a gorgeous day outside. The day progressed as any normal Wednesday, I did the grocery shopping (so Dad could take advantage of the Senior Discount), Dad helped me put things away, and our day moved on as usual, I went to work and Dad stopped in twice that day to have a cup of coffee, and we had a nice turkey dinner. After dinner, I gave him his evening eye drop and as I headed into the other room to cut some things for customers on the computerized cutter, he said he was headed out to the shed to do his exercises. (He had his knee re-replaced several years ago, and he still had difficulties with it. He often did stretching exercises he learned at the physical therapist. He had set-up an exercize spot in his former wood shop.) 

The cutter is a noisy machine and I cannot always hear things going on elsewhere in the house.  When I was finished, I went into my room. I could hear the tv on in the sunroom, as is normal. I fell asleep early that evening with my tv still on. I awoke around 1:00 am to use the bathroom and noticed the light over the stove still on. He would periodically forget to turn it off as he went to bed.

In the morning, I went out to the kitchen to get my breakfast. Dad was not up yet, but once in a while he would sleep in. I then went out to the sunroom to open the blinds and that is when I saw his rollator.  He used the rollator at night so if he needed to go to the bathroom, it was steadier for a sleepy person who is a bit unsteady on their feet. As soon as I saw that it was still in the sunroom, I started franitcally calling his name. I looked in his bedroom and the bathroom. He was nowhere in the house. I ran out the door and found him lying on the ground at the door to the shed. He was not breathing.

My next instinct was to call my sister, who lives a couple of blocks away. She arrived and called 911. 

Thankfully the coroner said that he had had a heart attack and was deceased prior to falling. That helped my mind a little, knowing that although his body, unbeknownst to me, was out there all night long, he was not suffering. He had not suffered at all. His death was instant.

My world is turned upside down. I don't know how I am going to make ends meet. I don't know how the house will be once all of my siblings have gone to their respective homes. The funeral is tomorrow and the last of the out-of-town family leaves Sunday. 

A New Limited Edition Gnome

 

The Autumn/Halloween Limited Edition Gnome is ready for pre-orders. I drew the concept a few weeks ago and shaped the prototype this past weekend.

Pre-orders will end at 11:59PM on Monday, August 22, 2022.

Choice of hat color will be purple (as on the gnome to the left in the photo below) or green (as on the angel in the photo below).

Once pre-orders end, I will make 10 more than the amount pre-ordered. 

They will all be signed and  numbered

There will be no more like them made in 2022.

As with any of these handmade pieces, there will be variations from one to the next, 

no two will be exactly alike. 

When completed, they will be ready for shipment/pick-up no later than mid October.

Keep in mind that I am also preparing stock for Mistletoe Market the beginning of November.

Some new Friends added

 I have been making the Angels for 8 years this coming November.

 I started the Santa Hats a couple of years later, but only made them for 2 years. I have brought them back this year. Now stoneware rather than porcelain, they will be easier to make. (Porcelain can be finicky to work with.) I just need to figure out a better way (in my view) to create the hooks.

I started the Gnomes last fall, introducing them at Mistletoe Market in early November. Since then I have made over 300 of them, including some limited edition ones and some custom requests. 

I have added new since then... first the Mushrooms. They come in all sorts of color combinations.

Now I have addes Owls.

Snails...

Penguins...

Cats... (including a couple of custom ones to look somewhat like specific pets.)

And I am making a sample Fox! Who knows if I will make more or not...

The Fox is still drying and I have not figured out exactly how I will glaze it... 

I am also painting some wood ornaments to add to the price variation for those who may not want to spend 10 - 20 dollars on a Snail, Gnome, Angel, or any of the others thus far...

Checking in

This is Jeffrey. He is my newest pet-sitting sweetheart.

He loves scratches behind his ears, he loves to sit in your lap, he loves food (what cat doesn't).

His mom and dad will be back the beginning of next week. I am just stopping in twice a day to make sure he is fed and his litter box is cleaned out... 

 

I got in!

 I received my acceptance email for Mistletoe Market!  Now I no longer need to stress about it this year!

I will send my booth fee out tomorrow!

Out with the old...In with the new

 

My old vehicle (blue) needed a new head gasket. It is 15 years old (I owned it for 10 1/2) and has 122,000+ miles. A new head gasket would start at about $3,000. It was time to take the money and invest it in something that will hopefully last me another 10+ years. 

So here is the new-to-me, 3 year old (red) vehicle to get me around as needed. A pretty little Buick Encore. It is a little bit smaller, but still big enough for me to fit show supplies in (should I be accepted), as well as being able to transport more than one passenger at times.

It is a bit daunting having car payments again  after a few years without them, but, it is worth the investment.

These little owls are the only 6 remaining after an initial batch of 15. The rest have flown off to their new homes. I am making more!

This little turtle was a headache to make, I love it, but need to find a way to make it less fiddley. For now, it is a one-of-a-kind. I have at least 5 or 6 people interested in it... 

I hope you all are having a good Spring, Summer is just around the corner. Time has been flying by so fast! I have cats and snails and gnomes and this turtle to start glazing tonight... It keeps me out of too much trouble! Behave yourselves 'til next time... - C.