Test Tiles Revealed

Yea!! God is good! I am very pleased with the overall results of the test tiles. Given the countless variables that contribute to the science of pottery, many of the colors turned out beautiful.
Some of those variables that I may have experienced yesterday may include the fact that I am having trouble adjusting my kiln sitter after I installed a new one. The cone is suppose to be at a 90 degree angle but mine are coming out extremely "U" shaped which could cause overfiring. This is definitely different than before. Another variable could be that some of the glazes arrived extremely cold almost frozen. I have never experienced that before so I have to reason that it could change the chemical formula. Most definitely the clay bodies are a variable. If you don't fire the same clay body as the sample given by the manufacturer then expect variations in color.

Needless to say, whatever the variables may or may not have been, there are always surprises when you open a kiln of test glazes. For example, one of the pink glazes is beautiful on white porcelain, as shown in the below picture as the pink rectangle) but not very attractive on stoneware clay. Some glazes that are suppose to be transparent are too opaque for textures but would still work for a smooth surface. An example would be the pink diamond in the outside lower left hand corner of picture below.

The above picture depicts some of the new glaze colors for 2010. The are on a white porcelain clay color.

Test Tiles in Kiln Today

The new glazes arrived earlier this week so I have been glazing some test tiles I made last week from porcelain and stoneware clay. Today, I am firing the kiln. It always amazes me to see the color of the glazes before they are fired. Some that look very burnt orange will actually turn out denim blue or burgundy, some that are dark gray will turn out blue, some that are light brown muck colors will be beautiful greens or pinks. I am always excited to fire the kiln knowing that tomorrow when I open the kiln, I will have an array of colors inside. I am expecting about 29 new colors to reveal themselves tomorrow morning. I am hopeful that all 29 colors will be spectacular. I am very excited to see the pinks. I really need a good pink glaze. I have been looking for one that is semi-opaque to transparent. These have a tendency to flow nicely over textures. Check back tomorrow and we will open the kiln together.

What's Happening in Etsy

Hi All,

Today I am in the storque showcase on etsy. I am excited to have gotten the chance to purchase what I consider one of the big showcases on etsy. I have a pair of garnet teardrop earrings featured. I am hoping this will draw alot of visits to my store. Yesterday, I added alot of new items in my store. Later today, I will be bisque firing the kiln with some test tiles in preparation for the new glazes that will be arriving tomorrow. I am excited to see these new colors. I am anticipating beautiful pinks, greens, earthy colors, blues, etc. I think I have 22 new glazes to test coming.

Make sure you check out etsy for the new items. I am off to church now.

Beads of Clay Color Challenge

This seems like a fun and creative way to challenge our brains during the long cold dreary months of winter. Pump up the fun with color. Check out the link to get all the rules of the challenge. Fabulous prizes will be awarded.

 BEADS OF CLAY Challenge



Jan. 8th thru Feb. 5th is Monochromatic Color Scheme. Black and white is a form of this color scheme. I have just finished this necklace. It is a striped agate stone. Whites to Cream and Black. You can find it on soon in my etsy store

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone

I hope that 2010 will be a very successful year for everyone. I have started the year off with a sale through my etsy shop. This is fantastic. I still have a few porcelain snowflake ornaments left at 50% off in my etsy shop. Once they are gone, they are gone until next Christmas. So get them now at a great price.

I got just what I wanted for Christmas. A gift certificate to purchase new glazes. I can't wait for the new colors. I am excited. I don't have a really good pink in my line now so I am looking forward to testing the new glazes and am hopeful that I will find great colors to pass onto you my valued customers.

It's Snowing up Extra Savings

I have been getting ready for the etsy showcases I am in this Saturday. I will be in the Jewelry-Necklaces and the Ceramic and Pottery showcases. I have been taking lots of pictures and  currently posting new items in my etsy store. The weather man today said that we have a chance of snow this weekend so I am going to have a "It's Snowing" sale. My entire website and etsy store will be on sale Saturday. Everything will be 20% off. On the website, you will need to use the promo code "Snow" to receive the discount. Everything in my etsy store will already be marked down. I will plan to ship on Monday so that you will have a good chance of receiving your items before Christmas, if you live in the continental states. I will make no guarantees.

Catch up

Since my last blog, I have been very busy with life. Overwhelming at times. Let's back up to Thanksgiving week. It was my birthday, my turn to sing in the praise team at church, my husband's uncle passed away on Sunday the 22nd of November from complications due to tongue cancer, and someone was very interested in our house, which we have been trying to sell. If they were to make us an offer, we were going to have to find a place to live and get out of "Dodge" in two weeks. Needless to say they chose another house. After that week, I went to the big craft festival we have annually the weekend after Thanksgiving, went to a wholesale show and picked up some really neat striped agate beads that will look great as pendants in some new designs and  I spent some time making a few snowflake ornaments for my etsy store and preparing for my last show of the year.

During all this time, I have still had to go to choir rehearsals for our upcoming performance at my church. Each year we have a big production. This year we have around 480 participants in our performance. They include choral, orchestra, and drama. We will have three shows this weekend. In fact, tonight is our dress rehearsal. I understand that it will be video taped this year and may also be available for podcast. I will post a link if that is made available.

Next week I will be preparing for an etsy showcase that I will be in. I am excited that I finally got into a jewelry showcase. They sell out so fast on etsy. I will blog more about it next week. In fact, I think there even might be a sale. Check back with me, I will have new items in my etsy store.