Oh Happy Day!!

I want to share something with all of you, that was a very special moment this week. A customer with a shop on etsy called HummingbirdEyes had bought a few things from me a while ago. She sent me an email last week with the photos above. She had taken the fish tile she bought from me and used it as the centerpiece in her kitchen tiled backsplash.
Only another artist will understand how much this meant to me. Not only is my art being used and appreciated for many years to come, but the buyer cared enough to send me an update and photos, months later. She has no idea I am writing this, or even that I have a blog, but I am putting the link to her etsy shop here in appreciation for her thoughtfulness.

Lots of Sales this Month:>)

Finally finished the set of four Butterfly plates and bowls. (you can see the whole set here) Made eight plates and one broke as greenware, one broke in the bisque firing and two developed cracks in the glaze firing. I don't know why I always have so much trouble with the custom orders:>(

I am very much pleased with how they turned out though, so it was worth it. The lady that ordered them, doesn't want them till the end of the month, so I am entering them in an Art Contest next week.

I also got a custom order for six small mugs with names, for the customers six children. At first she wanted seven, but then realized they hadn't picked a name out yet for the, as yet, unborn #7 child:>)

I have another custom order for six espresso cups from a lady whose fiancée is a famous barista. It seems he collects handmade espresso cups, and she ordered them for his birthday. I just glazed ten and will post a photo when they are done.

I have also been very busy making personalized special order mugs. If any of you want some for Christmas for your friends and family, now is the time to order, because they can take 6 to 8 weeks to make, and the orders are starting to pour in. I can put any name or saying on them you wish. You can see them here: Personalized Mugs

Well, back to work, on a very busy week!

Busy on Etsy

I have been trying to do my pottery, do my diet business and have also been in charge of the treasuries on The Interior Design Team. For those of you that are not familiar with treasuries, I have posted one above. This one was on the front page of Etsy and had one of my bowls on it. It is considered very desirable to get on the front page.

I have also been very busy wrapping and mailing. I have had quite a few sales this month:>) One of the sales was a custom order for a set of four Butterfly Dinner Plates and Bowls. I made the bowls with no problems, but after making eight plates, I have six left to glaze and fire. I hope at least four make it in good condition. I don't know why plates are so hard to keep from cracking:>(

I made the glazes yesterday and am glazing tomorrow.

Back from Alaska

Well , we are back from our vacation to Alaska and I am ready to make pots:>)
Alaska was awesome, too awesome to describe. I have put up a few photos, but we toke 500 and ended up keeping 300. We are now busy scrapbooking our adventure and the scrapbooking is taking up a lot of room in my pottery/craft room. I had to clear off all my pots from the table and my husband says there still is not enough room!!

Have been working on a set of butterfly dishes and bowls that an etsy customer ordered. Will post photos when done. Also sold a teapot, some platters and quite a few personalized mugs. The best part of a sale, is when the customer emails me about how much they love my pottery. It feels sooo good:>)

Happy Memorial day

Spent the day catching up on my internet work:>(

My husband had to work, so just lazed around:>)

I am soooo excited, sold my teapot yesterday. Photo above. I am busy making some more. Have one finished and two more ready to be glazed. I have been invited to show my teapots in an International Teapot Show in Steamboat Springs, CO on December 1 – 30, 2008. I am going to send three of my teapots. It is such an honer to be asked.

Added two more bowls to the coyote glaze tests (the link is below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patspottery/sets/72157605127775552/

I really like the way the one landscaped bowl turned out. Will put it up for sale next week on Etsy.

My Coyote Glaze Tests

Well I finally found the time to post some of my Coyote Glaze pieces on flicker. Here is the link. http://flickr.com/photos/patspottery/sets/72157605127775552/

If you click the photo above, you can see more shots of the dish and goblet on my etsy store.

I like the copper, but I was hoping the glazes would run together more. Let me know what you think?

I just did some large bowls, and will post them when they are fired.

Till next time,

Pat

Coyote Glazes Tests

A few weeks ago, I mentioned I ordered 24 test bottles of Coyote glazes. Well, a very nice man, by the name of Simon was doing a Google search to find users of Coyote glazes and found me. He was kind enough to send me his photos of his test tiles and said I could publish them on this blog. Below are his words about the photos above.
PS. I have not gotten my glazed pieces back from the kiln yet, but will publish them as soon as I do:>)

As Simon says:
Pat, Enjoy your website!
Like you, I ordered a sample pack of the new Coyote glazes. I just got the pack of 12 new Shino glazes and a pint each of Gunmetal green and Croc Blue. I tried layering each in various combinations on a white porcelain slip cast form (quick to turn out and I'm not emotionally attached to them if the glaze is a failure) and on cut slices of the buff clay I use for throwing.
The glazes and combinations are given below. One or two were quite interesting; the Croc blue seems to give that mocha crystaline flowers effect when overlaid on (only) the Leopard shino.
Front rows: Cone 6 white porcelain slip cast vases.
Back rows: Aardvark buff cone 6 clay test forms.
Bisque fired to cone 04
Single dip glazed (3 second immersion) down to foot in first Coyote cone 6 glaze. Rims/necks of vases then dipped in a Coyote second glaze.
Glaze firing: cone 6 oxidation in electric kiln.
Key:
Main body Second glaze Comments
1. Smokey shino Gun-metal green
2. Sunrise shino Gun-metal green
3. Sandstone Shino Croc Blue
4. Mocha Shino Croc Blue
5. Cedar Shino Gun-metal green
6. Goldenrod Shino Gun-metal green Croc blue would probably been better
7. Pistachio Shino Gun-metal green
8. Steel-grey Shino Croc Blue
9. Plum Shino Gun-metal green
10. Leopard Shino Croc Blue Interesting mocha effect… croc blue acidic?
11. Peachy Shino Gun-metal green
12. Butterscotch Shino Croc Blue
13. Gun-metal green Croc Blue The green glaze crazed;bad fit to clay body
14. Croc Blue Gun-metal green
15 Goldenrod Shino Cedar Shino
16 Leopard Shino Cedar Shino