Wow! Dusty in here isn't it?

Oh boy - look at all the cobwebs! Excuse me while I do a little housekeeping. Gotta get all those dust bunnies in the corner, too. And the film on the windows - let some light in. It's such a sunny day, but it's kind of dim right now.

There, that oughta do it - LOOK! I can see out the windows now - and, there's a floor underneath all that dust.

Whew! Glad that's done.

It's been almost a year since I left the college, choosing retirement so I could live a life less 'stressful'. Many things have happened along the way - lots of bad, but lots of good to balance the scale. Life does go on, no matter what.

My grandson, Grady, is growing like the proverbial weed. He's a joy to his parents, but especially to me. Even of temperament, handsome and now with two teeth, has the most beautiful smile one could ever behold.

I've opened shop on Etsy (you can see my mini-Etsy off the bottom left). I had intended it for a showcase for my work, but so far haven't gotten much of the good stuff up. BUT, (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) it is serving a purpose, if for no other reason than to create a following and introduce me to the world of supporters of handmade.

Like any good craftsman or artist, I have stashes for many different media (you know - just in case...) but, I've run out of room! I did have some help, though, it's not all my fault! There was one big-time enabler that had a hand in all of this. I just love enablers, don't you? (BWEG) Maybe because it takes one to know one?

A long, long time ago (back in the dark ages) I did a lot of beadwork - and sewing - and lots of other things. I've knitted for years and love spinning my own yarn. I also dearly love working with clay and anything else that 'makes' something.

Some time ago, an insurance adjustor made me get rid of many of my supplies due to smoke damage after a house fire. (I really needed to redo the kitchen, but I don't recommend this method for redesigning/redecorating/rebuilding/reconstruction.) Among those supplies were several tins of buttons - her rational was that because many of them were plastic, the smoke would have penetrated and they would be unusable, thus rendering them 'not economically recoverable'.

Since I use vintage buttons as embellishment for my knitting needle jars and some of my felted work like hats, handbags and the like, I needed buttons - not any ordinary buttons, but vintage shoe buttons, sew-through mother of pearl buttons, colorful plastic buttons. The kind of buttons one can only find in those buttons boxes handed down from grandma to mom to daughter. I was at a loss - and, I did a lot of whining about it! One of my family decided to haunt the auctions and garage sales and thrift stores and anywhere there was a jar or box or tin or bag of buttons, picked them up and brought them home.

I was sorting buttons in my sleep! I didn't need ALL those buttons, so since Etsy also allows vintage items and especially supplies, I decided to list them there and give all the ones I don't need/can't use new homes.

I've also discovered that I can no longer work with wool - I've always had a mild allergy to it - I could spin it or knit it - I just couldn't wear it. However, it seems that the condition has become full-blown. What to do with all those lovely wool fibers and yarns that I had plans for? What else? Etsy!!

Next will come the beading supplies that I no longer need or want, and then the fabrics that will never see the light of day as a finished project, and then the technical magazines and books that need to go somewhere besides my bookcase(s).

I can't believe how well this is working - I won't bother with eBay - the fees are too high and I don't really want to do the auction thing. I'll still do some of my shopping on eBay, but for selling purposes, Etsy is where I'm going to stay. It's easy, affordable and I've met some wonderful people - not only as customers, but as sellers as well.

Well, there's my bit of self-promotion for today. I have to go - stuff to list since I have all the pictures ready to go. (The camera is another story for another day.)

Remember -

Life is a work of art,
Created by the one who lives it.

Here's a little something I found in the garden the other day - yes, he's real:


See you soon!

Grandma Lori

Another Month Gone By....

I've got a secret! I'll let you all in on it tomorrow - it's going to make retirement much more interesting.

In the meantime, you might be interested to know that I have a shop set up on Etsy.com. I haven't made it public yet, but will in the near future.

So, for tonight, I'm keeping this short - I'll be back tomorrow with news!!

Lori

I just got lost in thought - it was unfamiliar territory.

I just couldn't leave well enough alone.....

Sometimes, I have so much rattling around in my head that if I don't get it out somewhere (on paper, in a document, in a piece of handwork) I can't rest.

For instance, I plugged in the laptop to re-charge it and put it away - but, did I sit down to read? Or, put in a load of laundry? Or, work on something else? Well, did I?? Nope - did not! Because I just need to get those thoughts out somewhere.

I think it's because I'm frustrated - and disappointed. I mentioned earlier that I only have 2 1/2 months left before my retirement date - but, I feel as if I'm already gone. Or, at least that's the impression I get daily from others. It feels as if I'm being pushed out the door - that I'm no longer needed - invisible - and that doesn't give one a good feeling.

So, here I am bemoaning the fact that I'm a useless piece of flotsam, when I don't really think that at all. Nope, not really. I just need to remind myself that I DO have a lot to offer - and, that I am worth something.

OK - rant over. I'm putting away the soapbox.

Our summer session begins next week - it's something I look forward to each year. It's a great deal of work, but worth it. Especially the end of the summer when we fire outside - RAKU!!! What a rush! I'm sorry - it's a great deal of work for OTHERS - I have a blast! Looking forward already to the couple of quiet week-ends by myself firing bisque - the studio and those ill-tempered kilns all to myself.

How about a shot of some of the raku pieces before they get pulled from the kiln? OK - here's one. Remember, they've been bisqued and glazed - this step takes the place of another long, several day glaze-fire. We're talking maybe 20 minutes from start to finish once the kiln is past the first load.



Red hot!!! Pull them with special tongs and settle them into a bed of combustible material and let 'er burn!

And, if you work the flames just right, here's what you end up with.....

The orangish-reddish pot in the center front and the the little round guy on the left are both wearing copper-matte glaze. The tall guy in the back right is flaunting that famous 80/20 glaze that goes well with just about anything.

Copper matte is one of the most difficult glazes to control - to get to work. You can reduce it in leaves or sawdust or anything else all day long, but this particular glaze needs to work with the flame (or, is it the other way around?).

If you look close, the center pot sports all colors - that's the result of several years of trials and swearing and hair-pulling and almost giving up. But, after lots of reading and listening and speculating, it only seemed right to try just one more method. So, out came the fatwood sticks I use to light the fireplace - what a difference! The little, bluish one in back, even though it was the same glaze, just didn't muster up - we used sawdust and try as we might, that elusive copper matte remained elusive. Reducing with the fatwood sticks made a huge difference, don't you think? I just love it.

Ahhhh, renewal has set in. That's what happens when I can focus on something I'm passionate about. I can walk into the studio dog-tired, not able to put one foot in front of the other, and by the time a couple hours have gone by, I can't stop - I'm so jazzed that I could go all night long (almost).

NOW, it's time go put things to rest for the night. I've fed my obsession - typically, I just need to touch clay once a day to get through it. Looking at the pictures and at least telling you about it seems to do the same thing - renewal.

Thank you for letting me rant - and, for allowing me to show a little of my world - I'm afraid there's more to come, so look out!!