New glaze – London Fog

Remember back (waaaaay back) when I was testing glazes? Well, I went ahead and mixed up a big batch of the glaze that got the best response, and I’m back with the results! A modern “London Fog” white on my porcelain clay, and an earthy eggshell tone on dark stoneware clay. (Yes, it’s the same glaze mixture and same temperature. That’s just what clay will do to you!)

I really like the results of this glaze, but unfortunately, it’s unreliable. One firing, it looks good. Another day….eh. So I’ll probably keep searching for my new look.

But in the meantime, consider this a limited edition of Amy Esther work – not to be seen again!

Oh, and did I mention you can order by Sunday and they will still arrive in time for Christmas?

Too cute

I know everyone’s probably still looking for some last-minute gifts, so I can I just share these adorable little paper cases I found from Pink Loves Brown?

We’ve been packing our lunches every day to save money, but the brown paper bag thing is getting a little stale. I wish I had a cute little lunch suitcases in different colors to take to work!

I have a stalker

An Etsy Stalker, that is!

Yes, I got a friendly (not at all creepy) message from the lovely ladies over at Etsy Stalker that my Hefty Beer Stein was featured today on their post: Beer + Etsy  = Great Gifts for Guys. And who doesn’t agree to that?

Actually I really love all the pieces they picked out… But I’ve already got a little something something in the works for D. (shhhh!)  Maybe next year, honey!

OMG

Whoa, do you know what that is? It’s my little dip bowls as the front and center feature for a Storque article about last minute holiday gifts on Etsy! Wheee!

When you click on the actual article, they get extra huge! Thanks to Etsy for the shoutout – I’m thrilled!

Front Page

Woot! My little heart teacups made it on the front page of Etsy this afternoon! Thanks to Kristin, over at Freeforged, who sent me the lovely screenshot!

Update

Thanks for the advice about my kitty! Jelly seems to be a little perkier today, and quite enjoying the extra attention and petting. She only threw up once today (right in the middle of our dinner….yuck!). Right now she is doing her usual driving-me-nuts-thing where she rubs her head incessantly against my laptop and closes the screen. That’s a lot more active than she was yesterday, and we even spied her over by the food bowls eating!

She is ten years old, by far the oldest of my three crazy felines. Frankly, all of them have been in perfect health for the past five or six years – I shouldn’t be surprised that one of them finally got a little sick. I’m going to make her a vet appointment for next week (earlier, if things take a turn for the worse) and try switching her to some wet food. I’ve heard that as cats get older, they sometimes have trouble digesting the kibbles.

Since the day she crawled off the street and through my bathroom window, looking for a place to give birth, Jelly has had a pretty cushy life. All the food she can eat and plenty of stacks of paper to sleep on (her favorite!). We got through a difficult delivery (she almost needed a $3,000 kitty c-section) and have moved to three or four apartments together. It’s probably about time for her to slow down, spend more time getting hair all over my fleece blankets, and enjoy her twilight years. If this illness turns out to be a sign of something more serious, at least I’ve given her many years to enjoy being warm and getting fat…

Sick kitty?

Oh my, I had a crazy week! Full of complicated articles to write (on deadline, of course), class assignments, pre-holiday events and general running around.

Then, on top of things, my cat started vomiting. Didn’t think much off it at first, but she’s been vomiting. And vomiting. Maybe twice a day for the last two or three days, when I can’t count on two hands the times she’s done it in the past six years. She’s also acting moody and very sensitive to the touch – I tried to pet her hind-quarters and got a clear “don’t-you-dare” nip. On the good side, I watched her drink a bunch of water this evening and she’s holding it down. I don’t think she’s in any immediate danger of dehydration.

I really can’t afford the weekend emergency vet fees, so I hope she’ll be okay until Monday….?

Thanks

I hope everyone had a chance to see family and be thankful this season! I’m so happy that I had a chance recently to visit my dear friends in Jersey City and spend some time with the new addition to their family, Carolina. I’m just in love with her! (I’m going to make a nice print of this photo as an early Christmas present for them…)

I was also lucky because the rain clouds parted and I got to spend most the holiday weekend outside, enjoying the sunshine and chilly air. On Saturday, D. and I hiked along the cliffs of Ralph Stover State Park. We climbed rocks, watched the  stream below and enjoyed an actual day off together. I couldn’t ask for more!

Sneak Peek

Think I’ve haven’t got some new wares to introduce this holiday season? Think again!

Yes, I’ve got my plate over-full many areas this time ’round, but I have been finding a little time to sneak into the studio. Luckily, some things are just coming out in time to feed the shopping rush! Look out this week for some brand-spankin’-new beer steins over in my Etsy shop, like the sexy red mug, above.

I think around the holidays, many women face the question: What the heck kind of handmade gift can you really buy a man? Problem solved!

 

Introvert

Ever heard of a shy tomato?  Maybe it’s just a tomato waiting for it’s moment in sun (or the sauce, as it may be).

Sort of like me right now…Looking around through the lens of my camera, enveloped in my own little world…