We Concord Boston!

And no, that wasn't a spelling error - if you pronounce "Concord" like a Bostonian, then you'll get the pun!

So two Thursdays ago I got up at 3:30 AM to start off for the "worst city to drive in" about an 8 hour drive without stops. Picked up two wonderful friends who were kind enough to go with me so I didn't get lost, didn't crash, and could sell my items with ease.

We made it to our hotel in Burlington without much problem. Burlington is only about 20 miles away from downtown Boston, where the DONA conference was. However, we couldn't check in until 3pm sharp, and by the time we freshened up a bit, it was already rush-hour traffic with cars baked up for miles.

What should have been a half hour's drive took us 1 and a half that first evening! Luckily for us, we ended up with a great spot at the show in part because of our lateness :)

Our "parking garage" that first night ended up being a back alley way where the guy parked the cars bumper to bumper and the fact that he kept our keys made one of my friends a tad n

ervous (turns out she doesn't like cities! - I'm so glad she was willing to go with me despite this!)

But all turned out well and we got set up and settled in. However, we knew there was no way we'd get to enjoy our free continental breakfast (eggs, Belgium waffles, etc.) the next two days since we'd need to leave before serving time in order to avoid the hour and a half drive into town again.

But day two went well. The figurines were well-loved, and I sold most of them that second day. After packing up, we enjoyed a dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at the Burlington Mall, after waiting half an hour for a table and then another hour before we were really eating. So we had half an hour to shop!

We hit up the bulk candy store for some lego-shaped candy, then I got a Shot Cake icecream cupcake, and had two minutes to shop in the LEGO store. Oh.My.Goodness. Lego heaven!! I so wanted to have time to look around, but alas, I ended up getting some keyshains for the boys and myself, and a deck of cards and some stickers. For the girls I picked up two fancy folding fans from a cute ethnic shop we perused while we waited for our table for dinner.

Much to our dismay, besides the mall closing at 9pm, our beloved hotel pool also closed by 9, due to a city ordinance, apparently. My two pregnant, tired friends REALLY missed the opportunity to go swimming.

But Saturday we still had to get up bright and early at 5AM for our last day in the harbor city. We did well in sales that day as well, and by the afternoon decided to take a tour of the city. We ended up wishing we had bought the tickets the day before as it turns out the tour was good for two days, and you could board and un-board as many times as you liked at any of 16 stops. It also included a free 45 minute boat ride and a museum admission, neither of which we had time for.

But we still enjoyed the tour of the city and got to see the first post office in the US, the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read, and one of those city wading pools where little kids and adults alike were cooling off in the 108 degree weather.

But then it was back home, where we waited until we were off the toll road to eat because of the jacked-up prices. It was 10pm by then, so many places were closed for the evening. We were lucky to find a Pizza Hut open until 11, and then we got gas JUST before the place closed at midnight. Very fortunate for us, indeed!

I made it driving home until about 3:30 when I passed the wheel over, though I still stayed awak until we were home. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I'd been up for over 24 hours, and was quite exhausted!

But it was a great time, I made lots of new friends, and I really hope I can do it again!

While at the conference, I bought a little stuffed Lobster, whose tag says his name is, "Baby Rock." So I decided that he should accompany me on any trips I make with my ware, and when people ask me, "What's the Lobster for?" I'll reply, "I'm glad you asked....it all started in Boston!" At least it will be a conversation starter :)

So don't be surprised if you see photos of him in upcoming product pics!

As Long As You Need Me...

Today, in the midst of being stressed about a messy house, spending money on supplies when I'm trying to MAKE money, and various other personal issues, I decided to finally make a piece which has been in heart my and on my mind for almost a year, now.

One of the biggest motivators for me to get into clay was my first daughter, Amber. For her first Father's Day present, we made Jim a gift of polymer clay handprints, and it was then that I realized I wanted to work in clay. It took a couple more years for me to realize it was ceramic clay instead of polymer clay, but that was the moment that spurred me to where I am now.

And she was a milestone for me in so many other ways, as well. She was not the calm, "happy" baby I had seen on TV or read about. She required either my hubby or me to carry her most of the day, bouncing and walking, and facing her outward. The rest of the time she nursed. I didn't know it at the time, but she led us into the idea of "Attachment Parenting".

Fast forward several years later, and as I sat in church one Sunday, my youngest daughter clung to me while the rest of her siblings, including her twin brother, left for Sunday School. For a second, I felt guilty, as if I was "spoiling" her (though I knew I wasn't, the feeling still crept in). But then as she wrapped her arms around me, I knew that being there for her in that moment was more important than trying to push her independence on her. I knew that for now, she just needed me to hold her - for a little bit longer. And I promised to her, and my other children, "I will hold you, for as long as you need me to."

And so this project is not just another sculpture to me. Like the pregnant couple, or the couple in labor, this piece has my heart all wrapped up in it. The words of my promise are inscribed on the bottom, and I hope they touch the heart of another mother who knows that this time with her children are short, and that holding them just a little longer if they need it, is something she will never regret.

I hope to make several pieces along this line - moments I've shared with my children, in time for Mother's Day. Here, then, is the first:

Fare for the Faire

Today I had the privilege of opening the kiln after a high-firing. I haven't done as many of these due to the cost and length, so I'm always a little nervous as to the outcome...

Today it was a good opening :)

I was experimenting with some items to sell at the medieval faire in June this year, and here's the results!

Here are the dragon egg shakers after the smoke firing. I absolutely LOVE them! They have speckles, and swirls, and just some great contrasts on them.

And what goes better with dragon eggs than little dragons? These guys are adorable!

I hope to make several more of these by the time June rolls around.

And here are my skully mugs!

Another view of the back and handles.

Here are some castle mugs I made based on a recommendation from last year's faire.

In order to prevent dribbles through the gaps at the top of the castles,
I create spouts to funnel the liquid right to your mouth!

I also added a couple more items to my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63644792/pregnant-belly-sculpture

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63645552/spiral-belly-sculpture

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68536232/twin-mama-heart-pendant

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs!

I ran out of my stoneware clay. I thought there was one more bag left, but it turned out to be my sculpture/raku clay instead. So with the little bit of smooth stoneware, I decided to delve into egg-making.

These are actually for the medieval faire. They aren't fired, yet, and I will be smoke-firing them for a blotchy/black/grey sort of look. Perfect for "Dragon Eggs"! As a bonus, they're actually shakers - or maracas.

If I find that enough people like the finished idea, I might try selling some on Etsy, as well. But for now I'm building up stock for the faire so I don't look at amateur-ish as I did last year!

Fresh From The Kiln

Just a quick update to let you all know what I've been up to. It's less than 5 months until the annual Wild Rose Renaissance Faire!! I know that sounds like a lot of time, but when you don't have much time, and you want to build up a lot of inventory, 5 months is almost nothing! I spent the fall creating inventory for my Etsy shop, and that turned out so well that now I am behind on creating new items to replace the ones I've sold.However, it's now time to focus on this medieval event, and so I have begun by brainstorming ideas and narrowing them down, and then mostly making molds for the pieces I want to create.

Here are a few pics, and just a hint at what you'll be seeing from me soon!

Here's some molds and some whistles (unpainted), and some pendant designs...

These are molds, or else molds for molds...in other words, the positive image I'll be creating a mold from. Lots of hard work, to be sure...

Some pellets for ??? You'll just have to wait and see!

These little guys need some pupils and some glaze, but they've already stolen my heart!

Christmas Gifts & New Year's Items

I had a really great Christmas and New Year's this year. The kids were a little bit older, understood a little bit more, and no one got sick. So overall you can't ask for more!

I also enjoyed making a few items for relatives. One of which was a set of cute elephant m

ugs. The first mug I ever made when I got my first bag of clay along with the kiln from ebay, was an elephant mug. But I like it so much better when the clay was blank and grey than after I painted it in a safari look. So I decided to try again with a grey look, and this time go a little whimsical with a face. I made a girl and a boy elephant, which I liked quite a bit, though the girl was much taller than the lad!

I also decided to play around with my colored porcelain. I have been wanting to make some bowls with it, as well as play around with some slip. So I did both. The only thing I didn't like was that the bowls were FAR from round, as I couldn't slump them as round as I'd wa

nted. But otherwise I think they're quite charming. I will say, however, that I have to get used to how much the porcelain shrinks. The bowls were MUCH larger before drying and firing!

Last were some family trees for the grandparents. The coloring was a tad too dark, so I got some glass enamel paint to use to try to bring out the type more. They both loved them, but I will make the rest with the lighter brown color...

And for the new year, I decided to make some Arkan Sonneys.