I meant to make texture plates last year, but somehow the summer got away from me. I had time in winter, but of course nothing is blooming then. This summer I finally had both the time and plenty of flowers and leaves ready in the garden.

The idea behind these texture plates is simple, they’ll be bisque fired and become reusable tools for creating textured slabs in future pieces. Instead of using fresh plants every time, I’ll be able to press clay into these molds to capture all those beautiful natural details.

My garden is overflowing this time of year, but I had to be selective. I looked for plants that weren’t too thick, since bulky stems and flower heads can push right through the clay. As much as I love my echinacea and Black-eyed Susans, their large blooms just aren’t a good fit for this process.

This first plate is ferns.
Here is a look at everything I pulled from the garden. Some grape vine, dill, a few types of fern, thai basil, small elephant ears, shiso, petunias, violas, and some thyme.	And some more ferns, mint, lupine, and lavender.
Here’s a before-and-after of the grapevine. I think this texture is really going to pop on a mug!
This is a mixture of mint, lupine, celosia, and petunias.
A mix of everything. I missed the after on both of these!	This is a mixture of a bunch of different types of ferns. I wish I had more fiddleheads, but this was the only one in my garden.
One last giant texture that mixes everything.

The ghost bowl turned out amazing! The ghost mugs, though, still need a little refining.

First, the glaze I chose ran more than I expected, ugh. Second, I think I want to make the ghosts a little smaller. Right now they feel a bit cramped on the mug, and I think giving them more breathing room will improve the design.

I was able to sand down three of the four mugs enough to make them acceptable, but the last one was beyond saving. I have two more of these to fire and given how much these ran I will be wiping the outside to thin.

On the bright side, I found a few new glazes I want to put on pieces in my next kiln load from my test tiles. I also have a backlog my crochet pieces made, sanded, waxed, and ready to glaze. Now I just need to sit down and get them finished!

Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Amaco Snow x3 Mayco tuxedo in eyes 2167 clear Mayco Orange Gloss x2	Outside Amaco Snow x3
Laguna bmix inside Mayco Eggplant x2 (it should have been 3, but the look actually works) Outside Clayscapes Pitch Black x2	Laguna bmix inside Mayco Orange Gloss x2 Outside Clayscapes Pitch Black x2
Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Inside and Rim Macyo Frosted Lemon x3 Night Moth x2 Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Inside and Rim Macyo Frosted Lemon x3 Night Moth x2 Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Inside and Rim Macyo Blue Opal x3 Night Moth x2 Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Inside and Rim Macyo Blue Opal x3 Night Moth x2 Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear	Laguna 60 Clayscapes Pitch Black x2 Little Amaco snow on the left ones ear where I bumped the glaze
Laguna bmix Amaco Snow x3	Laguna 60 Row 1: Ceramic Shop Sea Glass Green x2, Ceramic Shop Sea Glass Blue x2, Ceramic Shop Sea Glass Aqua x2, Mayco Tidal Blue x2, Ceramic Shop Orchid x2, Opulence Eggshell x2, Georgies Cherry Fizz x 1, Opulence Violet x2 Row 2: Ceramic Shop Blue Ash x2*, Ceramic Shop Wintergreen x2, Ceramic Shop Green Ash x2*, Ceramic Shop Blackberry x2, Ceramic Shop Astral Blue x2, Ceramic Shop Magic x2*, KY Mudworks Triton x2, KY Mudworks Foxtrot x2*, KY Mudworks Andromeda x2, KY MUdworks Aragonite x2 Row 3: KY Mudworks Seaside x2*, KY Mudworks Ocean Mist x2, KY Mudworks Meridian x2, KY Mudworks Sunflower x2 * are my favorites. A few I want to try just one coat on (all the Sea Glass ones)
Sad bottom of my mugs	PSA for making sure to loosen your posts before taking your shelf out. This one got chipped because while I move them, it wasn't enough

ow cute is this ghost bowl?! 👻 I can’t get over that little face. This kiln is a mix of new experiments and lots (and lots!) of crabs. Maryland favorites are definitely keeping me busy! I’m especially excited to see how the ghost mugs turned out. There’s always that moment of anticipation when you open the kiln and finally get to see if the idea in your head made it all the way through the process. Fingers crossed they came out as cute as I imagined!

I had some rolled-out clay left over, so I decided to practice my new tumbler form. The first one ended up completely inside out (and of course I forgot to take a picture!), but surprisingly, it still works.

The next couple turned out much better. As I was cleaning them up, though, I realized they felt a little heavier than I’d like. I didn’t roll the slabs as thin as we did in the workshop, but I also used a much deeper texture, so I’m not sure a thinner slab would have held up as well.

I’ve finished up my white clay for now, but I’ll definitely keep practicing this form as I go. I really love the shape, and I can’t wait to see how it evolves.

Pumpkins are back for fall too! They’re some of my favorite fall pieces once they’re finished, but getting them there is another story. Glazing all those little details takes forever, so future me is definitely going to have some opinions. At least they’ll be cute when they’re done.

Summer is in full swing, but fall is right around the corner, which means it’s officially time to start making fall pottery! This year I’m planning at least two different ghost designs, and I have another idea waiting for when I switch back to darker clay....assuming I don’t run out of time. There’s never a shortage of ideas, just hours in the day.

This first batch already makes me smile, although I’m a little nervous about those tiny pumpkins and hats. Here’s hoping they all survive the bisque firing! I still want to give each ghost a little more personality by refining their expressions, but they need a bit more time to firm up before I can do that.


This batch also includes a few smaller pieces that are already in the bisque. I used a lace texture on them because, obviously, ghosts deserve to be fancy too.