Is it ever too early to start making pumpkins? The little ones are just so cute, but also so finicky to make. I've learned to always have two leaves and two vines because one is very likely to break off before it gets glazed. Once they're glazed they are unlikely to break (unless I drop the box like I did at one of my shows).

I actually make these in a little bit of an assembly line. Roll out the clay and use the pumpkin cutter to cut - let those setup a bit so they aren't too floppy. Then I make all the stems. Then roll the clay thinner and cut out the leaves. Finally I make coils for the vines and wrap them around handles. Once I have all the pieces then it's time to make the pumpkins.

First I make body of the pumpkin. Next I attach the vines then the leaves and then top it off with the stem. Last I do the final touches of moving the leaves and the stems the way I want.

Have had a whole lot of magnets come out of the last kilns that needed magnets glued on. It doesn't take a whole lot of time if you lay them all out. First everything gets globs of glue (e6000) then everything gets a magnet. The lesson I learned was to not try to have multiple magnets in my hand because they really want to join together and will jump around if I'm not careful.


I also had two wine gnomes come out who got their corks. There are another handful coming out of the next kiln.

As I've been ramping up production for 2023 I realized I have nowhere to store this stuff. I still had things in bins from the last show plus my dining room table was completely full. In the basement I had a really old entertainment center. My husband suggested that we pack up the stuff that was in it since a lot of it wasn't being actively used (I need to find fancy friends and have them over to use my grandmother's crystal goblets) and get rid of the 1970s pre-ikea but ikea like unit. I should have taken a picture before we dismantled it, but neglected to. It was quite ugly and very vert heavy.


In it's place we put up this wall shelving. The tracks and the shelves came from Home Depot. It was a lot cheaper than buying prebuilt shelves or using wood. I usually hate the wire shelves, but they had this plastic that snaps into it and with the weight of the pottery it works.




I made the decision to unpack everything that was in the bins since the last couple of shows were fall/holiday focused. Everything is now in one place where I can see it and I have a lot more than I realized. I have been debating whether or not I am ready for the Maryland Home and Garden show in March and I can now say that I am. I have all the basics and I can focus on making some creative show pieces for the show. I also need to stop making mugs until I sell some because there is no more room. I still have another dozen or so working their way through the drying to glazing process.

Does anyone else find making cone packs horribly tedious? It's always a chore to do, but I love seeing them all lined up when I'm done.

Also why do the ones above cone 0 come in different colors, but the ones that are bisque temps (04, 05, 06) are all the same color?

This might be the tallest thing I've made. If not, it's really close. The first shipment of this puzzling mold was put through the ringer during shipping and arrived broken, but the new one is perfect.


I love the shape of it. I think this might take up at least half my kiln.