The leaf globe and vase turned out beautifully. I’m a little irritated that the flower glaze ran on one of the vases, but the more I look at it, the more I think it gives the piece a bit of extra character.

I’m also expanding my cup line with new cat and Bigfoot designs, and I’m really happy with how they’re coming out. The black cats, especially, have become a favorite. I definitely need to make more black cat pieces across all of my different forms because I love the way they look.

Laguna 60 Mayco black UG wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale, Sunkissed, Orange a Peal, Just Froggy, Fruit of the Vine, Camel Back Inside Amaco Sky x2	Laguna 60 Mayco black UG wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale, Sunkissed, Orange a Peal, Just Froggy, Fruit of the Vine, Camel Back Inside Midnight Ceramics Sexy Mermaid x2
Laguna 60 Opulence Sea Spray x3	Laguna 60 Amaco Deep Sea x3 Seaweed accents Spectrum Kimchi x2 on the flower
Laguna 60 Amaco Storm x3	Laguna 60 Amaco Obsidian x3
Laguna 60 Spectrum Sangria x3	Laguna 60 Macy Black ug wiped back Mayco Raspberry Mist x3 Amarilys x2 Witch Hat and Spider: Amaco Obsidian, Cosmic Tea Dust x2
Laguna 60 Macy Black ug wiped back Mayco Eggplant x3 Passion Flower x2 Witch Hat and Spider: Amaco Obsidian, Cosmic Tea Dust x2	Laguna 60 Macy Black ug wiped back Mayco Raspberry Mist x3 Passion Flower x2 Witch Hat and Spider: Amaco Obsidian, Cosmic Tea Dust x2
Laguna 60 Macy Black ug wiped back Mayco Eggplant x3 Amarilys x2 Witch Hat and Spider: Amaco Obsidian, Cosmic Tea Dust x2	Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Laguna 60 Amaco Snow x3	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug - more to come on this

Have a couple of pieces in here that will be on display at the Newark Arts Alliance until August 14th. Finally had enough tall things to fill the top shelf. Still have so much more glazing to do, but I want to take advantage of my time at home so my plan is to spend more time making.

Some fun new pieces came out of this firing, along with a few restocks.

The moon bowls/trays turned out especially well. I suspect it’s unlikely that someone will want all six, but they really do belong together as a set. I’ve been trying to figure out how to display all six at a show. I’m bringing them with me to the Frederick Festival of the Arts this weekend, so hopefully I’ll come up with a creative solution.

The first batch of bird ornaments also made it into this kiln load. I quickly discovered that, because of the size of the birds and the ornament/jewelry hanger I use in the kiln, I can only fire four at a time. I’m happy with how they turned out, but I think I’d like to make another batch using a smooth white clay body instead of the speckled clay. Most of the time I love the extra dimension and character the speckles add, but on these birds I feel like they compete a little with the design.

I’m also still experimenting with glazes to find the best way to highlight the crochet textures. I made a large batch of test tiles and have already found a few favorites—more on those below.

My favorites from the test tiles (and I definitely need to make more) are the *. My personal favorite is Crown Heights, though that’s probably not surprising since I tend to gravitate toward purple whenever it's an option.

I’m also surprised by how much I like Tiger Lily. It wasn’t one I expected to stand out, but it really caught my eye. Oribe looking great wasn’t much of a surprise, although I’ve had issues with it crawling in the past, so I’m still a little cautious about using it.

I also have a gallon of Royal Purple and really love the way it looks. Unfortunately, it’s a discontinued glaze, which leaves me torn between wanting to use it up and not wanting to get too attached to something I can’t replace.

Bluegrass turned out beautifully as well, but I’m not sure it’s different enough from Hydra to justify using both. What I’m really after is a pink that pops while still highlighting all the texture. So far I haven’t found one that does both. I may try Cherry Fizz with a single coat and see if that gets me closer to what I’m looking for.

Laguna 60 Clayscapes Lake Blue Dipped Cream flecks	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 Kentucky Mudworks Hydra dipped (twice on rim) Mayco Milk Glass x2 on button
Laguna 60 Clayscapes Lake Blue Mayco Milk Glass x2 on button	Laguna 60 Opulence Sea Spray x2 Mayco Milk Glass x2 on button
Laguna 60 Top: Amaco Storm x3 Bottom: Opulence Emerald x3	Laguna 60 Top: Spectrum Sangria x2 Bottom: Spectrum Autumn Purple x2
Laguna 60 Mayco Milk Glass x3	Laguna 60 Amaco Snow x3
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Silver Lining, Carribean Blue, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Inside and Rim: Mayco Green Opal x3 Mayco Tuxedo, Cotton Tail, Silver Lining, Carribean Blue, Cutie Pie Coral, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Birch Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Birch Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear
Birch Laguna 60 Mayco Black ug wiped back Mayco Cotton Tail, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Top: Mayco Frosted Lemon x3, Clayscapes Coastal Blue Dip*, Clayscapes Cobblestone dip* Bottom: one of these was Clayscapes Lake Blue and the other Spearmint, but no idea which. Definitely wasn't enough coats
Laguna 60 Row 1: Mayco Black UG Clayscapes Briar Rose dipx2, Mayco Black UG Clayscapes Blue Poppy dipx2, Mayco Black UG Clayscapes Wild Aster dipx2, Mayco Plum UG Clayscapes Wild Aster dipx2, Mayco Rose UG Clayscapes Briar Rose dipx2 Row 2: Mayco Appricot UG Clayscapes Tiger Lily dipx2*, Mayco Bright Blue UG Clayscapes Blue Poppy dipx2, Clayscapes Crown Heights dipx2*, Clayscapes Pacific blue dipx2*, Georgie's Cherry Fizz x2 Row 3: Laguna Turquoise x2, Laguna Fern Green x2, KY Mudworks Jade Moss x2, KY Mudworks Bluegrass x2*, Georgies's Seafoam x2 Row 4: Georgie's Galaxy Blue x2*, Georgie's Tie Dye x2*, Clayscapes Nebula dip x2 on .5* (the darker blue), Clayscapes Royal Purple dip x2 on .5 (the darker blue)*, Laguna Lavender x2 Row 5: KY Mudworks Dragon's Breath x2*, KY Mudworks Pluto x2, Clayscapes Oribe dip*

The cat bowls came out so cute. Not a lot of excitement in this kiln, just restocking a lot of staples which was needed.

Laguna 60 Spectrum Sangria x2	Laguna 60 Spectrum Autumn Purple x2
Laguna 60 Amaco Storm x3	Laguna 60 Opulence Emerald x3
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 Mayco black ug wiped back Mayco Hot Tamale x2 Norse Blue x2 Light flux sweeps 2167 clear
Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Inside and Rim: Mayco Green Opal x3 Mayco Sour Apple, Tuxedo, Cotton Tail, Silver Lining, Carribean Blue, Cutie Pie Coral, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear	Laguna 60 Mayco black ug wiped back Inside and Rim: Mayco Green Opal x3 Mayco Sour Apple, Tuxedo, Cotton Tail, Silver Lining, Carribean Blue, Cutie Pie Coral, Hot Tamale 2167 Clear