this just slays me....

for those of you who are hormonal, get ready....
enjoy!

*sigh*

Got my ass back in the groove with a vengeance last week, fired my kiln in the 100+ heat, and blissfully awoke Sunday morning to unload.

*Inserts sound of needle scratching off record here*

Half the neighborhood heard my 7am groan as I opened my baby to find a horrific misfired load of pots. Well, only the top half of the kiln was underfired--I won't go into the details as to why, I KNOW why it happened. I was at fault---well, maybe I can blame the heat that affected my brain on Saturday. that's it, it was the heat (or my insane craving for cherry pie that I went and baked Saturday nite) anyway, the bottom half of the kiln is miraculously perfect, and the one custom piece that my gracious Jennifer has been waiting for is just fine. (thank God!) I know, WTF, right? I was reeling all over the place for a few hours---happy/sad; annoyed/grateful, thrilled/dissapointed. I guess a half bad, half good kiln load is better than nothing, right? Welcome to my little rollercoaster.

This job is a riot, let me tell you. (well, I just did.)

Here are some of the reasons I was happy: (and I'll spare you the underfired pots)

back from the moon...

and I hit the ground running yesterday morning at 5(!):30 am. Never fails, I'm such a workaholic, that when I do get away for a bit, I get so anxious about all the things that are going unattended I run full speed back into the studio at the earliest possible moment. Yesterday really tested me, several monkey wrenches came flying at me in the areas of home and work, not to mention 100 degree heat and humidity....
But oh, how nice it was to be off the grid for a bit! I didn't realize just how obsessive I have been about work this year, but it seems to be paying off too. I can see some solid legs under me now. I have an awesome opportunity which I will share with you all later in August, but it is requiring me to buckle down for the next several weeks with a discipline I have never known. I said to B last nite, that I'm feeling like I'm surfing a wave and not sure if I'll be able to ride it or it will crush me. And then I proceeded to tell him all the things I needed to take care of so that I handle this phase of growth in stride and avoid some of my past pitfalls. One of the things I know about myself is that I never budget for studio improvements, I make do with things the way they are, which, in the end causes me a greater amount of time and labor to do my job. Here's and example: clutter! In June, I took an afternoon off and went down to Home Depot and bought some shelving and installed it. Now my studio is now nice and organized and serves my workflow needs much better. That sort of thing. I have made a small budget and a monthly commitment to address these issues regularly. On the list are new kiln shelves, and some tools that aren't too cheap but I've put off buying them for years....
Normally, when things get suddenly busy I am caught off guard and run around like a chicken for several weeks at a time. So I said to myself, 'been there, done that. What can I do to prepare for this so I'm NOT running around like a chicken? (well, at least not with my head cut off)' Things like stocking up on everything, making larger batches of glaze in advance, ordering all shipping supplies early, organizing my production schedule more efficiently (and sticking to it) etc...I love being a right brained soul, but to avoid constant stress and burnout, I need to let my left brain drive the car a bit more.
So on a lighter note, here's a vacay pic:

Vintage shopping on Hollywood Blvd...Dang! the coat was too small or else I woulda bought it--it's sooooo me!

Simple things...round two!

Thanks again to the lovely Ms. Christina from SoulAperture for round two of this lovely game...Please check her blog to find other wonderful sould who are participating!

Simple things that make me happy:

~Watching the quail with their tiny fluff-babies running amok and crashing into one another in their excitement....

~Cream: butter, whipped cream, heavy cream, icecream, frosting, creamcheese, creamed coconut....*sigh* my thighs salute you!

~Playing with clay: nuff said.

~It made my smile down to my toes when my son said to me, "mom, you have a very stylish vegetable garden." (he gets it!)

~Watching a fire burn down to its embers and noticing how those embers have a spirit dancing like nothing else....I get entranced....

~Getting lost in an impromptu dance in the studio when a the right song strikes....it seems when the creative doors are open, I'm more likely to get struck.

~A pair of warm solid hands on my skin--never get enough....

~Buying a half-dead plant at a yard sale and bringing it back to life.

~Grilled peaches

~Jumping into an ice cold creek with my boy on a 100 degree day, floating on our backs under the trees in the dappled sunlight....heaven!

~and then getting out to lay on a bare rock and eat watermelon in the sun....

~Freshly painted toenails

~Fish tacos on the beach--here I come!

~Kahlua cake!

happy summer everybody--I'm off to Cali for a much needed break and to visit the ocean....it's been way too long.

crazed potter woman....

should be prepping for VACAY (!) instead of throwing pots....
but I'm having a good throwing day, so I guess I'll keep going and pack tomorrow....
leave Wed. morning for Socal with the boys.

july....

is here already! My garden is humming along--I spotted my first ripening tomato yesterday--finally! I've been working like a madwoman this past week on some new ideas...
It was really nice to bring a batch of clay down to the banks of Oak Creek and sculpt some birdies on these really hot afternoons, although I didn't take any pix.....I woke up early this morning and unloaded my kiln--mostly happy with the results, a few disappointments, but nothing like this poor guy! I bumped him during glazing and thought I could just put him back in place and fire the vase and, well....not so good. Poor baby! Frozen for all eternity sliding down the vase only to land on his head.
And tomorrow evening we'll be laying under the stars watching somethings that look like this:

Happy Fourth Weekend everybody!