Froth & Substance

# #luckytolivehere #nofilterneeded #sandandsun #yellow # #makersmovement #handmadebestmade

Ive never really thought of a new year being the turning point or fresh start of anything. January is about the least invigorating month in the calender year! Cool Northern Ontario September with its glorious colours and fresh crisp air makes me want to skip down the street and then cuddle under a blanket (with a hot cup of joe ). dreaming about what this year will become. The fall is a fresh beginning. What makes your heart race? What will you do with the next 365 days? Dream it then do it. # #cupofadvice #mugfull #madewithintention #handmadebestmade #luckytolivehere

Fun fact #***a flamingo being pink is not actually a hereditary trait. Flamingos are born a white/grey colouring and the beta carotene in their diet is what slowly turns their skin and feathers colour. If you ate carrots all day long every day your skin would also take on an orange hue. You know how much I love coffee and while this oversized mug will hold a decent cuppa... Ive included a much more appropriate beverage for this one # #claymug #handmade #itsstillsummer #wip

I dont have near enough adjectives to describe this video but awesome will have to do. the BEST way to make a clay mug handle is by pulling it. #handmade #claymug #groovy #kaleidoscope

Anyone else not ready for summer to end yet? # I could not resisted buying these sweet summer strawberry transfers. The four colour design is WAY beyond my limited silkscreen skill set. We will see, post fire, what colour of clay body I like best. #strawberryfields #comebacksummer #ihavemorefishingtodo

Couple of fun things in the works .... any guesses who this is for?!? #gottabealocal # #coffeand #waituntilyouseetheotherside #wip #stilldontdocustoms #

#RUSH #RocknRoll #lyrics #WAKEUP #graffiti

I ... #clouds #claymug #wip #tragicallyhip #canadianpotter #ontariopotter #canadaeh

Have you ever left your carrots in the ground past frost? #instagood #extrasweet #nofrostyet #longautumnplease #clay #pressmold # #claymug #claytumber #ontariopotter

@handcrafted.decor.by.red asked me about doing a fall giveaway...how fun! This is the mug that will be included. Follow her and watch for details

Have you stepped inside a fairy ring? Been transported to the elven realm? Did time stop while you danced round the circle? Have you partied with the witches and drank their flying potion? Had a conversation with a lounging toad? #mushroomfolklore If you havent had the pleasure perhaps a little morning magic by drinking from a mushroom mug will set your imagination free to believe that such things are indeed possible. #

I love the conversations that process photos and videos spark. Most people are surprised at the number of steps involved, the amount of techniques you can use and the ideas that you can incorporate. Clay is such a vast medium and becasue I dont stick to a main design style I can freely explore wherever and whatever I wish. Many potters create their own stamps. Its is a way of truly creating something unique.. your own stamp used on your own pottery! Even though the potters... wheel tends to get the most attention, there are hundreds of steps before and after the actual throwing part of creating a mug. Some of those steps are done a week before (mixing a glaze for example), a week after (adding a handle, carving, underglaze painting) a day before (weighing and wedging the clay),a day after (trimming the bottom),two weeks after (bisque fire) a month after (glaze firing and sanding) , or it could be creating stamps that will be used in mugs a year from now. This is a hobby that takes time. This is a hobby that builds on itself with every step dependant on if you did the last one correctly. This is a hobby that will humble you from day one and keep you that way 16+ years later. This is a hobby you will never stop learning and growing into. #handmadebestmade #slowclay #madewithintention

~Math & Art~ While I dont often like to actually think Im doing math it is the foundation for all elements and principles of design and the key to creating quality work. This sweet little compass looks like V Goddard did A Lot of math! I picked it up at the Latchford highway buy n sell (my kids call it the highway junk shop... you know the one) . I love that place for little treasures such as this. # #handmade #clay #yardsaletreasures #mathematicalcompass # # #knowtherulesbeforeyoubreaktherules #madewithintention

Sundays are for riding and coffee drinking #braaap #claymug #underglazetransfer #maze #

" " #pointofview #handmadebestmade #grow #fern #clay #makersmovement # #

Silkscreen success!!!! #lovestory #underlgaze #itsybitsyteenietiny # #detail #trashpolka #handmade

+= #mushroommug #studio #glazeaunaturel

I have a sudden craving for a mojito and a bowl of pistachios #Colour!!! # # #crystalglaze #limegreen #thatglazetho #silkscreen

LOVE . I just couldnt add colour to this. The natural clay is soothing and calm. I have made it look a little worn, a little used and a little tired while not taking away from its strength. Love isnt the flash, the bright, the flaunting, or the show. It is the underlaying backbone of a relationship and what makes you choose eachother time and again. Its the friends who pick up exactly where they left off regardless of the time between visits. Its the immediate link between a mother and her child. Its what develops in a marriage when the passion quiets. Its the simplicity and complexity of knowing that you are joined by the heart and will forever share the best and the worst of this life. #meatandpotatoes #thatsAlotofPressureforaMug #Love # #handmadebestmade

Lavender mandala on gorgeous chocolate brown clay #claytumbler #mandala # #potteryvideo

Cant wait to get these fired! I completely underestimated how much time these little monsters would take (fixing, sanding,glazing,trying to make them kiln worthy). These are the only ones that made it through the bisque firing. I have parts and parcels of the others but many were reduced to shards. Even some of these are missing an eye, have cracks, lost a tooth, but they are still totally adorable . These guys made it to 1000in the bisque fire.. fingers crossed they now make to 2000for the glaze. If not Ill have a lot of kiln repairing to do! #hereshoping #ihopeyouseeyours!

Who doesnt like a soft #mugbutt ?? These @diamondcoretools sanding pads are THE BEST for making sure the base of each mug is silky smooth and my flower bottom is beautiful. # #potteryvideo #treemug #handmade #

Wait for it.... #underglazetransfer #potteryvideo #mushrooms

Blue lace underglaze transfers look perfect on my light stoneware clay # # #claymug

There is something so incredibly satisfying about a big stack! # #moonmug #heytopfan #dreamy

Inspired by the gorgeous monthly vege boxes from Brubacher Farms (thanks @leislandscapingyard) #radish #vegemug # #claymug #gardenfresh

Spent all of last week in one of my most favorite places. No service, no internet, no watch, and the only thing we worried about was when to eat, drink, fish and swim. For an entire week we were off grid with the only rules: wear sunscreen and keep to our possession limit so we ate pickerel at breakfast, lunch and dinner #heaven #ladyevelyn #fishing # # # #maplemountain # # you may see a few fish mugs go down this week to help me not pack up and go AWOL #longingtogoback ***Grace and Kayla caught the 2 smallest (we threw them back of course) I caught the biggest (just under slot size) Curt caught the most (together over 60 fish) and Blake and Mason caught the most air off the rope swing #nofilterneeded

It looks like Im centering the clay but in reality the clay centers me. #roundandround #focus #centeryourmind #

# Freshie out if the kiln and WAY TOO HOT TO HANDLE #weldinggloves . #pottery #clay #claymug # # #worththeburn

Thanks to @livngracies Im making glazes in big beautiful ice cream pails allowing me to dip instead of brush #muchfaster #kawarthaicecream #eaticecream #potteryvideo #glazedandconfused

Hey Top Fans! Youre pre-order mugs are thrown, dried, painted, carved and soon to be glazed and fired! Ill be reaching out individually after they hit the kiln and cool down.

Some made it through the bisque and some did not

First #MakeAMug night since covid . This bubble family has been self isolating and had the optional testing done. Only difference is paper masks taking the place of the wine glass and Im a little farther away #

Monsters on Parade! I underestimated how out of the box some creations were going to be! Totally Love the creativity however not all of these are going to fire well. They are heading to the bisque kiln tomorrow and only a few will be glazed. The others (that dont explode) will be sent home with acrylic paints for your child to paint themselves.

A number of years back there was this group of friends who occasionally got together and the conversation typically circled around food, wine, books and the days topics. Wanting to spend more time together we decided to make a formal weekly book club.That went out the window quickly. We are all type A personalities,wanted to read what and when and how much we wanted and we still mostly talked about food and wine anyways. Over the years this group became just 3 of us and ...it was lovingly called Wine Wednesday. (I know.. super original...dont care) . My kids would literally say "mom, are you going to Wine Wednesday tonight?" becasue it was a designated thing. A special night. This past Wednesday afternoon one of our 3 was killed in a cycling accident. He loved my trash polka mugs You may have seen Jeff on the lake, on his bicycle, in the vintage wine section, at the local book store,at the gym, or in the local garden center. He loved everything about living here and truly embraced our northern Ontario seasons. He was incredibly supportive, intelligent, funny (with a quick,hearty laugh), held fast to his beliefs while being open to hearing yours. His wine cellar was coming along nicely, he had big plans for his garden. He talked about his daughters and his family with pride and love. He leaves behind many people who loved him. Not being from here his friends here were his family. ~we still poured him a glass. We said a toast and talked about how he has influenced us for the better and then we poured his glass into the garden knowing he would have loved that. #atoasttofriendship

#blankslate #whattocreate #claytocup #

**UPDATE** what a response! AMAZING! Thank you! I have found someone though I will still attempt to answer all of messages. I wish I could offer this to more than 1 person..possible future plans. Thanks again! Kara*** HELP WANTED (in exchange for lessons). YEP you read that right! What Im looking for is very specific so we will see just how bad the 100+ people who have inquired about lessons really want them here is the list of criteria as well as the details ...of my offer: -2 hours of your time in exchange for 2 hours of mine (plus your materials used) -your time will be used for whatever tasks need completed but mostly cleaning and organizing the studio. It could also include (but not limited to) measuring mugs, sanding bisqueware, organizing my tools, recycling clay, helping with sales, responding to messages, taking photos, eventually help in glazing and loading kilns, paper work and organizational business stuff etc etc .. basically the boring stuff leading into more exciting stuff with an increase in knowledge. -my time will be used for taking you through the clay process eventually creating fire worthy items on the wheel. Includes (but not limited to) coil building, slab work, hand building, pinch pots, wheel throwing,trimming, glazing, various surface decoration, understanding and working a kiln and firing schedule etc Basically the more exciting stuff starting from the basics and moving up when able. This is a monthly commitment, and requires a schedule with some flexibility to get both your and my time in (being that I have a full time job). Also prerequisites are the following: -chill, easy going temperament . NO JOKE. my studio is my sanctuary and I dont just let any type of energy in there. If you are even remotely high strung please dont apply. -be okay with my pottery vinyl collection (or at least pretend to like my music) -not tell anyone the current state of my studio -be in complete understanding that it will take a significant amount of time until you will fire anything worth keeping. This is not a craft that can be rushed; the learning curve is pretty huge and it takes a significant amount of practise. Im on year 16 and often make crap you never see. and while two hours per month is not a lot, its more than what youre currently taking . Its also cheap as hell. *if youre still on board send me a DM