Hearts.

I woke up this morning and went to check my Etsy, print out some invoices...shop a little. I decided to check my hearts. I've found this to be a great way to find gifts for *me* and for others. I figure if these people like my work, and I like my work, we probably have similar tastes and I might like what's for sale in their shop or things they might have purchased. Hearts are definitley one of my favorite features on Etsy. Anyway, I clicked to see 3500 hearts! I feel so warm and fuzzy inside.I also forgot to post this amazing treasury I was featured in. It's called "Modern and Masculine" and it might be on of my all time favorites. I'm glad Etsy decided that it's not spam to notify people when you put them in your treasury because I would have never seen this! Many thanks to decoratethediva!

Just working in the studio today, getting work piled up for the summer. I posted some new vases in my shop. I've been playing with layering the glaze over the colored slip in small amounts to add another layer of texture and more depth. I'm very happy with the results.

Hearts.

So I knew I was nearing 3000 hearts on Etsy and I wanted to capture a screen shot, but I missed it. So here is 3030...

Pretty cool. That's like 6 people, everyday, 7 days a week, since I've opened my shop (September 2006)! And cosidering about 1 in 3 of those hearts have bought something from me, that's also an excellent feeling.

So today, more vases. Finished up 16 last night and went to sleep with a sore hand. Woke up this morning to more wedging and weighing and now I'm off to eat and then throw, throw, throw... I'll try to post some in-progress pics later tonight.

I ♥ hearts.

So after some annoying kiln issues, I've finally posted some new work in the shop. After MANY hours of the kiln slowly rising, I shut it off at about 2000 degrees. So frustrating. It turns out I had a break in the bottom element. I'm sure it never would have gotten to temperature. Thankfully Bailey's called on Friday to tell me the back ordered elements were in. I changed them all, excluding the bottom one that I changed last month. Then, I re-loaded and she rose up like a champ. Cone 10 in a little over 7 hours!! Note to self: CHANGE THE ELEMENTS MORE OFTEN!!!

And the fruits of my labor....

Tiny porcelain hearts. Made with vintage lace, pressed into the ultra thin porcelain and painted with black slip. When the lace is lifted, it leaves not only the imprint of the lace, but the white of the porcelain beneath. These are tiny, 1 3/4 inch wide, and come on a 12 inch length of red satin ribbon. I'm selling them in sets of 4. That way you can give some, keep some, use them to decorate the house or use them as gift tags! I've left the backs blank so you could write or paint on them. Love them.

I also LOVE this vase. I've just been holding in my hands, it feels so nice. I made several small 1 pound vases (I call them that because they are thrown with 1 lb. of clay....duh!). I'm particularly in love with this one's shape and that cool, pale blue. I'm now officially out of this glaze and won't be making more, so get it while you can! So cute.