Planting a Garden

I have discovered something about myself since I started this blog. I am not yet good at writing & coming up with ideas for writing. Unlike pottery, I can come up with infinite ideas that will keep me busy for months, years...centuries. I am hopefully going to get better about putting my thoughts down. I better practice!

My kids & I have been starting our very first garden. I have had small gardens in the past, like growing tomatoes in a pot on my patio. But this year I will have a "real" garden...I hope.

My little helpers & I started the seeds in clear totes that act as little green houses. On the outside of the cup we wrote the kind of seed that is in the cup with a marker.

I have tons of work ahead of me. I still have to build the raised flower beds out of cinder block. Here is the pile I have to work with. 

This is the pretty (not) little patch of land I have to work with. Swing set goes tomorrow!

This is what I hope my garden will look like soon. 

Raku Pottery

I LOVE Raku! I love to experiment & the element of surprise and this is what Raku is all about. My husband recently built me a raku kiln, so we have been experimenting. 

Green Raku Ceramic Butterfly Pendant

Raku is a technique where a pot is heated until glowing, then pulled with tongs from the kiln and placed into a reduced atmosphere, such as a metal can full of pine needles, newspaper or leaves. After cooling somewhat, the piece is often plunged into cold water, creating crackle effects. In Raku, unglazed areas of clay become black due to the carbon from the burning fuel. When the carbon is scrubbed off the glazed areas they are often bright metallics such as copper and bronze. 

Raku Blossom Earrings

Raku Blossom Pendant

Raku Flower Brooch

Raku Flower Necklace with Turquoise 

Raku Beaded Earrings 

Here are some more experiments: 


I have been working on house numbers that I will be selling soon in my etsy shop. Here are some Raku ones with crazy colors. 

Raku House Numbers

Color Experiment Pot

Color Experiment Pot