Opening a kiln after it has fired for more than 9 hours and then cooled for 12, is a little like gifts on Christmas morning. There's all that anticipation. You remember when you were a kid looking at the bounty under the tree, all wrapped up with its mysteries inside? Even when you've rattled and poked you never know exactly what might be in there. Unless of course you are one of those naughty children who've peeked before things got all wrapped up. I've only heard about this. I've never actually done the peeking :-)
There's no peeking when it comes to firing ceramic goodies. You just have to wait it out till things are cooked and cool enough to look at. This is what I looked at yesterday morning as I opened the lid of the kiln. For the most part, the kiln gods smiled on this firing. Which is a really good thing because this was a totally mixed up firing. New clay, new glaze, no testing. Just kind of went for it. Liberating!
And just like Christmas, there are those gifts that maybe aren't just what you expected. See that up there? Two beads perfectly and forever fused together. And then there are the truly hideous that went straight to the bin without ever making it into the studio. Nope, you are not seeing those. I've spared you the sight of them. It happens and I am totally over them. Mostly.
And I think I can let those failures pass me by because I've got so much more to look forward to. That cheeky monkey is coming to visit Nana and PaPa this weekend. Oh, and she's even bringing her daddy and mama. She's so special and not just because she loves to go fishing and will even bait her own hook. Wowser, I won't even do that. Actually, I don't go fishing.
Miss Alyssa is turning 4 at the end of the month. We'll be partying away here at Summers Studio. We've got bubbles, we've got side walk chalk. We've even got beads! I haven't seen her for a few months. I haven't seen her and Mama and Daddy together since Daddy got back from Afghanistan.
So we'll be taking a bit of a blog siesta over the weekend to eat cake and make merry.
Happy weekend all!
11 comments:
Have fun, LeAnn!
looks like you have a fun weekend ahead..great beads too.
Those beads look fantastic! I love the texture and the colors. I have to go check out your Etsy shop.
Have a great weekend with your family.
Now you're really tempting me! there is nothing like opening the kiln the next day, even wedging it a little and trying to see before it's ready when everything crackles almost to the point of Uh-Oh. Have a wonderful time with your family and especially your precious granddaughter, there's nothing like them either!
Beads look amazing and that little pink hat creature is a CUTIE! Have a good weekend.
the very best weekend to you - is there really anything better than sidewalk chalk and bubbles? i think not... we still have a store of those... sprinklers are fun... the beads look wonderful and a friend just told me there was something in your shop i need to go and look at! somehow i don't always look in shops, i hit the blogs... but i am headed there now - x
I was a naughty one a few times! I wonder if my mom ever knew that I actually opened and re-wrapped? Love the beads and they do look like little cookies! Have fun with your sweet girl!!!
Have a wonderful weekend! We still have sidewalk chalk and mine are 16 and 13!
Well worth the wait!!! They are beautiful! And those kissing ones into the bin where they can be happy together forever (soul mates perhaps… clay particles separated in the earth, through the clay making process, in a bag close to each other, then joined through their sharing of a glassy surface)…
Have a great time this weekend with all your family!!! Hope you have so much fun you forget to take pictures (but someone actually gets a few).
The colors are delicious! I'd be tempted to peek, too.
Great load of beads you have here LeAnn!
Have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!
Post a Comment