Firing the Craft Center kiln

We fired the Craft Center kiln this week for the first time since the renovations. The new chimney worked fine. With the new ventilation system and air tight room we will need to do some adjusting to get it right. The day we started it up we had our typical afternoon thunderstorm which meant we had to stand in just the right position to get the kiln to start. Supposedly, we weren't suppose to have this problem with the ventilation system and air tight room. After about 20-25 minutes and a little adjusting of the burners, she lit up. The rest of the firing went well. We played around with different settings on the 2 vents and the intake air supply ......... these vents and intake air supply are for the kiln room. It almost seems like these 2 vents and the air intake can act like another damper for the kiln. INTERESTING. I can see some possibilities here. In the mean time, there is still some fine tuning to get the basic firing down that will fit the whole glaze palate. In this firing some of the glazes were over reduced and some were beautiful. We will see what happens in the next firing.

lsk

07/25/09 at Uwharrie Ridge

Today I worked in the studio for a while, cutting & folding paper for journals. This afternoon we took a ride to Carrboro for a stop at the Open Eye Cafe & then on to Kathy's at Uwharrie Ridge. The hens & rooster had grown quite a bit since the last time I saw them....they are eating well! ( Soon there will be eggs, I think.)
Kath made a fantastic salad with fresh greens from the Farmers Market & tomatoes from her garden.
The butterflies and hummingbirds were abundant in the garden!

dll

Getting journals ready

I spent time today cutting paper and folding folios to match them up with covers. Next they will be marked so that I can drill them. Each folio will get a colorful cover page. Extra goodies will be added to each, then they will be sewn together with the coptic stitch.

lsk

After dinner espresso

After dinner tonight I made some stove top espresso. I should use this espresso maker more often. When I make it I usually put just a little fat free vanilla creamer in the top part. That way it is more like a latte (with out the foam).
Boy was it tasty!!!!!

I used two espresso cups I made a while back.
lsk

Digital Photo Workshop with Joy Tanner and John Britt

Yesterday I attended the Digital Photo workshop at John Britt's Studio http://www.johnbrittpottery.com/. The workshop was taught by John and Joy Tanner
http://joytannerpottery.com/. It was a great workshop. We learned how to make a light box and create a photo set-up. I learned a lot about white balance, f-stops and shutter speed. But what was most helpful to me was how Joy helped me figure these things out on my camera. You know sometimes when you try reading the provided manual ........... it really is a requirement that you are a rocket scientist. Anyway, a lot of valuable information was provided and we were fed a wonderful lunch. Check at John's website to see other up-coming workshops at John's studio.


lsk

Morning trip to the Arboretum

I took a quick morning trip to the Arboretum. Here are just a few photos.

lsk

LuLu's New Ride

LuLu always likes to play ball & go for a ride in her new vehicle! She's not too happy being in the cargo area of the car, but until I get a seat cover/protector for the back seat, she'll have to ride there (with the back seat folded up, so she has lots of room!) I had intentions of working on books this week-end, but never did get to that, although I did work on a few 'tags'. It took me awhile to 'decompress' after making the purchase..... it was difficult to be creative. dll

Bumper Stickers

While I was driving around the Midtown region of Raleigh the other day, I saw the following two bumper stickers on a car.
If you call one animal a pet how can you eat another and call it dinner?

Torturing one animal is called cruelty, torturing many is called science.

These bumper stickers have reminded me of a few things I have read lately. Such as.... According to Diet for a New America, over a billion people could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock every year.

And......From the National Geographic Mag......... With sizable brains and dexterous arms, octopuses are known to block their dens with rocks and amuse themselves shooting water at plastic bottle targets and lab staff. They may even express basic emotions by changing color, according to the Seattle Aquarium.

so, Going Veg..........reduces personal annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 tons
........ saves forests and wetlands from conversion to pasture and feed cropland
........ conserves water supplies

Just some food for thought. I'll get down off my soap box now. I know, I know this is suppose to be an 'artsy' blog.

lsk

More OBX

If you travel North from Hatteras up Hwy 12 to Manteo, Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills, make sure that you stop at one of 3 (or all 3) locations of the Front Porch Cafe. You can see a picture of the mugs I have made for them with their logo. They roast their own beans, aka Kill Devil Coffee Roasters. A blend that I like is Surfer's Organic Roast. They also have a large selection of lattes (try the Milky Way Latte, Deb likes the Blackbeard's latte), cappuccinos, and teas (Chai tea is awesome!).
At the Manteo location, Susannah and Paul have created a true coffee bar. This location is spacious with couches, chairs, tables, a coffee bar with all the beans displayed behind the bar, a great sound system, big screen TV, a comfy front porch and of course its"wireless". They often run dvd's relating to fair trade coffee, such as the movie 'Black Gold'.

Stop in and check it out!!!!

lsk

On the Outer Banks

This past weekend we made a quick trip to the Outer Banks of NC to deliver coffee mugs to the coffee house pictured here. (The "Mugs" were shown in an earlier blog.) I really wish we could have spent more time there, but we had to get back to Raleigh. Every time I am out there I think I really would like to live there! I know the winter cold and wind can cut through you like a knife, but there are down sides to everything. Picture this...... me as an old lady being a beach bum!!! Scary huh? Especially when a hurricane comes along.
So if you make it out to the Outer Banks, make sure that you stop in the Uglie Mugs Coffee House in Avon. The place is great and they have a killer s'mores latte!

lsk