A new appreciation...

-top left: Mike & Ashley in the studio  -top center: Mike on the wheel  -top right: pre-fired ware

-middle left: my mug & teapot  -middle right: the stack on the kiln at 10pm

-bottom left: infuser in the teapot  -bottom middle: teapot lid  -bottom right: fired ware

   After this wood firing I have a new appreciation for my husband and what he does.  When we had our pottery in NY we had a small electric kiln.  My husband has always talked about building a wood kiln.  He would try to tell me how much fun it was and how much work it was.  We recently moved into a wonderful farmhouse with a pottery already set up and a wood kiln in the back.
   He decided that this weekend was going to be the weekend we fired her up.  We had gorgeous weather for it.  Usually you would have a group of people to fire a kiln.  The people who lived here before us would have about 10 people to fire the kiln.  There is a port on each side that needs to be fed with wood every couple of minutes.  The kiln gets to about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit.  So you can imagine that it is very uncomfortable.  You have to watch the coals to make sure you don't get the stoke hole plugged.  That means you need to rake and shovel the coals very frequently.  Mike (my husband) started the kiln at about 5am Saturday.  One of his friends stopped in for a few hours in the afternoon. I joined him after I fed the kids dinner, and we had an assistant from about 5pm to 12:30am.  We stopped firing at about 2:30am Sunday.  Mike fired that kiln on his own for a lot of the day.  I was only there for part of it, and I have been having a hard time moving because of all the body aches.
   Hand thrown pottery is very valuable and beautiful.  Wood fired pieces are usually a bit more money, and I always understood it.  Now I appreciate it.  Now I think wood fired pieces are undervalued!  If anyone ever gets the opportunity to help fire a wood kiln, do it!  It was fun, it was work, and it produced some beautiful ware!  I was especially happy with my teapot & mug.  He always throws me something special.  I always get first pick.

To see more on the firing and get some more details visit his blog at...
http://lamplightpottery.blogspot.com/

Keep an eye on his shop to purchase pieces...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lamplightpottery

Woodland Creatures Featured!

I love this collection of great woodland creatures!  They are so sweet!  Great shops!

1. SparklePaw

2. TrafalgarsSquare

3. ZomoAndBara

4. CoolRanchStudio

5. LemonTreeStudio

6. LieBlingDesigns

7. LemonDropStudio

8. WildOlive

9. ChunkyChooky

10. SimbiosisByJulia

11. LittleSaplingToys

12. TheMerryCrownSociety

13. SleepyKing

I need your help guys...

I would like to put in an ad in CraftCult.  I worked these up...

Which do you think?  I am trying to keep it simple & clickable!  If you would leave me some feedback in the comments below I would be very grateful!

**THIS IS AN EDIT FROM ORIGINAL POST!!!**
I'm editing this post because I agree with the comments thus far and revised one of the ads... what do you think?

I will have pics of my studio coming soon!

Shop local... HELLO WISCONSIN!

A Wisconsin shout out for my neighbors...

1. MooShooPork

2. CottageHomeDecor

3. BuyHand

4.CraftPudding

5. ComfyCreations

6. DosPalomas

7. JenniferLadd

8. RetroMama

9. KnitzAndFeltz

10. GreenieMarie

11. TwelfthDimension

12. DanaCastle

13. Studio5115

14. PravinaStudio

15. EclecticWendyDesigns

16. JennaDesigns

17. SugarAndFlour

18. RedBootStudio

19. ArtAndPhilanthropy

20. FeltMates

21. DishfulsOfDoodles

Featured Seller, Jrisco...

My husband and I met at work.  We both worked at a pottery in upstate NY that makes hand painted and decaled tablewares & furniture.  While working there I gained an appreciation of hand painted ceramics.  Each piece a bit different.  All made with pride and attention to detail.  When I saw this shop that's what I thought of!  I love the whimsy and clean look of these pieces.  Jeanette Risco has a wonderful eye for balance and harmony.  She has the same feeling about her pottery as I do about my journals... they should be used everyday!  These little bits of pretty things are definitely too nice to let collect dust on a shelf!  And I can just imagine how impressed people will be if they actually get to use something that is this pretty when they come to visit!  She has wonderful things to gift also... my kids love tea sets.

She sent me a little something about herself...

Porcelain painting is a completely new venture for me. I graduated in 1995 from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles and for several years I worked as a designer in architectural and interior firms in Southern California and Seattle.

While living in Uruguay from 2005-2008 I had the opportunity to take the time to explore and learn some new things. I took classes in weaving, sushi, and pastel painting. I taught architecture to 4^th graders, learned Spanish, and played mahjong. I spent 2 years as the VP of the American Women’s Club and…I learned how to paint on porcelain.

From the moment I began exploring this new medium I found the anticipation and technical requirements of the medium very challenging. (Almost like the first time I drafted on AutoCAD – but much more fun!)

Please enjoy my pieces and know that I am having a great time creating unique one of kind treasures on porcelain that make people happy.

Use your china everyday!

Great workspace, Jeanette!  Keep up the good work!

Visit her shop at Jrisco or...

follow her on twitter, twitter.com/jnettrisco or...

join her facebook fanpage, Jeanette Risco Hand Painted Porcelin!