New Look...

Hello Lovely People...

Wow.. I forgot how orange it is in here... it's been to long!

Well I'm told the last year is gone now so I have hauled my overfed self into work mode and made a good start on restocking the online shop (yes, Etsy at the mo but soon to also be the cool German site, Dawanda and the up n coming GB site, Folksy .)

Thanks to this:

...and yes we all know what this is in the UK.... anyway, thanks to this, my clay has been frozen solid since the start of December; not only in the bags it comes in but also in my pugmill which is the first stage of everything I do more or less.

For those wot don't know, Captain Pugmill is a large de-airing clay-chomper and extruder which pushes sheets of clay at me ready for transformation into gorgeous and magical items by my fair hands.

Well at the moment it's a TOTALLY USELESS LUMP OF CLAY AND STEEL!!! Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggg.

Breath.

So... current orders and commissions are at a bit of a standstill, unless they consist of  very small things only.

I do have some stock left from the Christmas fairs that were snowed off  (I'm sorry, this is a very bitter post. Somebody light me a fag...) so I've revamped the Etsy Shop and am filling it with badges/brooches which I think look rather splendid actually.

It may be all the shocking colour in this white/grey January. Or it may that they are fabulous.  It's not for moi to say...

A taster...



Click on the shop link on the right for a gander, do...

xx

Dunning Craft Fair

This is what I shall be up to this weekend... squeeeeeeeezing in a bit of selling between commissions and lengthy lists of things to do!  Tell the world!!! (or at least your friends!)

Ps.. I has Owls... that's one of the handsome devils there in the bottom left corner...

West End Craft and Design Fair, Edinburgh

Hello All....

Flippin' heck - it'd been intense... so intense that I've failed to post yet about my annual big selling event!










As usual, Edinburgh is buzzing during the festival and it's fab to catch up with craft fair buddies....
Stand is looking lush though I do say so myself... lots of new goodies this year and plenty fresh from the kiln as usual!  Nothing like some last minute inspiration...

They Rock...

AT LAST.... The Big Gay Biker Dudes are up for sale....

~oh yeah, Bebeeeeeh~

Possess one by hitting the Etsy button on the right.

Coming soon... Lady Badges ~ they are pretty and they wax their moustaches on a regular basis....

Quickie Postie...

Veeery quick catch-up re Potfest et al... I saw a lot of this the night before the set-up!

At least it was bonnie
Then as usual it took hours just to arrange my tables and random clothage!

God... HOURS in!

Hours later...

Two tables, THREE??? Oh, not enough clothage even with mad folds and disguises... two then.  Humph.

Finally...

My sis doesn't like the red, fancy cloths... I think it would be fine with no black... work in progress.  The shelves were dragged out at the last minute... will paint next time.  I'm a professional, me!

Right, well after all that it could have been a whole lot busier, but what with Potfest Scotland moving dates and venue and TOWN, I'm sure it's just a transitional phase..... mmhmmm.

(The new agricultural mart is a much nicer venue than the old Perth one, though... an open end with views over the nearby Trossachs and an actual cafe with more than one loo.  Same old cow pee aroma but really, we'd miss it if it wasn't there.  (in the mart, not the loos... stalls are too small for bovine rumpage)

So, while the regular 'punters' let me down in my bid to pay the rent for the 6th time this year, trade came up mini-trumps and saved the day. 
New badges, Wall Pockets and other fresh and lovely new things have/will be winging their way to Culross Pottery/Gallery in Culross, Ealain Gallery in Drymen, Starfish Studio in Johnshaven and the very lovely and constantly-selling-my-work craft shop, The Wee Boorachie in Milton of Crathes.

Grand.  I shall sit back and await the cheques and the glory!
Actually, I shall be up all hours, firing kilns, glazing, making, mucking about writing fascinating blogs etc and generally trying to play catch-up. 

Sleep? For whimps.

Tired

I am seriously knackered.

This is why:

and this ~ the nasturtium fire surround:

 

(part of which I overfired due to new over-enthusiastic kiln elements and the ability to sleep through FOUR alarms!!!)

 

It will be lovely when it's finally finished though...

Also rather weary what with making about a gazillion of these for said Potfest....

...and one or two other commisions and orders which are in the mix.  One more whole day before the Potfest set up on Friday and it's gonna be PACKED!!!

Should probably check kiln and go for a snooze, then!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dudes

Some days you just happen to hit upon something so fine....so very, very fine....

And today was one of those days.

Oh yes.

Last 4 badges to go in today's biscuit kiln and I'm busily drawing pretty ladies with demi-waves and lipstick, a la: 

Suddenly, a helmet appears... then a moustache.... then, before I can stop them.....

The Gay Biker Dudes are born!!!!!!!

I love them. 

I may never make anything else. 

Ever.

Boo Vake Mini exhibition

Pant, pant... Been rushing around, not writing this blog, but getting things through the kiln for the Ceri White mini exhibition at Boo Vake, creating lots of new work for that and Potfest, continuing with commisions and finishing orders and networking furiously online. 
Pause for breath.... anyway... here is the invite for the first thing:

Some goodies out of the kiln:

And it's been all badges, badges, badges, ladies with demi-waves and ~ oooh, y'know - stuff that flows from my fevered brain!

Must dash...

Byeeeeeeeeee

Kiln Repairing Workshop Happenings...

Is it Sunday night already???????? *weeps* Been a busy week in the CWS Empire.
The result of which is this...

Nightmare!!!  I can't help it... I have Potfest in a few weeks!  Not to mention a number of orders and commisions...

Actually let's ignore that and pretend everything's fine, la la la... 
So, I did a very good thing this week, production-wise:  I changed my kiln elements after *cough* a number of years.  Seriously, I could have fired tiles quicker just holding a match to them.  First thing to do when your pristine and shiny new elements arrive (and after unplugging the thing) is remove the back of the kiln...

Er, er... ............            No, it looks bad but let me tell you I have tackled bigger kiln electrics that look prehistoric and a lot more crispy than this.   Just get all the right bits to touch each other and not anything else and yer laughin'. 
*looks around for the fire-blanket*
So this is where the elements terminate and hook up to the fizzy leckie.  On the other side I was yanking out this:

Man those poor babies are well past retirement!  (They are gonna look so good on the Lady-Robot costume I'm thinking of for a 2069 space party I'm attending soon though!  I might wear them in my hair!) 

 Anyway, after much swearing, cutting my hands to ribbons and breathing lethal quantities of kiln fibre, (How many slivers of fibre does it take to do perminant damage, Ceri?  Oh, I dunno... ONE?!!!), my little kiln looked like this:

Deep joy and much rejoicing!  And yes it works!  If only I could rejuvinate my own bits and bobs with so little effort.          

Pauses for reflection....

Anyway, in anticipation of cuteness being a good thing for sales at Potfest, I've done some wee face badges and magnets - these are they in the raw:

And these are they biscuit fired:

Actually some of these, when finished and gloriously coloured, will debut at the mini Ceri at Boo Vake exhibition 20th-26th May (is that right, Arlene???) 

So that's a bit of a catch-up... just to show that when I'm not getting my paws dirty with mud, I'm just getting them dirtier with... other stuff.