Etsy Circles - Was It something I said?

So I have to be honest, I did not get into the whole "circle" thing at first, and it took me a little while to embrace it. Once I did however, I really enjoyed all the new "clicks" I was a part of. Recently I've been getting denied access to add more people to my "circle" if you will as it is "bursting at the seams!" Really?
Am I so unpopular that I cannot and should not add more people to be friends with? I've done some research to find out that my circle limit will be expanded once more people add me to their circle and so I sit and wait to be allowed to become clicky with more Etsy folk. I have to say, this is hurting my self esteem. Etsy's solution is to "remove folks from your circle to make room for more" . So now I cant help but think that with every circle lost, that person is removing me to make room for a much cooler person.
This whole thing is making me feel like a redheaded stepchild. There I blogged about it!

Etsy Mud Team Mug Swap

Every year, the Etsy Mud Team has a mug swap. Where all the team members randomly exchange a mug they made, for a mug made by another team member. Even though this swap takes place at the same time every year, for some reason it takes me by surprise and I always miss it. This year I am on the ball and have my mug ready! I am very proud to swap this prefect little mug and hope it goes to a faminine cat lover. As much as I love my mug, I find it kind of humorous to imagine a man using it. You can find other great mug entries here. 

A Need for Clean

 I really had to push myself this past month to keep a steady work schedule. Despite Finn becoming really active, I have been working and making stuff during every nap and free moment I can get. As a result, I am firing my kiln for the first time in months and it's stuffed!

I've had many new and intesting ideas, experimenting with colored porcelain as well as decals and cannot wait to see and show you the results in another post. I've also had a chance to finally develop letters to be used for personalized items like mugs and vases for names and monograms.

Having been so busy (and lazy) my studio became absolutely dingy. I've finally had to force myself to get down and dirty. It took me 3 1/2 hours of scrubbing on hands and knees to clean about a 5'x5' space, after which I was so exhausted I could not continue.

This is a small part of what I have to tackle tomorrow....ehhhhhh.....

Vintage Taking Over Etsy?

So while I've been kicking back being a mom, I've began to notice a shift...an Etsy shift. Even though my pottery production has now taken a back seat to mommyhood I still check on my Etsy shop and some of my favorite categories daily. I couldn't help but notice the number of vintage shops and vintage items that now seem to pop up more than ever on the front page as well as Storque articles and the Etsy Finds emails. This caused me to stop and think about what this may mean for us handmade folks and the site in general. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge vintage fan. I've scored a gorgeous mink stowe and some magazines from a couple of my favorite vintage Etsy shops. However, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the presence of craft supplies and 1950's kitsch as I browse Etsy's pages. Part of what attracted me to Etsy was that it sold handmade! It somehow made it a special place so very different from EBay! It wasn't a place for everyone, but rather a group of people that could "create". Now I know that vintage shop owners may read this and say I am only complaining because I sell handmade, and that would be true to a point. I am not saying there should be no vintage or supplies on Etsy, just not sure I like the site moving in a different direction. After all, it's not "Etsy, where you buy and sell handmade" only any longer.I am not really sure where I am headed with this, other than that I would like to know what others out there may think.

Would I Trade My Finn For a Thousand Etsy Sales?

Not even a million!
With my production schedule going at a steady crawl, I can't help but wish I had more time for clay. Especially for the busy holiday season. However, when I look over at the little person playing in his playpen as I write this post, sales don't seem important. With another kiln load cooling off in the garage, I wonder if I should rename this blog " Finding Finn". We've sure been having fun these last few months and can't wait for Christmas!
Thanks to all of you who's patiently waiting for new work to hit the shelves. I appreciate you sticking with me! I am excited to take a peek inside the kiln today and take some photos of all the fun pottery.
I've been perfecting a new pink glaze... let's hope it looks fab!

Getting Back To Work

For the last few weeks, I have been carving out more and more time to spend in the studio. With Finn having more of a routine, it's becoming easier to plan around his schedule. Creating hand built work allows me stay in the house and work at the same time. While this places "limits" on the type of work I make, it actually helped me think outside the box and come up with new ideas. Speaking of carving,the Etsy Mud Team is having a Tile Challenge. Stop by and vote for your favorite, and receive discounts offered by our team members. I entered my Abstract Pears Tile, which I carved from high fire white stoneware clay. I really love the glazes on this tile. They are muted and neutral, yet still create depth.

Father's Day Taste Test.

When I can't mix glazes and work with clay, I bake. Baking and mixing glazes is pretty close to the same thing (in my mind anyway). Both require concentration, love and precise measurements. This Father's day, being my husband's first, gave me the perfect excuse. My husband is a huge chocoholic, and swears by Betty Crocker's Milk Chocolate Cake Mix, and Betty Crocker's Milk Chocolate Frosting. I on the other hand is a "from scratch" kinda gal. So I gave him a blind taste test. The cake on the left (Cake A.) is made completely from scratch using Beatty's Cake Recipe from the Food Network. The cake on the right (Cake B) is made from store bought Betty Crocker Milk chocolate Mix and frosting.

I first fed him a piece of Cake A, followed by Cake B. Upon tasting both, my husband stated that they were both great, but he preferred Cake B. A little disappointed (I preferred cake A of course) I pushed over the plate with Cake B, and said "here's your cake." He tasted it and said "wait a minute, very funny, now give me my cake!" HA! I win! I win!

Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for store bought cake mixes, and I have to say, Betty Crocker's cake was not half bad, and took no more than 20 minutes of prep. time. But I loved the richness of Beatty's Chocolate cake. It had a much firmer texture without being dry and the chocolate butter cream frosting was truly amazing. Makes me want to have a slice just thinking about it!

So the test revealed, from scratch is always better! Much like it is with glazes isn't it?