Brownie ceramics

Ganoush and I went to the local high school for a Brownie activity of glazing ceramics for only $5 per item. The Brownie leader works at Local HS and worked with the art teacher for this opportunity which is much cheaper than the ceramics place we have been to twice in November.

Ganoush painted a plate (excerpt at left) and I made a mug just for me (see below). She was told to write her troop number and name on the back of the plate. She chose to write both on the plate's large rim instead.

Ganoush jumped into the middle section, writing out the "green" letters in her message and pattern just by mental vision and without a guide on paper or plate. She made a mistake and got frustrated. The Brownie Event Leader and I both showed her that she could just wipe off the glaze and start again. We wrote out her message on a handy paper towel and assigned each letter a color according to her pattern.

Pencil marks on bisqueware disappear during firing, so any necessary guidelines can be drawn right on the piece. On my mug, you can see the R and W notes to myself for painting the handle in a Red and White candy cane stripe.When her guidelines ran off the plate center, I offered to make some letters for her if she wished. I rewrote C and KIES.

I wrapped my hand around the mug as if I was warming myself, then I traced my hand. If we had been at the usual, more expensive pottery shop, I could have written more in detail with their puffy paints. But that's the price I pay for spending only $5 instead of $18 per piece.

Ganoush wanted me to duplicate the rings on my own hand to the hand on the mug.

Kid ceramics

When I made the bulb ornament, the kids each painted a ceramic or two as well. Ganoush made these for Goof and Aunt Equestrian. I can show them, now that the gifts have been given.


Here is the horse for Aunt Equestrian.


The dolphin for Uncle Goof. On the right are the three ornaments made by our tablemates, whose leftover glaze I used for the bulb ornament.


Goof is a Miami Dolphins fan, so Ganoush was deliberate in adding the orange streaks in the water. Goof noticed.


On Thanksgiving Eve Day, Ganoush asked for colored pencils and paper. I later saw her studying our family portrait from 2005 as she completed portraits for her aunt and uncle.

Ceramic bulb ornament

I thought I had posted the "before" photos, well, before. Perhaps they are only on Flickr.

Here is a ceramic bulb I painted at a local pottery shop. It was spur of the moment at the end of the session, most to use up glazes left be my kids and the other family sharing the table. Before & after, obverse & reverse.

Red Hat / Cow sushi plate

A sushi plate I painted/glazed for my mom in 2005. She likes cows and she is a Red Hat Lady.

Kitchen switch and outlet covers on display

The ceramic covers have been fired, picked up, and installed around the kitchen. They add a lovely, personal touch to the place.



These are Ganoush's. She included her initials, which I have craftily disguised using MS Paint. The pink puffy paint that she had used is now purple. It does not affect the design.



This was CHG's first time with ceramics. He did a lovely layering on the leaves that is hard to see now. The dark greens overpower the lighter greens. The stripes are bold.



On the flip side, my leaves could have used more layering. I used rubber stamps, and they are difficult to align for second or third stampings. The boldest fern, I went over the paint with a brush, but it seemed too thick. I do like it. I just wish that the leaves had come out darker. I also initialed (and masked here) my work.



Gonzo's Electric-type Pokemon cover turned out great. It features Voltorb, Electrode, and Pikachu.

New outlet and switch covers

The kids and I like visiting a local pottery store. We can paint bisqueware with glaze, they fire it for us at the store, and we pick it up a week later.

Since the kitchen's design phase, I have had a dream of each of us in the family decorating an outlet cover for the new kitchen. Today, my dream came true. We were all available to go painting together.

We realized that their stock had just the right switch covers for all of our configurations as well. Each of us now has ownership of one corner. The pink spells out "dad."

Near the dining room are the pieces by Ganoush. She made the three-switch plate and the outlet cover next to it. She finished early, so she also painted a cat.

The electrics between the stove and the garage door were decorated by CHG. His pieces are at the top, striped or leafy. What looks like a cover for one switch and two outlets is really for three outlets. Original to the house, at least since we've been here, is one "regular" switch for the kitchen overhead light, and two left-to-right switches, one over the other, for the light in the garage and the light for the landing just before the garage.

The corner by the pantry is mine. I used rubber stamps to make a leafy theme. The kitchen has a lovely summer to autumn feel without really having any glaring orange in it.

The three of us used the same palette of three green and three wood-beige colors.

Gonzo went off and did his own thing. He didn't use any of our colors but had a definite theme in mind. He drew Pikachu from Pokemon. He also drew Pokemon Voltorb and Electrode. These are all Electric type Pokemon. For an electric outlet cover. Cool.

More art than craft

The kids and I went to a local pottery shop today, where customers buy bisqueware, glaze it, pay for it, and leave it. The owners fire it within a week and it is ready for pick up.

Just before Thanksgiving, the kids went with their class to make something in secret, if they chose. Ganoush made a red white and purple mug for me. Gonzo made a Pikachu mug for himself.

Today, the kids made mugs for their grandparents. Ganoush made a money for herself and a kitten for CHG and me. Gonzo made a kitty for himself and a penguin for CHG and me.

I made a jewelry tray for my dresser. The cats started as foam stamps. I stamped them with water and traced the images in pencil. The pencil markings will vanish during the final firing.

The bottom right cat kind of looks like my former cat, DogFood. The upper right cat isn't calico enough to look like my other former cat, Vicki.

After taking the photo, I glazed the bottom in wild strokes to use up extra glaze. While I was waiting for the bottom layer to dry, I went to the front desk to make my payment. When I returned to my table, Helpful Clerk had removed the rest of my glaze. I snuck over to my friend Elephant's table. She was finishing up a butterfly box. She let me use some of her green glaze to color the edges in green, since some of my under color slopped over to the top edge. Mistakes are just new opportunities.

The finished products will be ready on Dec 7th.