I Can Make That!

 I first fell for this delusion as a high schooler, when the Lee Wards catalog would arrive, and all the craft projects in it's sleek glossy pages sang their siren song.  Fortunately for my wallet, I was of very limited financial means and could order few items.  My long suffering mother graciously carried her canvas purse that I bedazzled with plastic gems, and the cross stitched linens, crocheted cape, and woven pot holders found recipients as well.  It would be years before  the community ed class that introduced my hands to clay would be the start of a lifetime love affair.

This spring, bottle forms have become a bit of an obsession, from small soy and syrup bottles to larger oil bottles for the stove top, to growlers that can hold a very large amount of beer.  No one in my life drinks that much beer, but it hasn't stopped me from making one after another.  I am in search of a market,  has anyone had success with the online sales sites?  These are hefty affairs, for the strong of arm, and will be truly weighty once filled with a beverage.  At least the thick walls will hold the cold in on a warm summer day.  And there's nothing to prevent one from using them for lemonade or tea or anything else that pours.

We had a wonderful rain last night and today was a bit wet as well, very much needed with so much of our state being in a drought.  Our lake is shallow and far from our dock again this year, grass and weeds have begun to grow on the shore where it is usually water.  Little peeps and cheeps drew me to the window to see a mother duck herding her little group of ducklings through the garden - isn't it a bit early for them to have hatched?  The Spousal Unit had to drain our garden pond to discourage a mallard couple from setting their nest by our patio furniture.  When the female flew off in search of a more suitable place for her eggs her mate quacked his distress, Stanley calling to his Stella.  TSU thinks it is weird to have named them, the man may be a genius but he is sadly lacking in imagination.  Of course they have names, everything has a name.

Since the kiln was running overnight and it was too hot to work in the studio, today was a soap making day.  A log of coconut milk soap and one of carrot/honey with orange essential oil are cooling on the counter.  They smell so good - so different from the chemical undertones of commercial soap, I have become quite the activist for natural products!  The same lovely women who invited me to their fall holiday sale have extended an invite to join them in June for their Art in the Garden sale with my soaps and balms and soy candles.

What are you doing with your creative side this week Gentle Readers?

Namaste.