I got a bunch of my pottery back today!
First were these trays I created to hold all my costume jewelry.
I also got 5 of the 8 soap dishes I made to give as teacher thank you gifts. I bought some soap hand-made by students at a school fair, which I think ties in nicely.
I also got this crazy polka-dot mug back today. This mug is what gave me the idea to hand build the tops of all the other mugs. The bottom flew off the pottery wheel and got smashed and dings throughout it. I probably should have chucked it, but you know me, that would be too easy. Instead I tried to salvage it into something else.
Now If I hadn’t done that, my great idea to hand build the tops would never have come to fruition.
To the right is a re-do. I got this mug back last week but I did not like the colors. A fellow blogger recommended I re-dip the mug and fire it again. My pottery instructor is not a big fan of re-glazing. She says they generally come out messed up. The way I see it, it couldn’t make me any unhappier than the first time, but there is a chance I might like it the second. Either way, this vessel will hold coffee and in this sense, it will be perfect!
Last week I wasn’t too happy with any of the glazes on my mugs, so this week I made all new mugs. So far so good. The mugs are structurally superior to my first attempt. I threw the bottom bases on the pottery wheel and trimmed them today. Next I created some slabs of clay and stamped them with my Pakistani wooden textile stamps.
I then took the slabs and curved them around jars to create a cylinder. I left them to dry while I went and created the handles. From this point I then scratched, slipped and joined the cylinders to the bottom bases creating half thrown – half hand-built pottery vessels.
I’m very happy with how they turned out. The only problem is that I will have to have another go at glazing. This is where I seem to mess everything up and wind up hating them all. Deep breath… I will try my hardest and I think I will stop experimenting. Tried and true may be the way to go…if only I could stop myself from over-doing it! …Exhale.
Be Creative Mary 
Wow Mary they’re lovely! I’m loving the stamps. If I was glazing them I’d keep it really simple and let the patterns/texture speak for themselves… but I’m not quite such a colour addict as you :)
I think the mugs are great! How did they look glazed. ? I feel the same way about glaglazing!
Check out Blog day #351- Cup of Awesome I think these mugs are my favorite thing I’ve ever made. I just love them! here’s a link: https://becreativemary.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/day-351-a-cup-of-awesome/ My first batch the glazes were all messed up. They were supposed to be colorful and they all turned brown, but the second try came out perfect!
Never be afraid to experiment with color. That’s all the fun. You also might try applying glaze to the textured part of the mug then wiping it off so it highlights the pattern. It will make them look awesome.
Good job so far!
Beautiful. Where did you get your wooden stamps?
Brimfield antique show. However, you can find a lovely assortment on Etsy!
I’ve been trying to make the perfect mug for myself, and always end up underwhelmed. I love what you did with the stamps! I think I will try adding more texture to some of the forms I throw next time. Thanks for the inspiration!