Pottery update

Once again, it's been a while.   I have been working on pottery every available moment while getting ready for the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile.

Here's a bit of what I have been up to:

 Botanicals

 Yarn bowls

 Some colourful pieces

Loads of buttons - glazed both sides this time.

And the odd pod here and there.

Plus, I'm trying to improve my photography skills.

Another Giant Game finished for the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market.

Good morning all!  I certainly hadn't intended to be gone for a whole month, but there we are.

Here's just one of the myriad projects I've been working on lately...a giant checkers game.

This one is for the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile in August (click here if you are on Facebook for this year's event), or here for pictures of last year's event if you aren't on Facebook.  I am sponsoring the games this year (as Remembrances Pottery).

The checker pieces are sliced from a large maple branch downed in some rather strong winds last year.  My husband cut them with a chain saw, and since a handful lost their bark in the process, N chipped the bark of the rest of them to match.  I painted both sides with some iridescent paint I had lying around, and there you have it.   They aren't quite finished yet because I think one side needs a crown (king me, king me) but S thinks I should draw on chess pieces instead.  Still debating.

The board itself is from an old wool blanket (I love re-using wool blankets and sweaters) that has been stored away for years.  I had fully intended on making it into a hooded cloak, but realistically it will get more use this way.  After all, it has been in the "to do" bin for about 5 years.  I painted it to look sort of like a quilt to match the theme of the show (Pioneer meets Victorian meets Steampunk).  Also, it was taking WAY more paint than I anticipated so I ended up mixing and matching.

I'm quite looking forward to the show.  With each project we finish up, N gets more and more excited to go.  He's the "Gamesmaster" in the Village Green so that if little ones show up with their parents and have no one to play the games with, he's on the scene to play along...and to get races going just generally to get everyone having a good time.  The perfect job for him.

Feel free to weigh in on the crown vs. chess piece debate...which would you vote for?

Linking up with:  Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams
                         The Backyard Farming Connection Blog Hop
                         From the Farm Blog Hop
                         Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder
                         Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

A publicity photo shoot for the Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile

In which I definitely leave my comfort zone!

As one of the sponsors for the event, I was asked to come in costume (the options for the show are Pioneer, Victorian, Steampunk, or hill-billy) to meet with three of the others, and the photographer to do a publicity photo shoot.  Due to illness, a couple of people weren't able to make it...

...leaving us with just two people in the pictures, which makes it harder to camouflage the fact that I am quite uncomfortable getting my picture taken.  The photographer (Yvonne Parsons Photography) was great, AND she'll be doing sepia portraits at the show both days.

The event:  Carlisle Country Craft and Old-Fashioned Market Mercantile
Dates: August 23-24, 2014 from 10:00 - 5:00 each day
Location: Mountsberg Hall and Fields in Flamborough County
              2133 Centre Road, Hamilton L0P 1K0 (for GPS directions)
Admission: $2.00 per person - kids 12 and under are FREE
What we'll have:  a great collection of artisans with old-fashioned skills - weaving, spinning, pottery,      felting, soapmaking, paper making, a blacksmith, tatting, wooden musical instruments, oh                goodness - so much more.
     Also buskers and live entertainment - magic, music, games in the Village Green, snacks and            drinks, live demos, portraits, and a petting zoo.

It's a great day trip, but if you live a little ways away - there are 3 cities within a 20 minute drive with plenty of hotels to make it a weekend trip.   There are buckets of waterfalls to visit and it's not far from the African Lion Safari.  There's also camping nearby.

PS: I'm the one standing up.  It will be in print sometime soon.