To go along with the Cat in the Hat...

I decided to make some friends for the Cat in the Hat that I drew on the white board while subbing last week.  What better than Thing 1 and Thing 2?  I could not draw them on the board because the students were watching science videos, so I sat down and made them from construction paper.

Whats the difference between stoneware and earthenware?

People often are confused about the difference between stoneware (high fire clay) and earthenware (low fire clay).  I found a nifty chart online that offers up some easy ways to compare the two and clarify the strengths and weaknesses between them:

Differences in an undecorated piece of stoneware and earthenware:    

Stoneware Earthenware (ceramic ware) Impervious to water (water tight) Not impervious to water (cannot hold water) Chip resistant Chips easily Color: Buff or terra cotta Color: white Feel: textured Feel: chalky Look: like pottery Look: rough white Looks great undecorated or decorated. Can only use when decorated. Can withstand high/low temp. Cannot withstand high/low temp. Oven safe Not oven safe Suited for household use. Suited for decorative use Painting bisque: Wipe off mistakes.   Glazes flow: bisque is not porous Painting bisque: Cannot correct mistakes Glazes adheres to bisque: bisque is porous Firing: Leave the bottom of the piece dry and place on shelf Paint or glaze the bottom of the piece and stilt on shelf.

Step by Step Gnoming!

Today I found a wonderful tutorial on gnome making on weefolkart.com!

Step by Step Clay Gnoming!

Homes for Gnomes!

I've been researching different types of gnomes online because my husband told me my clay mushroom out back needs a gnome.  I have found some really cool websites/artists/gnomey goodness!  I really liked the simple construction yet creatively detailed designs of these little gnome-homes! Have a look:

www.fairyhomesandgardens.com

Kiln Firing..

Tonight at pottery class someone asked me, "How hot does the kiln get?"  I found a really nice chart that explains the basics of kiln firing and what happens to clay at each temperature.  Check it out!

Experimenting with glass...

I decided to do a little experiment with small glass flat marbles and clay.  Check out the before and after.  I  think the blue coloring came from a small amount of baby blue underglaze I had painted on the clay.  Next time I will make the channels bigger so that there isn't so much spillage.  Thank goodness I had a ton of kiln wash on the kiln shelf because it made cleanup of the melted glass a breeze!

Cat in the Hat

What do you do when you have a little extra time at work?  Doodle on the board!