Here

And it lists all the people who have submitted a button, or buttons to the exhibition.

And I’m on there near the bottom.

There are 300 buttons that have been submitted, amazing, I’ll be going to look at them all.

And information for you to go and look is

Here.

These are the buttons that I sent to the exhibition, with the one on the bottom  left being the one in the exhibition.

These were made at the same time, with the same hand spun and hand dyed silk thread wrapped around the porcelain.

Shall I share some pickies?

Okay.

I love Julie Miles hares, and so did someone else, Cornelius here is now in a new home.

Dan Bridges cups, so lovely to hold and use, we’ve all been drinking out of his thrown mugs all day.

Daisy flower piece by Julie Miles

Vases and bowls by Julie Miles, sorry it’s a tad blurred!

Teapot, always close to my heart, teapots, by Dan Bridge.

I should have made note of his name, but didn’t, but he’s grand isn’t he?

Tiny, tiny thrown on the wheel forms by Eryl Flyer

Again by Eryl, and it’s incredible it looks all puffy and soft, but it’s porcelain people!

Lesley Ann Greene, this is the look that our old cat Asher has on his face when ever he gets mown down by one of the younger cats, it’s fantastic isn’t it?

And again by Lesley, this gorgeous camel with a crown, inspired by holidays abroad and yes camel riding, which she says is most uncomfortable!

Sorry about it being a tad blurry, it’s a phone picture, but it’s one of my new pendants, and I love them to bits – I’m wearing one I could not part with them all!  Porcelain, stunning glaze and real gold, all on a sterling silver chain.  This one a snip at £24 plus p&p.

Great sales, and great people around to talk to.

And now onto Ceramics in the Mill.

Looking forward to this too, it sounds  like it will be a good event, with potters all exhibiting and selling, so looking forwards to lots of lovely chat.

Ceramics in the Mill is at Higherford Mill in Barrowford, Lancashire, and runs from friday through to saturday, 10th to 12th of May.  Friday evening is a preview evening.  Saturday and Sunday are open at 10am with tea and cakes, and hands on work shops, so plenty for all.

Not long to go now before I’ll be there with my table of goodies, good job the kiln is on again!

Tomorrow and Sunday at 12 noon until 6pm.

I had a great time last year, and I was behind a table full of goodies most of the time.  People were friendly and curious and lots of lovely questions, and chats with some potters too.

So looking forward to it.

New buttons.  New jewellery. And this year porcelain hand made tile coasters with a green felt back in six lovely designs.  Sets of four are £30 and a single coaster is £8.00, and I do orders too if you can’t get there over the weekend.

See you there tomorrow!

Things have been made, and have been glazed and had their firing in the gas kiln today.

It will be tea time tomorrow until I can open it at the earliest, it takes a while to cool down from 1260°C.

Then decorate, and one more short firing until it’s all ready.

As you may know I did some training as a proper potter, ie one who makes pots.  Though it’s been 7 years since I threw pots at university, and the phrase a bit rusty was an understatement.

So I leapt at the chance to go and have some one to one throwing tuition, and I went yesterday.

The potter is a young man called Dan Bridge.  He looks at pots in a totally unique way, from the point of view of some one with Parkisons disease.  Most of his strength is in his right hand and he showed us ways of centring the clay that placed less stress on the wrists, and other ways to get round limited strength, or sore joints.  I find my thumbs are stiffer and sorer than they were and he showed me how to open up a pot using my fingers which was less painful, and easier than the way I was used to doing it.

Excellent day, and excellent tuition.  Dan is a beautiful potter and his work has an elegance and style all it’s own, and you would never believe that it has been made with a disease in mind.

By the end of the day I was throwing pots with more confidence than I started out with, and I feel much less stressed about sitting at the wheel to throw now.

Dan showing me how to centre using my fingers and pull the clay towards myself rather than trying to push it with the heal of my palm.

You can see some  of Dans’ stunning work here on his Facebook page.

And you can see Dans’ work in less than two weeks at Ceramics at the Mill as part of Craft and Design Month 2013.

And my work will be on show too.

HERE

And here is my button for the exhibition.

And these four are going to be framed as a picture like they are shown here, and should be on sale at one of my shows.

A slab roller is for rolling slabs of clay into nice flat thin slabs.  I use very thin for buttons and much thicker for the tile coasters.  It’s quite a job rolling all the clay, and my wrists, thumb and finger joints have been stiff and sore over the winter, and still are into the spring.

I think I’ll have to look at getting a slab roller as I really want to continue with my buttons and jewellery.

But at the end of the woe, here is what I’ve done in the last two days.

Doesn’t look very much really, but there are four or five tiles sandwiched  in between the boards drying flat and a selection of buttons and jewellery on the top.

And to prove I really do work on tea

And is that a peek at something new?

Green Walk is a cul-de-sack in Whalley Range in Manchester, with lovely Victorian houses.

Every year they open their houses to artists who gather to sell their wares, there are painters, potters, jewellers, print makers, wood work and textiles, and lots to see.

As well as artists there is tea and cake and food, and if it’s as good as last year it will be very good.

The open weekend is in it’s 7th year now, and I feel really privileged to have been asked back from my first weekend there last year.  It really is a unique event, and everyone is so friendly.

So pop along and enjoy, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May, from 12 noon until 6pm on both days.

I don’t work without tea.

Shed and tea, goes hand in hand, even though sometimes the tea can have a very fine layering of porcelain dust.

Knitting and tea.

Watching TV and tea.

Firing kilns and a cup of tea, unless it’s 2am and it’s going really badly and the you just have to get the hot chocolate out.

So imagine my delight when I found this:

50 best afternoon tea rooms

I love that Annies in Manchester is on there.  I’ve eaten there a few times, but not had afternoon tea – next time!

Mean while, put the kettle on and pass the tea pot, I’m parched……….

So names in a hat, well ceramic bowl.

And it’s Morag!

Congratulations Morag, and commiserations to every one else, thank you for commenting.

Morag I’ve emailed you, so check your in box.