You guys, you guys! This weeeeeek! I love it! I am almost over this cold and feel a good 87.3% better than I felt last week (I'm still a little congested but everything else is fading). Because I feel better, my energy level is up, so I'm getting more work done, which makes me feel productive, which makes me feel good. It's a cycle! Oh, and I got a new tattoo started, and that's always exciting. Especially when it's something that's been in my head for years... to finally see it taking shape, and better than I could ever have expected?! Anyway - here's what's going on.
In ceramics... I listed the January mug, and it promptly surprised and humbled me by selling out within about five hours. That has GOT to be some kind of record- I was totally not expecting that! A few people have asked me if I'm going to make more, and I have to be honest... that's not high on my list of things to do. Last year I really sweated and tested and retested the Mug of the Month, started off with making 10-12 of each one, and ... the early ones honestly didn't do too well. As the year went on I switched from handbuilt to slipcast and made less of them, not testing colors beforehand but kind of flying by the seat of my pants... and those last ones did really well. But a few of them, ones that people asked if I'd make more, I did... and then those "more" didn't sell. So while I'm sure some of you who are saying you'd buy some really would plan on it... it's hard for me to jump in on something where I've been disappointed before, recently. So instead: if you want to go to the Mug of the Month listing, choose January, look for the brown pop-up on the left upper side of the screen and leave your name and email for a one-time notification if I restock it... I'll keep an eye on those numbers. If about eight or ten people want them, I'll make more in a few months. But only if.
What else in ceramics....? I'm glazing the tentacle mugs; I wanted to list them next Monday but I have some glaze on order and it depends on how fast it gets here, if I can get everything fired before Sunday. Cross your fingers! And I'm already eyeing the February mug, perhaps with one of those tester greens I did the other day. Mmmmm.... greeeeeeen. I'm also photographing and listing some things that I didn't have time to get to between GLAM and Christmas, so expect a few new things popping into the shop soon. Oh! When I ordered the glaze for the tentacle mugs, I also ordered something I want to try out with those huggy salt-and-pepper shakers. I made some for GLAM and they sold out, but seeing how people reacted to one pair made me want to kind of change direction in glazes a little bit, and I had to settle on some color combos. So hopefully I'll have those finished, finally, in a couple weeks (and did I tell you about the one I glazed but forgot to clean the shaker holes out of, so the glaze filled those in and made him permanently useless? Hahahaha, sigh.).
In soap, I had a small update over the weekend, and I'm going to try to get time to wrap a little more in the next day or two... so I'll probably have another small update this coming weekend. And I am super-crazy-excited about the Year of Soap... so many new fragrances! If you're in this year, you are definitely getting spoiled with stuff made just for you!
In yarn, I've finished dyeing January club (it's drying now; I'll probably wind up mailing International at the same time I do Domestic, just because I got a couple of days behind when I was sick last week)... I've finished dyeing a former club colorway that I'll be bringing into the shop as a permanent colorway later this month (what, I didn't mention that? Tee hee hee! Surprise!).... Today I should finish with a couple of custom orders and be able to start February yarn.... after that, sock blanks, and after that, March yarn. And after that... well, let's just say I have a little idea I want to try out so there may be something else new in February in addition to sock blanks. WHEW. Did I mention my energy is up!?
In other things, like I mentioned, I started getting a new tattoo over the weekend. If you're interested, it's a half-sleeve on my upper left arm, of flowers and leaves, all of which have significance with dear, dear friends and loved ones I have lost. I go back in February to get the rest of it colored in (I tapped out after about seven hours, and it needs about six more) but even in an unfinished state it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I can't believe that big old shambling dorky me gets to sport something so delicate and beautiful. I know that tattoos are in the wheelhouse of many of you; I put an album up on Instagram of getting it done, and I'll post more there in February when I go back to get the rest of it colored in.
Hmm... is there anything else going on....? Next week I need to stop working on about Wednesday and start getting the studio ready for the Open House on the 20th. I joked with That Poor Man that I didn't know why I was even bothering to move furniture from where we'd shoved it to fit so many people in the studio for Christmas dinner, but I did have a lot of work to get done and squeezing between tables was getting old fast.
OK, I think that's about it for me.... what about y'all? What are you working on this week? What's setting you on fire and exciting your heart?