Louisiana events

Hot Air Balloons!

National Hot Air Balloon Championships will be held in Baton Rouge in  August, too! This should be awesome!

http://www.nola.com/festivals/index.ssf/2010/02/louisiana_festivals_for_august.html

Louis Armstrong celebrated

The music and memory of Louis Armstrong will be celebrated in New Orleans in early August. It's a good time to visit the area! Seafood is still available (Other than oysters) even though the fishermen are having to travel great distances to get outside the spill zone to get fish and shrimp that's safe to eat. BTW, crawfish are raised on crawfish farms in freshwater swamps, so they're definitely safe to eat! 


Click on the "Eyes" to the right of this post to see other "Events in Louisiana and Fun stuff to see and do."

Clay is awesome!

Clay is awesome. It comes from the Earth and its many uses provide for some of our most basic needs: shelter, food preparation and service, and aesthetics.  Did you know that clay can be reused? If you make something out of clay that you don't like or  messed up,  just dry it out, break it up, and rehydrate it to start all over again! You can save your scraps and use them again, too! Bits of bisque (fired clay) can be ground up and used as fire clay (which is added to clay bodies to give them additional strength and stress tolerance.)  Bisqued and glazed pottery last for thousands of years. Pottery remains are found in the digs of almost all ancient civilizations. The pottery you use in your home can last for generations, too, if properly cared for (which isn't hard - most pottery is dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and often oven safe, too.  Even broken pottery still has usefulness. Many types of pottery shards are used in making mosaics, while stoneware and porcelain pottery shards are used in making jewelry.  Clay - reusable, recyclable, and upcyclable.  How cool is that?

Gulf Oil Spill Donation Sale

40% of all sales, 6/16 to 7/31, to be donated to Audubon Institute for wildlife affected by Gulf Coast BP Oil Spill.

Happy Birthday Handmade Louisiana Team

Medium spoon rest in green with brown trim

Medium spoon rest
in red with brown trim

Medium spoon rest in black with red

It's been a busy month. We have just about completed the process for buying a new house: we close next week! I'm afraid throwing pottery will be a bit on hold while we pack/unpack and organize. Current stock will still be available to ship, however!  (I have some lovely spoon rests that I haven't listed yet. These are small and medium size and sell for $9 and $11).

Small spoon rests  in blue
(and one with a tan center)

Small spoon rest in  green with brown trim

Cottage Rose Designs  featured Hurricane Pottery for a whole week!  What a treat! Check out her blog there are some extra cool arts and craftsmen on her blog.
http://crgdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/updates-on-one-week-advertised-shops.html


A new Handmade Louisiana Team member, Beth, at BerryBlueCreations, included us in a treasury of Louisiana items.  She found some cool things.
Ma Louisiane
http://berrybluecreations.etsy.com/

We were featured on Toni's blog here:
http://www.satinstitchery.blogspot.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/satinstitchery
I love her corner embroidered bookmarks. They'll make great Mother's Day gifts, but I think they'll also be great for teacher gifts and graduation gifts!



We were included  in a treasury by Amanda. Take a look at the Louisiana treasures: 
Louisiana Treasury
Check  out the coo jewelry in her shop, too. We were so fortunate to make a trade with her for some super cool, fun earrings!  I have my eye on another pair, now.
http://chloeboutique.blogspot.com/
http://www.wildlifer78.etsy.com/

We were selected as  shop of the day by Wendy
WendysWhimsiesHandPaintedGifts

And now we're in a delicious Treasury all about ice cream sundaes.  You'll love the color palette; it reminds me of an old time (turn of the century) ice cream shop!  

sundaes-of-our-lives

Relief for aching and sore muscles

Several years ago, while throwing a softball with my daughter, I injured my shoulder. Well, time passed and it just didn't seem to be getting better. Doctors offered suggestions, such as anti-inflammatory medications, exercises, etc., but I found no improvement or relief.  I began to do some internet research and discovered Trigger Point Massage Therapy.  It made so much sense that I bought a copy of the book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition   This book has changed so much for our family. I wish I'd had it when my sons were playing ball in high school; we could have shortened the duration of so many sports injuries! We refer to this book to find solutions to many of the day to day pains that follow from working too hard, working in odd positions, overexertion, and just being "out of condition." Oh, and let's not forget the effects of stress on muscle tension! To work on some of the trigger points, it helps to have a partner who is also familiar with the techniques in the book, but many spots can be addressed with a tennis ball or lacrosse ball.  A thera cane is also very useful and highly recommended for self treatment.  If any of your daily activities leave you with aching, sore muscles then you really owe it to yourself to find out more about Trigger Point Massage Therapy.  It's amazing what a difference this has made in our lives!

Two treasuries at one time

Please visit this latest treasury to see how soothing green can be!  http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=104770

Expressions in Clay

I snagged my first Treasury on Etsy.  I took this opportunity to select pieces which reflected a variety of construction methods, surface treatments, and firing methods. No standard tableware here. Although a couple of the pieces are functional, most a decorative.  I hope you enjoy this sensual collection from members of the Etsy Mud Team.

Happy New Year

It's a new year, but it's hard getting started again after a 3 week break.  Where are all those great ideas and great intentions I had when I couldn't act on them because I had to prepare for the lovely,  long Christmas vacation trip?  We.., I think they left with me when I left the house, only they didn't come back with me.  Fortunately, I left myself some notes, notes written to keep me sane when I couldn't work. So now to begin the project list.  If it wasn't so darn cold outside, it would be a lot easier to get started. okay, so I'll shift gears and look over my list for handbuilding projects that I can do where it's warm - inside the house.  Pins, pendants, and magnets for Valentine's and Mardi Gras and a kiln goddess for the Etsy Mud Team Challenge. I'm going to start with the godess, because she'll need time to dry.