New Slumped Bottle Plates

I've been slowly working at getting photos taken and descriptions written for some of the pieces I had finished before my surgery. The doc told me not to push myself at all, and to have a very boring month. I've listened, and it's driving me nuts! I can't wait until I can use my right hand again. And I'm sure my family feels the same, I know they're tired of tying my shoes.



I've got another "tie-dye" bottle ready, this one is yellow, pink, and orange. It's so cheerful! And I was thrilled with the way this Grey Goose Vodka bottle came out. All of the printing on the bottle is intact, and it's lovely! Apparently someone else thought so too, because it's already been sold.



This cobalt blue tequila bottle came out nicely too. There's something about blue glass that catches everyone's eye! My favorite, though, is this Midori bottle. All of the lovely, bumpy texture of the original bottle held up through the kiln-firing process, even as the bottle slumped to a fairly flat shape.

Cruise the Handmade Highway

I'm so excited to get my own stop on the Handmade Highway! It's a new site where you can list yourself and your creations so that bloggers looking for shops to feature or sponsors for giveaways can find you. Created by the amazing Lori of Risky Beads, I think this will turn out to be an incredible resource for all lovers of handcrafted goodness.

Registration for the Handmade Highway takes only a couple of minutes and $5.00. I think that's an incredible bargain! You have to meet a few qualifications, though: at least 5 items for sale somewhere (Etsy, Artfire, your own dot com site, etc.); quality pictures that engage the customer; and a good customer service reputation.

Lori's offered a special bonus for readers of my blog! Register on the Handmade Highway through tomorrow, July 4, for only $3.00. Use "Lucky Girl Trading" as the referral code when you sign up.

And if you're a blogger looking for someone to interview, or an artisan to feature, you might want to check out Find A Feature, the flip side of the Handmade highway.

Slowly But Surely

I thought I'd be able to use my recovery time to catch up on paperwork and email, list new items that I made pre-surgery and have been sitting here, etc. I've managed to make only tiny bits of progress, but I'm getting stronger every day so maybe I'll be able to pick up the pace. Yesterday I managed to write a short grocery list. It looked like it had been written by a 5-year-old, but it's the first time I've been able to use a pen for more than my signature in over a year! Yippee!




And I got my first incense burner listed for sale. I love this piece, the cloudy pattern has a beautiful contrast with the translucent cranberry glass. I've got a dozen or so more designed in my head, just waiting for the doc to okay me to cut glass again.

My Plate for the Local Animal Rescue

Recovering my my thumb joint replacement surgery has taken a lot more of my energy than I expected. My days have gone something along the lines of shower, nap, get dressed, nap, eat something, nap. I'm starting to take a few less naps, but I still can't do much without some assistance, and I'm getting really bored. Not being able to make anything is getting to me, so the most constructive thing I'm doing now is learning to be a bit more patient.

I did manage to get some help taking photos of things I made last month. I love this plate, it's a beautiful band of green sandwiched between two bands of blue, fused with a layer of clear, and then slumped in a mold to create a nice curve. It's going to a local animal rescue organization as a donation for their fundraiser. I hope they make a nice bit of cash for it!