December 5 - 12 Creativity Catch-up

My plan for the week

Soap and salve-making - preparing for Christmas

 Soap curing in my laundry

Pohutukawa flowers - the trees everywhere are loaded!

I used some for making balms as well as for soap, both which sell well.

  Straining pohutukawa-infused oil..

..and measuring it out. Half a cup oil per 25 gm beeswax.

 Jars from Arthur Holmes - I needed to order some more
and was pleased when they arrived as I've been asked
 to supply the staff  Christmas presents this year.

First batch - Pohutukawa and Chamomile salve
Next on my list was Comfrey and Arnica - this has been
selling really well and great for body aches (like a sore
 neck/head ache) pain and for reducing bruising.

 Processing the plant materials....

..straining and measuring oil which then gets added to the melted bees wax.

 The filled jars...

..which get lidded once cooled and ten labelled
(which a designed on the computer myself)
I also made Kawakawa and Plantain Salve
 but didn't take any photos, sorry!
Soap and salve Making - 7 hours

Ricky Time: Teaching/Encouraging
Ricky started on a new project - making a backboard.

Painting the cut ply with blackboard paint

I have some picture frames which we'll re-purpose for the surrounds 

 Ricky also worked on this "tree" his mum wanted
him to do..and he finally got it completed. Yay!

Pottery

I was disappointed (but not surprised) my ceramic paper-clay
book covers cracked during firing. I experimented with adding
some handmade flax paper off-cuts to some clay .

 And it cracked. Not sure what to do with it now....

Wendy showed us how to so slab work

 She had lots of ideas to inspire as

 I really liked the leaf vase so had a go at making
something loosely based on the leaf vases.

 Preparing the base.

Rolling out the leaves on some clay.

 Cutting around each leaf.

 Then I added the leaves to the base.

 
Clay "slip" was used to stick

Inspiration Images

Raku Firing - Saturday 10th dec
When I first arrived (I was running late) the group had
 already loaded the kiln with the first pieces to be fired.

Unloading the kiln

The pieces go one-by-one into the bins fill with wood shavings

while more shredded material covered the items
then the bin was sealed with its lid for 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, I glazed some of my bisqued pottery.

I had no ida what they'd look like after raku
 firing so experimented with several glazes.

The second load ready for the bins (reduction chamber)

It was pretty smokey!

Some of the pieces...including one of mine
(the vessel on the right)

Unfortunately it started to rain.

Mike, one of the potters showed me how
 to "clean up" each piece

My fired pieces - I'm keen to do another raku firing and

 experiment with pit firing some time in the future.

Time: 5 hours

Photography - road trip to pick up a microwave

After the raku firing workshop I took a drive out to 

Ngunguru to pick up a microwave I'd bid on 

and won on Trade Me.