The Ultimate Granny Cup and Saucer

Way back in this blog post I mentioned the granny cup and saucer that a friend asked me to make, as a gift for his boss for becoming a granny!! A bit of a cheeky gift, I think! Well, in that post, way back in September, I promised to post the progress of the piece on here. However that was as far as I got! So here is the rest of the progress of the 'Ultimate Granny Cup and Saucer'...

Freshly trimmed. I actually made three sets, to be on the safe side.

Here is the handle attached and I decided to add some 'older style' roses that are popular on wedding cakes, or on 70th+ birthday cakes!

The cup and saucer with some underglaze slips. I painted the roses pink and red, to go with the decals that I attached afterwards. 'Granny' is written in an old style of handwriting in green.

A close up of the pink rose on the saucer.

The cup and saucer glazed and ready for some decals.

The decals attached.
It's always hard to imagine exactly how the colours will turn out at this point.

The final granny cup and saucer! Ready to be delivered.

Here is the back of the cup.

It was a fun little project to make - something a bit different!
It was delivered on Friday and I got to see the boss's reaction. She really liked it! I'm pretty sure anyway... unless she was just being polite!? :-)

Urban Cow Studio

One of my favourite shops in Adelaide would have to be Urban Cow Studio. They have such a great variety of quality handmade gifts, that it's easy to find something for anyone's taste. I love the fact that everything is locally made in South Australia. They also have a great little gallery space, which I had the pleasure of exhibiting in last year.

Urban Cow has been nominated by Tourism SA as the best retail tourist destination in South Australia. Which I think is well deserved. Below is a little blurb about the shop. I'd definitely recommend going and having a look!


Urban Cow Studio has been a mecca for artists and art lovers for the past 17 years. Currently displaying artwork from over 150 South Australian artists and designers it is a visual feast for the senses with a new surprise around every corner.

The 3 downstairs rooms are filled to the brim with designer jewellery, handmade ceramics and glassware, paintings, illustration, sculpture, textiles, tshirts and hoodies (home of the infamous South Australian "Heaps Good", "Magic Mountain" & "Adelaide's Got Balls" tshirts).

Take time to wander upstairs to the gallery which showcases a new exhibition each month (opening evening the 1st Wednesday of each month). Some people describe Urban Cow as the best giftshop in Australia.... but it is much, much, more.

~

These spotty mugs are just one of the products I sell through Urban Cow.

I have been making the official Urban Cow ceramic range for 3 1/2 years now. Check out the huge range of bowls and platters in store. Each piece is handmade and decorated - meaning customers can order their own unique gift - with names, dates, special colours and unique details. Because they are made from scratch, you need to allow 4-6 weeks in the busy times. So order well ahead of time!!

Here are some recent customer orders:

Urban Cow Studio
11 Frome St
Adelaide SA 5000
PH: (08) 8232 6126
www.urbancow.com.au (join our cool mailing list) or find us on Facebook.

The best gift shop & gallery for all things handmade in Adelaide.

OPENING HOURS:
Mon-Thurs: 10-6pm
Fri: 10-9pm
Sat: 10-5pm
Sun 12-5pm

Fresh from the Kiln

One of my favourite moments of being a potter is opening the kiln, especially when I have created brand new work that's never been seen before. I stayed up half the night on Tuesday monitoring a kiln (which seems to be a regular occurrence these days), but it was all worth it yesterday when I opened the kiln to a perfect firing! It was filled with a mixture of work, including brand new exhibition pieces, wedding platter orders for the Urban Cow, general production work and some very sweet pieces that my 7-year-old niece Emily made while she stayed with us.

340 Grams Exhibition

340 Grams is an exhibition for members of the Australian Ceramic Association and will be presented during Clay Energy, Gulgong (28th April - 2 May, 2010). The brief was to take 340g of wet clay (the weight of a normal issue of The Journal of Australian Ceramics) and make it into a bowl or sculpture.

I decided to represent South Australia with our state's floral emblem (very patriotic) - Sturt's Desert Pea. It is such an unusual plant and, unless you're into flora, many people interstate have never heard of it before.

I also made this stack of tiny bottles (just for fun):


Each bottle was wheel thrown and joined together while still wet. I decorated it using underglaze stains, decals and gold luster.

Going back to the topic of South Australia - here is wedding platter (detail) I just finished with another unique SA icon - the Balfours' Frog Cake. They use to be a childhood favourite of mine, but they're a bit sweet these days! I really enjoyed painting this one.

Last, but not least, I gave my niece Emily a handful of clay and told her to make whatever she liked. This is what she came up with (a portrait of her auntie):



Love it!

Hahndorf Markets

I've been babysitting, organising birthday celebrations and tour guiding this week, and every other available minute trying to get some stock together for this market in the Hahndorf Academy gardens. It's one night only - Friday 12th March from 6-9pm. Sounds like it's going to be a fun night. I'll be selling some brand new work at wholesale prices! Please come and also forward the invite to friends, family and anyone who you think would be interested! Would love to see you there...