April 19, 2018

Today was another travel day, the longest so far. Starting from Branson, Jim commented that all we did was go up and down hills.  I reminded him that we also went back and forth with many turns in the road including several right angles. I never realized Missouri was the land of rolling hills (worse than Pittsburgh, no guard rails).

Next we drove through Oklahoma where we saw 1,527 black angus in the fields (haha, Jim’s number but there were nearly that many).

Two years ago on our way to Texas we visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. This very large statue graces their lobby. It is called End of Trail. 

As we entered Texas we noticed a lot of black turf and blackened trees, like their was either a forest fire or a controlled burn. It went on for miles and has us curious as to the cause.  Than came the wind farms — literally hundreds and hundreds of turbines. We must have driven over an hour and they just kept coming, even out along the horizon.

Our planned stop in Texas was the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. (www.BigTexan.com check it out!) It is the home of the free 72-ounce steak; that is, free if you can eat it in 60 minutes with the baked potato, salad, and rolls! A gentleman tried it when we were there but he was done in about 30 minutes and took the rest home (for $72.00) We enjoyed our sirloin and patronized the gift shop before retiring to the Holiday Inn just down the road.

Today’s Specials 

Provincial 586 End of Trail Bookends bisque $12.00/pair
Provincial 409 End of Trail Statue (without rider) bisque $10.00
As seen in the museum photograph, the actual statue is all white.

Note that bisque will be poured & shipped in June.
To order email CarolsCarouselCreations.com
OR send a PM to the Facebook page.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Jim & Carol Warneke

Thanks for following the carousel!

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Today was a day of rest in Branson,
so we got tickets to the Dolly Parton Stampede dinner theater show. Since our pictures are not yet downloaded, these are from the web. First, some of the horses that were in the show.

The show was very extravagant with stories of settling the west, complete with buffalo, longhorn steers, and wagon trains. Then there was fancy riding, including going through fire, riding off the side, and barrel weaving. There were competitive games, some including folks from the audience. And, of course the grand finale pictured here.

We were seated at a continuous one-sided table where everyone could easily see. Dinner was served during the show (without utensils) and was way more food than either of us could eat. As you can see, there is a whole Cornish hen on each plate, plus fresh ham, potato, corn, biscuit, a soup appetizer, and an apple turnover dessert.

Today’s Special

Duncan 0163a COWBOY BOOT BANK
This boot is quite versatile—it can be used as a bank, a pencil holder,
or even as a vase for a small arrangement. Shown here with silk flowers,
it was painted to match an embroidery picture in a handmade frame.
Carol did the machine embroidery; Jim made the picture frame.
Bisque $6.50, Picture $15.00

Please note that bisque will be poured & shipped in June.
Order by email to CarolsCarouselCreations@gmail.com
OR by sending a PM to the Facebook page.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Jim & Carol Warneke 

Thanks for following the carousel!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Today was another travel day — from Sheridan, Illinois to Branson, Missouri. It was quite a long drive or folks our age (509 miles) but we had a day of rest yesterday and another tomorrow. Started the day at 31 degrees, ended at 79 degrees!

While driving through St. Louis we could see the arch, but not my camera. LOL However, this is what it looks like.

We also drove by Busch Stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals play. We visited that stadium several years ago and saw the Cardinals play the Chicago Cubs with Jim’s brother and wife. Every time I see the stadium I think about the Anheuser-Busch commercials with the Clydesdales. They are so creative. 

Dinner tonight was at Cheddars where we indulged in their Famous Monster Cookie — fresh-baked huge chocolate chip cookie, with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and even a cherry on top. At least we shared!

So now we are all tucked in at the Holiday Hills Resort in Branson. They apparently didn’t have any handicap units available so they upgraded us to a Presidential suite.

Today’s Special

Clydesdale Horses

Doc Holliday 951 small Clydesdale horse (painted in the studio)
Duncan 339B Clydesdale horses 5″ (catalog picture)
Either of these can be purchased in bisque for $7.50 or $10.00 per pair

Doc Holliday 951 small Clydesdale shown as a carousel horse (this base is not available)
Doc Holliday 908 large Clydesdale (10″ tall) shown as a carousel horse, $20.00 in bisque

Note: bisque will not be poured until June
please state if you want it drilled for a carousel pole
to order email CarolsCarouselCreations@gmail.com
OR send a PM to our Facebook page.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Jim & Carol Warneke

Thanks for Following the Carousel

Monday, April 16, 2018

Today was a day of rest, just as we planned. Didn’t even leave the villa! Jim slept most of the day and was able to get a bath in the whirlpool tub. I slept in later than usual and have been working on updating my ceramics pictures and the master catalog on my computer.

Our villa is really nice. It has two bedrooms and, with the hide-a-bed, sleeps six. Of course, there are only two of us! The kitchen is fully-equipped including such appliances as coffee pot, blender, microwave, and toaster. There is also a full-size stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. The décor is woodsy furniture and paintings. And there is a back porch with table and chairs plus an outdoor grill.  It is very relaxing. Of course, there are lots of things to do on the premises but that is not the purpose of our stay — maybe some other time.

Today’s Special

In our younger days we actually vacationed in tents, then a tent-top pop-up camper, then in a regular camper. I really don’t care to do that any more! LOL  But for you are who are avid campers, here is a nice piece to go with yesterday’s VW. Please note that is can also be made into a bank or into a bird house if requested when you order.

Clay Magic 3858 LARGE RETRO CAMPER (birdhouse),
5.5” T x 8” L x 4” W, Bisque $7.50 (price increase coming)
Buyer pays shipping.

Please note that bisque will not be poured until June.
Order by sending an email to CarolsCarouselCreations.com
OR send a PM to the Facebook page.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Carol & Jim Warneke

Thanks for following the carousel!

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Today was a travel day. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner and used the first of many gift cards. And I just had to buy a rooster teapot that was on clearance!  [Many of you are already aware of my teapot collection.]  The weather was a lot of rain, sometimes a downpour, then clearing, and later some snow in Illinois — not enough to shovel but enough to cover the bushes.

We then checked into the Fox River Resort in Sheridan, Illinois where we are staying tonight and tomorrow night. It is part of the Holiday Inn Vacation Club which we joined last year. It will give us a whole day to rest up from all the work getting ready to leave.

Special of the Day

Clay Magic 3855 VW BEETLE BUG CAR
4” T x 7.5” L x 4.5” W Bisque $7.50 + S/H
left is our studio sample, right is catalog picture
Can be poured as bird house upon request.

Please note that bisque will not be poured until June.
to order email CarolsCarouselCreations@gmail.com
OR send a PM to the Facebook page

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Jim & Carol Warneke

Thank you for Following the Carousel!

Welcome

Lucretia, Ben’s Ceramics, and Dru. Thanks for following the carousel.
Folks, your email address often doesn’t reveal who you actually are.

Today is T – 2.

Everything is several days later than planned but it’s okay. We’ll go anyway, even if we leave dirty dishes in the sink. LOL Packages that should have shipped early in the week go to the post office in the morning. Some of the ceramic repairs and game boards for gift baskets are just not going to happen.

Classes

There will be Open Classes during vacation for regular students on Monday or Wednesday evenings. Just let Alice know that you are coming. There will be no studio fee while we are gone since there will not be a teacher. Any items that are glazed or underglazed (concepts) should be left on the kiln cart for firing.

Midwest Ceramic Show

If you wanted to enter something in the competition and didn’t get it here last week, Laura will be packing up the items Monday night during class. So bring it over and speak with her.

Discount

Trees from last year that are on the top shelf are 25% off last year’s prices.  I will also give 25% off any other seasonal bisque; that is, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, including all of the ornament drawers (4 carts in the games room) and shoe boxes of bells (bottom of the bisque shelf units). To qualify for the discount you must take it home to paint or paint it before we get back. Trying to clean off the shelves so if you just move it from the bisque shelf to your shelf, that does not help. If you are painting bells, they must be glazed in order to ring (at least on the inside). You can use Concepts or any type of glaze except crackle.

That’s all for today. I need to go pack!

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

As  many of you already know, there is only one item on Jim’s bucket list and that is to visit every baseball stadium in the United States. This trip will complete that item — we have already visited and watched a game in 22 of the 30 stadiums. This year we go to see the following:

1. Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, AZ
2. Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, CA
3. San Diego Padres in San Diego, CA
4. Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, CA
5. Oakland Athletics in Oakland, CA
6. San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, CA
7. Seattle Mariners in Seattle, WA
8. Colorado Rockies in Denver, CO

We will also be attending the I.A.D.C.C.T. Cyberflyers Regional event at the Duncan facility in Fresno, CA where we will have a tour and then do four workshops. David Hoff will have another workshop the day following. Watch for these events as they morph into our own Carousel Creations Events later this summer.

Posting text and pictures from our trip on Facebook would more than likely become lost.  So we decided to use our blog as a record that we can reference later as well as our friends and family. If you have not already done so, please use the “follow” option at the top of this page to enter your email address. You will then receive the blog directly to your email and will not need to even go to the website.

One of the things I plan to work on during our down time is updating the catalog on my computer and also the one on this page. Whenever I create a new page or make changes to an existing page I will note that in the blog with appropriate links. However, we will not flood your email with this information. You must choose to access it.

Welcome, John. Thanks for deciding to Follow the Carousel. Please encourage your friends and family who might be interested.

We will also be posting specials during the trip. And we will have a drawing from amongst  our followers for a $25 gift certificate!

We do not expect to be back until the beginning of June.  Dates for the following will be announced after we schedule the last leg of our trip:

• John & Malaina’s Garden Shower (postponed),
• Cyberflyers Workshops
• Party Van Workshops (postponed)
• Ceramics Teachers Meetings (postponed)
• Open Classes

However, regular students are able to come and work on projects while we are gone. Just contact Alice. If you do not have her number send me a PM and I will relay your message to her.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

Thank you all for your patience during this 2018 winter season.
Between bad weather, student sickness, our party, and then Jim’s bout of shingles,
it has been a joyous but trying time. See you all this summer!

The Boot

I can’t believe I forgot the boot! This is one of our most-liked Irish pieces, about ten inches tall, and can be made into a bank or not. This happens to be the one I painted, but it is amazing to see how it turns out differently when painted by students.

Color Me Irish

I am working on transferring clipart designs to plates and other plain pieces. The first two are going onto decorative plates. But done in underglazes they can be used in the kitchen. The other designs I am still thinking about — maybe a top hat, or a large brandy-snifter vase.

Send me your own clipart or personal design
and we can print it out the right size for your piece.

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

May the Luck of the Irish be with you!

Note: This post is from two days ago but somehow ended up in the “draft” folder!

Now that our 50th Anniversary Celebration is behind us we are gearing up for a busy month in March. We will have about six weeks of classes, workshops, party van events, and pouring. It is time to make some plans.

Holidays

St. Patrick’s Day is  Saturday, March 17th

We have figures, boxes, ornaments (magnets), napkin rings, and many plain pieces such as dolls and the top hat, that can be made for St. Patrick’s Day. Please order your bisque soon so that we can have it ready for you. Luck of the Irish

Easter is Sunday, April 1st

We have Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, ceramic eggs, bunny carts, deviled egg plates, and lots of other Easter pieces. Please order your bisque as soon as you can. Maybe even schedule a time to bring the kids!  Easter Parade

March To-Do-List

• choose pieces for entering in the Midwest Ohio Ceramics Competition and give to Laura with your entry form
• order bisque for painting in class, especially anything you want to paint with glaze or underglaze that will need to be fired again
• order bisque for painting at home during shut down. (April 15 to June 1)
• let Alice know if you want to paint in the studio during shutdown as she will be in charge of classes.
• schedule birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers for March
• schedule any party van workshops for March
•  order bisque by mail as soon as you can (if you are not a student)

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

So come and march with us this month!

At least a little of me is Irish. Today’s Facebook post is about painting things for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the link to the catalog page if you want to check out sizes and prices. Luck of the Irish

We have decanters and beer steins, cups and mugs, and you can put shamrocks on bowls and plates, spoon rests, and teapots, too. Remember that these pieces must be glazed to  make them food safe.

These little pieces are ornaments to be hung from a pull-chain, or a kitchen cupboard handle, or a doorknob. They can be added to a picture or to a wreath for your front door. The first are two-sided, the second picture is all flat cookie-cutter pieces and they also make nice refrigerator magnets. All can be done in stains and taken home the same day.

Here we have some small trinket boxes — jewelry, or change, or perhaps a little candy. They can be done in glazes or in stains, your choice. The lower-left picture shows the boy lid for the jar on the right.

Our Irish figurines. Here’s Peter, our 13″ tall Irish boy. And you can dress up any of the dolls by giving them a skirt with an Irish flair. (We do not have this particular doll, but do have several others that would work just as well.)

For that corned beef and cabbage dinner . . . here’s a potato bowl and cabbage leaf!

Carol’s Carousel Creations
Where having Fun is why we come!

What a unique way to share Irish heritage with the kids!
Most of these pieces can be easily painted by children,
some even by toddlers, like the shamrock box, mug, or cabbage leaf!
And keep in mind that every Friday is Kids Krafts Night!