Carol's Carousel Creations

The last two posts listed Upcoming Summer Workshops . Please share this information with your friends and also let me know if you are interested in a particular  workshop, but the day and time just aren’t good for you. We can be very flexible. So much so that we now have Open Classes 4 nights a week–Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6:30 to 9:30. Always let me know when you are coming and how many are coming with you so we set up enough work stations. And please try to finish no later than  10:00 (even if you started late).

Also, see the “Workshop” tab at the top of the page. I have provided links to these two blogs and have added posters for all of the Summer Workshops. We are trying to post them on the Buy-Sell-Trade pages as each one approaches. However, we are having some difficulty with this and the ads do go by very quickly unless you do a search for “Carol Warneke”.

 Although the holidays are not yet in sight, you might want to start thinking about what to make for Christmas gifts. Of course, there are birthdays, new babies, weddings, graduations, and lots of other opportunities to share your talents with a special gift you have made yourself.

Many of our items can be personalized with names or made in special colors to suit the individual. And don’t forget hostess gifts when you go to someone else’s house for a picnic, party, or overnight stay. A container that you made filled with fresh fruit, cookies, or other goodies is a thoughtful thank you and something your hostess will remember you for in years to come.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come to a workshop–
Learn a new technique, bring the kids, or bring a date.
Make a hostess gift or start your Christmas list.

Last time I posted here was the list of Thursday Workshops for the rest of the summer. If you are interested in a workshop but cannot attend on the day stated, just contact me and we will work something out.

Kids Krafts

These are Saturday Workshops designed for kids 5-12, but teens and adults are welcome. They run from 1:00 to 3:00 because that is the attention span of most kids.  All workshops include Little Debbie snacks and drinks. Workshops cost $10 unless stated otherwise. That includes bisque, lesson, paints, and snacks.

July 16th Cute Critter Cups. Painters will use Concepts underglazes and silkscreens to transfer Cute Critters to a plain cup or mug.

July 30th Magical Unicorns. Painters will use acrylic paints, glitter, and jewels to finish their choice of unicorn.

August 13th Dolls & Dragons. Painters will choose from a variety of dolls (figurines) or dragons and finish with acrylic paints. This workshop has been changed to August 7th due to a conflict with another event.

August 27th Ballerina Bears. Painters will receive a sale price on one of two Ballerina Bears, or choose from a variety of other bears on the shelf. We will finish with acrylic paints.

September 3 Colorburst Crystals. Painters will  finish a set of 3-4 maple leaf dishes using crystal glazes or will add Colorburst Crystals to solid-color glazes. The crystals will burst when fired and create unique colorful patterns on the leaves. This is the same workshop as the adult workshop on the 1st.

September 17th Dragons & Dragonflies. Painters will use Concepts underglazes and silkscreens to transfer designs to a plain plate and then add color.

Date Night

Date Night is a monthly Saturday Night event designed especially for couples–teens, young adults, or young-at-heart. They run from 6:30 to 9:30 and the cost is $25 per couple for the event. Sometimes there are larger items available for an extra charge.  If you are interested in the workshop but are not part of a “couple” please ask and we can do it for you at another time.

July 23rd  Gnomes and Fairies. Couples will use acrylic paints to finish garden gnomes or fairies.

August 20th Mug Mates. Couples will paint a pair of mugs or steins with either underglazes or acrylic paints. Some have embossed designs and some are plain for you to add your own design.

September 10th Let’s Play Chess. Couple will paint opposite sides of a chess set using underglazes, semi-translucent glazes, or acrylic stains.

Check back later for a list of fall workshops.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come over, cool down, and learn something new.

We have been doing some brainstorming this morning, trying to decide what workshops folks are looking for. We have come up with  a tentative list for the remainder of summer. Our students and those who follow our web and Facebook pages will always get advance notice before workshops are announced to the public via the Buy-Sell-Trade pages.

Weekly Workshops for Grownups

These workshops are designed for teens and adults. They are offered during our regular Thursday evening Open Class time which begins at 6:30. If that does not suit your schedule, you may request the same lesson at any open class that week. You may also request a private session any afternoon or evening (including Sundays) for a group of four or more. All workshops are $20 unless stated otherwise. This includes bisque, paints, second firing, snacks, and an extra session if needed. Please sign up ahead of time so that we have enough bisque on hand. Keep in mind that it takes several days to prepare  your piece and that a mold can only be poured once each day. Last minute registration will result in picking something from the shelf.

Workshop #1 Stepping Stones. Thursday, July 14th
We will learn to use Fashenhues translucent stains to paint an Iris stepping stone for your garden. Other designs will be available.

Workshop #2 Beautiful Butterflies, Thursday July 28th
This is a David Hoff brushstroke workshop where we will use Concepts underglazes to paint a butterfly design on a plain plate. We will transfer the design using clay carbon.  (rescheduled).

Workshop #3 Magical Marbleizing, Thursday, August 4th
After glazing a plain piece with a dark color, we will layer several different colors of Concepts underglazes marbleizing each dot as we go.

Workshop #4 It’s Time for Tea, Thursday, August 11th
This is a silkscreen workshop where we will transfer floral designs to a plain teapot and then add color. To use the silkscreen a special thickener is added to the underglaze. Other silkscreens are available.

Workshop #5 Decal Diva, Thursday, August 18th
You will learn to apply waterslide ceramic decals to a set of four plain white, glazed cups and plates. These will be Dollar Store items as we cannot make them at this price. These daisies are an example only. We have hundreds of different decals for you to choose from.

Workshop #6 Fall Fun with Fashenhues, Thursday, August 25th
We will use Fashenhues translucent stains to paint the Fall Harvest Jar, a pumpkin  container with squirrels on the lid and base. [repeated from last year.]

Workshop #8 Colorburst Crystals, Thursday, September 1st
Choose from  premixed crystal glazes or use a solid color and add your own choice of Colorburst Crystals to create a unique colorful pattern. You will make a set of three or four fall leaf candy dishes.

Workshop #9 Patchwork Pumpkins, Thursday, September 8th
We will use acrylic stains to paint a “soft” pumpkin-stack candy dish for fall. You will learn how to add patterns and detailing to make it look like it’s made of cloth.

Workshop #10 Silly Scarecrows, Thursday, September 15th
Choose from a variety of ceramic scarecrows to paint with acrylics or Fashenhues. Featured is the Large Scarecrow with Pumpkin. This whimsical scarecrow stands 12″ tall, is 9″ wide and is 6″ front to back. He sits on a smiling jack-o-lantern in his patched overalls with a crow sitting on his shoulder. Workshop fee for this guy is $25.00 and you may not finish in one session.  However, a selection of smaller scarecrows is also available for the standard workshop fee.

And then it is Fall. Check back later for a list of our Fall Workshops .

Date Night and Kids Krafts Workshops will be added in the next few days.
Date Nights are on Saturday evenings and Kids Krafts are on Saturday afternoons.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come on over and have some fun with our summer workshops.

Just a quick note for those of you who are following our progress with the studio. Carousel Shelves are loaded, Christmas Shelves are loaded, all the Easter molds from the game room are back on the shelf, and miscellaneous molds as well. Very large molds that we had on the floor are now behind the furnace.  The butcher block table, the pool table, and the white table have all been cleared. The floor in the Mold Storage Stacks is nearly cleared as well–just a few odds and ends. There is room to move one of the metal shelves from the game room, but Jim may want to wait until he builds the wooden shelf units to replace them.

The To-Do List still includes organizing the shipping boxes and packing materials, installing an exhaust fan for spraying, installing the new sink, and building a bathroom.  But the list is getting significantly shorter!  There is also computer work to do such as recording the location of all the molds, and updating the online catalog. It can be found under the tab BISQUE at the top of the page.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

We are striving to build a better studio for you.
Come and check us out.

This week we are working on new mold shelves. The Carousel Corner is finally done, with room for a few more carousel molds that are on their way. The unit is 10-feet long with six 2-foot shelves. Jim is such a terrific designer and builder. Here he is cutting the dado in the 2 x 4 uprights.

Left is the new shelf unit, Carousel Corner. It also contains other magical horses like unicorns and rocking horses. Right is the old shelf that is nearly emptied out. It will hold the Christmas molds (if there is enough room).

We have molds everywhere! On the pouring table… On the butcher block table… On the pool table and beyond (an 8-foot folding table)… And on metal shelves in the game room. All of these need to find a home in the Mud Room, where we store and pour molds.

Catalog

The best way to find out what we have is to go to the bisque tab. If you just open the tab you will find an alphabetical listing of subjects with links to the pages. OR you can choose submenus until you find what you want. This is our catalog of molds. It includes pictures, sizes, and prices. However, not everything is up-to-date — it is still a work in progress.

We’ve come a long way. Last year we bought out a ceramic business. We picked up the molds the end of March 2015 and brought our mold inventory from 300 molds to 2300 molds. We tore out a wall and assembled shelves, bought a professional pouring table, and a slip tub to make pouring more efficient.  We also created a brand new 15 x 15 studio classroom with floor to ceiling shelves and brand new lighting. There is so much more to do but look how far we have come in just fifteen months!

We are Carousel Creations
and this is our Ceramic Studio
where having FUN is why we come!

If you would like to learn how to pour molds, we can
arrange a class. Good for your kids as well as yourself.

Wow! It’s the last day of June. That  means 2016 is half over already and the State of Ohio wants its sales taxes paid. Did you know that you pay sales tax on everything you buy?  We simply include it in the prices.

The 4th of July is this Monday. You can still make an Aunt Betsy Bear (she holds a small flag) or cuddle bears or a decorative plate. Going to picnic at a friend’s house this year? Why not take a nice hostess gift that you made yourself? There is class tonight and again tomorrow night. Our picnic is Sunday so if anyone wants to come on Monday we can still have class then.

It’s too late for this picnic but you can still order your watermelon bowl or lazy Susan for some summer fun. (Ours looks like this but the center bowl has a lid.)

And don’t forget about our Christmas in July 20% off sale on trees. It starts on July 25th  and runs through August 24th. Be the first in line by ordering and  paying for your tree. I just ordered some tree bases that we were missing and a new tree that we have the base for. They should be in at the end of the month.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come make something special for your summer table!

I added four more pictures to the MB Carousel Critters last night. Finally have all of the Alberta molds made and these horses are Doc Holliday molds. [MB is music box, which denotes the size]. Music Box Carousel Critters  Note that any pictures on a red background were poured, cleaned, fired, and painted in our studio.

The new shelf unit is ready to assemble today. It will be the carousel molds new home, right behind the pouring table. When I move them off the old shelf and gather all the recently-purchased carousel molds from the game room, we will be able to get an accurate inventory. I will pull the remaining CH size molds right away so that we will soon have a complete set of samples.

Of course, I have more coming in all the time. Like these 22″ extra large Doc Holliday Carousel Horses.  We may have to get some help to pour these as they are  huge. Right now these molds are still in Tennessee. Sounds like a road trip to me! Someone stated that they use a pole from a floor lamp! Hmm, maybe I’ll make a couple of carousel lamps for my living room.

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come make a carousel critter.
We have metallics and pearls, ribbons and jewels–
everything you need to make it special.

Ever get to the point where if you buy one more shirt you need to give something away because there’s no more room in the closet? With the ceramic molds I keep buying more carousel molds but where to put them? We still don’t have room for the ones we got last year. As you well know they are shelved in the game room, stacked on the pool table, and more on the floor.

I see two options: build more shelves and get rid of some molds.
First, we are in the process of building another large shelf unit (8-ft long, 2-ft deep, 6-ft high). And we will replace the metal shelves with sturdy wood shelves at a later date. Those will not be as big so we can build them in the shop and get them through the door. The large unit has to be done before the bathroom or there isn’t enough floor space to build it.

Second, there are two categories of molds to consider getting rid of. I have already listed the large Jamar-Mallory lace-draping dolls on several ceramic Facebook pages. I will keep the smaller ones so we will still be able to learn the technique.

The other consideration is whether to keep or sell the Native American Indian molds. I have one entire 4-ft shelf unit dedicated just to Indians. So I am contacting three people I know are interested in Indian Lore. In order for them to see what is available I am working on a new page Native American Indians. Please check it out and see if there is anything you would want to make for yourself or for a gift. And share with friends who might be interested. (Check back later in the week as it is a work in progress.)

Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

Interested in Indians? Let us know, before they go!

We are going to have a Christmas in July special on all of our Christmas trees. The sale will begin July 25th and end August 24th. Sale posters will go out to the Buy-Sell-Trade pages closer to the start time. Tree prices have gone up since last year, especially since we have discovered the problems that go with pouring the large molds and how much extra glaze and lights are needed. The SALE is 20% off any tree. They must be  ordered and paid for during the sale time. You will be notified when yours is ready and you have 30 days to come and get started on it.  We do not have room to store trees, especially the large ones.

So tonight I added the album Oh Tannenbaum. For the time being it is on the menu bar at the top of the page. Later it will be moved to its home under Holidays. Check out the new prices and decide what you want to make this year. This sale allows you to get an early start and save some money! And by announcing it here first, my regular students will get in ahead of the public. Here are just a few.

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Carousel Creations
Where having FUN is why we come!

So come cool off in the AC &make yourself a Christmas Tree!

I just finished updating the page Dragon Drawings. It is found under the tab Classes, then Patterns. Check it out if you are looking for dragon patterns.

We also have the Dragon  Silkscreens. Same location only under silkscreens instead of patterns. These were made for the Dragons & Dragonflies Workshop that was scheduled for Date Night.

Just got a new dragon magnet, especially because we thought the kids would like it. There are some Dona dragon magnets, too.

And there are dragon carousel ornaments

a dragon wind chime, a stuffed dragon, and a baby dragon with its egg..

Carousel Creations
Where having fun is why we come!

So if you like dragons … come on down and make yourself one!