Big Bugs Workshop

This workshop, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled sometime this summer. The molds were purchased from the manufacturer and were too wet to pour. If you wanted to make the VW car and/or camper, you can do so at any open workshop.  We have several of those on the shelf.

Date Night

This Saturday night  at 6:30, a special workshop for couples only. There is still time to call and reserve your seat. The $25 fee is for both people. I do have some Mickey and Minnie Mouse figures on the shelf but you can choose to paint something else if you prefer.

New Mom
Teddy Bear Tea

This event is Sunday from 1 to 4 and is for any new mom (in 2016) or any mom-to-be. It was created to thank those who entered the baby shower drawing. However, ANY new mom and one guest are invited to attend.  This is a FREE event. Each participant will get to paint a small teddy bear, and we will serve tea and cake. You MUST SIGN UP if you plan to come.

Carousel Creations
Where having fun is why we come!
Are we having fun yet?

What kind of techniques would you like to learn?

• Fashenhues

This is a water-cleanup non-fired oil paint that is especially nice on detailed pieces. You begin by sealing the piece with a base coat before applying translucent colors.

• Silkscreening

Detailed line drawings are applied to plain bisque by forcing thickened underglaze through a screen. We have several patterns available including flowers, birds, butterflies, bees, and holiday designs.

• Marbleizing

This is a new technique where underglaze is applied over 3 coats of black glaze. Each “dot” of underglaze gets 2-3 drops of other colors which are then marbleized before going onto the next. Designs are free-form and easy to do.

• Porcelain Cameos

You first paint several coats of white porcelain into the molds. When dry you pour enough colored porcelain slip to completely fill the mold. When the piece is thououghly dry, remove from mold and smooth edges before firing.

• Brush Strokes

Learn to use round and square brushes to create beautiful designs that are first transferred to the piece using clay carbon. These are most often done on a plate but you can use any plain piece, such as vases or planters, and dinnerware.

• Liner Brush

Learn to use a special brush called a liner brush to easily create long flowing lines for outlining or adding detail to a piece. Also good for striping. We will first learn how to use the brush on paper.  Then we will apply the technique to one of the cartoon characters. (Brush included in the workshop)

• How to Paint Eyes

Interested in a special workshop just on eyes?  We will learn lashing, shading, and highlighting, first on paper and then we will apply the method to a character with large eyes. We will also discuss modifying the technique for pieces where the eyes are rather small.

• Antiquing

This is a shading technique using non-fired stains. You paint a thinned color over the entire piece (small areas at a time) and wipe back leaving dark color in the details.  This is good for animals where one shading color is used throughout.

• Dry Brushing

This is a shading technique where you first paint the dark color. Then add layers of lighter color using a dry brush with very little paint, and stroking perpendicular to the detail of the piece, leaving color only on the high parts.

• Decals

For those who prefer not to paint fine detail, or who want to add uniform designs to multiple pieces, decals may be for you. They are applied to a piece that is already glazed and fired (usually with a clear glaze to give a white background). The decals must then be fired

• Overglazes–Mother of Pearl,  Gold, and Silver

Again, these are applied to an already fired glaze to give a special elegant effect. Some people like to add Mother of Pearl to a white Christmas tree, or a small figurine.

• And more

There are other techniques which we will address later. However, if you see something you are interested in you can always ask.  There is banding, sponging, stenciling, rubber stamping, using design sheets, spattering, scraffito, and bubble painting. There are many different types of glazing including specialty glazes, and much you can do with wet greenware including add-ons, cutouts, and incising designs.

We are Carousel Creations
Let us help you create something new!

Last night we finished cataloging the new molds we picked up at Weaver’s. There are 87 total, way too many to share this morning. But here is a catalog picture of the “cornered soup tureen”, matching gravy boat, and soup ladle that we got. (We do not have the plate under the soup tureen but we do have the plate under the gravy boat.) Although the catalog shows an entire collection, these are the only pieces that we found. I am anxious to make both of these pieces for our own kitchen. There is no design in the mold, so we can decorate with silkscreens, decals, or hand-painted designs.  If you would like to make a soup tureen for yourself or for a gift, send me a message and we will pour one for you.

Carousel Creations
Come and make something to match your home décor.
Choose your own colors and patterns.
Let’s get creative!

And a new week. And just maybe I have finally recuperated from our all-in-one-day trip to Weaver’s last week!  Jim insists I sometimes take a break from ceramics and do housework but I did that yesterday (for card club last night). No takers on the Liner Brush Workshop which really surprises me.  For my own sanity I must realize I can never really know what will interest people. Or whether their interest and their schedule and their budget all come together with my calendar. Same is true for the Open Classes. Although we have some who come every week, others have had life events interfere and we don’t see them right now. But hopefully they will be back when things settle down.

My to-do list for the studio is quite lengthy and I long for the day when the remodeling is complete and everything is in its place. That is, lights are up, shelves are built, bathroom is complete, new sink is installed, spray booth is created, and my game room is no longer piled with molds! Guess I had better go downstairs and get busy or this will never happen. Then I look at where we were this time last year and just how far we have come. It is still a new business and we are only in our second  year.

On another note, I want to share the Alberta 852 Large Carousel Wedding Horse that I just finished painting. It measures 9 3/4″ high x 14″ long and will be mounted on a curved carousel floor base.

We also have Alberta 931 Small Carousel Wedding Horse (which we have not yet poured),

and Alberta 1095 Music Box Carousel Wedding Horse 4 ¾” high x 6 ½” long (shown here).

Carousel Creations
Where having fun is why we come!
Are YOU having fun today? 

I added a few more pictures to the Carousels page today. We recently acquired the giraffe mold for the Music Box carousel and will pour it shortly.

Here are the MB Carousel Horse with Eagle Saddle and the Carousel Ostrich, I just finished painting them last night after class. Laura is nearly finished with her Lead Horse. The Alberta Music Box size Carousel Collection is nearly complete. See MB Carousel Horses We do have a similar size in another brand and will start pouring them next to see if the two styles are compatible.  There is a choice of bases: the oval base is for a single piece and there is a curved wooden floor base that makes a circular carousel if you have many to display. All animals are mounted on a carousel pole. A music box can be added to the oval base and wound with a  key. The animals to not rotate.]

I finished painting the Heartland Carousel Ornament Collection last night during class. There are six of them: Unicorn, Dragon, Elephant, Pegasus, Wedding Horse, and Rose Horse. They are each about 3″.  See Carousel Ornaments.

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REMINDER:

There is a CARTOON CARNIVAL workshop scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. It is a liner brush workshop and you get to keep the brush. Please let me know if you are coming.

Weaver was the mold Manufacturing Company in New Holland, PA that bought all the masters for the Alberta Carousels. As you are aware, we are trying to get the rest of the carousel molds.

It was interesting  to discover that I am more of a Weaver than any of the family there. We met Shelleen Weaver (who is in charge of unloading the molds). She became a Weaver through marriage, she said her husband was a Weaver through adoption, and we met her dad (who let us in) who is not a Weaver at all. The old man who owned the business had passed away before Shelleen even met her husband.
[Now, I was actually born Carol Ann Weaver .]

That being said, the business was closed years ago and the huge warehouse basement was literally covered with molds and mold masters. From brand new, strapped to broken to molds with missing pieces. A fellow ceramist cautioned me before we made the trip that is was all junk. There were row after row of long, wide work tables; mold storage shelves along the back like library book stacks, and another room of molds piled on the floor.

It was a real treasure hunt and took us hours to look through them. No, the carousel horse molds were long gone, but we suspected that before we started. We saw many of the masters but they are not yet for sale.  Jim was able to get his wheelchair inside and maneuver between the tables. We brought back a van full of things we  liked and could have had much more but our storage is limited so we had to be selective.

Shelleen will be inventorying all the masters after the molds are gone. The Alberta Carousel masters will be put up for sale as a lot to the highest bidder.  Someday, someone will again be making Alberta Carousel molds, so if  you are looking to buy one, just be patient.

Sorry for the long-winded post today. It will take me at least another day to recuperate and then I can unload the van. Watch for posts of our new molds, coming soon.

Those of you familiar with ceramic mold manufacturers know that Weavers bought the complete line of Alberta carousel molds. They closed the business last year and are giving away 2 to 3 thousand new molds. We understand others have been there before us and there may not be any carousel molds left. But…it’s a nice day for a drive. Maybe we’ll get lucky!

One of the Alberta molds

Someone requested  more notice on workshops so I posted calendars for May and June plus posters for each event under the Workshops tab. It’s easy to find and won’t disappear on you like the Facebook posts. I also created an EVENT for each workshop on our Ceramics Facebook page (CarolsCarouselCeramics) where you can find details and register to attend.  Here’s a list:

Sunday, May 15th @ 1:00
Cartoon Carnival –a liner brush workshop
for tweens, teens, & adults $17.50
includes liner brush
Cartoon Corner

Saturday, May 21st @1:00
KIDS KRAFTS
Big Bugs & Let’s Go Camping
FUN for the whole family $20

Saturday, May 21st @ 6:30
Date Night
(for couples only)
$25/both

Saturdays in June
from Ten till Noon
Learn to Pour & More
ages 5 to adult
$40, 4 weeks, 4 items

Saturday, June 4th @ 1:00
KIDS KRAFTS
Father’s Day Workshop
$10 (ages 3+)

CAROUSEL CARNIVAL (Weeklong Event)
Sunday, June 4th through Saturday June 11th
every day at 1:00 and again at 6:30 Carousels
Prices vary

Week of June 19 – 25

Monday 6/13 It’s My Birthday

CLEBRATE AMERICA
Sun, Thurs @ 1:00
Mon, Thurs, Fri @ 6:30
God Bless America
prices vary

Please join us for any or all of our Spring Events.
Check out Workshops for more information and
browse through the catalog for more things to make.
HAPPY PAINTING!

Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be

All the moms are feeling loved and back to the daily routine this Monday morning.

Baby Shower

I posted the winners of the Teddy Bear Baby Shower drawing last night. So if you didn’t see it, just scroll down. There is a Teddy Bear Tea on Sunday, May 22nd and invitations went to all who entered. Each new mom (or mom-to-be) and her sponsor will get to make a teddy bear item and enjoy tea and tea cakes. If you received an invitation please RSVP so I know how many to plan for.

Porcelain Cameos

Here are the cameos that I made at the Mother’s Day Porcelain Cameo Workshop. The others were picked up before I remembered to get a picture but all turned out pretty well. Notice that some have bails for hanging and others have pin backs.  If you missed the workshop, we can teach you how to make these at any open class.

Mother’s Day Plates

June and Laura painted theirs in purple, Tona did hers in green and finished the lettering at home (see below). Lisa started hers in blue on Friday and will see her mom later in the month. Mine is in pink, like Joanne’s who painted hers last month for her mom’s birthday. The poem reads:

Mother
Passing time just serves
To make you still more dear
And close to the hearts of those
Who love you so all year

Open Classes

There are no workshops scheduled this week. Open classes are from 6:30-9:30 tonight, Thursday evening, and Friday evening.  An afternoon class is available on Thursday at 1:00 if anyone is interested. Please make sure to let me know you are coming.

The winner of the Teddy Bear Baby Shower is Linda Sapp for her granddaughter Nicole Reed.

As a thank you for entering our contest, you and your new mom (or mom-to-be) are invited to a New Mom’s Teddy Bear Tea on Sunday, May 22^nd from 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.

You will each get to make a ceramic teddy bear item for the new baby. Tea and tea cakes will then be served.

Our home is at 4494 Woodridge Drive, Austintown Please RSVP by May 15^th so we have enough time to pour your teddy bears. text or call 330-219-8001

[This invitation was sent to all who entered the contest.]