Laurie Dermody

Bravo to everyone who guessed this Mystery Pot correctly, and thank you to all who participated in our contest; we hope you enjoyed the challenge!

As has been our tradition at this time of year, Jim and I wanted to share our favorite mugs with you. These are not new mugs you are looking at or mugs you could buy in a store today, but mugs we have been living with for many years now.

Have you ever wondered how much it costs to fire an electric kiln? Maybe you access a shared kiln and would like to divvy up the cost of a firing. While there are a number of factors that go into overall kiln costs such as studio rent or kiln maintenance, it is possible to hone in on what you pay for a single firing. In fact, we have a guideline that we use to calculate the approximate cost of firing our standard top loading or front loading electric kilns and we are going to share it here with you.

It is best to store your clay in tightly sealed bags to preserve the moisture content of the clay. Ideally, you will want to store your clay in a dark and cool environment. In cold climates, avoid allowing clay to reach freezing temperatures. Remember to monitor your clay, checking on it every now and then to make sure it is not drying out. For general moisture maintenance a spray of water from a spray bottle can assist in retaining hydration.