Do you have any pots that you just never wanted to part with? These are two of mine. The lighter one is Iron Lustre over Spectrum Milk & Honey, and the darker one is Amaco Dark Green over River Rock. I didn't want to part with these.... but eventually, I did.

I watch the "Alive Guy Pottery " on YouTube, his name is Bill. A few months ago, he made a video and linked to these potter's tools. The shop was closed for a while, but it is open again. I wanted to share. Her templates are from Tarpaper. Shalya Marsh's work is beautiful. Check it out if you are interested. https://shalyamarshstudios.com/stencils

Hi wanted to do another little share. I ordered these because they were so different than most texture rollers on the market today. I received them last week, and use them-- my mind was completely 🤯 . Very sharp, and detailed. For those not in North America , I think it'd be worth paying overseas mailing fees if you really find something that you 💕💜💗! https://havitadesigns.com

This is a question more for those of you in areas where the winters get very cold. And this is thinking on my part that you still work with clay in the winter. I usually throw on my wheel when the weather is nice, then take my towels and bats outside and blast them with my hose. (The dirt in my yard is mostly clay so this won’t hurt it. I’ve even fired some of the dirt from another section and it worked. I wish I’d kept the piece.). Nights here are often way below freezing so my hose bibs are covered with insulation. What do you do to clean things, especially the towels, in the winter? I don’t want to put towels I’ve used that have clay on them in my washing machine. I have the same problem with towels when hand building so it’s an issue for me. I’d appreciate all suggestions. Thanks!

We're almost to February. I haven't had time for the January challenge, but was inspired by a Reddit post to offer this for February. Hear me out! Many new potters post, "How do I make this?" And that's fine, but to me, one of the joys of pottery is figuring things out. So, here's my challenge to you, with time to plan in advance, 'cause it may be a hard one. Find a tutorial video on YouTube or wherever. Then figure out a different way to make the item. Post the link to the tutorial and "making" images from your altered method. Think outside the box! For instance, Tiffinie Helmer (Hobble Creek Pottery) posted a video of hand-building a canteen. I don't have a lot of space to handbuild (and frankly, I'm not so good at it!), so I thought, "How can I make that on the wheel?" I threw two wide, shallow bowls with straight sides and joined them. Then I added pieces for the strap to go through, and a neck for a stopper. BOOM! A wheel thrown canteen. Images for inspiration. This was thrown with Laguna Frost cone 6 porcelain, relief carved, decorated with Colors For Earth Color Concentrates, and glazed with Kitten's Clear or Hanson's 20x5 (don't remember which!). It's got an adjustable strap and I used a rubber band glued to the stopper so it's actually functional. The only thing I'm not thrilled with is the "chain" attaching the stopper to the canteen. I'm excited to see what y'all come up with. There's a hundred ways to make a form. Let's expand our horizons and have some fun!