We wish you a very Merry Christmas!! 

Twas Just A Few Days Before Christmas And....

Twas just a few days before Christmas and all through the house, everyone had a gift, even the mouse! Posted below you will find some pics of the finished Christmas mugs and some other pieces we created as well as some of the beautiful gift sets that Cynthia put together. The pics are poorer quality than I like but we will soon take care of that as Cynthia and I have purchased a new digital camera that will allow more creativity and clarity. Hope that Christmas is coming together for all of you bloggers out there! Merry Christmas to all!

One More Christmas Bowl

One More Christmas Bowl

Christmas Mug 

Decorative Pitcher 

Ready To Go 

Christmas Bowls 

Christmas Goodies 

Maria's Cups 

The Perfect 72-Hour Day

Cynthia and I enjoyed a long three-day weekend that saw as much productivity as relaxation. Friday was a perfect day as we observed our Annual Christmas Shopping Trip. We have long learned the art of mixing fun with work and Friday was the perfect example of that. After leisurely waking up and spending time together in our cozy covers we made our way to the first of many stores we would go to that day. By lunchtime we had purchased most of the gifts that were on our list (and some items that weren't! lol!) and found ourselves dining at El Chico's in the Promenade Mall. From here we took in another couple of stores and went to see "Christmas With The Kranks" starring Tim Allen. We laughed ourselves silly! From there we went back to the stores and wound up finishing our day out at Starbucks where we enjoyed some lattes to warm us up. The day's enjoyment is hard to tell in writing but let it suffice to say that we had a blast!! We thoroughly enjoy the new traditions we have crafted together and celebrate each other fully! Saturday we attended two Christmas parties, my company party and Scott and LaDonna's party. Both were very enjoyable! It is looking a whole lot like Christmas at the Johnston household and we are more in love than ever as each new day takes us deeper and deeper! Hope your weekend was equally wonderful!

The Table Is Set

The Tree Is Trimmed

Christmas Mugs' Progress

Just wanted to drop you a pic of the mugs to detail their progress. The handles that I threw under Mel Cornshucker's supervision are turning out nicely. We are hoping to bisque fire the mugs by midweek. From there we will move to the glazing and then on to someone's tree! I will be sure to post the end result.

Drying Mugs

Down From The Mount

Feeling as one of Christ's disciples after the Mount of Transfiguration I have climbed down from the mount with more wisdom than I had going up it! I spent last night with Mel Cornshucker at Boston Artists Gallery learning how to pull handles. He kindly took time out in his preparation for his showing in Phoenix, Arizona to teach me the ropes. With his supervision I pulled 9 handles for the cups that I brought with me. Like the old adage "You can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day or teach him to fish and he can eat for a lifetime." I now feel equiped to pull handles from now on! He was amazing in patiently explaining the process to me and from now on any of my artwork that has a handle will carry a little bit of Mel with it! Of course, I can imagine that none of us are solely ourselves but pieces of all those who have influenced us. A great big heartfelt thank you to Mel Cornshucker!!

The Christmas Daze Continues

The daze of Christmas continue at the Mud Hut. We took several Raku pieces over to Boston Artist's Gallery over the weekend and fired them with Mel's supervision. We continue to love the effect that Raku has on clay! You will find some pics showing the finished products below. We are to return to the gallery this evening with 9 Christmas mugs I threw Sunday afternoon to get Mel's help in learning the art of handles. (I've always been told that you don't have to know all the answers to be smart, just where to find them!) Hopefully this mini workshop will help me get a handle on things after all! I will be sure to post some pics soon of the mugs and their progress. We are continuing to find people to match with our pottery for our gift giving this year and busying ourselves in the studio whenever time allows. Hope your holidaze is going equally as well!

Christmas Raku 3 

Christmas Raku 1 

Christmas Mugs for Maria

We have received our second Christmas order! One of Cynthia's co-workers, Maria, has placed an order for four mugs. She is to come by this evening to choose the glaze she would like. Guess that I will perfect our handle pulling unless Maria can be persuaded that mugs don't necessarily need handles! Alas, I am sure the hot beverages usually served in mugs will persuade her otherwise, so.....handles here we come! Actually I am looking forward to making the mugs, handles and all. I have some mugs in the works already that I have been working on and look forward to putting into practice the lessons that they are teaching me. We will keep you abreast of their progress and will be providing some pics soon as I hope to throw them this weekend. Remember, in this hectic and busy season, to keep family and faith in sharp focus. These two entities should never suffer lack of attention. Happy merry making in your pre-holiday season!