Apple Bakers

Here's what I made with a half bag of clay Saturday and trimmed them on Sunday -- Apple Bakers. I first saw them while visiting friends and potteries on the East Coast. They are fun to make and great to use in the oven or microwave. A cored or sliced apple with sugar and cinnamon, then maybe vanilla ice cream? These are almost dry and will be ready to load in the kiln tomorrow.

We woke up to rain this morning! What a treat. My dogs love to run outside and get wet, then happily look for me to towel them off. Here's a photo of them -- Sarah and Geena.

Succulents

I have many different succulents, as well as geraniums, in pots all around my patio because these plants survive in the Southern California heat. The succulents have been in the same pots for years and sometimes look a little anemic, light green/gray instead of green. But they get a shot of Miracle Grow or Ironite now and then and continue to be happy plants.

Each succulent has a different bloom, and if you don't pay attention, you might miss it. Here's a succulent that I photographed today.

These are the blossoms:

Here's a group of blossoms I accidentally knocked off:

Here is the bloom -- isn't it beautiful, eerie, perfect, unbelievable?

And guess what? The flies love the blooms.

Unique Ceramic Mugs Treasury

My handbuilt Southwest Swirl mug was included today in this interesting treasury:




http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU1MzQwMDV8OTM3Mjc4MjMw/unique-ceramic-mugs

I LOVE POTATOES.

I love potatoes -- however they are fixed. Today I'm cooking a corned beef and am preparing a recipe called Calcannon (also known as Irish Potatoes or "Champ"). I'm a cookbook collector, and this recipe is from a local school cookbook and appears in the Men Only section. Of course, I ventured into that section first years ago. If you Google Calcannon, you'll find many variations, but it's always potatoes and cabbage. I usually make a half of the recipe.

8 medium potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cabbage, shredded
1 onion or 2 bunches scallions, chopped
1/4 cup milk or cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions:  chopped ham, cooked bacon

Boil the potatoes until soft. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet and add the shredded cabbage and chopped onion. Cook until they start to brown. Drain and mash the cooked potatoes and then mix in the cabbage/onion mixture. Add the milk, salt and pepper. Place in a covered casserole and keep warm until dinner (or eat out of the pot).

Autumn Lovely Shades of Brown and Orange Treasury

Here's a beautiful Etsy treasury that features my stoneware bowl.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzkzNjEyMnw5Mjk2OTY5NTM/autumns-lovely-shades-of-brown-and

Etched Copper Earrings

I finished a pair of etched copper earrings that I made by running copper sheet through the rolling mill with a brass pattern. They really look good, better than the photos. The earrings are highly polished and the reflections are distracting. I should have taken a photo of the backs, which are so beautiful. The earrings could be worn either way -- reversible!

Stained Glass Photo Pendant Necklaces-Reversible

This morning I played golf. Climbing those hills really zapped my afternoon strength. But instead of taking a nap like I did last Monday, I decided to redo some photos on Etsy! I have two photo pendants that get a lot of attention in RoseMarysGlassArt, but I was never happy with the photos. I redid both the pendants today with patina and a protective coating while I watched a movie, redid the photographs, and also added a third photo pendant listing. All three are really nice and would be a great gift for someone, with or without a photo. They have an adjustable slip-knot cord.

Etched Copper Earrings

I spent the day yesterday at an Excel class. Everything in one day is a little too much to grasp, but the instructor always gives tons of handouts to use at home, as well as a practice disk. I really thought I should take the class so I could make my Etsy accounting a little easier (once I set up the spreadsheet, that is). Then there's the sales tax at the end of the year.

But today I forgot all that and got back to working with the things I love. I etched these two pairs of earrings earlier in the week and today dipped them into patina and finished them. They have my handmade lampwork beads as dangles.

Pieces of Red Treasury

My etched copper earrings were featured on this beautiful treasury today:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIwMzQ1OTV8ODgyNTIxNTI1/pieces-of-red

Rescued Persimmons!

This morning I was unhappy to see two more persimmons on the ground that had been eaten like apples! A couple weeks ago I wrapped netting around the tree and that helped for a minute. So today I picked them all. The persimmons all have a little color, so I hope they eventually will ripen. The ones in the stores feel hard when you buy them, so there's hope for these, isn't there? I will put them in a single layer in a box, but should I cover them, leave them uncovered?

Last year on my new tree, my total crop was ONE! This year I had about 35, but am down to what's in this basket, about 20. A couple of these were pecked by birds, but I'm keeping them to see how they ripen.

And here's what's left on the tree. A persimmon that was enjoyed by a squirrel or rat. I would love to see his/her face in the morning when this leftover is all he/she finds! HA.