Well, I'm off to a great start, not. Blocked off the whole day to take new pictures of my pots for my new website, cleaned off a table in the Studio to use, got my lights and background ready..... and discovered that I had let my camera battery run down.
So I'm waiting while it recharges.
It's been slow month in the Studio anyway. I won't go into detail, but will say that the family member worried about her job is still and more happily employed, and the seriously ill family member is on the mend. Big 'Whews' from me! Now I can dig through the chores that I've let slide a bit and get back to work on my pottery.
Making some cereal bowls. I'm going to try out several basic shapes, and see which ones sell the best. A cereal (or soup) bowl sounds so simple, but I haven't been able to get it right yet. One of the problems I have with them is, where do I decorate? My flowers don't fit inside, the outside isn't very visible. Then there is the problem that if I spend too much time decorating a small bowl, it becomes too expensive to sell well. I've already tried some ideas, such as making the outside a solid colour to go with the flowers, or leaving it white, or putting a small line of colour around.... but none have hit the spot. I'm not happy with them, and they haven't sold well. I've made lots of cereal bowls to go with dinner sets, and people seem happy with them, but the ones I just put out for sale sit there. I get requests for other sizes, other shapes, other decorations. Cereal bowls seem to be like mugs - you can't please all of the people all of the time, but maybe with work I can please more of the people more of the time!
I'll post some pictures when they're done.
Should my camera battery ever get fully charged....
Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
On Cooking
Somebody I know has just sent me an email about her new cooking website and newsletter. What a great idea!
Normally, I'm not too interested in recipes and the whole cooking schtick. When I was first married, never mind how many years ago, it was a shock to find myself with a partner who thought boxed macaroni and cheese was food. For someone brought up with a more European attitude to food, this was hard to understand. And it got worse. I soon learned that he didn't eat anything that swam.... or anything that wasn't cooked to a porridge.... or anything with a seasoning other than salt in it....
Turns out his Mother, who was a wonderful woman in many ways, but a product of her times as we all are, was one of those who made mac&cheese on Mondays, meatloaf on Tuesdays, tuna casserole on Wednesday, beans on toast on Thursday and so on. Her one and only sauce was Campbell's Mushroom Soup. I never thought to ask her, but now I'd bet that she didn't like daily cooking much more than I do.
Needless to say, my cooking career was not off to a great start.
I've learned, though, to be a fairly good or at least competent, basic cook. Our usual daily fare is simple enough to keep Number 1 Husband happy, and he now likes many many more things than he used to, even appreciating fresh foods and creative preparation. The creative preparation he's had to get used to, because in cooking as in all else, I simply can't do things the same way over and over. He says I've never made the same meal twice, and that's probably true although some of the hamburger dinners must come close.......
But when we have company I like to cook something more ambitious. Not being an avid foodie, I don't have masses of cookbooks (why buy a whole book when you might ever only use one recipe, and why read the whole book to find it), and I don't have a huge repertoire of interesting recipes at my fingertips. I was rather stumped at my Open House just this Christmas for appetisers that weren't greasy and wouldn't need me to stay glued to the kitchen. Help needed, for sure!
Take a look at www.best-party-recipes.com - sounds like fun! I have hopes of appetiser recipes in time for next Christmas's Open House!
Normally, I'm not too interested in recipes and the whole cooking schtick. When I was first married, never mind how many years ago, it was a shock to find myself with a partner who thought boxed macaroni and cheese was food. For someone brought up with a more European attitude to food, this was hard to understand. And it got worse. I soon learned that he didn't eat anything that swam.... or anything that wasn't cooked to a porridge.... or anything with a seasoning other than salt in it....
Turns out his Mother, who was a wonderful woman in many ways, but a product of her times as we all are, was one of those who made mac&cheese on Mondays, meatloaf on Tuesdays, tuna casserole on Wednesday, beans on toast on Thursday and so on. Her one and only sauce was Campbell's Mushroom Soup. I never thought to ask her, but now I'd bet that she didn't like daily cooking much more than I do.
Needless to say, my cooking career was not off to a great start.
I've learned, though, to be a fairly good or at least competent, basic cook. Our usual daily fare is simple enough to keep Number 1 Husband happy, and he now likes many many more things than he used to, even appreciating fresh foods and creative preparation. The creative preparation he's had to get used to, because in cooking as in all else, I simply can't do things the same way over and over. He says I've never made the same meal twice, and that's probably true although some of the hamburger dinners must come close.......
But when we have company I like to cook something more ambitious. Not being an avid foodie, I don't have masses of cookbooks (why buy a whole book when you might ever only use one recipe, and why read the whole book to find it), and I don't have a huge repertoire of interesting recipes at my fingertips. I was rather stumped at my Open House just this Christmas for appetisers that weren't greasy and wouldn't need me to stay glued to the kitchen. Help needed, for sure!
Take a look at www.best-party-recipes.com - sounds like fun! I have hopes of appetiser recipes in time for next Christmas's Open House!
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