Christmas projects in July

I spent my July 4th weekend, welcoming Jeff home, visiting with friends and family, and making Christmas gifts.  I don’t usually start Christmas projects before the fall; but, with such a full craft show schedule, I have a lot of pots to make.   And, last year, I ran out of time and didn’t make the Advent calendars that I had intended to give.  So, while Julie was away, I figured that I should make the Advent jars which inspired Jeff to work on their boxes.  We are trying to make some improvements and I will post pictures in August when we are finished.

Pool cover/industrial bubble wrap

Jeff came home on Saturday after having been in class in Reno for two weeks.  It was especially fun to have him working on the wooden boxes in my studio while I threw jars – it was a veritable Santa’s workshop (although sous-potter, Braum, slept on the doormat and wasn’t much help).

Sous-potter Braum inspects the bubble wrap

Jeff did a lot of sous-potter tasks for me.  Besides, helping me load the car with pots to take to Firetower Studio East, he also cut and rolled up a pool cover that my brother-in-law salvaged for me.  Some one was discarding a pool cover and Greg thought of me – it looks like industrial bubble wrap.  (Bubble-wrap is a potter’s joy.) Jeff spread it out in the yard, sliced it into strips, and rolled it up so it is more managable.  It is a lot of packing material but I would rather use it to wrap pottery than put it in the land fill.   It was an especially nice weekend, topped off with grilled streak, fresh corn, and sourdough bread – a really good 4th!