Birdhouses

Birdhouses are the first item I displayed that people contacted me about purchasing. Up until that point I assumed I was just making pots for fun. I was asked about it enough that it put the idea in my head about opening my business.

I probably lose money on birdhouses because I don’t charge much and they are very time consuming. However, they are such a joy to make. I also rarely have a set idea of what they will look like, I just start playing. I might add sprig molds, or carve or press items into the clay.

Blue birdhouse

Katie has recently started decorating the birdhouses with me. It’s the first thing in the studio that she has asked to do more than once. Here she is, my favorite studio helper.

Katie Gene

I offer no guarantees that a bird will nest in one, but they are made to be bird friendly. I do not glaze the inside so they dry quickly if wet. I also put a small hole on the bottom so if any rain gets inside it will drain out. I add a small roof above the door to keep the weather out and I drill a hole in the front so a stick can be added as a perch.

Tomorrow morning Katie and I will be making birdhouses, what will you be doing?

Bird house blanks waiting for the magic!

Brigit, Goddess of Fire and Hearth

Meet the “Goddess Brigit”                                                                         01/13/2017

Recently I made the decision to purchase a brand new kiln, not used, or refurbished, but a brand new kiln. I weighed the tax write off for 2016, the money I was putting out in kiln fees and the time I was spending running back and forth hauling my items being fired. On top of that I was losing revenue as on occasion some of the greenware did not make the ride to the kiln intact. Another issue I was bumping up against was turnaround time. I figured if I had my own kiln my turnaround time could be more than halved. All in all, great arguments for the purchase and so I took the leap.

 

I purchased a Skutt Kiln. It’s beautiful and shiny and holds a place of honor in our garage. I felt like she needed a name too. Of course my kiln is a she, I can’t imagine it any other way. I researched Goddesses of Fire and found Brigit the Goddess of Fire and Hearth in Celtic lore. Having Irish ancestry, it seemed perfect…so Brigit it is.

This was a very sound business decision. I paid for it with a zero interest credit card so I didn’t have to lay out a big pile of cash and I could slowly pay it over time. I bought it at the end of the year, so I had the tax benefit. I have total control over my firing schedule and my turnaround time went from 4 weeks, to as little as 10 days if need be.

 

I still have so much to learn about Brigit, so far she is steady and reliable and simple to use. I am looking forward to trying some of the options allowed by this gorgeous shiny beauty down the road.

Teri

Hello world!

Welcome to the next level growth for Yellow Door Pottery…I have a website and blog! Please feel free to follow along. I will share my experiences, useful tips, products I like, potters I follow and of course as always, the craziness that is my life.

I am a wife to an amazing man, John. I have two adult children, my son Daniel, who lives locally and is in web design and technical support. (No he did not help me with this-it would look better I am sure if he did) and also my daughter Katie-Gene. She has autism and recently moved to an adult residence, but comes home every weekend…I can’t be without my Katie!

I also have two crazy hound-puppies that are rescues, both are some sort of Australian Shepherd mix, that fill my days with love.