Little Worlds Encased In Globes of Glass

     I have always had a love affair with plants. Actually, love affair implies that the plants loved me back... and that would be, sadly, untrue. Not a single plant that I have ever cared for has lasted longer than a few months(and those were ivy and ferns... only gross abuse can kill those.. I still swear it was the space heater that did them in).
While a friend of mine in Chicago was on vacation she trusted me to care for her basil plant. By the time she got back all of the leaves were brown. I killed a cactus too. Let's not talk about how ridiculous that is.
     Seeing as how much I adore plants and nature, this black thumb of mine is upsetting to me. Gardening is one of those things I desperately want to do well, and simply can't. 
    For my birthday, my friend Alissa got me a beautiful terrarium. I love terrariums. There is something so magical about how a bunch of little plants sit encased inside their own little self contained world. Mist and foggy glass. Moss and little animal figurines. Big surprise, I managed to kill it within a week. Soggy, limp, cooked, leaves of lobelia greeted my when I came home from school. I think I may have given it too much sun :(
     Soooooo, it may be a bit surprising (what is it they say if you keep trying to do the same thing over and over expecting different results? Pshhhh), but yesterday I spent a good chunk of my day creating some terrariums. Not only did I refill the one Alissa gave me, but I bought 3 more terrariums and a plethora of plants to fill them all. I made two open top desert ones, and 2 closed top tropical ones. I am going to remain optimistic. They look so beautiful all bunched up next to the window. I have a little bunny figurine in one of them, and I am going to buy a monkey for the other tropical one, and dinosaurs for the desert ones.


We shall see what happens.

I also potted some succulents that my mum bought at a gem and mineral show(75 cents!) into my shrunken sugar bowl. Sugar bowl found a use! My kitten has been nomming on them periodically.

To segway from plants to pottery... I haven't gotten much back lately since I have been working on making my final pieces rapidly before the last weeks of class. All I have gotten back is one mug bottle thingy...

     Other than some drippage problems, I like what the two glazes did where they combined in the middle. I love these wild glazes. I have some crazy pieces waiting to be painted right now, one being the whistle project. We had to make a sculptural whistle/ocarina. Super fun. I decided to make a bird. Since I worked on it at home, my kitten also nommed on on this as well. I had to reattach the wing tips numerous times.

That hole is where you blow into

That is where the air comes from and goes out. Half of the air goes out the bird and half goes into the belly before coming out. It takes a lot of shifting around to actually get a sound.

    

I have 3 holes on the side for making different sounds. I have no talent at playing this thing... I simply get uber excited it makes a sound at all. I will need to make more of these in different forms. This bird is getting cooked into bisque right now and I am quite terrified it is going to crack or break. I will find out tomorrow. Eep.


I have so much more to say but I have to go to class. 


I think it is almost time for some camping, weather is behaving :)