I'm usually a pretty private person. However, I feel like I'm among friends here, and among people who can understand my trepidation. You see, I'm about to have ACDF surgery. For the last couple of months I've been having pain, tingling and cramping in my hands and arms. Turns out I've got a couple of discs in my neck pressing on the spinal cord. So they are going to operate on the 16th. I've pretty much stopped doing pottery for the last couple of months because of this, and will not be able to lift or bend for a couple months after. I'm told that this surgery is over 90% effective permanently, but there's always some risk, so I'm a bit nervous. Anyway, I kind of wanted just to vent to someone other than those who live with me every day, and to people who understand what it would be like to not be able to make mud into art. I'm not looking for sympathy, just some encouragement to help me feel just a little braver about what lies ahead. Thanks to all of you for understanding!

December challenge: My family comes for Thanksgiving every year over 1200 miles. This year I made candle holders . I took their favorite animal and put it on a cylianer with backround, made oval slits for light to shine thru. One i made had no slits a Koala with bamboo backround ....votive cup sits in cylander even with top. Another was fox with forest backround and slits , with a tea light inside. another was a wolf and moon and trees with slits and votive inside. I made a 12 inch pot...real red (coyote) inside and jungle gems noel on outside. Slits in from and three wick candle inside. Can swap out candle an put in poinsetta. Then there is the reliable peony candle holder by Jas with a battery operated votive candle( runs 4 hours a day on timer)

Okay potters, let’s settle this once and for all! 😄 You can keep all your other favorite glazes — but when it comes to these two classics, you have to pick one: River Birch 🌿 or Winter Wood ❄️ No “both” and no “neither” — just pure, honest glaze preference! So… if you had to cast your vote, which one wins a permanent spot on your glaze shelf? 👀🎨 👉 Team River Birch or Team Winterwood?

This post is for ALL members — new or old, active or still a little shy. 💛 Especially for those who haven’t posted yet — this is your moment! 🌟 👉 Your mission: Comment below with one GIF that best describes your personality or your current mood.That’s it — no words needed, just a GIF! 😄 And for everyone else:Please like every single GIF you see! 👍✨Each like gives the poster a small boost in points — and points mean leveling up! 🚀 Let’s see if we can turn our lovely Level 1 members into Level 2 or 3 legends this week.We’ll do this challenge all through the first week of December — let’s make the feed come alive with fun and movement! 💫 Ready, set… GIF! 🎬💃

After our chat yesterday, Therese suggested that we could use a new category — and I absolutely love this idea! A space where we can talk about the many things that nourish our bodies and our minds. Since we all come from different regions and have such unique experiences, we can really inspire and support each other in living a healthy, balanced, and beautiful life. What we “feed” ourselves — both physically and mentally — has such a big impact on how we feel and how we move through life. So, we’re expanding our topics with a new category called Nourish 🌿 Under this heading, you can share your recipe ideas, health tips, wellbeing routines, or even ask questions and start conversations around these themes. I’m so excited about this, because our on-topic chats are always so thoughtful and inspiring — and this community is just wonderful. 💛 Go for it and share what nourishes you!