Throwing and Handling a cone 10 textured mug

Here are 2 video’s showing different steps of making the same style of mug. These mugs are made with cone 10 Bmix (so a white clay that is meant to be fired to around cone 10, which is over 2300 degrees Farenheit).

I use a BMix slip blended with some iron oxide to paint the darker texture around the bottom half of the mug. You’ll see this in the first video, which shows me throwing the cup on the wheel. The throwing video is a bit longer than the version I shared on social media - it’s not sped up so much, and you can see a bit better what’s happening.

The second video shows clips of me adding the handle to the mug, after it’s dried a bit (to the ‘leather hard’ stage). So the cup is firm enough to handle, but still wet enough to have new attachments added. This is a bit tricky on these textured mugs, because I have to add the handle without messing up the texture. So it needs to be just a bit on the dry side, and I have to be mindful of where (and how firmly) I’m touching the mug.

The mugs were glazed with Emily Purple on the inside and around the top, and then a layer of Rutile glaze was added over the entire outside of the mugs. The rutile looks extra cool where it flows over the dark textured belly of the mug. You’ll see pics of the finished mugs at the end of each video, and I’ll throw a shot in at the bottom of this post as well.

Clips of me throwing a textured mug on the pottery wheel.

Clips of me adding a handle to a textured mug

Throwing a textured mug in cone 5 Bmix

This mug was made with cone 5 Bmix, and glazed in Robins Egg Blue.
The texture is made with slip, a blend of clay and water that’s been mixed to a milkshake like consistency. This gives the glaze something to run over and pool around, plus it feels nice to hold.

clips of me throwing a cone 5 textured mug.

Cultivating Your Culinary Garden: Where Visual Allure Meets Practical Use

by Alice Robertson

Cultivating a garden that is both visually stunning and a source of culinary ingredients is more achievable than you might think. Comprehensive strategies have been laid out in this article to guide you in creating an outdoor space that seamlessly blends beauty with utility. Gone are the days when the concept of an aesthetically pleasing, yet edible, garden was a distant dream.

With careful planning and the right approach, this article from Jill Spawn Ceramics will help you bring to life a multifunctional oasis that offers both visual delight and food production.

The Allure of Edible Grasses

Grasses like lemongrass and wheatgrass offer a serene, organic outline for your garden. They dance gracefully in the wind and establish a soft, natural boundary. Their delicate foliage serves as an exquisite backdrop that compliments bolder plants. Plus, their shoots can be harvested and used in recipes or teas, adding a lovely aroma and flavor.

Harmonious Plant Protection

Instead of resorting to chemicals, employ a harmonious approach to safeguarding your plants. Plants such as lavender and basil not only add a pleasant aroma and bursts of color but also act as a deterrent against unwanted insects. Thus, you maintain a garden that’s both visually stunning and intrinsically resilient.

Versatile Flora for Visual and Culinary Appeal

Opt for plants that give you the best of both worlds: visual delight and culinary ingredients. Plants like edible flowers, Swiss chard, and various herbs are particularly versatile. They present a riot of colors and intricate patterns, and simultaneously, they can be plucked fresh to garnish dishes or brew teas.

Broadcasting Your Blossoming Paradise

To share your accomplishments and possibly even generate income, consider establishing a digital footprint for your garden. A YouTube channel can serve as a creative outlet and a potential source of revenue. This platform enables you to visually document your journey and share valuable tips on edible landscaping, potentially leading to a profitable enterprise.

A Tapestry of Sensory Delights

A monochromatic garden is a missed opportunity. Enrich your space by embracing a spectrum of colors, varying textures, and intriguing forms. Consider deep-purple basil, golden calendula, and feathery asparagus ferns to weave an intricate, multisensory tapestry that keeps the eyes wandering and the fingers itching to pick and taste.

Synergetic Plant Communities

An often overlooked but crucial aspect of gardening is the compatibility of plant neighbors. Gilmour.com suggests strategically clustering plants according to their sun and moisture needs. For instance, group sun-loving herbs like rosemary and thyme together, while placing shade-loving mint and ferns in a different zone. This results in a balanced ecosystem where each plant thrives.

It’s a good idea to make plant markers so you know at a glance what each plant is and to verify that it isn't a weed. This way, you’ll be certain of what herb you're snipping! You can use a free online tool to create business card-sized markers, which allows you to customize and add your personal touch with graphics and text.

An Inviting Outdoor Lounge

Investing in a cozy seating area encircled by aromatic herbs and luscious fruits transforms your garden into a multifunctional space. It offers a tranquil setting where you can unwind with a good book, meditate, or host casual social gatherings amidst nature. Thoughtfully selected outdoor furniture and decor elevate your personal enjoyment and also contribute to the garden's overall aesthetic appeal.

Compact Solutions for Smaller Spaces

If acreage is a limitation, fear not. The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes that raised beds and pot gardening offer fantastic solutions. Containers of varying sizes can host anything from dwarf fruit trees to cascading cherry tomatoes. In raised beds, consider 'square foot gardening' to maximize the number of plants you can grow, thus offering variety in a constrained space.

The journey of crafting a garden that melds visual splendor with functional utility is a deeply rewarding experience. By adhering to the guidelines laid out in this article, you're well-equipped to create an environment that gratifies both your artistic desires and your culinary needs. 

There's no time like the present to start envisioning your dream garden. From plotting plant locations to choosing your color palette, each step brings its own sense of accomplishment and joy. So, seize the opportunity and embark on this fulfilling project, opening the door to a garden that enriches your life in multiple ways.

Jill Spawn Ceramics features handmade pottery for everyday and special occasions. Shop online today or contact us for more info!

Alice Robertson is the creator of Tidy Home, a place to share the great cleaning and organizing advice she has developed over the years. Alice loves helping others, and she knows having a clean, organized home can do wonders for stress and mental health.

Making a Swirl Mug

This is a video showing highlights from making a swirl mug. These were gray swirl mugs, though the mug I’m handling might have been a blue one. I used cobalt oxide in my cobalt slip, which is a gray-ish color, so it’s a bit hard to tell the difference between the gray and the blue before they are fired. But it doesn’t matter much, the design is the same.

One of the challenges in making these mugs is to keep the slip fresh and unmarred while I’m adding the handle. It’s impossible to keep it Perfect, but I aim for that. And I find that I can brush a little slip under the handle attachment to help mask the imperfections there - since it’s under the handle it’s really not noticable. I have to let the mugs be a bit on the dryer side before adding the handle (again - so I don’t smudge the slip). I blend a bit of toilet paper into the slip I use for the attachments, which helps ensure that the handles doesn’t pull away from the cup as it dries. This means I have to do a bit of cleanup once the mug is totally dry, as the paper clay slip leaves some unattractive surface cracks in some spots, but it’s well worth it. My handles Never pull away from my cups since I started using paper clay slip, they stay firmly attached through the drying and the firing..

Throwing and Handling a Swirl Mug


Finishing and glazing a teabowl made with cobalt blue clay

This video shows me finishing up throwing a cobalt blue cup, a.k.a a cobalt blue teabowl (it can be a cup or a small bowl). This is a slightly longer cut than what was posted on social media.
I’ve really enjoyed my colored clay experiments! I’ve decided to keep this and use it for awhile as an oatmeal bowl, just to see how the colored clay performs in the microwave. Creating the colored clay takes some effort, so I may decide to reserve it for decorative work. We will see how my new oatmeal bowl works out.
To create the colored clay, I use reclaimed cone 5 bmix - this is the white clay I use for all my electric fired cone 6 work. I save my scraps as I make, and when I have plenty I make sure it’s well watered down, and then mix it smooth. From that state it can be used as white slip (as used on this cup), or it can be allowed to firm up and become reclaim clay. If you are wondering ‘what’s slip’ watch the video - the white stuff I paint around the outside of this cup is white slip - just clay and wanter blended smoth.
For my colored slips, I simply blend a colorant (such as cobalt) into the white clay when it’s in it’s smooth slip stage. This provides me with the colored slips I use. To make colored clay, I have to take it a step further and allow the colored slip to firm up until it gets to the right consistency. It needs to rest for a good 3 weeks before using, and it does require quite alot of wedging (wedging is much like kneading bread dough, with the intention of removing air bubbles and aligning the clay particles - making sure the clay is a consistent in it’s dampness and softness). In the future I’ll try to do a more thorough post about this process.

When working with colored clays and slips, one of the trickiest things to navigate (for me) is how NOT to get colored clay mixed in with your white clays and slips!

Video of me finishing and glazing a cobalt blue swirl cup with white slip.

Making Soup Bowls

Here are a couple of short videos that show some of the various steps involved in making a soup bowl.
My soup bowls are pretty simple. Once I have the size and shape about right, I add a swirl shape and then reform the inside a bit so the inner curve is nice and so the swirl is a bit more subtle. I want these to be nice to eat from, and I think the subtle swirl is very nice to hold - but if it’s too deep it might interfere a bit with utensils. I try not to trim any of my smaller bowls (including these and anything smaller). With soup bowls I do sometimes come back and do a tiny bit of trimming, but only if the bowl really needs it. I leave the foot flat.
The bowls in this first video were glazed with Robins Egg Blue on the outside, and Milky Gloss on the inside and around the lip. These are fired in my electric kiln to cone 6.

Clips of creating some Soup Bowls, glazed in Robins Egg Blue.

This second video shows me throwing a soup bowl with cobalt blue slip. The video only shows the throwing step, and a pic of the final piece at the end. These are glazed with Milky Gloss (white) glaze, and fired in my electric kiln to cone 6.

Video of me throwing a soup bowl with a cobalt blue slip swirl.

Spring 2023 Firing of Puff the Desert Dragon Part 2

This is part 2 of my blog post about the spring wood firing. If you missed part one, you can check it out here: Spring 2023 Wood Firing Part 1.

I discussed loading the kiln and bricking up the door in my last post. This post will cover the actual firing, and a bit of the unloading.

Here’s a short video showing the kiln as it’s firing. This was taken right around cone 9/10 - just a bit before the previous picture.

Video shows the firing wood kiln, right around cone 9.

Once the firing was done, more waiting….ugh! It’s so hard to wait to see the results of all this work! I believe we gave the kiln a good 4 days to cool before we unloaded.

First, here’s some group shots of many of my pieces, posed and shot right after we unloaded the kiln. You can see the cone packs in these shots as well, remember the cone in back is cone 12. Beneath those pics, you’ll find a selection of some of my favorite pieces from this firing. I’ll link a few more videos by Anita, Steffi and Mishy at the bottom of this post.

Compilation of photos of Unloading of the 2023 wood firing of Puff the Desert Dragon at the Desert Dragon Pottery Studio.

Video of the Desert Dragon Pottery crew unloading the Spring 2023 wood firing.

That’s a wrap for the Spring firing! We were so happy with the results, and we’re starting to think about a Fall or Winter firing - I have a few pieces squirreled away already!

Many of the photos and videos in this post were taken by Anita and Steffi Howell, Mishy Katz and/or Gary Price.

Spring 2023 Firing of Puff the Desert Dragon Part 1

We fired up the wood kiln (Puff) back in April - it had been well over a year since our previous firing and I was so ready for it! Both the loading and the firing went pretty well, I’m feeling more confident with just about every firing, but of course there is still plenty of room for improvement. The firing was a bit over 15 hours; we reached a solid cone 10 throughout the kiln, and a solid cone 11 in quite a few spots. Note: cones are used to gauge the heat in the kiln (a bit more about that is described below).

I’ll break this up into 2 parts - part 1 will mostly be about the loading, and building the door. I’ll link a few video’s of the actual firing at the end of this post, and I’ll include a bit more about that in the second part.

These pictures show us finishing up the loading, and bricking up the door. We were pretty focused - I didn’t think to get any pictures until we were almost done. But you’ll get a nice overview of the loaded kiln and the door with the first few shots below.

Building the door is tough, in part because it comes right after Loading the kiln, which is also quite a lot of work - so you’re already good and tired! We could not fire this immediately, we planned to wait about a week before we fired. Since the door was bricked up, and the chimney flue was closed, the pots were safe and sound.

Here’s a short video clip of me and Gary feeding the fire. Below that (at the very bottom of this post) is a fun compilation of firing pictures, it’s a great overview of the day.

Short video clip of Jill Spawn and Gary Price stoking Puff the Desert Dragon (the wood kiln) at the Desert Dragon Pottery. Video taken by Michelle (Mishy) Katz.

Compilation of some photos from the firing of our Spring 2023 wood firing at the Desert Dragon Pottery. Created by Anita and Steffi Howell.

I’ll share a bit more about the firing, and the finished pieces, in my next post.

Some of the photos in this post were taken by Anita and Steffi Howell, Mishy Katz and/or Gary Price.

Throwing a Swirl Vase with Reclaim

Here’s another throwing video, again using reclaim clay from the Desert Dragon Pottery. They’ve been producing a lot of reclaim this year and I’m happy to use it! They price of clay has gone up (like everything) so using reclaim is a money saver. The feel is a little different, as it is with every new clay. I can’t pull the walls quite as thin as I can with some other clay’s, but it really works pretty great when I want that stoneware look.
This piece is a vase I’m saving for our next wood firing; it has not yet been scheduled but will likely be in the fall or early winter - it’s too hot here to think about now! I think this lump of clay weighed a bit over 4lb’s when I started.

Throwing a 4lb Swirl Vase with Reclaimed Clay.

Throwing an Oil Bottle

Here are a couple of videos showing me throwing a swirl oil bottle. I’m using reclaimed clay here from the Desert Dragon Pottery. Reclaimed clay is made of clay that was already used and discarded - failed pots and leftover clay scraps. There is some processin!g involved to get the clay back to a workable state - it’s a bit of a chore. But with patience, it creats perfectly acceptable. It’s not Quite as easy to throw with as Rods Bod (I find Rods particularly easy to through) and I can’t throw it quite as thin as I do with cone 10 BMix. But really - it works just fine for many things. Thanks to Gary Price for processing all the reclaim at the Desert Dragon Pottery!

Throwing a swirl bottle is a bit tricky, doing so with the reclaim clay was a good test to see if it’s doable with reclaim, and it was. The video is broken up into 2 parts. Beneath the second video are a few pictures of the finished bottle.

Part 1 - Throwing a swirled oil bottle with white slip texture.

Part 2 - Throwing a swirled oil bottle with white slip texture.

Art Therapy Benefits That Will Improve Your Life - A Guest Article from Alice Robertson of Tidy Home

Alice Robertson recently created Tidy Home as a place to share the great cleaning and organizing advice she has developed over the years. Alice loves helping others, and she knows having a clean, organized home can do wonders for stress and mental health.

Art Therapy Benefits That Will Improve Your Life

Art therapy has a variety of benefits, including stress and anxiety relief and the ability to deal with trauma in a healthy way. It has been used for years as a way to help build confidence and allow people of all ages to manage challenges in their lives, from overcoming addiction to handling the stressors that come with a fast-paced career. The wonderful thing about art therapy is that you don’t have to be a professional artist in order to enjoy the advantages; with the right tools, anyone can make art and find joy in doing so.

From Jill Spawn Ceramics, here are just a few ways you can make the most of art therapy for yourself.

Make it a family activity

Because art therapy doesn’t have to follow certain guidelines to be effective, you can utilize any number of mediums or methods to practice it. This means you might make the most of a quiet morning and paint a watercolor on the back porch, or sit down with the kids and create silly sculptures out of colorful clay. The act of creating can be relaxing, fun, stimulating, or a combination of all those things, and when it’s done with the people you love, you’ll get even more benefits. In fact, it’s a great way to carve out time from your day to spend with your children, which is perfect if you usually have a busy schedule. You can get involved in art in any number of ways, including:

●      Drawing or painting

●      Dancing

●      Sculpting

●      Origami

●      Singing

●      Playing an instrument

Set up a space in your home where you and your kids can create. This may be difficult if you live in an apartment, so explore your local options for rental homes. Checking what’s available regularly will help you find the best deal. Then you’ll have all the space you need!

Raise your confidence levels

Whether you choose to make art by yourself or with loved ones, doing so can boost your confidence and self-esteem in various ways. By creating something new, you’re investing time and energy into something that’s just for you, proving to yourself that you can do difficult things. You’re also giving yourself a safe way to confront challenging feelings, which can help you get through unresolved issues.

What’s more, creating art as a way to deal with your emotions will give you a timeline of physical proof showing how far you’ve come and documenting the progress you’ve made in your journey to feel better. Try keeping a sketchbook, using art prompts to help you stay motivated and add to it regularly.

Benefit your physical health

Not only is art therapy wonderful for managing difficult feelings, it can have a positive effect on your physical health, as well. Because our mental and physical wellbeing is so closely linked, practicing art therapy can provide several benefits for individuals who are living with chronic pain or debilitating diseases.

In fact, studies have shown that individuals who used art to manage the stress and anxiety associated with cancer treatment were also able to reduce physical pain and improve their quality of life. Whether you’re living with a health condition or are suffering from the physical effects of stress, art therapy can help.

Improve your communication skills

Art therapy can also help you manage outside factors in your life, such as relationships with your loved ones or your ability to be social. Many creative pursuits improve our ability to communicate and provide a healthy way to develop problem-solving skills. For some individuals, this is an invaluable tool that can help with managing the symptoms of addiction, boosting social skills, or repairing relationships with family members.

Open doors for a new career

Though it may not be what you’re after when you begin art therapy, you may find that you have an artistic aptitude that you want to turn into a career. Fortunately, there are many different potential business options available that allow you to monetize your artistic talents. Best of all, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one idea.

Practicing art therapy is something anyone can do, which means you can make it a family activity and bond with your children or keep it private so you can work things out on your own. By investing this time and energy into your needs, you’ll experience multiple benefits that will make a major difference in your wellbeing.

To shop handmade pottery for everyday use or for special occasions, visit Jill Spawn Ceramics today!

Throwing a Gray Textured Bud Vase

Like all my video’s so far, this is a highlight reel. These are short highlights, sped up x2 - I try to keep these in the 60-90 second range.
This is Bud Vase A where posted in my shops - I posted a video of Vase B previously. The vase is made with cone 5 BMix clay. Black Mason Stain was added to some bmix 5 slip to create the texture. I glazed this in Milky Gloss glaze and fired it to cone 6 in my electric kiln.

Milky Gloss with Grey Texture Bud Vase Video Highlights

Giving Puff (the Desert Dragon Wood Kiln) a facelift

Puff the Desert Dragon is the name of the wood kiln out at the Desert Dragon Pottery Studio, in North Phoenix. A group of artists, led by John Manley and Tom Bivens, built the kiln in the winter of 2017, based on John's design. (Here is a link to my blog post about the initial build: Building Puff the Desert Dragon Wood Kiln)

We had used big rocks as the outer layer of insulation on the kiln, mostly out of convenience (they were available, and free). But John felt the rocks on the outer layer were not sufficient for insulation. We had completed quite a few successful firings since 2017, but they were taking a bit longer than we had hoped. This past winter, John suggested we replace that outer layer of rock with something better. John normally lives in Nevada, since he would be staying at the studio for a bit in March, we decided it was a good time to tackle the project.

The first step was to remove the rock. John had learned that a material called Diatomaceous earth (DT) could be used to create an insular shell over the kiln. A common use for this material is soaking up oil spills, so we found some at our local Napa Auto Parts and bought about 12 bags.

A close-up of Puff, after the river rock was removed.

Puff has been stripped of her outer shell of rock, and the DT bags are waiting to be torn open and used.

We blended the DT with some clay slop from the studios reclaim buckets (basically used/leftover clay). And then we built up a nice thick layer over the top of the kiln. We painted a thin layer of Sodium Silicate over the entire thing once done, to help reduce cracking as the DT and Clay mixture dried.

I didn’t get many pictures of this step, but John posted about it on his Instagram. The post should be linked below so you can see his pics. Below that is the few pics I had of this first layer in progress.

John evens out the first layer of insulation - DT and clay.

The first layer is done and drying.

The second and final layer is made up of more DT and more clay, plus cement and more sodium silicate. We mixed it all up in a wheel barrel, and started slathering it over the first layer of DT and clay.

John mixes the cement, clay, DT and sodium silicate, as I apply some to the front of the kiln

Compressing the final layer.

Relieved to be almost done with the project.

We’re very happy to be almost done here! We finished up this layer well before dark, and we were tired but pleased. The big test would come in about a month - in mid-April we fired Puff up for the first time since this modification. I will post more about that soon.

Throwing a Bud Vase in Rods Bod

Video Highlights of me throwing a bud vase in Rods Bod clay. I added white BMix slip around the outside to create the texture.
I was pretty certain when I created this that it would be wood fired. I hung on to it until this past April when we did our Puff firing. The whole firing was wonderful! This piece was a highlight for me, though it’s a more subtly beautiful piece compared to some of the others. It’s not big or flashy, but the form, the wood fired finish, everything just came together perfectly.

Handling Mugs - Swirled Mugs and Textured Mugs

Here’s a few more videos, these were posted separately on my social media sites. I’m just getting them added here on my blog.


This first video shows me finishing one of these blue swirl cups on the wheel - adding the cobalt slip and the spiral shape. The latter half shows me adding a handle to the same style of mug.
The latest batch I made of these had a slightly narrower foot and handle, and I think I like the design change. I’ll make these same tweaks in my next batch of swirl mugs.

Slipping, swirling and handling a cobalt swirl mug.

This next video shows me handling these wide mouthed swirl mugs. These mugs were made in Laguna Rods Bod clay. They were glazed in Tenmoku (outside) and Goldspot, and were fired to cone 10 in Reduction at the Desert Dragon Pottery Studio in North Phoenix. This is one of my long-time favorite glaze combinations, in fact the recipes used for these glazes came from my Ball State glaze recipe book.

Handling Widemouth Swirl Mugs

This last video is the most recent, it shows me handling a textured mug. I love how the transparent glaze flows around the texture on these mugs! The handles are a bit smaller on these, as it’s a shorter style.

Handling a textured mug

Throwing a large gray and white swirl mug

Highlights of me throwing a large swirl mug (video is about a minute).

I’m using cone 5 Bmix clay, and the slip is made with the same clay and black mason stain. These were fired to cone 6 in my electric kiln.

Typically my mugs hold around 12 oz, but these are a bit bigger. They all hold 16 oz.

Throwing a small cereal bowl

Currently, this is how I’m making my soup/cereal bowls, I do a large and small version (this is the smaller version). I do salsa bowls as well, which are a bit smaller still. All include the swirl shape, and typically I do not trim these at all. I like the challenge of throwing a nice bowl without the trimming step, and I think the shape of the bowl and rim are better for it!
In the past I haven’t posted many bowls for sale, I’ve mainly done them for custom order or sold them at in person events. I do hope to start offering bowls like this in sets of 2 or 4 later this year.

Throwing a Swirled Oil Bottle.

These are a bit challenging (and fun) to throw 😃
I made this over the summer, and I just got the finished bottle back from it’s glaze firing!

Creating a Kiln Shed

I have 2 electric kilns at my studio that sit in the back corner of our property. I’ve always kept them well tarped up when they were not in use, but they really needed a shelter. My husband had access to a shipping container, and he had the great idea to simply cut a shed from that. Luckily he had access to the proper tools and a friend to lend a hand!

The slideshow below shows some highlights of the shed creation, before it was installed.

The shipping container had already been chopped up some, but there was plenty left for our purposes. We cut about 6 feet off of one end. Ideally, we did not want the shed to stick out above our property wall, so we flipped it on it’s side and cut a bit off the bottom. The bottom was reinforced with some steel angle bar. Then finally, we loaded it on a trailer and drove it to the house.

Getting the shed past the garage and house and installed in the back corner of our property was tough! It required everyone’s full attention, so I did not get any pictures. It was a massive relief when we finally got it into place with my kilns inside, and with no major disasters.

It was a bit rough looking at first, so we added a coat of paint to match the shed to the wall and our house (which is this same deserty tan color). We cut up a couple of pool noodles to fill in the gap along the top, between the wall and the back of the shed (see slide 2 below). We painted them to blend them in; time will tell how long that paint will last on a pool noodle. But it looks nice for now, and the kilns are well protected.

The finished shed looks pretty nice, and it functions very well! I have to duck to get under the lip at the top, but once I’m in I can stand up completely. It also provides some shade from the afternoon sun, which is a huge bonus.

Below are 3 pictures of the finished project. I’ve been using this shed for a few months, and so far I’m loving it!