Happy March, clay maestros and virtuosos! We’ve had a decent amount of snow this year, but the days are getting longer, the nights shorter, and we’ve started to look forward to springtime. We hope everyone’s enjoying the inconsistent weather and has the opportunity to enjoy the sun. If you have a pup at home that enjoys walks, keep an eye out for salt on their paws! We’re certainly not out of the snowy season yet.

Speaking of dogs, we’re happy to have you visit Stone Leaf Pottery with your dog as long as your dog is well-behaved and socialized! We have a couple of friendly staff dogs that run around the store, so be sure to keep your pup on a leash. Ask for treats behind the counter!

We have a couple of exciting workshops ahead of us, as well as some bigger events this month.

Our Mocha Diffusion workshop is just around the corner, being taught by Stone Leaf Pottery’s resident professional potter, Peri Charlifu. The workshop will be on Saturday, March 9, 2024, 10am - 1pm. We will be working on leather hard Cone 5 B-Mix clay. Formulas for the Mocha Diffusion process will be provided, mixed, and available for use. Bring a leather-hard Laguna Clay cone 5 B-Mix piece, or if you prefer, order either a tumbler or a bottle no later than Wednesday, March 6th and Peri will provide that for an extra $10 fee. The workshop is $50; firing is not included, but is available for an extra fee.

Curious about what mocha diffusion is? Check out this example on YouTube by Robin Hopper!

If you’ve purchased a kiln from us recently, you may be eligible for an EKW, or an Electric Kiln Workshop! We have an EKW March 23rd on Saturday, 8:00am - 1:00pm, taught by Stone Leaf Pottery owners Bob and Ingrid King. The cost is $75 or Free with purchase of one new kiln from Stone Leaf Pottery in the last two years! One kiln = one EKW.

The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) is hosting their annual conference coming up March 20-23! Stone Leaf Pottery will be attending, which means a reminder to our customers: we appreciate your patience! Our staff will be limited during this week, so we hope you’ll understand we’re working to get you what you need with the best of our ability.

If you’re a fan of Slabmat, Stone Leaf’s plasticized paper product, and plan to attend NCECA, we’ll see you there! Stone Leaf’s booth will have another Slabmat booth available this year. Swing by and say hello!

As always, dear customers, please be sure to check our social media for snow and weather closures. Our Instagram and Facebook accounts are listed at the bottom of this article. Depending on the level of snowfall, we may have staff available to help, albeit a small number due to travel constraints.

And, on the off-chance you weren’t aware, we’re closed Mondays! Our regular hours are Tuesday - Thursday, 9:00am - 6:00pm, and Friday - Saturday, 9:00am - 4:00pm. That means if you send an email later on Saturday, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can Tuesday.

If you missed last month’s newsletter, we’ve started including Ingrid’s Tip of the Month! Ingrid King is a longtime professional pottery and owner of Stone Leaf Pottery. Ingrid’s Tip of the Month for March is on warming up cold clay!

“If your clay is cold and uncomfortable to work with, consider placing it on a heating pad and wrapping it. Turn the heating pad on. Be aware, the larger the amount of clay, the longer it will take to heat the clay. Also, don’t store clay you’ll use the next day on the floor. Put it on a chair, table or on your wheel. If it’s stored on the cold floor, the floor will radiate cold to the clay.”

Voila, your clay’s easier to handle! Thanks, Ingrid!

Want more inspiration for pain-free pottery? Check out this blog walkthrough on approaching pottery with your body in mind!

Finally, Ingrid was recently out-and-about and visited this gallery, with a very impressive range of stock and prices. Check out  Burd's Nest Art Gallery, a pop-up gallery & studio in Olde Town Arvada, Grandview Ave, Arvada, CO, 80002.

Now, onto our specials. Our tool and glaze specials are inspired by St. Patrick’s Day! Aren’t we a lucky store?

CLAY OF THE MONTH

Soldate 60 by Laguna, $12.25 per bag up to 100#

Soldate 60 is a cone 10 clay and a staff favorite at Stone Leaf Pottery. Medium coarse in texture, it’s a beloved go-to for those who enjoy both hand-building and throwing with an extra bit of umph. While our customers who enjoy more buttery clays may shy away from the gritty description, this clay’s 60 mesh sand allows for great structural ability without worry of sharp grit against your hands. Derived from the same formula as Soldate 30 but with the addition of 60 mesh sand, this trusty clay is fantastic to throw medium to large forms with, taking a vessel to new heights. A yellow buff in oxidation, a yellow brown in reduction, you can’t go wrong with Soldate 60. Even if you don’t fire at cone 10, this clay’s excellent for making cookies and catch-plates for your other pieces in the kiln. As a mid-fire enthusiast, I always have a bag in my studio for saucers.

Already an excellent deal, to have this affordable clay on special is like having a super special. We’re thrilled to be able to offer it to our customers. Grab a bag today!

Want to see Soldate 60 in action? Check out this cool Instagram post by Laguna!

TOOL OF THE MONTH

14” Green Bats by Speedball, 10% off

You can never have enough bats. For St. Patrick’s Day this month, we have green 14” bats discounted at 10%. If you were thinking about adding another to your vast collection, we highly recommend Speedball bats. Plastic instead of masonite or plaster, they can keep your pieces from wicking out moisture as long as they’re covered in a plastic bag with a sponge. Moisture-resistant, highly useful and adaptable to standard wheel sizes, this is a fun one for all potters. The "Easy Lift Rim" makes removing the bat from the wheel head simple in one easy motion that won’t disturb your pot. These injection-molded plastic bats are long lasting, can maintain their shape and size, and the unique ribs add strength and durability. The ribs also grab onto clay rings easily for throwing on wheels without bat pin holes.

Want more information on bats? Check out this very helpful YouTube video!

GLAZE OF THE MONTH

Aurora Green by Mayco, 10% off

Following our green Speedball bats is our green glaze special, Aurora Green! A gorgeous Cone 5 glaze, Aurora Green produces a mottled aqua gloss glaze with light brown and large black crystals. As the crystals melt, bursts of blue and brown will develop! To get an interesting effect, follow this tip: SW-108 Green Tea is the base glaze. For a lighter crystal effect, you may try applying two coats of SW-108 Green Tea with a third coat of SW-146 Aurora Green. Due to the large sized crystals in Aurora Green they often reside in the bottom of the glaze; be sure to stir well or pour the glaze out onto a plate to make them more accessible!

I love this glaze, and use it layering it with other Mayco glazes, such as Pink Opal, Blue Opal, Fossil Rock, and Blue Gloss.

Want more layering ideas for Aurora Green? Check out Mayco’s online guide!

Any further questions about our specials? Inquire at our front desk during regular business hours, our staff are happy to help!

That’s all for now, folks! Happy potting, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Elise and the Stone Leaf Pottery Crew

All Clay of the Month purchases are limited to 100# of clay. The sale price is valid only in March 2023 and not combinable with other discounts.

It's not uncommon for us to run out of the clay (s) of the Month, so we always suggest you shop early in the Month to ensure the clay is in stock. Also, when purchasing Glaze or Tool(s), or Equipment of the Month, again, it's limited to products on hand. So, if we don't have it when you shop, come shop with us again soon! We replenish our shelves constantly—we'll hopefully have more soon! Got more questions about how this works? Please, please reach out to us!