Brevard, North Carolina

 Haven't written anything in awhile here...a quick catch-up is that in the past month or so, I officially finished all my Master's degree requirements, had a couple weeks for a break, then prepped my apartment to be empty for most of the summer, and drove off to stay in Brevard, North Carolina for two months for a music festival. It's really beautiful here! BMC's campus is right on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest, (Think forested scenes from The Hunger Games; parts of it were filmed in the area.) so there is great hiking and loads of waterfalls to see in the area. We live in cabins, and the campus isn't huge, but big enough to accommodate about 400 students, plus faculty and workers. The food is decent, music good, and people friendly. I haven't taken many photos yet, but here are few from the dusky hour of the day. Hope you're all well and stay tuned for more tales to come :)

~xomo

Google Hangout with May

Must...

be...

front...

and CENTER!

Michler's

 

  

Michler's is a great spot in Lexington close to my apartment that everyone raves about, and recently I finally went in for the first time! It's a greenhouse, much bigger than I realized because it extends pretty far back behind the most visible part of its lot. Lot's of cool plants, beautiful arrangements, and very reasonably priced succulents. I found a few cute little additions for my home. :)

Things Are Stacking Up!

Around 75 items will be available for purchase anytime after May 6th!  Mix and match, build a set, or pick out an individual piece, whatever you like, I don't have room for it all.  :)  Cups, mugs, bowls galore - in a variety of colors and sizes!

May and her Mother

Pairs of wide eyes in a couple'a precious faces! Justin, Trish, and May are in the middle of moving into a new house right now! Lots of work to be done for them; hopefully we get to see a shot of May wielding a hammer or something :)

Wood Kiln Firing

Last week there was a wood kiln firing in Lexington! Wood kilns are more rare than other methods of firing - they go on for about 4 days, during which someone must constantly feed wood into the kiln and monitor the temperature, 24/7. The result is unique, though; the ash from the fire creates a beautiful glaze on the clay, and you never quite know how the pieces are going to come out. The ceramics department here at UK built this kiln not that long ago, out on a farm where the university does agricultural work. I worked one 6 hour shift, hauling wood, throwing it into the kiln, and eating pizza and marshmallows cooked over the fire (yuummm). By the time I left, the kiln was up to about 1200 degrees, right on the brink of when you have to start wearing special clothing for the heat. It was wild getting up close to the door and experiencing such intense blasts while throwing in the wood, and I went up a couple times with my camera to try to get a view of the inside. A real inferno! The goal was to reach about 2200 degrees at it's peak. After the four day firing, it cools down for about a week, and we are unloading on Monday. I can't wait to see how everything looks!

The Many Expressions of May, part 1

                    

Are words necessary? :) 

~xomo

The Handmade Object

I've been taking ceramic courses this year at school and really enjoying it.  I always love working with my hands, but with ceramics, it is additionally exciting to imagine a physical object or particular shape, and then figure out how to make it a reality.  I'm not very advanced at this point, so everything I imagine is happening at a fairly simple level.  Still though, it is a surprisingly thrilling sensation to eat and drink out of a vessel, knowing that I created it!

My professor this semester is really hounding us to churn out a large number of items, more than I will ever be able to keep...so...I'm going to have a sale at the end of the semester! In person, here in Lexington, but also if out-of-towners really want a few handmade items, we could discuss shipping.  I'm letting you all know in advance because if anyone is interested in a personalized or specific type of object (but think within a cup/bowl framework for now), I would be happy to fill the order.  Leave a comment below or email me at mkelly210@gmail.com, and we can talk about it.

:)

xomo

Spring Fever

I've been feeling a little antsy lately, kind of wanting to travel or do something different, explore a new place, perhaps?  It's been raining and the smell of spring is in the air! but still it's a bit chilly and dreary out, so inside I stay this morning...here are a few cool things I've seen lately online:

At this site, you can watch how the wind is blowing across the entire planet in real time!

Great video of a teenage hyperpolyglot who speaks over 20 languages (makes you feel inspired and inadequate).

Bird's eye view around the world.

Taking stock of a relationship through yawns. 


Photos are of the famous tulip fields in Holland (have to see it in person one day) from this little article. If you squint they could be mistaken for a Rothko. :)

cheers
xomo

Me 'n May

Trish and May came to Kentucky this past week for a visit, and they just left this morning; I'm really missing them!  I am May's Godmother and this was my first time meeting her.  Ahhhhh, this baby is just....so AWESOME.  She has a huge repertoire of facial expressions, and goes between little, babbly conversations and an extremely thoughtful, focused stare that sees right in to your core.  I know everyone says this about their own baby, but she definitely is incredibly advanced.  I am so happy and grateful they came to visit, love them both so much!  Lots of baby photos to sort through now, stay tuned :)

~xomo

ps: An extremely clear resemblance to her parents, haha!