I started working on a secret project on May 25th — a special gift to commemorate a special event in someone’s life. It took me a week to piece it together, and then I dropped it off for bisque firing on June 1st. As luck would have it, it blew up in the bisque kiln. So it was back to the drawing board. 

For those who are following this saga, the secret project is a large serving platter, which is approximately 18-inches wide by 14-inches deep — suitable for large holiday roasts. I know this for a fact because I created a template for this project by tracing around my own holiday platter. I can personally vouch that this platter can comfortably hold a lot of turkey, ham, prime rib, or whatever your favorite holiday fare may be. 

Round Two

I decided to give it another try two weeks ago, but with a few improvements. I had ordered a new texture pin way back in March to use for a few other project ideas percolating in my mind, but it didn’t arrive until after completing the first prototype for this project. When I opened the package, I looked at it and realized that it could add additional “pop” to my secret project concept, and I wanted to use it.

But… a big part of this project was it was personalized using alphabet stamps, and as luck would have it, I had just scored an amazing set of Frank Lloyd Wright alphabet rubber stamps using the Eaglefeather font on eBay, and I decided to replace the original stamps I had used on Round 1 with these newer stamps.

And that, as they say in sports lingo, was the call of the game. Everything was going along beautifully, and I stamped the name in the same place along the front of the platter rim as on the original platter. Then I draped the decorated slab over a form to create the “bowl” in the platter, just as with the first platter, and let it set up overnight under a sheet of plastic. But when I flipped it over the next day to remove the form, I realized that the new letter set was quite a bit larger than the original set of stamps I had used, and the text was now hanging halfway into the bowl of the platter. So… everything got cut up and added to my scrap bucket. At least I’ll get to salvage the clay from this failed attempt.

Round Three

Having learned yet another valuable lesson, I look the time to make a two-piece paper template just for the front of the platter, which included positioning cutouts for the rubber stamp letters, as well as guidelines to help center everything. Which brings us to Tuesday, June 24th, when I officially started Round Three of the never ending secret platter project.

These new templates helped a great deal, and in fact, having just added the final embellishments to the platter, this is ready to into the bisque kiln again. If the kiln gods smile on it, this one will make it out of bisque and be ready for glazing over the July 4th holiday weekend. Fingers crossed!