Announcement    I try to keep the yarn bowls in stock, but they go really fast. We love making custom pieces that are made to your specifications. When you place your order for a custom piece just let us know what you like.

I do offer a "You are so special" card that you can purchase to send to the intended recipient if it is a gift. You can send them the card so that they will know you have ordered a one of a kind hand sculpted piece of art for them and they can participate in designing the item.

If you are ordering a custom piece as a gift & don't mind if the recipient knows what they are receiving, it's fun to let them design their own piece. We are happy to answer any questions concerning the process.

I have many ready to ship items listed. I also have a custom order listing where you can place your order to have a yarn bowl created with the facial features of you choosing in the size that you want. I also have a "request custom order" button added to my listing. Please use that feature if you are wanting me to create a unique piece of pottery just for you. It could be a mug, a chinchilla house, a planter.... Or a piece with a name on it.

We want to say "Thank you" to the sites that have shared either the video of one of my customers using her yarn bowl or the picture of "Snotty Oliver". He has been very popular. Here is a little back story about that yarn bowl.

When Kim Olson posted a photo of Snotty Oliver in early April 2014, it went viral. How cool was that! Although the photo was not watermarked with either her or my information, you folks found me. In fact, I was getting over 2000 emails and messages a day. All of the finished yarn bowls that I had available quickly were sold and shipped.

I love making faces. I am honored that you stopped by my Etsy store to see my work. Whether you purchase a piece of my work that is ready to ship or whether you purchase a custom order that you want me to create just for you, please know that each one is a one of a kind hand sculpted piece of original functional art..

If you are purchasing a custom order, here is the process that it takes to create it for you. Each kiln load is about 50 to 100 items. I usually have two kiln loads going in the process.

Communication is very important to the process of creating a custom piece that meets your approval, this is why we ask for you to please watch your Etsy messages.

Once your order is pulled, it will takes 2 to 4 weeks to go from start to finish. I will send you a photo of your piece as soon as it is out of the kiln to let you know it is being packaged. The next day, you order should ship using priority 1- 3 days delivery.

This is what it takes to make an original one-of-a-kind piece:

Each one is wheel thrown the first day, the bottoms are trimmed and the yarn guides are cut the second day and then the process of sculpting the faces begins on the third day. It takes about an hour to sculpt each face. After the group is sculpted, they are dried slowly for a few days to a week depending on the humidity and weather. They are loaded into the kiln to go through a bisque firing which take 48 hours to complete and to cool down. Then they are wet sanded and dried for two days. The eyes are glazed, then faces are glazed, then the eyes, teeth, horns and nostrils are clear coated, then inside and the sides of the bowls are hand glazed. The bottoms are cleaned then they dry for a day. They are loaded back into the kiln and fired to cone 6 which is 2157 degrees. The firing takes 48 hours to complete and to cool. The kiln is unloaded, inspected, photographed, then boxed and shipped. This takes about 2 days.

Every once in awhile, an issue will develop during the firing. It may be that the glaze crawled or the nose pops off, it explodes or the item fuses to the shelf. Sometimes, I can re-fire and remedy that issue. Sometimes, I cannot. If that occurs, I will contact you.

Please NOTE: The size & shape of the bowl will cause variations in the facial features. Color choices will be similar but never exact due to chemical reactions that occur in the kiln during firing.

If you ordered another item that is already made at the same time that you order the custom piece, I can either hold the stock item to ship with the custom order or I can ship it by its self.

Also, if you did not leave a statement in the "note to seller" box about your preferences when you made your purchase, then now is the time to let me know. I have gone back through the emails and messages and tried to collect all the information you might have sent to me. So a gentle reminder to me would be nice, if you did not leave the information in the "note to seller" box. I really want to make sure everyone gets exactly what they want. Otherwise you will receive… Artist Choice. If you are still deciding on the features you want, be sure to check out my “Adopted yarn bowls” albums on my personal Facebook page… Lucky Stradley.

https://www.facebook.com/lucky.stradley/media_set?set=a.10202837473763820.1073741864.1410698185&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/lucky.stradley/media_set?set=a.10207780227809582.1073741940.1410698185&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/lucky.stradley/media_set?set=a.10208379058179967.1073741963.1410698185&type=3

International Customers: We will ship anywhere! We DO NOT pay customs fees. Custom fees are the responsibility of the buyer. Just send us a conversation and we’ll work out the details.

Thanks for liking my work.

Always lucky... Well most of the time.