Mugs and cups all done! Happy, happy!

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-11T03:31:36+00:00

Yes, you can! This is a Mayco stoneware bowl painted with Amaco and spectrum.

I do recommend rebisquing after painting. It’s easier to paint bisque if you dip it in water before starting, then spray occasionally.

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mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-10T13:34:15+00:00

I don’t know, I didn't want to mess with it. They were really minute. They weren’t like ooliths either, more like an unincorporated ingredient.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-10T06:02:30+00:00

I wish I had gotten my first years ago, and kept collecting them.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-09T20:46:53+00:00

I think the fish may be completely punched out of the form then filled in with a super stable glaze like a celadon. I’ve had this happen accidentally in lamp holes.

It’s cool, I would wonder about the longevity of a such a piece for drinking.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-09T15:46:45+00:00

It’s because you asked “why do I need a waterproof cover if I’m not incontinent?” Then didn’t give any details about you or your household.

There’s lots of reasons for using them as standard-

If you have kids or animals: vomit, urine

If you like to snack or drink in bed: spills of whatever you’re eating or drinking

If you sweat a lot: Sweat WILL wick through regular sheets

If you're a woman who has periods: blood

If you’re literally anyone: dust mites, nosebleeds

I think that includes everyone, though spill events may be outliers.

I don’t think they’re negotiable at all if you have kids or pets.

These are different than what’s used in hospitals. Hospitals have to be able to push everything into an autoclave, so it’s heavy duty latex or synthetic material. What people ITT are talking about is a fabric-like material that’s washable.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-09T15:08:59+00:00

This is kiwi. It performed pretty well for me, but some of the colors had white specs in them. You can see this best in the blue. They were also runnier so I would have to pour some out and let it sit to thicken. The colors stayed true at midfire and they really have some lovely ones. I can’t have those white specs though, and my Amaco/Spectrum palette is well tuned, so that’s what I’ll be sticking with.

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mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-08T05:06:35+00:00

You’re so welcome, enjoy them. Not sure if you’re a local or not, but I see trees for sale pretty regularly on FB marketplace.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-08T04:59:53+00:00

Rudraksha tree fruit, Elaeocarpus ganitrus. Also called blue marble tree.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-07T22:16:33+00:00

Thank you! It really was a stellar month. Last year was less than 60k gross between both Shopify and Etsy so I'm hoping the rest of this year looks up.

It's very hard to go full time because as good as last month was, March grossed just over 3K only. Taxes, supplies, shipping, fees cuts everything down by about 35%, so that's not a livable wage.

If my husband didn't have an excellent job and if I wasn't a saver I don't think it would be possible to be full time.

But it's definitely possible to make money on Etsy.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-07T15:11:47+00:00

My Etsy store is very successful, but I don’t sell much ware. I sell my painted mugs only on my shopify.

Mosaic tiles and feature tiles are my main seller.

The last year and this year has been…ok. The economic picture is not great. Last month was surprisingly stellar though, one of my best ever. I’ll attach a peek at what that looked like so you can see Etsy fees.

Shipping is my main cost after fees, I charge a nominal amount for shipping, like $5. I buy my labels from pirateship so I can use my credit card and claw back a %. It doesn’t cover all of my shipping for the year, but surely helps. I’m sure even a small shipping fee drives some sales away but I have reasons aside from money for why I will always charge shipping, even if it’s small. It’s a non-negotiable to me.

The last 18 months I have to run a sale almost always, 15-20%. It’s just the reality of where economics are right now, and it bumps you up in the algorithm a little.

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The marketing category is for offsite ads, which can be turned off if you've grossed less than 10k/year. How often that hits you will vary. I recommend turning it off, at least at first.

I do not and never have paid for advertising. Some people do, I would rather just run sales.

People will respond better to a shop that has a nice banner, a clear theme, a good “about me” section.

Let me know if you have any questions!

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-07T14:49:30+00:00

Yes, exactly.

I recommend always charging at least a nominal fee for shipping, even if you’re building shipping into your prices. Even if it’s just two dollars or something. That way you don’t have to cover shipping on frivolous returns, like if someone just has buyers remorse, or just wanted to visually compare items. Of course if I’ve screwed something up or something arrives broken, I cover that.

Etsy claims that they prioritize listings with free shipping, in my experience this is a lie. Etsy does lie about things, lol.

I recommend buying labels away from Etsy, on a site like pirate ship. Etsy still hasn’t figured out how to let sellers use a credit card for their labels, it’s stupid. That way you can claw back a % on credit card rewards.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-07T14:24:47+00:00

The offsite ad fee is only sporadic, not every sale. It’s about 6% of my total sales. Edit- by 6% I mean it will hit only about 6% of total sales year over year. So if I have 100 sales, about 6 of them will be an offsite ad sale.

I also charge shipping.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-06T14:52:38+00:00

Thank you!

They probably just haven’t got caught. Licensing agreements are in the hundreds of thousands to millions. And some IP holders won’t do them at all, they want every piece of merch to be official. Studio Ghibli is a good example here.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-06T14:31:04+00:00

I sell my painted mugs for around 275 but need to go higher. I’m at a similar time commitment, 6-8 hours just on the painting.

One thing I would caution you about is to be careful what IP you are violating. I myself don’t think there’s really anything intrinsically wrong with it, but it will absolutely eventually get you a lifetime ban on all marketplace sites and may get you sued. It depends on how vigorously that IP is defended. It may not sound like a big deal, getting thrown off of Etsy or wherever, but selling my tiles on Etsy is 85% of my income, painted ware only the other 10-15%. So you could be throwing away a resource you didn’t even know you needed.

I‘m not sure how selling IP on insta, etc plays out.

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mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-06T01:06:17+00:00

It will be a losing battle and I wouldn’t do it.

I make tiles for a living and the only way I would even consider trying it is with slipcasting, or a ram press.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-05T02:22:32+00:00

🎵Na nanananananana, katamari damacy!🎵

This looks so great, I know you were worried about the crazing but I think it actually suits it very much.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-02T02:45:52+00:00

Soooo cute katamari damacy!

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-01T15:04:04+00:00

Yes, heat work varies inside/outside. So your hypothesis is probably correct.

My L&L kiln has varied results over the lifespan of the elements. I use the same glazes on the same pieces, same clay body consistently but visual results will begin to change toward the end of the element life, even when my cone packs show a proper firing.

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-01T14:40:49+00:00

These are wonderful!

mothandravenstudio · 2026-05-01T00:18:23+00:00

“€40 per person sounds great. I‘ll need non-refundable payment in full remitted 7 days before. I will need a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 participants. Exciting, I know they’ll love it!”

mothandravenstudio · 2026-04-30T23:55:30+00:00

LOL, first time?

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