Dorodangles

  After playing around trying to create a dorodango for about two weeks I feel like I finally 'finished' one. The first few dorodangos I attempted fell apart or broke during different stages of the process. This one is made with the left-over material from one of these previous attempts; a mix of sandy dirt and some potting soil and, following some advice I read online, added in some powdered clay. I do want to try separating clay from soil, however I only have limited space available. So I'll save that step until spring comes around and I can set some containers out on my balcony and not worry about rain or frost.  In the meantime adding store bought clay is a convenient solution, and it greatly increased the stability of my dorodango allowing me to give it a bit of a polish where my previous attempts came apart. It still isn't as shiny as I'd like, but I think it is as shiny as it will ever get. The shell cracked a bit as it dried and there are some small pits and...