Third Times a Charm or Three Strikes you're Out?

For my littlest niece I stove to build her a toadstool bank. Attempt number 1 was adorable. It had a butterfly and a caterpillar. However, the base was not even (it curled a little) so it was only sitting on 3 of the 5 feet and where the top of the mushroom met with the underside didn't seal properly. I attempted to fix these. The seam by wetting and adding more clay, the base by sanding it down. Looking back, I should have waited until the piece was bisque so it was stronger, but I am forever impatient and decided to sand it anyway- with my dad's belt sander. To be perfectly honest- It worked GREAT. except I put too much downward pressure at the front, under the caterpillar and rock and snapped that part off. But the other legs were golden! However because of that break, I couldn't get it to reconnect and the crack just spread.  So I smashed the whole thing and recycled the clay. 

Strike 1

Attempt number 2 came the same day that I trashed Strike 1. I used the same basic design, but instead of letting this one dry as quickly, which is why the seam never would seal properly, I would make sure it was given plenty of time to dry slowly.  Same basic design, but I made the base bigger and made sure that it was flat when I connected the pieces together. This did great for 3 days, until I came out on Sunday morning and saw a HUGE crack up the shaft of the toadstool, on both sides. I think maybe the weight of the mushroom top was too much and it just buckled under the pressure. I was so upset, I loved the little mushrooms at its base and the little snail! Luckily my class is Monday and Wednesday nights so I was able to ask my instructor for her opinion.

Strike 2

 Her opinion was that my clay was too weak and that I should add some paper to it to stiffen it up. Great idea, but because I really didn't feel like doing anything else Monday night, I decided to play with the potter's wheel, where I tried my hand at making a ball. Well, needless to say, my ball was no where near round, but it was enclosed. So I decided to make this my mushroom top. I made a base/bowl as well on the wheel, then Wednesday I worked to put them together. Since I am still very green when it comes to using the wheel, both pieces were way too thick, an inch thick rather than 1/4-1/2 inch thick, I spent a majority of my Wednesday night thinning them down. Tonight I finished what I hope will by my Third Times a Charm rather than my third strike on this bank style. I added circles to the top, which will be a different color than the rest of the head, a snail climbing it, a lady bug on the base, and a butterfly. Also, even though I have it blurred for privacy reasons, Frog's name is etched into it. There is a rubber stopper in the bottom to allow an easy release of money when needed, and the coin slot is on the other side of the bank.

Strike or Charm?

Keep your fingers crossed that this bank actually makes it to the kiln to be fired to bisque. If it fails, I guess I will have to think of another design for poor little Frog. Am I out? or Charmed?