Give To Receive

Two of my passions, knitting and clay merged this week in a fantastic way! A monthly yarn subscription club called Yarnbox united with me to give away one of my handmade yarn bowls. Yarnbox subscribers receive regular mailings of beautiful yarns, a variety of patterns and knitting accessories. Members make choices of shipment frequency, favorite colors and needle size to receive a beautifully curated box of fiber goodies regularly in the mail! Every knitter I know would LOVE that continual gift!

If you’d like to participate for a chance to enter the give away, click on the Yarnbox photo to go to their Facebook page and view the contest details.

December is a month so focused on 'getting' that I think the idea of giving often becomes lost in the rush. The pressure to ‘get’ someone the perfect holiday gift sometimes outweighs the act of giving itself. It is easy to lose the joy of giving. So especially during this holiday season, try to remember to cultivate the act of giving and not just the gift.

In addition to the gifts that are purchased, giving can be reflected in simple actions like giving up a parking space to another driver, a spoken hello and smile to a stranger on the street or a handwritten note (snail) mailed to a friend or relative. All of these actions can be rewarding gifts for both parties. 

What I have found, is that when I concentrate on the act of giving without any expectation of reward, I’m happy. And usually, it’s these kinds of gifts that foster positive returns tenfold.

Its Showtime!

Selling my clay art is an important task and fully completes the cycle of my efforts in the studio. My pieces are available for sale at galleries and shops, on the internet through my website and ETSY and at craft and home shows.

Over the next two weekends, I'll be showing and selling my work locally in the Washington, DC suburbs. If you are in the area, please stop by!

* Saturday, December 6th from 5 to 9 pm - The Muse - 19 N. Market Street - Frederick, MD

* Sunday, December 7th from 1 to 4 pm - Laura's Open Studio - Urbana, MD

* Saturday, December 13 from 11 to 6 pm - Art Show - Margaret Hluck's Studio - Frederick, MD

* Sunday, December 14 from 11 am to 4 pm - Private Home Show - Potomac, MD

Since today is cyber-Monday, please take a look at my on-line shop (Purchase Page) for any gift or personal shopping. I will be posting new items throughout the coming weeks as they come out of my kiln. 

I often create custom work for people based on their specific desires. These pieces are fun to do and really help me stretch my creative muscle. If you don't see something you'd like in my current inventory, just ask. I'd be happy to make something for you. 

The colors and designs of the set of mugs was created specifically for one of my customers. 

Thankful

This time of year, even when I am at my busiest and one day in the studio melts into another, I am happy. I am spending my time doing something I love. And when I received a compliment this week describing my clay art as ‘happy’ that truly reaffirms my efforts.

For me, this coming week is a time to reflect on gratitude and make sure it is a constant part of my daily life throughout the year. By practicing this attitude personally, hopefully it radiates outward and inspires others to do the same.  

Since 1994 I have created a new series of angels in my studio every year. At that time, my friend,Patti Cain, was my inspiration for making angels when she was diagnosed and later died from breast cancer. Ever since then, I donate a percentage of my yearly proceeds to breast cancer and hospice charities. Each new angel design connects me to the people in my life, both past and present and their importance to me.

Click here to see several of my angel designs.

Assorted Angels

Angel Windchime

Angel Ornament

Angel Potsticker

Angel Serving Spoons

Supporting local and small businesses to kick off holiday gift shopping has become a national trend. Please consider purchasing a piece of my clay art for your gift list as you begin your holiday shopping. This week (November 24 – 30) I will donate 25% of every on-line sale I make to charity. Please go to ClayByLaura.com, make a purchase and help me pay it forward.

Thank you!

Back In Business

I replaced the broken gear in my slab roller and jumped right back in to making-mode. I'm creating new pieces for several upcoming local Maryland shows in December. Serving bowls and trays are always a popular gift item.

I've created a postcard I'll distribute to Maryland locals to promote my various holiday sales. 

* Saturday, December 6th from 5 to 9 pm - The Muse - 19 N. Market Street - Frederick, MD

* Sunday, December 7th from 1 to 4 pm - Laura's Open Studio - Urbana, MD

* Saturday, December 13 from 11 to 6 pm - Art Show - Margaret Hluck's Studio - Frederick, MD

* Sunday, December 14 from 11 am to 4 pm - Private Home Show - Potomac, MD

If you are in Maryland on any of these dates and would like to stop by and shop, please contact me for more location specifics. If you live outside the Maryland area and there is an item you'd like to purchase, you can always visit my Purchase Page. I ship my work all over the United States.

In addition to creating items for my shows, I've also been making custom pieces as gifts for a variety of customers. 

These fun ornaments will be distributed to a special client list for a real estate agent. I created a gift postcard featuring the agent's information to be included in each package I assemble and ship for the agent. I have created other unique pieces for business gifts in the past. Contact me if you have this sort of project we could work on.

Here's another custom gift I created and is ready to ship. This large 15 inch diameter by 5 inch high bowl features handles with a family name. I have made several of these for customers and would love the opportunity to create one for you. Send me a message and I'll be happy to make one for you (order one before December 1 to ship before Christmas). 

It's All About the Equipment!

I had one of those moments in the studio this week. First I heard a bit of a crack and the next minute the pilot’s wheel of my slab roller was frozen in place with a half-formed hunk of clay caught between the normally fluid rollers. I knew immediately what had happened. I bought my Northstar Slab Roller in 1998. Slowly, over the years, the original plastic roller gears have given out and I’ve replaced them with metal. The last plastic gear standing, had finally had enough this week! I called the company and the replacement part is in the mail on it’s way to me. Northstar has been a fantastic handbuilding tool and the company has been swift with their help and replacements parts that are covered under warranty all these years later. Of course, this time of year I'm in peak production preparing for shows, so any glitch can be frustrating.

No worries. I fell back to making a slab the old-fashioned way -- with a rolling pin and lots of muscle! I can continue to produce in the studio until the slab roller replacement part arrives. The tools and equipment we use daily become so intertwined in our lives. It is hard to remember how we managed before faxes, computers and smart-phones. The lesson I was reminded of in the studio this week is that the equipment we use in our lives is just a tool and only offers one way of reaching the end result. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and use some of those old-fashioned tools to achieve the same goal. Use a pen and paper to create a handwritten note and send it in the (snail) mail to a loved one instead of a text. I bet the reaction you get will be positive!

Here are some pieces I made recently awaiting their glaze and final firing for completion. The colors of the underglaze after the first bisque firing are much different from the final result. 

Perspective

I attended an Art Show this past weekend featuring 16 Potters including my friend Julie Wiggins. The show featured a wide range of pottery styles and artistic approaches. I talked to one potter about a piece and asked a question I’ve been asked many times at sales, ‘What do you use this piece for?’ The words came out of my mouth before I even had time to think. This led to a discussion about the function of pottery and how often, it’s the purchaser that creates the ultimate use for the pot. The pot that I asked about had been made with one function in mind, yet when it was turned upside down, it had morphed into another use. I’ve had that experience with my own work and it always makes me happy to hear about alternate uses of the items I create!

Looking at my cake stand from a different angle changes the original intended function! I’ve just listed these on my website Purchase page. The dish can be used to display a favorite baked good or flipped upside down to serve an appetizer and dip! It took one of my customer’s suggestions to help me see the alternative use for this piece! I’m glad they did. Click on the photo to link to my Cake Stand Purchase page. 

I see a bunny.

Jenny Mendes was one of the potters at the show I just attended.  I’ve followed her work but this was the first time I’d seen it in person. I was drawn to a small bowl with an image carefully painted inside. 

I see crying eyes.

When she and I talked about it as I made the purchase, she pointed out the image had two distinct interpretations based on which way you held the bowl. Perspective.

I've just added 3 new Holiday Ornaments to my Purchase page. Click the photos below to make a purchase. Remember, if you buy more than one ornament, shipping is FREE!

Deck the Halls.

Home for the Holidays.

Fa la la la la.

My knitting continues. I'm getting close to finishing this sweater for a friend.

 

Timing is Everything!

One of the first questions I get asked when someone learns I have made the pottery or sweater they are looking at is “How long did it take you to make that?!” It’s  both hard and easy to answer. I have spent years honing my craft and cultivating my creativity, days thinking about how to develop a particular piece of clay or tweak a sweater pattern to make it my own and hours to make it come to life. Lots of time goes in to everything I create.

The trick with selling my creations is to plan ahead so any seasonal items are completed and available at the right time. It’s a happy balance.  So even before we’ve reached Halloween, I’ve been working on my Holiday ornaments. Here’s a sneak peak at some I’ve recently completed. They are available for sale on my website and will be sold locally at The Muse in Frederick, Maryland. I'm offering FREE shipping if you buy more than one ornament from my website!

Click on the photo to link to my Ornament purchase page. 

Here are some close-ups of the ornaments I've completed. There is another (different) batch cooling in the kiln. I'll have those ready for sale and posted on the website by next week.

I'm working on updating my customer list so I've added a new feature to my website. Please sign up to receive regular blog postings and notification of sales and special offers through your e-mail address.

Seasonal Sale!

Now you can purchase my creations directly from my website! To celebrate, I’m selling several of my in-stock garden items for discounted prices! This particular sale will last through the month of October 2014. If you’ve been considering a piece for your yard or garden, now is a good time to make that happen. My garden art can be outdoors year-round in all weather conditions and will provide a whimsical pop of color throughout all four seasons. Supplies are limited (as they say in the advertising world!) and the prices are low (with FREE shipping offers on most sale items). Go to the Purchase page of my website to get a full view of the sales items and clay pieces you can purchase today.

I have privately received positive feedback from many people about my blog and website. Thank you. Your input is important to me. Please continue to send me suggestions on how to improve and what you'd like to see me make. If you follow me on Facebook, please comment on, click the ‘like button’ and repost my website facebook messages to help spread my visibility. Posting comments directly on my Blog page and clicking the like (heart) button there is also helpful.

As always, thank you for your support!

Bowls are always useful. I'm making some new shapes and sizes of bowls in  my studio. These have the first layer of underglaze color and are ready for the first firing!

I hope to 'spread the love' with these little heart-shaped dishes. 

I received this hand-made journal from my artist-friend Pam Kessler. I met Pam when I lived in Hilton Head, SC. She was in town to sell her beautiful botanical watercolor paintings at the Bethesda Row Arts Festival this past weekend. I helped her set up her booth early Saturday morning.