blog

Renaming my biz to Broke Back Pottery

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:40:56 +0100

No, not in honor of the controversial romantic movie about two gay cowboys.
Packing up my wares, unloading boxes, tents, table, unpacking boxes, working 12 hour days...2 days straight, packing what didn't sell, tearing down tents, tables, hauling everything back into my basement studio...my back is broke. I've been doing this once a month and my chiropractor has some major job security right now.
In the life of a potter, we pick up 50 lb boxes of clay. Slam wads of clay on a table to flatten it. Pick up 50 lb buckets of mushy clay for recycling. Bend over a piece of work at the wheel or table for a half hour.
No one tells you, 'By the way, your body will be under just as much stress as a construction worker.' Whew!
Some times I think 'If only I went back to my desk job'...but then I remember that comes with carpal tunnel too.
So the next time you see a piece of pottery know that we love our work and it wasn't easy to make that perfectly balance piece of art in your hand.

The best childrens books

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:00:01 +0100

After being stuck inside our nice cool abode with the triple digit heat raging outside, my youngin's and I have read some great books. Below is a great selection of books for the toddler, all the way up to about a 7 or 8 year old.

1. Because a Little Bug went Ka-choo by Rosetta Stone (Dr. Seuss books)
        ~This one is my all time favorite from childhood.

2. Three Little Kittens by Galdone
        ~Another old favorite that you'll have to read over and over again.

3. The Little Engine that could by Watty Piper
        ~This retelling has new illustrations and the kids love all the detail.

4. Diary of a Worm by Cronin
        ~This one will even make you giggle...too funny.

5. Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton
        ~The illustrations in this one are cute, with a great irony about sheep counting sheep...oops, I might have ruined the
          ending!

6. Lily the Bear's Big Event by Cindy Terry
        ~This one is about a real event. You can find the book at their website: http://www.lilythebearsbigevent.com/

7. The Very Hungry Caterpiller by Carle
        ~Toddlers really love this one the best.

8. Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see? by Carle
        ~Just like the caterpiller one, this one will be read over and over again.

9. Never ride your Elephant to School by Johnson
        ~Just something fun to read that makes no sense.

10. Yes, Please! No, Thank you. by Valerie Wheeler
        ~A silly way to show kids when to use their manners.

11. No More Cookies by Paeony Lewis
        ~I love this one because it describes some of the ways that my kids try to get cookies.

12. The Animals Christmas Eve by Wiersum
        ~I end up reading this one year round, but it is a great story.

13. The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
        ~Who doesn't like to read about feet?

14. Guess How much I Love You by McBratney
        ~A nice one to read at bedtime.

15. 10 Little Lady Bugs by Girth
        ~A fun way to learn how to count backwards.

16. Go Dog. Go. by Dr. Seuss
        ~I can't even tell you how many times I've read this one. But at least I'm still sane.

17. Click, Clack, Moo. Cows that Type by Cronin
        ~Feisty cows and a typewriter, what could be better?

18. The Best Nest by Dr. Seuss
        ~It is a great book if you can make some sound effects.

19. Shapes and Opposites by Richard Scarrys
        ~A great tool for toddlers and pre-schoolers to learn.

20. Big Dog. Little Dog by Dr. Seuss
        ~ Yep, read this one a million times too.

Trying to cut the deficit...luckily mine doesn't need an act of congress

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:14:32 +0100

I’m in the midst of figuring out ways to decrease our spending at home since I will be quitting my job to become a full-time Mom and Potter. I thought I’d share some saving tactics I’ve learned in the last few months.

My grocery bill seems out of control most months, so that was the first item on the agenda to get slashed. My family of 4 goes through bread like a tornado in a trailer park. I found that a lot of grocery stores sell frozen rolls of bread (both white & wheat) in the freezer section. A bag of 6 loaves runs around $5.50, that’s $0.92 a loaf. Yep, you still have to use energy to bake them, but if you bake 2 loaves at once and freeze the extra loaf you are ahead of the game.

Try to only hit the grocery store every two weeks. In order to do this, make up a menu for two weeks and it will give you less stress with trying to figure out what’s for dinner. I know for some who have kids who consume copious amounts of food during their couch potato sessions a surplus of food around is a bad thing…hoard the food where you put the cleaning products, no kid will ever consider getting within a 50 foot radius of the possibility of being enlisted in a chore! If you still need to make a small grocery run, send your trust-worthy husband with a list…they don’t spontaneously shop like us girls do (except for the chips and cookies aisle).

Dump the paper products. Remember when you used to go to your Grandmas and everyone had nice dinner napkins to match the table cloth, with real china plates and cleaning up a mess was with those blue and white striped reusable cloths? Water costs us here about $0.01 per gallon; you can wash a bunch of plates or wash cloths with a gallon of good ol’ H2O. A paper plate on average costs $0.33, a paper napkin or towel $0.01. The paper plate is an obvious ditch, but the paper towel may take more convincing. To buy a 2 pack of reusable counter cloths cost $2.00, the amount of paper towel rolls you can go through before you’ll have to throw away the two counter cloths…12 rolls ($13.50). You’ll probably want to keep some paper towels around for the really yucky clean ups or when all of your reusable cloths are in the wash, but that’s a huge savings.

Also make your own laundry detergent. It’s very easy to do, doesn’t take much time and there are only 4 ingredients to the recipe and there are many places to find the instructions on the web. You can make enough liquid detergent for 52 loads of laundry, 100 loads if you have a water-reducing front loading washer and it only cost $7.

Switch to bar soap instead of liquid body wash. See if your husband will switch to an electric razor. Try out store brand diapers and pull-ups, some of them are just as good as the name brands and you can save up to 10 cents per diaper. And did I forget to mention coupons? I only clip what brands I normally buy so I'm not paying higher for a brand even with a coupon, when I can get the store brand for a better price. You can find many coupon offerings online now that you can print only the ones you want and you can even send them to your store shoppers card! There are so many things that you can do to cut back, it might cut out some conveniences but in the long run you’ll have a great deal of savings.

Color forecast for 2011

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:08:13 +0100

So you were just thinking about re-decorating, right? I'm a little late but I thought I'd post the nationally forecasted colors for 2011. When redesigning a space it's best to know what colors have been around for a while so you don't feel the need to change your decor every two years. I haven't seen many changes over the last two years in the color formula, more like transitions in one hue. So you are in luck if you were biting your finger nails over those large purchases you need to make to complete 'the look', go ahead and take the plunge.
Thank goodness some trends stick, otherwise we would all be changing out our Chocolate & Sea Foam Green sofas & duvets by now.
And the main theme this year...Colors are getting bolder and deeper, as you can see below. Even the neutral palette is hitting the same tone. Accessories are the same standout this year with white, white, white.
Check out the color array on our website and see if I'm close to being in-line with the lastest trends.

In the beginning....

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:39:51 +0100

I don't really want to talk much about me, but a lot of people ask me how I became a potter...So why not make that the very first post of this blog? Don't worry, further commentary will be interior design tips, recipes and some news about the biz sprinkled in.
I'm one of those people that wants to try everything...so while in college I started studying Management Information Systems...BORRYING, but it did make me pretty computer savvy in the process. I decided to try a Color Theory class and I became very interested in how colors react to your eyes and emotions. Companies tailor their color schemes to 'set a mood' when walking into their stores, browsing their websites or seeing their logo in ads. For example, did you know a bright color of red tends to make people want to eat? And the color yellow acts either as an agressive color in interior environments, but in exterior situations is more cautionary....and what are the two foundation colors we all know for McDonalds logos? hhhhmmmm
Anywho, from those interesting classes I started to study Fashion & Interior Merchandising, with a focus on the interiors aspect. So I learned everything from textile chemistry to what's fashionable on Europes' runways. During my college years I also worked as a floral designer and fabric consultant. Finally with a diploma in my hand I headed out into the world and tried my hand at everything from merchandising at a Christmas shop, closet organizer sales (hey, the economy was tough), interior designer, textile testing coordinator and a production mananger for a hat company.
So how does that all bring me to becoming a potter? I like to play in the dirt. I've always been a tomboy and love to go out in my veggetable garden and come inside looking like a wreck with a big satisfactory smile on my face. When you mix these two loves together you get a certified mudslinger. I started taking classes at the local YMCA, and I got hooked. Plus it didn't help that on my first day my instructor said I was a natural for it. Now I'm attending as many workshops as possible and trying to learn things every day from books and websites. I have found my passion in life, only three steps behind my Lord and then my family.
So that's all about me...enough said.