Handmade Gifts $30 and Under

The holidays are upon us! Try giving a handmade gift this year, it's easy and affordable.  Here's a round-up of items in my shop for $30 or under.  I'm even offering coupon codes during the month of December for the first time!  Use coupon code TURKEY20 until midnight tonight to receive 20% OFF your order of $30 and over!  I'll keep dropping the discount down until Christmas.  Check out my facebook page for the latest news.  I ship your order within 24 hours of purchase via USPS Priority mail.  For gifts I am happy to include a note to the recipient.

This handmade tile retails for $24.  It comes with a notch in the back for hanging.  I hang these with two drywall screws spaced about an inch a part for maximum stability.  I even include screws with your order!

These small versions of my square bowls were fun to make and are the perfect addition to a holiday appetizer table.  They make a great hostess gift!

My porcelain tea strainers are one of my most unique gifts and come with a small bowl to set the strainer in after steeping their tea.  If you know someone who loves loose tea this is the gift for them!

I only have two of these sweet ice cream dishes left, for $24 each.  They are the perfect size for a scoop of ice cream, and one my most popular forms.

I have two of these adorable small cups left!

I have several styles of this hand-formed jewelry tray.  Each tray has 5 little divots perfect for jewelry to settle in.

Check out my etsy store for more ideas!

New Project Part 1

This is the first post regarding my new food project-displaying exciting and delicious recipes in my handmade pottery. I am making this project while staying home and taking care of my baby boy, Silas who is now seven weeks old. Silas's birth has brought so many wonderful things to my life, but in terms of creativity I was really stumped. I spend a lot of time feeding him and looking at recipes which is how I came upon this idea. The other night after spending a weekend mostly on the couch I decided I must get started. I learned a lot from my first try at food photography. Here is a link to one the best food photos I have seen lately. It is beautiful and on one of my favorite food blogs, Phoo-D. So I started with a meal I had been thinking about in my head for a while, an earthy vegetable rice dish, with a side of oven fried zucchini. It tasted great, but prompted the response, what kind of pretty food can you make for this project? Ha-ha, it is true, winter food is usually roasted, stewed, homey, and delicious....although not nearly as beautiful as say a summer time meal inspired by the garden. So here is a very loose recipe for a very yummy and satisfying lentils and rice with roasted butternut squash.

For this recipe you will need:

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup dry black lentils

2 1/2-3 cups veggie stock

1/2 carrot diced

1/2 onion diced

1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped

as much garlic as you want, minced I think I used 3 cloves

1-2 Cups butternut squash peeled and diced

Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and red wine vinegar for flavoring

One thing you should know about my cooking is that I usually don't measure anything and I cook things until they are done. I also cook by tasting, when something tastes good it is done. For this project I am trying to change my ways. I also have a heavy hand when it comes to spices and herbs. and garlic. For this recipe feel free to use dry thyme if you don't have fresh. Also I often cook based off of leftovers, so use as much butternut as you think you want.

Step 1-Cook rice, I have never had success making any pilafs or rice dishes with brown rice where everything is cooked together, so I always cook the rice separately.

Step 2-Toss butternut in olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper, then roast at 400 F, for about 20 minutes or so.

Step 3- While butternut and rice are cooking, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil, until onions are translucent. Add carrots and herbs, season with salt and pepper. When carrots are soft add lentils and stir, then add 2 1/2 cups veggie stock. Bring to a boil, then let simmer with the lid on for about 45 min or until stock is absorbed and lentils are soft. Add more stock if needed. When lentils are cooked add cooked rice and season with sea salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar until tasty. Gently mix in roasted squash and serve.

I also made this delicious oven fried zucchini recipe to eat with this meal. I threw together a very tasty chipotle mayo to dip them in-1/4 cup vegenaise (you could also use mayo, but I much prefer vegenaise), chipotle in adobo and white wine vinegar to taste. (of course) I can't recommend this recipe for oven fried veggies enough! Fried veggies are one of my weaknesses and I can't wait to try some more vegetables with this recipe.To end this very long post, I have learned quite a bit. One, I have a ways to go with my food photos. These were taken with a fussy baby in the background in natural light, with a point and shoot camera. I found my SLR and have plans for better photos soon. Two, food looks much better warm than cold. Three, I am going to have to transition into being a night owl again. Sigh.

Some exciting ingredients I picked up this week- almond flour, blood oranges, porcini mushrooms.....

What to do With A Snow Day

After living in Florida for four years I forgot the beauty of a snow day. (And yes, these icicles are attached to my house) Yesterday was all about cleaning, relaxing, and then making a mess again. Today (Snow Day 2) will be an extra studio day.

Step 1: clean house til satisfied, take online yoga class, then make delicious lunch, while preparing for making a massive amount of cookies.

The lunch if you are wondering was eaten off bowls made by Jeff Huebner, and was a salad of Fingerlakes lettuce and Tofu Khan with capers and rice noodles tossed with leftover curry sauce. I spent most of the afternoon doing nothing while waiting for V to return from his snow sculpting adventures with chocolate chips for Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies. One evening, 18 inches of snow, and some serious shoveling later I return to the kitchen to prepare a big breakfast (grits, collards, eggs, AND potatoes) and am back at square one with the mess.
But, who cares about the mess, I've got another snow day!

Step I'm not sure which number: Create promo in online store to celebrate the gift of two free days the snow has given. Save 20% all weekend long!

F-U-N

It has been a long time since I've posted anything, not that I haven't been meaning too, and mentally beating myself up over it. A lot has been going on! I started a new job working with a Montessori school. The children are ages 3-6. It has been rewarding, challenging, all that jazz. I am really enjoying it and learning a lot! I am looking forward to my summer off, when I plan to make a big inventory of work. Also it is dead winter in Central New York. So I really have to challenge myself to actually leave the house. When the holidays were over I decided to just make something fun! As an artist I sometimes forget that making pottery actually is fun. Making cups with hearts and strawberries? Super fun.

Of course after I made these I came down with a serious case of the winter blahs and it took me forever to get them finished. So I am offering them with free shipping for the month of February in my online store.

A lot of the work I did in the fall came together and will be featured in these exhibitions:

Pour

Fourth International Small Teapot Show

8 Fluid Ounces

I am really excited about starting the year off this way! An exhibit from December just closed, Objects of Virtue. This weekend I really accomplished a lot and decided that winter is for planning. Sometimes, it's for lounging and keeping warm, but also for planning for spring. I got some library books about gardening, and berry bowls are up soon in the studio. Happy Valentine's Day!