Mid-Summer Up-date and New Vases

Well it has certainly been quite a while since I have posted anything on the blog but there has been some recent newsworthy items along with a few batches of new work that is slowly creeping towards being on the website for an up-date again.  We are part way through summer and I just pulled a collection of new vase forms in the new speckled clay, perfect for wildflowers or flowers from the garden.  I keep envisioning them lining a large out-door table, filled with fresh pickings from summer gardens. I hope to have them available online and in shops in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime I took a few home to enjoy and photograph. The speckled clay has been getting a lot of attention these days (check out the August issue of Canadian House & Home Magazine), but of course I'm still making heaps of my more classic dahlhaus work: the poppies, the stripes, the triangles and the herringbone designs, which were all standards in my spring shop orders. 

Speaking of shops- have you checked out the up-dated stocklists page on my website?  There are a few new ones to point out- the Museum of Craft in Design in SF was particularly exciting to make work for.  Also Poppytalk now has a storefront on Broadway just off Main st in Vancouver- it's a beautiful little shop and they are well stocked with the speckled work! I just finished a huge custom colour tea canister set for a new lemonade and tea shop called Sunny Side. Along with another painting commission this spring, things have felt quite busy in the studio.  I'm ready for a couple of weeks of holidays mid- August, but there is a bit more work to get through before then.

In other news, I wanted to announce that I'm a finalist for the Western Living Designer of the Year Award in the Industrial Design Category! I'm in great company so I wish everyone the best of luck! Along with that news, I should also take a moment to say that I will be at the Interior Design Show late September as part of the Poppytalk Curated Market.   I'll be back to say more about that but it should be an exciting fall with that kicking off more shows to come.

The boys are all doing great.  Summer is a busy time for my husband, Dean, who over-sees 2  skateboard camps at the beginning/middle of August.  My boys have been taking part of some summer day camps with afternoons spent at the local out-door pool.  We are looking forward to getting away as a family to visit friends, hang out at the beach and press the re-fresh button.  I hope you are able to do that as well! 

Until next time- but in the meantime, you can always follow on Instagram;)!

Happy New Year...oh wait. It's April already.

Oh the neglect!  Four whole months and not a word on the blog.  2014 has had it's highs and lows: if you have been following along on Instagram, you'll be pretty caught up with the good, the bad and everything in between. 

Around the 3rd week of January I was in a bike accident and I fractured my right elbow.  At the time, the doctor told me it would be months until I was back to normal and I just shook my head and said no way.  It can't be.  I have too much work to make. But here we are in early April and I just touched my shoulder for the first time in months.  I'm in Physio twice a week and my arm still doesn't fully extend.  So needless to say, I haven't spent long amounts of time typing on the computer.  All my energy has been in making the work that was on order and finishing up my website.  And writing applications, responding to emails and generally trying to keep up with everything that was absolutely necessary.


So thank you for understanding if you have come here wondering where I was.  We managed to take a couple of long-overdue holidays (Palm Springs in February and Portland in March).  I finished a painting commission (above), made 2 more paintings and then started my 2nd painting commission for the year, which I'm pretty excited about.  New work was photographed by Byron Dauncey in the beginning of February leading to the launch of my new website.  The bottle vase grouping image above even made it into the latest Uppercase Magazine.  Orders have been made and shipped.  More orders are in the works, and thankfully I can throw on the wheel again, albeit I'm a little slower and tire easily.  I take a lot of stretching breaks these days. 

That's about all I have for today but thank you for coming by here.  I decided not to include this blog on my new website for now.  Partly because I'm not sure how to add it without losing old posts, partly because I don't think I can keep this space as active as I used to.  The age of blogs seems to have passed, and while I still feel like it's a good place to have, it doesn't feel like I have the time for it like I used to.  I'm trying to limit my screen time while I'm at home- not only do I need to be more present when I'm home for my family, but I need to be a better role model for my boys with regards to how much time I spend online/plugged in and looking at a a screen.