As seen on Rachael Ray

I finally saw one of the vases I sent over to the Rachael Ray Show this summer on the show yesterday. My sister-in-law phoned to give me the heads up- I had kind of forgotten about it, partly because I'd looked over the set list companies and saw that both Jonathan Adler and Pottery Barn were on the list and assumed they had heaps of ceramics to choose from.  Seems my Turquoise Stem Vase is beside the sink filled with flowers on a few episodes- so nice to see it in action!
I'm hoping to have another Turquoise Stem Vase available in the shop soon, but in the meantime, here's a recent photo (Curtis Hildebrand Photography).

the friendly goat

 

 Hard to resist a smile like this. 

Or those ears.  Pretty cute for a billy goat!

We went in search of snow

Ok so I didn't catch Nicole Kidman on the slopes like some people did this weekend up at Silver Star Ski Resort, but we did have some much needed 'snow time', family time and time spent with our friends up in Vernon.   Here's me at the summit after a serious climb X-country skiing.  Yes, I was sore the next day, but the view was so worth it!

My holidays have come to a close and I'm officially back to the studio this week making new work and starting on some exciting orders that have kick-started the new year for me.  It's good to have a bit of focus even though I know I have a million things to work on this January to make the rest of the year run smooth.  That said, I am feeling the clay itch again, like my hands need to get back into it after this lovely break. 

Shop up-date

There are a few new things for sale in my Etsy shop and my online shop. Some for regular price, some on sale! More to come next week...

Does anyone know who made this?

Occasionally I'll find an amazing handmade treasure in a thrift store.  This sweet celadon lidded vessel was one of them- it's perfect for holding some jewelry in it, and is something I'll pick up every once in a while, wondering who made it.  Do you have anything around your place with a similar story? I need a contemporary version of the show 'Antiques Roadshow' to figure this one out...

Hope you are having a good day getting back to usual.  I'm still at home today- still getting over a bit of a flu bug (the aches and tired kind).  It feels good to have a quiet house to do some chores in too.  I still have to finish up all my receipt recording from last year, so there's always something!

2012

I seem to find New Year's Day a good day to clean up all the Christmas stuff, get the tree out of the house and purge my cupboards to make way for some new things that we got over the holidays.  Not that I've taken off my new 'Major Tom/ Lifetime' sweater long enough to need the cupboard space to put it in, but it felt as though clothing purge was in order. It's been a while since the kitty has been able to sit up and see herself in the mirror on my dressing cupboard. Christmas can seem so excessive: why is it that we always end up with more in our car on the way home from family gatherings then when we left the house?  

So, a new year! For some reason, I'm not ready to get back to the studio this year with full steam ahead.  Something inside of me (plus my low energy level from this cold that's hanging on) is telling me to sit back, take stock, and to think things through before getting back into the grind of the making cycle.  I've decided not to do one of the shows I had been considering for Spring because the dates conflicted with NCECA, a National Clay conference that is happening in Seattle this year.  I've been meaning to go to this conference for years, but either I couldn't afford it or it was happening in the eastern US.  I was hoping to do some sort of residency this year, but my family is still not quite ready for me to leave them for a month or 2.  With that in mind, a weekend conference in Seattle geeking out on clay ought to be a good substitution for the time being.  So that's about as far as my planning for the new year has gone.   

I hope you are having a restful day off- I'm baking bread and have started to clean out the kitchen cupboards now.  It's so nice to be at home.

So long Eva

Even though Eva Zeisel lived such a long and productive life right up to her passing yesterday at 105 years, it goes without saying that the ceramic and design world has lost a dear and treasured soul.  For someone with such a remarkable story: studying in Weimar Germany in the age of the Bauhaus Movement; developing from a studio potter to a ceramic designer for manufacturers all over Europe; surviving imprisonment in Communist Russia for being accused of conspiring to assassinate Stalin; fleeing Nazi Germany for the US, starting life in New York with a family, all the while designing ceramics, furniture and glassware for the modern American home in a sea of male designers, is truly an amazing legacy for one woman to have.  Imagine if we all had the tenacity to overcome these kinds of obstacles in life and to stick to our passions with such determination and grace right up to the very end of our lives.  Imagine if we all felt that kind of passion for what we do in our life that it would occupy our time right to the end. 

Boxing Day walk in Yarrow

My parents live in a small town squished between Vedder Mountain and the Vedder River, called Yarrow.  It's where I spent my late teen years, after having grown up mostly a Winnipeg city kid.  The move from the city to the country was a big adjustment for me, considering I was used to hopping on a bus to meet my friends downtown to go shopping and see movies.  In Yarrow, the thing to do was to go for a hike up the mountain.  Somehow this mountain became dear to me and holds many memories of hikes and long talks with friends, including being the place where Dean popped the question, many years ago. 

It was Merry

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Despite a bit of a head cold putting a damper on the celebrations, we had a great Christmas with our boys, who got a few things they were really excited about getting, but mostly, who enjoyed playing with their cousins and having great Christmas dinners with both sides of the family.  Along with the non-stop playing games and driving their little cars around the house, they have had the full attention of Dean and I for the past week, which has been wonderful as well.  Having a holiday schedule with sleep ins, and quiet reading and games in the morning, an outing to a friends place in the afternoon, a walk and some more quiet hang-out time after dinner has been wonderful.  It seems we all really needed the unscheduled week to just enjoy being home together (could probably use an extra week to be honest!!).

That winter feeling

We finally made it up to Mt. Seymour to pick up the season's passes for my boys this year, and while there wasn't as much snow as the last time I was up there, it was wonderful to enjoy the wintery feeling, despite the warmish weather here in Vancouver.  We ended up hiking on the snow-shoe trails part of the way to the look-out (last time Sasha and I did the 2.5 km that it took to get there) and noticed that dogs are now allowed on the trail as well.  Not that we have a dog, but there were some beautiful dogs clearly enjoying the snow as much as my boys.  Also new at Seymour- the magic carpet to take kids just learning to ski or snow-board up the bunny hill.  Sure beats the tow-rope! And someone parked their vintage snowshoes on the trail- the kind I'd be hanging up in my home if I had a pair! (The owner's bags were close by so I didn't quite feel like I could mess with these to stand both shoes up-right for the photo... does anyone know what the smaller one on the ground would be for?  It was on it's own...)
Only a few more days until Christmas!  I'll be taking some time off of blogging to really enjoy things around here, but I just thought I'd pass along a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.  Thank you all for stopping by my blog, leaving comments and being interested in what I do and make.

For breakfast

I am loving some of the pottery I bought this year. 
Eating organic yogurt, home-made granola with frozen huckleberries out of April Gate's feather bowl.
Oranges served on Gailan Ngan's citrus carved celadon bowl.
Panettone on Laura McKibbon's goldfish kidney plate.
Home-made truffles on Fredi Rahn's star plate.
And a latte in Gailan's mug.

Maple or Honey Granola Recipe:
4 cups large oat flakes
1 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup chopped almonds or hazelnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup Maple Syrup or Honey
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie tray for 20 min, stirring occasionally.
When cool add 1 cup dried fruit (optional).

Home-made Truffles - Martha Stewart's recipe made with Callebaut Semi-sweet chocolate.

dahlhaus at Anthropologie Vancouver

So I guess I was under the impression my vases have been in Anthropologie Stores all over North America since November.  I was wrong.  They only just arrived in December- so no, they are not sold out in Arizona like my friend was thinking because she couldn't find any when she went to check in November, they just hadn't arrived yet. 
I did manage to get to the Vancouver Anthropologie store yesterday to buy a present for my sister-in-law, so I took a few photos of their display.  So pretty! There is one lonely grey striped vase left from one of the first orders back in July (with the original $40 price on it! As opposed to the new price of $58 in Canadian stores and $48 in US stores...).  It took me an hour to do my shopping, much to Dean's dismay, but there really is so much to look at.  And really, a lot of lovely stuff including Molly Hatch's new dishes that she designed for Anthro, which I now want a whole set of.  But if you are looking for a little dahlhaus over the holidays- please do snatch up a vase or 2.  I'm a little in love with the yellow myself.

Hope you have a great weekend! Someone has a birthday here in our house, so he's wanting a bit of a party to celebrate, and then I'll be a bit sporatic with blogging next week.  All my studio work is finished for the year but my good friends at the Mergatroid building are having a last kick at the can studio sale on Saturday if you are in town and need a last minute gift.  It's from 11-6 on Saturday upstairs in the Mergatroid building (On the corner of Vernon Drive and Parker Street off of Venables and Clark in Vancouver).

Downtown in December

I thought I'd share a few photos from the Santa Claus Parade that I took the boys to a couple of weeks ago.  I had never actually been to this parade, and the boys, besides feeling quite cold by the end of it, seemed to enjoy the variety of floats that went past.  It seems that parades these days are just advertising for various community groups, businesses, or kids programs and this one was no exception, but I guess masked in the spirit of Christmas it was still pretty fun to watch.

It's interesting to think about how we pass on traditions to our kids.  On the one hand I want to take time out of our everyday life to do special things with my boys that get them excited about this season.  The other part of me wants to slow things down, keep things simple and retain the core of what a season is all about.  Joy, peace and love.  Goodwill towards all.  The story of a baby bringing hope.  The giving of gifts to those we cherish.  And extending a hand to those who most need it.