Today I have to share this desert cheese table that is absolutely stunning!  This is from the talented people over at Sunday Suppers for Martha Stewart’s wedding blog : The Bride’s Guide.  Sunday Suppers is a class-cooking- dining experience, pairing friends and food and their blog features many recipes and ideas.  However I’m not sure what I’m more excited about, the great culinary tips you’ll find, or the unbelievable Photography and Food Styling by Karen Mordechai.

Dinnerware ready to be packed up and shipped.

Martha Stewart’s blog ‘The Bride Guide’, and their week long feature on ‘white on white’

Dad and I have been busy in the shop shipping out dinnerware that has been ordered from our registry.  A lot of brides & grooms are starting to find us and our new wedding registry.  The funny thing is, everyone’s been registering for 5 pc place settings in the our glaze Oyster!  I think everyone really appreciates the handmade, yet modern, milky look of these pieces.  And I think others would agree.  Over on Martha Stuart’s blog, The Bride Guide, they are doing a weekly segment on White on White….I should write to Martha and tell her about DSP!

All of the handwoven welch blankets and woolen textiles make my mouth water.  Via All the Mountains.

Today I’m loving the look of home design at Pale & Interesting.  Their philosophy is all about mixing it up, teaming old with new, contrasting rough with smooth, and pairing femininity with utility.  The look is definitely non-prescriptive, a backlash against against accepted ‘good-taste’ and bland mass-production. Here time worn furniture is loved for it’s signs of wear and tear, handcrafted objects adored for their individuality, utilitarian items celebrated for their functionality and personal touches are considered essential to keep your home fresh, lively and relevant to you.

Today I am fully dedicated to getting in the Christmas spirit.  Here are some holiday pics to make the blog look festive!

My tree in all of it’s glory.

Our street after the big snow storm.  Madison got hit with 17″ !  It seems like the whole town was closed and we were snowed in for two days.

My brother, sister and me in Chicago.

I’m finally back, I’ve been away from the land of blogs and twitter and computers in general for a while-which is strange for me.  Last week we had our annual Taste & Tour at the pottery shop.  It is a two day event, where people come around to local area businesses that are on the Tour.  Mom makes yummy cookies, breads, and treats to taste and people shop around for Christmas.  It is a weekend that people look forward to and we look forward to their annual visit.

The downside about the event is it takes a long time to get the shop ready.  The weeks before are spent cleaning and moving things around since the whole working studio area, becomes a retail store.  In the end it’s worth it because everything looks so cozy and festive for the Holidays and people have a great experience.  Here are some pictures of the shop durning the Holidays.

Angels for St Jude’s…

This year I decided to something where I could give back and help a good cause.  What better than St Jude Children’s Research Hospital?  So I made little angel pins that people can buy and 100% of the proceeds will go to St Jude’s.  The little pins took forever to make between shaping, firing, glazing, and assembling!  Mom and Dad helped out a lot and in the end it was a pretty good success.  My goal was to raise $500 and we came close.  There are still pins left so if anyone wants to donate $20 to St Jude’s, let me know and I’ll ship you one!

Our lidded crock cooks an instant poached egg in your microwave! No oil or water is needed. Just crack the egg in the base, cover and heat for 30 seconds for a perfect breakfast. And because all of our stoneware pottery is dishwasher safe, cleanup is a breeze! This is one of our customers’ favorite items to use at home, and to give to friends and family as gifts….perfect for the Holidays!

I just finished up a stint teaching Textile Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  It was a great experience and I think I got more out of it than the students did.  It was very inspiring being on campus and in an art room again…

Also I realized that is what these students and teachers get to do everyday-create art projects and bodies of work.  I used to be like that too but now I’ve become a really good designer (which is not a bad thing), but not so great of an artist.  This forced me to pick up a paint brush again and create something with my hands.  Get out the water cup, paper towels, bristol board, and put the paint to the paper.  Turns out, it’s just like riding a bike.  And it smells the same as it always did.  You can pick up right where you left off and it made me realize, I’m excited for more…