Monday, November 26, 2012

Cyber Monday

Hello followers... are you out there?  I hope so because I'm writing to let you know about the Cyber Monday sale I'm having in my Etsy shop.  By using coupon code CYBER, you can receive 15% off your purchase for TODAY ONLY.  Do it!  You know you want to!  And of course, I appreciate your business... :)


http://www.etsy.com/shop/archousewares

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Holiday items!

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I'm begrudgingly accepting the fact it's the capitalistic, gift-giving, becoming more insane each year "holiday season."  As much as I enjoyed the pumpkin pie last Thursday, I am having a hard time accepting it's nearly the end of November.  How did this year fly by so quickly?  I've already decided a New Year's resolution will be to focus more on creating new designs and marketing my pottery better.  I have some campaigns in mind I'd actually like to give a whirl.  We shall see what happens... anyway, I've managed to meander away from the point of this post: to show you some of the holiday items I have in my shop! 






All items are available at my Etsy site.  :)

Let the shopping frenzy begin!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Most recent project

My friends, Paul and Annie, got married in Saint Augustine, Florida last Monday.  As part of the tradition goes, there is a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.  At this dinner, Annie wanted to give gifts to the father figures in her life.  She asked me if I'd make some mugs for her.  Here they are.





Help Hurricane Sandy victims

I just received this information from my electricity provider.  Take a gander; there are many ways to help folks in need.

How to help Superstorm Sandy victims

  • Red Cross: To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 800-Red-Cross or text the word "Redcross" to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Nearly 100 Red Cross blood drives were canceled because of Sandy, so blood supplies are low in the areas affected the most. The Red Cross asks that those who can donate to schedule an appointment to give blood. The New York Blood Center is urging people to donate blood for those in the New York/New Jersey area. To donate, call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
  • The Salvation Army has dozens of mobile feeding units and shelters along the East Coast that are working to serve thousands in the most heavily hit areas. Visit www.salvationarmyusa.org to donate.
  • Feeding America has thousands of pounds of emergency food, water and supplies in the disaster zone that it is working to distribute to the storm's victims. To donate, visit www.feedingamerica.org or call 800-910-5524.
  • AmeriCares is providing medicine and other supplies to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. To donate, visit www.americares.org.
  • World Vision is distributing flood clean-up kits, personal hygiene items and emergency food kits to people hit by the hurricane. To donate, visit www.worldvision.org.
  • Save the Children is also working to provide relief to families and their children. Visit www.savethechildren.org to donate.  

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Saint Augustine: The Oldest, Continuously-Inhabited Settlement in the US


Last weekend a group of friends and I traveled to Saint Augustine, Florida for our friends' wedding.  Most of us hadn't been to Saint Augustine before and were astounded by the city's history, sites, cuisines and drinking establishments.


Downtown historic St Augustine at sunset

Fresh squeezed lemonade & smoothies across the street from the Fountain of Youth.  Perhaps these also have restorative properties?


Entrance to the Fountain of Youth historical site

White peafowl on the Fountain of Youth grounds

Poured concrete & oyster shell gate surrounding the Fountain of Youth site

The Saint Augustine Lighthouse, built in 1871

The winding staircase to the top of the lighthouse - 219 steps in all

The grounds at the Saint Augustine Lighthouse

Self-portrait of me & the lighthouse

View from the Conch House restaurant

The pub crawl that never was at Scarlett O'Hara's

In front of the old city gates

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What's been keeping me busy

Hello 2 followers.  I apologize for my 3-month break from posting.  I've been working on a few custom orders over the past few months.  Take a gander...

Wedding Gift
 For my sweet cousin
nesting bowls

utensil holder

soap/lotion dispenser

spoon rest

the whole kit & caboodle

Monogrammed Mugs
For a college reunion weekend




Dotted Tray
For my favorite Persian Princess






There is another project in the works to be delivered next week.  I'll post those pictures then.  I don't want to spoil any surprises! 

Monday, July 30, 2012

More crazy dots!

A few months ago I started working on a new design idea.  It was based on my popular Christmas ornaments, which are covered in dots:


I get a little OCD with these dots - the action of making the dots in varying sizes and so close, but not touching, is relaxing to me.  Sometimes I feel like I can't stop... more... dots...  I shouldn't worry about that, right?  After trying the crazy dots on different kinds of pottery, a new twist came to me in a vision (no pun intended.)  The color-blindness tests are a bunch of dots like these.  Don't you remember them from 5th grade science class?

courtesy of www.moillusions.com
I was inspired!  Monogrammed mugs, color-blindness-test style.  Here's my interpretation:




Snacking on Carbs

  I was tested for a gluten allergy when I had my physical earlier this year.  I wasn't positive for Celiac's, but I do feel like I'm sensitive to gluten: I can't drink beer anymore without feeling painfully bloated; excessive amounts of sourdough bread make me so gassy.  TMI, I know... sorry, but gluten has been making me feel uncomfortable lately.

Because of this,  I haven't had bread and cheese as a snack in a long time (which is super sad since that had been my go-to snack throughout my life.) But this past Saturday, I unexpectedly had some leftover crusty bread in the fridge.  Friday night I had gone out for dinner at Polcari's in Woburn.  We ordered pizza & salad but were brought this awesome crusty loaf of bread - complete with majorly garlicky dipping oil - before the meal arrived.  Because we were trying to "be good" we didn't eat most of the bread.  That's how it ended up in my fridge.

Rather than smothering in brie, which is a favorite activity, I remembered some flavored olive oil in the cupboard.  White truffle flavored, to be exact.  Just taking a whiff of the stuff makes my mouth water instantly.  And I don't even like mushrooms!  Something about that rich, creamy, pungently earthy flavor sends me over the moon - I love it!  So, what would be better than some amazing bread dipped in this oil that makes my taste buds orgasm?  Top it with some smoked sea salt!  Holy Mother... that added a whole other taste dimension, almost like grilled truffles with a hint of bacon.  I think the smoked sea salt has the power of making something taste bacon-y, which is fantastic news for me.  I'm a vegetarian and I miss bacon.  I admit it.



Not only are the two pantry ingredients I unearthed an amazing flavor combination (can't wait to try it on potato soup this fall) but they are also from local businesses!  The truffle oil comes from a little company based on the Cape, Gustare Oils & Vinegars.  I had discovered them last summer when on a Cape Cod shopping outing with my friend Heather who was in town visiting from Chicago.  Their store is really cool because you can sample all their different flavors of olive oils & vinegars.  The women who work there have some great tips for using the different flavors together, too.  As you'll see on their website, they have a ton of recipes available.  So far, I've mixed their Persian Lime olive oil with their Honey-Ginger balsamic vinegar to make dressing for a mango/avocado mixed salad, but I digress.  The smoked sea salt is from Soluna Garden Farm, based right near me in lovely Winchester, MA.  A few weekends ago, I went to the SoWa market in Boston and stumbled across their booth, full of amazing herbs and spices.  It was so hard deciding which amazing-smelling item to buy!  I'm taking a whiff of the salt right now.  I made the right choice.  It smells like campfire and smoked bacon.  Maybe I have bacon on the brain - the descriptive label on the bottle doesn't mention pork at all - but honestly, I can smell it.  The smokiness of the salt mixed with the earthiness of the truffle oil will delight your mouth - I'm serious.  Do yourself a favor and try this the next time you're looking for a new way to dress a delicious loaf of your favorite bread.  You can thank me later.

Yes, that's my cute soy dish, in case you're wondering!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Studio Shelves

Last fall I invested in a new DSRL camera for taking photos of my pottery and my travels.  I haven't used it a ton yet, but shooting with it is fun.  When I was supposed to be cleaning the apartment yesterday, I decided to play around with the camera instead.  Here are some nifty photos of my studio shelves, full of my shiny pottery.  Whadda ya think?