Made in China?

Here's a honeycomb thing I'm working on. . Not sure of the purpose of them yet. . maybe a coaster, or maybe a tile piece.  . choices,  choices. .



Today, I got SO much done! I'm not even talking about pottery! I'm talking laundry, errands, laundry, cleaning- you know "mom work". Still I'm proud of myself. I  even to wandered into a "Paint Your Own Pottery" place today while I was out. . .

Both walls are completely lined with various types of ceramic products. I saw everything from coffee mugs to picture frames! I picked up a coffee mug, looking it over when I noticed the bottom of it said "Made in China" and I thought, WHAT???!!!  That's the whole business, right there. . . You are purchasing and painting your own pottery that was made in China. . . Anyone else see something wrong here?




Nothing against China, but why not purchase pottery from local artists?

 Maybe its all the media attention lately surrounding the fact that most of all the products in your house are not in fact, made in America. . . but that caught my attention today. . I do watch a LOT of Good Morning America.  Something to think about. . .

Improve your MEMORY!

We all have those memories of the games we used to play as children. Candyland, Old Maid, and Operation were among my very favorites. While playing in the studio recently I came across some rubber stamps obviously from the 80's. Funny how I guess they are now considered vintage! I started to play with them and got the idea to make one of my favorite childhood games.

Here's how you play:

 Memory: You turn over 2 cards, one at a time in hopes to match the image on the other side of the card with its mate. If you are able to make a match, you get another turn. Whoever makes the most matches wins the game. .



Each set I've made is totally unique and one of a kind. They all feature completely different images unique to that particular set! I love that the game is educational, authentic, and could easily become a family heirloom. Unlike the cards I used to play with, these are made of stoneware clay and fired at 2200 degrees! They won't wear out! Unless you play for hundreds of years, maybe.....




I will be offering sets of 16 at $25 per set. Many glaze color choices available! Please email me at littleoxpottery@gmail.com to place an order! Please allow 2 weeks for completion.

NEW  COASTERS!!!

Raw clay (which allows any glass condensation to be absorbed into the clay!) featuring a tall bird and a small bird!  Set of 3 for $15. 

Custom Ordered and Made with LOVE!

Today I worked on a few custom orders, as well as some ideas from the good ol' sketchbook.

These were ordered as a gift for a bride and groom. Both mugs have the wedding date at the bottom as well as either Mr. or Mrs. stamped into the side. I LOVE the way they turned out and can't wait to add some color.

This cute little mug was made for a friend who wanted a creative gift for her grandmother's birthday. She has a weenie dog that she really adores, in fact I was told she rarely goes anywhere without it! I know my grandmother always had a favorite mug and I hope this one becomes her new favorite.

This pair was not custom ordered, which means you may call dibs at any time! I will be glazing them tomorrow so if you are interested let me know and I can customize the color! 

These are newest to my pottery collection. They are perfect for earrings, rings, tea lights, or whatever other small object you can come up with! 

Thanks for checking in! I've got a kiln to unload, and more to come soon!

Weekend with the little ox.

Well, it looks like we all made it through the rapture and life goes on. . . Meanwhile, other big events were taking place in the little ox household. It's finally happened. He is on the MOVE. Maddox has figured it out and its only a matter of days before I will be chasing him around the apartment. He's new at the crawling thing but has rolling totally mastered.

We had a great weekend, mostly just relaxing at home. Maddox plays so nicely with his toys in the living room floor. He LOVES the ball Kelsey White made just for him. I've been encouraging her to make more, they are so cute. I would love to have 2 more just to look at. She makes them from fabrics of all different colors and textures that encourages touching. If you're interested in obtaining one, please email me at littleoxpottery@gmail.com and I will let her know!

In other news, I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy Corley, owner of Curious Heart Emporium in 100 Oaks this weekend, and I'm happy to announce that Little Ox Pottery will soon join the other AWESOME hand made gifts available for purchase there.  If you haven't been there, you should most definitely go! I don't think I have ever seen SO MANY hand made creations in one place at once, all of which I wanted to buy.  I really loved the hand made greeting cards.  I'm so excited to go back and really look around!

 I am working in the studio the next few days and I'm really hoping to get the kiln fired up today so I can get to glazing tomorrow!

Thanks for checking in on the Little Ox! More coming SOON!!

"Work" day.

The little Ox got me up extra early yesterday, and I had coffee and breakfast and was working in the studio by 9:30. I hopped on the wheel and threw mugs until lunchtime. It's funny how successful some days are as compared to other days. My total number of mugs for the day was 9! I was a mug-making machine. Some days, I can't get 3. Its definitely a "zen" thing. Each time I place a ball of clay on the wheel, it presents a new challenge. I learn something every time.

After lunch I worked on some other projects that I think I will keep a secret for a while. I am quite excited about it, and don't want to give away too much information before it's finished. It's so hard not to photograph and show you everything as I go (I get really excited sometimes), but we must leave something to  the imagination! I hope to be firing and glazing when I get back so I can give a big reveal!

I'll be back at it Sunday probably. . LOTS of things to start, work on, and finish! If you have any ideas for me, I hope you will email me at littleoxpottery@gmail.com. 

Stamp Obsession!

Monday I took friend and colleague Sarah Gilliam with me to the studio at my parent's house for a "pottery retreat". I had some new ideas I was itching to try out, and she needed some clay therapy. Plus she wanted to shoot me (with the ol' camera) throwing on the potter's wheel.

I showed her around the studio, while trying to decide where to start our day of play. We decided to roll out some slabs of clay and make wall hangings. I got out the stamps and tools and we started to experiment. SO MANY STAMPS!!! All kinds, from letters and numbers to animals, to mythical creatures! Our favorite of the day was a seemingly grouchy sintaur. In case you didn't know, a sintaur is a mythical creature who is half man and half horse (neither of us could figure that out until we decided to consult our geeky, yet lovable spouses).  All day we tried to come up with something clever for that sintaur to be so angry about, but alas, he never spoke to us. I really wish I had taken a photo to show you. . . next time!

Well. . .we had a BLAST. We knew it would be a good time, because we always have a good time together, but at one point I looked over at Sarah and she was just beaming! And anyone who knows her, knows that she always has a happy glow anyway, but I mean she was like a 6 year old! And maybe that's what keeps me in clay all the time. I'm so glad she had such a good time.



We played ALL day long and before we even realized, it was 8pm.  Then we looked again and it was 11pm. Then we decided to hit the hay. We made so many cool things, and can't wait to finish them! I have so many cool things to make tomorrow.

If you have a baby shower coming up, or a wedding gift to give this summer sometime, take a look at these cute things! They are totally customizable and so much fun for me to make, so let me know if I can be of assistance! Prices will range from 20-30 dollars.  Email me at littleoxpottery@gmail.com if you have an idea to share!

Date at Centennial Park.

Today I met with my good friend Hannah to shoot some engagement photos of her and soon-to-be hubby, Russell. I knew that where we were going were going to be hungry ducks and geese, so I grabbed some hot dog buns on the way out. .

Hannah and I were roommates in college. Oddly enough, we were instant friends from the time we realized we were dating the same guy at the same time! We decided to use that information to our advantage and have been close friends ever since.

She met Russell when they both worked at the same hospital in Chattanooga, and I am happy to say they are moving to Nashville after they say "I do" in June. Congratulations to you both, and I can't wait to spend more time together!

I can't wait until I can take Maddox to throw crumbs to the birds! That is something that for me, never gets old.