Mugs are probably the most popular thing we make. Who doesn’t love a mug? Functional and beautiful, the humble mug has the ability to elevate even the most everyday experience into something notable… We’ve been perpetually out of stock of our some styles for a while but now we have just replenished, I thought I’d re-introduce you to some of our regular styles of mug.

I am no stranger to the notion of ‘managing expectations’, what potter is? We all have ideas and visions and spend our time trying to physically manifest them. And so often they fall short. This month I have experienced some disappointment with some glazes I’ve been working on. They showed such promise on a small test tile but now I’ve made a bigger batch and tested them on actual pieces, they’re not how I’d anticipated and I must admit I felt a little deflated at pulling them out of the kiln. Yet more work to do!

Mothering Sunday falls on 15th March this year in the UK. Here are 5 pieces between the price range of £40 and £75 which we think would make a wonderful gift.

Making has been a little slower than usual this month. Instead we have been tackling some of the trickier, complex and daunting aspects of our studio. Planning our making, setting targets, completing the GPSR paperwork mountain and being able to resume shipping to the EU, dealing with finances and tax ‘stuff’. The relationship between money and creative satisfaction should not, I feel, be too interwoven, but of course in reality it is unless you are of the fortunate few who can work in a creative field without the need to also make a living.

Romantic, painterly brushwork;
a quiet, unassuming jar (for holding outrageously decadent chocolates?);
A drink set for a peaceful ritual;
and
Our new dinner bowls……

Whilst the radiator ‘purrs’ all day in Updike’s poem about January, in our studio it is all about the kilns. They have been ‘clicking’ and ‘groaning’ away all month long, the electricity meter clocking up the kilowatts at pace. Our lofty workspace is tricky to heat in a cosy way and so our two top loaders have become the focal point. They have gained the office photocopier status as a place beside which to have discussions, sip coffee near, for our dog Nella to sleep beneath (!). Also a perfect place to dry soggy running trainers and endless amounts of reclaim and saturated plaster bats. Perhaps our productivity has been so high this month because taking a break from throwing and trimming means a break from warmth.