The MFA factor

So I have recently been looking into getting my MFA. Well, ok....I've been thinking about it for a while...like a few years now. My dilemma is this....I have a degree from MICA ( a very good art school) and a teaching certification. I have always dreamed of going to one of the big ceramic programs for my masters but the truth of it is, I don't live near any of them and we are not in a position to move any time soon. Plus, we own our house and I have worked really hard to get my studio set up and everything. I have been looking into the program at Towson, which is very close to me, and they are about to get a new program director in ceramics (don't know who yet). I can start taking classes there as a non-degree seeking grad student until they have the ceramics program in place and then transfer over. I need to do something by next semester (it's a job thing). Does anyone have any experience with grad school or opinion about where to go? Does it matter where you get your degree from? My head is pretty much spinning. I'm not sure how I'll handle going to grad school and keeping the business up but it's really important for me to keep that going. Any thoughts....advice?

Place Settings

I don't have too much time to post right now as I am about to head out the door for my class this morning but I wanted to share a quick picture of these place settings I just started working on. they include an appetizer plate, a salad plate and a dinner plate. They all have themes as well. This one follows science/ natural history. I'll share more new stuff later when I have a little more time:)

My new postal scale!

I decided to invest in a postal scale a couple of weeks ago and today was the first day I tried it out. I packed my pots, weighed the boxes and printed my postage, set the packages out to be picked up and they were!! I was checking the door every hour or so, nervous that they would remain on my step but sometime between 3 and 4 they magically vanished leaving me post office free. YAY! Not that I don't love the lovely people at my neighborhood city post office or standing in line forever, or showing up during the hour in the middle of the day when the post office closes for lunch (??)....I'm really going to miss all of that. Don't get me wrong, I have lots of love for the postal workers (some of them anyway), I even brought cookies to my last post ofice just 'cause they were so nice. My father-in-law is a mail man (is that PC?). It's just that Baltimore city post offices are generally not nice places to be. At least not in my neighborhood. So farewell to that daily errand, postal scale ...I think this is the start to a beautiful friendship!
Oh and by the way....new mugs are coming soon, no really....see them in the picture? Just waiting to be fired and glazed and then off to the etsy shop, I promise!

New batch of tiny vases, just out!

Today I'm listing a new batch of tiny vases that I just pulled from the kiln. Get 'em while their hot!

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween #25
Originally uploaded by stevechasmar

Have a great Halloween weekend everyone! I think my brother was a pumpkin on a table for Halloween one year, if I remember correctly he got his head stuck and there was a bit of drama to get him out. This photo from steve chasmar on flicker reminds me of that Halloween.....

Slow food in a Modern Kitchen

Hey guys, make sure to check out my new monthly feature "Slow Food in a Modern Kitchen" on the Lillyella blog! On the last Wednesday of each month I will be sharing some of my favorite kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, recipes and decor. Click on over to check out my first post on bread baking.

Spoon rests in progress...

Bisque kiln is cooling....cups are drying....belt buckle design is waiting for decoration and I think I have my new spoon rest design. I had a request for some round spoon rests from one of my wholesale shops and I thought it would be fun to come up with a new, larger, spoon rest design. Here are some drying, all they need is to be cleaned up and decorated. I think I am going to keep one for my own stove:)

DIY Magazine

This totally made my rainy day:) Check out the winter edition of DIY magazine by Better Homes and Gardens in your local bookstore, you might just see a familiar dish on page 35.

Pea Soup with Shredded Pork

This weekend left me stuck in the house with a head cold. Whenever I have a cold all I want to eat is soup, bread with butter and ginger ale. I happened to be left with half a large pork roast from a dinner I made earlier in the week so on Saturday morning I made a big pot of pea soup. I'll tell you about the sandwich later this week....

Split Pea Soup with Shredded Pork

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 lb of dried split peas, rinsed and soaked
6 cups of water
2-3 Lb. pork roast, trimmed of fat
2 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cups of Chicken or Vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add the rest of the ingredients through the broth. Cook, covered until the veggies are soft and pork is cooked through. Remove the roast and shred the meat using two forks. Take the soup off of the heat, remove the bay leaf and puree using an immersion blender or regular blender (if using a regular blender, let the soup cool a bit and leave room for steam. Cover the hole with a towel to avoid a mess). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup ladled in a shallow bowl with a mound of pork in the center.

My Dream Dinner Party

Ok. I admit it. I get way too excited about the food network, I read Martha Stewart Magazine and Real Simple while I wait in line at the grocery store and I tear out pages from cooking magazines and paste them in my sketchbook with little notes next to them like "great pot" or "love the colors". I'm a domestic junkie. There, I said it. I also dream of how I will decorate for my (completely fictional because really who has the time for this kind of thing anyway?) fabulous fall themed diner party. I would invite all my closest friends and we would nibble on goat cheese appetizers and sip crisp red wine while the fragrance of sauteed mushrooms mixed with rosemary and garlic wafted from the kitchen. My tiny dinning room would magically expand to fit everyone comfortably and they would find their seats by way of the beautifully hand lettered place settings. My house would be covered in arrangements fall flowers, branches and berries which the cats would not eat them and throw up on the rug later. A delicious apple pie with homemade caramel ice cream for dessert and then we would say farewell to our friends and fall drowsily on the couch, sipping the last glass of wine while the dishes helped themselves into the dishwasher. If I were to host a dinner party like this one here are some things that I would decorate my table with.
1. PopMat paper placemats by Publique Shop
2.Vintage Milk Glass Bowl by Full Circle Retro
3.Felted Wool Acorns by Lilfish Studios
4. Vintage Bird Salt and Pepper Shakers by High Street Market
5. Vintage McCoy Green Bowl and Pitcher by Lil Thrifty Girl
6.White Ironstone Ceramic Gravy Boat by High Street Market

Interview....

Check out this interview I did with Purple Lemon Designs! She was so sweet to interview me for her blog...

8 Years

Today is the 8 year anniversary of when Michael and I met. We celebrated by stopping by the farmers market so I could stock up on my favorite Pear and Cardamom jam (I bought 4 jars since I may not see them until next summer!) and then to Clementine for Taco night! Finish it off with a mug of steamy Chocolate Bar Chai tea topped with a cardamom marshmallow *sigh* how perfect:)
Image by Ashley G

Time to restock!

This week I will be busy restocking my etsy shop so make sure to check it out! I will have some new tiny vases as well as some great gift ideas. It's not too early to start thinking about picking up some sweet little gifts for those you love! The cold weather has me thinking of toasty dinners with friends and what better way to say thank you than with a crisp bottle of wine adorned with a peace dove they can later hang around their home? Also keep an eye out for new bowls and cups to serve up hot beverages and comfort food as the weather continues to cool off.

Come see me tomorrow in Philly!

Come check out all the new work! I'll have new tiny vases and the new hot air balloon design:)

SquidFire's 2009 Philly Art Mart
Saturday October 17, 11-6pm
Old Pine Community Center
Philadelphia, PA

Tools of the trade.

Throwing and trimming tools. I actually trim my hand built pots on the wheel.
My pounding and rolling tools.

This morning it's back to work, break over! I will spend my day glazing the pots I took out of the kiln last night and hopefully will be putting back in this evening. The mad rush to get everythign ready for this weekend is on! If you are going to be in the Philly area you can come see me at the Squidfire Philly Art Mart, it will be held on Saturday October 17, from 11-6pm in the neighborhood of Society Hill. More info coming later. Until then here are some more studio shots....tools of the trade!

In the studio

A close up shot of a plate waiting to be glazed.
Stacks of bowls waiting for glazing.
More tiny vases (and a cup) since the first batch sold out already!

Ok so it's been a little quite around the blog lately...don't fret, it's not at all quiet around here! I have somehow managed to produce 2 kiln loads in less than a week and the first of the glaze firings is on as we speak. I have decided that with all that work done for now I am taking the night off! I am 2 glasses of wine in and it would be a bad idea for me to work with breakables right now:) I thought I would have some fun with my camera instead. That will give you a sneak peek at what I have been working so hard on. I don't know how many of you know this but I started my artistic life wanting to be a photographer. I have quite the background in it and love that doing what I do lets me play with my camera and call it work! Now that I said that, pay no attention to the yellowish hue that comes from shooting in my studio under IKEA lights.... I haven't the energy to edit right now. I will share more throughout the week, until I have some finished work to show for myself!

The pots they fly!

Currently I am slumped on my couch in an almost dark den after a 13 hour day of making pots. I am so happy that my work is going over so well but I never expected to have this many orders so fast! I feel like as soon as I make them they are photographed and out the door. To be clear I am NOT complaining. It's really nice, to be able to say I'm a working artist, how many people have that opportunity? Anyway, I hope to post some work in progress shots this week....um, I guess this week is almost over so maybe next week:) Until then enjoy this new bowl that celebrates the journey of flight!

An art opening, Baltimore style.

Tonight Michael and I went to an opening put on by our friend Bovie (pictured above) who puts together a Halloween show every year at a local Baltimore Dive Bar. Baltimore has some really awesome dive bars and most of the time they are the best place to find great art. I know, it sounds weird but you gotta love the dive bars and the art support they show. Michael's piece is the funky orange chicken:)

A quick trip to Booklyn

This weekend was so incredibly crazy busy, we went from Crafty Bastards in DC (which was an amazing show, thank you to everyone who came out!) back home to Baltimore to restock Mikey and then hit the road to Brooklyn NY where we crashed on a friends floor to wake up early and show at Atlantic Antic street fair. Then we drove back home that night. I was so excited to see Brooklyn for the first time and was super excited to see that Whimsey and Spice was located just a few vendors down from us! Needless to say we had Pumpkin and Ginger cookies for breakfast, Earl Grey cookies for dessert and Mikey and I are now enjoying one of their Cardamom Marshmallows in our morning coffee. I just love their treats! The photography on their site is just lovely and the treats are just the right amount of sweet. Yum all around. Now that I am back we have 2 weeks until our next show and I have lots of work to do until then. I'll keep you posted on my etsy updates and a new design I've been cooking up in the studio.....stay tuned!

Come see me tomorrow at Crafty Bastard's in DC!

If your in the DC area tomorrow make sure to stop by Crafty Bastard in Adam's Morgan. It's always a great show! Also, vote for "Spaghetti Kiss" for the Craftiest Bastard! My husband and I are sharing a tent so if you vote for us it's a 2 for 1! Yay!! Click here to vote. Thank you:)

Now in it's 6th glorious year, Crafty Bastards is a marketplace of handmade alternative arts and crafts from independent artists countrywide. The show is presented by the Washington City Paper and is all-day, outdoors, free to attend, and will offer goods for sale, DIY craft projects & activities, food, music, prizes, and more! In past years, the breakdancing contests have been a huge hit. Crafty Bastards will take place Saturday, October 3, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Saturday, October 3. 10am-5pm.
Marie Reed Learning Center
Washington, DC.