I love making my dog breed pottery, especially because of the bright colors in my dog breed and floral patterns. I love bright rich colors in general and have really wanted to glaze some things in all different colors. So recently I dug out some of the animal molds that I’ve acquired over the years (just for fun) and made a bunch of different critters so that I could try out some of my new glazes on them. When I unloaded everything from the kiln onto my cart, and all of the items were together, I just couldn’t stop staring at them. It was complete sensory overload and I couldn’t get enough. There were horses, cats, owls, foxes, deer, some small pots and covered boxes, all decked out in bright colors of glaze. So satisfying 🙂
These will go on my website once I get them all photographed. So off I go to my studio to snap some pics. Bye for now.
Plum Blossom Farm Products – Photo by John Burgess, The Press Democrat
Today I’m sharing my friend Carole’s business because, for one, she makes amazing products, and two, she was just featured in an article by The Press Democrat (Sonoma County, CA). I’m so excited for her and want to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.
We started our businesses around the same time and I’ve had the privilege to watch her business change and grow over the last decade. I first met Carole when she was in college and helped me with my children when my youngest was born. She was an integral part of our family for several years and she is one of the most gentle and caring people I know. She has always done the very best for the people and animals in her life and I’m just so proud of what she’s achieved.
As for Carole’s products, we use several of them daily. I love that the ingredients are all natural, the scents are wonderful, and the felted wool colors are really beautiful. Me and my grown kids use her bath and body products exclusively now – specifically, the body scrub, body butter, and felted wool soaps (made with wool from her sheep). I always have one of her lip balms nearby – in my purse and overnight bag, on my bathroom vanity, by the kitchen sink, and in my car. It’s the only lip balm I use. I really can’t say enough about her products, except that they also make wonderful gifts – which makes it easy for me when it’s time to buy a birthday or Christmas gift.
I hope that you check out the article. It gives a great description of her farm and has a lot of really nice pictures of her and her critters. For some really awesome products, visit her online store – plumbossomfarm.com.
This month I’m giving away one of my dog breed sugar bowls. These are one of my most popular items, probably because they are so cute and versatile. They can hold your sugar for you or dog-training treats, change, cotton balls, and the list goes on.
The winner will be chosen May 31st and will have their choice of over 40 different dog breed designs.
Just click the red button to enter! You will receive information about sharing the giveaway after you enter – the more you share the greater your chances of winning.
I’ve created a new dog breed design for the Flat Coated Retriever. What a pretty dog this is. I honestly didn’t know about it, which you might think is strange given that I make pottery for dog lovers. But there are 193 dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. The cool thing is that I got to learn about the Flat Coated Retriever. The standard colors are black or liver colored, and there is a yellow variety. From my conversation with my customer who owns one, and from what I’ve read, they’re positive, playful and friendly. And, very good at retrieving waterfowl, as their name implies.
I’ve completed my design but it is not on my website yet, so if you’re interested please email me and let me know – contact@shepherds-grove.com. The Flat Coated Retriever is available on all of the pottery shapes on my website.
This month I’m giving away something different, something that’s not yet available on my website. It is a 7″ dog breed plate and has all of the features and benefits of my other pottery – it’s made of durable stoneware and so is dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe. It has hand-painted blue and golden yellow bands around the rim and my floral dog design in the center, made and decorated with non-toxic, food-safe materials. And all of the work is done by my hands, in my studio, in Eureka, CA.
I will be adding plates to my website over the month and wanted to give you a little sneak peak by way of this giveaway. I have been selling my plates on the sly for a couple years now. Someone way back asked for plates so I started making them. Then sales happened by word of mouth and I just never got around to adding them to my website.
The winner will be chosen at random and will be able to have their plate decorated with one of my available dog breed designs. Sharing the contest through the means provided after you enter, increases your entries in the contest and thus increases your chances of winning.
Click the red button below to be taken to the entry form. Good luck!
I didn’t want to post the winner to my March Giveaway yesterday because it was April Fools Day. I thought some might think my announcement was a trick like, “so and so won….April Fools!” But now I can announce who did win.
Congratulations to Shirley F. who will soon be the receiving a dog breed wine stopper and dipping dish. She’ll be able to choose from my available dog breed designs and can even choose a different breed for each item.
I will be posting this month’s giveaway soon – after I get my studio straightened out (more later on that).
I recently attended a really fun mold making class at Georgies Ceramics and Clay in Eugene, Oregon. It was taught by Brett Bindford of Mudshark Studios, Portland, who is an expert in the field of ceramic mold making and slip casting.
It was a small class so we each got a lot of personal help making molds of the items we brought. And Brett was an awesome teacher both because he made the process easy to understand and because he’s so easy going and kind.
I chose a bottle that I love. It was a Kava bottle that my son brought home and was going to recycle. But I thought it would be perfect with a pour spout to use as an olive oil bottle. Another person made a mold of cauliflower, which turned out super cool. All of our molds turned out great, actually. There’s always the chance that your item will get stuck in the mold because you didn’t see an undercut in your item, or because the plaster adheres to the material that your item is made out of.
Bottle block in with clay
Cottle boards around clay and bottle
Pouring 1st half of mold
First half out of frame
First half flipped and ready
Cleaning first half of mold
Cottles reaassembled
2nd half of mold done
Mold opened and cleaned
First cast
Cast of bottle out of new mold 🙂
As with any process, there a lot of steps and we’ll see if I remember them all when I go to make molds in my studio. I’ve been collecting the supplies I need to start mold making and now have everything, so I’ll report back with my progress. I’m very excited about experimenting will different shaped items.
I had to wait a while for my mold to dry but finally, I’ve been able to make a cast of my bottle (shown above). The really exciting part for me is glazing it and seeing the final result…I’m not quite there yet but will post a photo when I get a bottle done.
A quick video showing me unloading my Cocker Spaniel pottery from the kiln. I had a couple unwelcome surprises but wanted to share the good and the bad.
Just a quick post to let you know that my new English Springer Spaniel design is now available on my website’s English Springer Spaniel Gifts page. I’ve put up listings for all of the available pottery shapes in two color variations – black and white and liver.
I’ll be posting soon about next month’s Giveaway so check back!
I love making my dog breed pottery, especially because of the bright colors in my dog breed and floral patterns. I love bright rich colors in general and have really wanted to glaze some things in all different colors. So recently I dug out some of the animal molds that I’ve acquired over the years (just for fun) and made a bunch of different critters so that I could try out some of my new glazes on them. When I unloaded everything from the kiln onto my cart, and all of the items were together, I just couldn’t stop staring at them. It was complete sensory overload and I couldn’t get enough. There were horses, cats, owls, foxes, deer, some small pots and covered boxes, all decked out in bright colors of glaze. So satisfying 🙂
Shepherd's Grove Studio 