1.  All the vessels on this site are individually handmade.
They are unique, may have flaws, and are not perfect by machine-made standards.

​

2.  There is a long process to creating ceramic vessels.
It begins with wedging and weighing the clay.   Then the clay goes on the wheel where all of the shaping of the vessel takes place.  Once the vessel is formed (a lengthy process in itself!), it is cleaned and left to dry to leather hard.  Then it can be handled, trimmed, carved, or under glazed.  And that it just the beginning!

After that, it dries again. Once totally dried, it can be sanded and placed in the kiln for the first bisque firing.

Once bisque fired it is rinsed and dried.  The bottoms are waxed and THEN it can be glazed or decorated with underglaze. If under glazed, it is bisque fired again before over glazing. If glazed, it can go directly into the kiln for high firing.  If the vessels pass inspection after high firing, the bottoms are sanded to insure they are completely smooth.

Finally, pictures can be staged, taken and edited and the vessels weighed for shipping.  Then a new page created on this website so you can see it!

Did I mention it was a long process?

 

3.  All vessels in this shop are vitrified.
And what exactly does that mean and why should you care?

Clay that has been vitrified has been fired to a high enough temperature to cause the platelets in the clay to totally fuse together. This makes the clay so that is it no longer porous.

Clay with less than 3% porosity is said to be food safe without glaze.

The clays I use are White Bear Stoneware, Magnolia Porcelain and Kota Porcelain.

White Bear at cone 6 has 0.9% porosity. Magnolia Porcelain at cone 10 has 0%. Kota Porcelain at cone 6 has 0% porosity.

I always fire to the manufacturer's specs for vitrification. 

 

4.  All the glazes here are food safe unless clearly marked “Non Food Safe”.
Anything that could be used with food will have food safe glaze.
Those vessels, like vases, that are not intended for food, will be clearly marked if the glaze is not food safe. FYI - Many metallic glazes are not food safe.  


5.  Glaze flaws do not make vessels unsafe for food.
Since the clay is vitrified, the glaze is simply decoration.

I may choose to label something as "non-food safe", but that is because I believe some tiny food particle could be left in the flaw (from someone not cleaning the vessel well enough). So, if you choose to use a vessel with food that has a flaw, make sure you wash it well. 

​

​

6.  YES! You CAN buy a mug for a dollar at the dollar store.
BE Free.

Each vessel here is made with love and care, sweat and tears.  Sometimes literally! But that is what handmade means ... upfront time, energy, and cost, but a whole lot of love.

​

Currently, my prices are actually lower than most of the industry because I am starting out.  That will change as my audience grows.  But I don’t want you to buy my pottery because it is cheap OR expensive -

​

I want you to buy it because you love it!

​

​