A week full of inspiration and work...

Lately it seems I have been running on very little sleep....between work, orders, new designs and preparing for the many upcoming holiday shows, it seems like I have been running purely on caffeine (thanks Nespresso + Starbucks).

To add to my juggling act, I received a call from a local shop I ADORE! (no lie, I am obsessed with them). They wanted me to showcase at their fall faire, and of course, it was a honor, and I said YES!! and jumped at the chance.

I don't know what it is about lack of sleep, but my creative mind just ignites with ideas and creative energy, and I feel incredible!....not so hot the next day, but that's another story *_^.

I set out to finish some new pieces for the show within a 3 day window, and managed to make a beautiful array of pieces that delighted the shop owner and the customers.

I am certainly seeing myself and my pieces change....I love the metamorphosis as an artist, it is this process of improvement and renewal that keeps me intrigued, and I hope you do too.

Until next time,

Xo

Meli

 

Happy friday lovely friends!; I am so behind on my blogging, and really, on many other things, but why bore you with lament?, instead I wanted to share what my current obsession is, and this is nothing new for me really, my nearest and dearest know that I am a glitzy girl, I love everything that shimmers and shines, and this list of course includes silver and gold!. As the holidays near, I turn to inspirational images to choose my holiday decor theme, and in turn, it also inspires my porcelain pieces for Muddy Heart!.

My crush of the moment is GOLD!, yes, tons of gold!, so I have chosen the best of both worlds and that is to pair gold and silver for my holiday home decor.

My gold rush affair doesn't just end there!, it is also portrayed on my latest winter collection , which mixes the oppulent look of gold leaf with the delicate texture of porcelain ceramics. A match made in heaven!

 

 

 

We're Having a G I V E A W A Y ! - ENTER TO WIN $30 GIFT CERTIFICATE

 

Happy Monday to all!. I hope your weekend was fantastic!...I am about to make a blah Monday into a OH YEAH! Monday!.  I know you guys have been waiting for this, and here is it, our long-awaited giveaway, perfectly timed for fall and for the coming holidays ^_^

 

You can enter in many different ways to increase your chances of wining!. Do share this with all your friends and family!. Help our handmade shop be seen and help them get the opportunity to win...hey you can claim a cut for sharing, right??

 

OK, now the good stuff:

 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!

 

 

Good luck!, may the force be with you!

 

XoX, Meli

New Shop Image ^_^

Playing Catch-Up

Hi there!; yes, it's been months, time flies, and I feel like I am playing blogger catch-up every time I get around to posting; I have it in the back of my mind, burning of guilt, like a little voice in my head that says...yes, another week without getting around to post anything in your blog, not a single word, not a simple photo...zilch.

Let me tell you, I have no kids, only a husband and a very babied spoiled Yorkie that I love as my human child...I keep a 9-5 job, keep an etsy shop, a side business, multiple spring craft shows, stay social in 4 platforms all while playing therapist to my family, and trying to desperately squeeze some "me" time which I feel I haven't properly had since last September.

It is so very hard to juggle many things at once, and while I love to be super busy, it does take a toll, and many things do give and fall through the cracks here and there...and my blogging seems to be one that falls through the cracks ever so effortlessly...but seriously, I still feel guilty.

 

So let me recap...

 

 

January: I spent inside, I put away all of my Christmas decorations....The start of the new year always gets me into home-decor, I want to clean and organize and re-arrange everything...of course this meant organizing my studio,to make it more efficient and neat which of course helps when you're expecting an avalanche of work incoming.  January also tested me, as I had to "impatiently" wait to hear from the shows I had applied to, in the hopes of being accepted...waiting is not my forte.

 

February: I got some shows approval, the main one being Carolina Fiber fest....I began to create a large amount of pieces, as I felt very confident this would be my biggest show and challenge yet. Of course, I always begin my list with very large quantity numbers, always to edit that in a realistic way..maybe if I had a better studio (not inside my closet and a side office table), maybe if I was a full time potter...but maybe I should try to keep my sanity by learning to predict quantities better, so I don't have to create so much in such a short period. My goal was over 500 individual miscellaneous pieces.

March: The stress was on!, I had barely made 100 pieces, with a month away from my first craft show, I was working until 3-4 am every day...my house was a mess, I was solely focusing on my business, letting my home kinda fall apart ..no time to cook or work out..no time for anything else really.....thankfully my husband is amazingly supportive and doesn't complain if the dishes pile up like the Eiffel tower...he may not wash them, but he doesn't blame me or complain..and that helps *_^

 

 April: STRESS + PANIC ; with a week away from my first 3 day show, I was about 50 yarn bowls short...I needed to bisque, glaze and high fire so many pieces...my awesome kiln powered through and performed amazingly!, I ran him every single day for about 9 days straight...I had never fired so much...but I was under a personal deadline, and I needed to make it happen. Of course, with pottery, anything can happen..and I mean anything BAD...now add the finicky porcelain diva that she is, and you have a recipe for heartbreak and potential disaster....overall I lost 10 pieces to bad glazing outcomes...cracking , etc. each piece that doesn't turn out well breaks my heart...but it is something I must learn to accept.....not easy though.

March and April were also filled with booth display designs...I had a new tent and new table and was focused on creating -or rather requesting my husband to build certain pieces that would store away flat, taking the least amount of space in my SUV for the shows...I created banners, burlap tablecloths, business cards, and played around with table setups to maximize my show space, while adding personality and interest to my booth.

 

 

So it's mid May...and tomorrow I'll be doing my last show until fall...I feel relieved and look forward to reclaiming my weekends, and spending more time with my family and dedicating time to sprucing up my home..tending to my neglected garden...play with my baby puppy...spend time outdoors... 

 Sometimes life gets so busy we forget to LIVE...but life will always be busy, and You must make time to enjoy, share and recharge....

I hope to be blogging at least once a week...it may be short and sweet, but at least the little voice in my head will stop yapping *_^

Have a splendid RELAXING weekend

Xo,

             Meli

Happy 2013!

 Happy New Year!

I hope your holidays went smoothly, but most importantly, that you enjoyed them with family and friends!; May 2013 be a healthy, happy and prosperous year for you and your loved ones!

Mine was filled with amazing food, loving family and dear friends as well as lots of gifts and tons of great ideas for my handmade business. I gotta say, I had set a goal for myself when I started, and by the end of the year, I tripled that goal!, that lets me know that I am capable of way more than I think I am, and that is such an amazing realization!, sometimes our biggest critic is ourselves, and to know that we're honestly in awe of our accomplishments, well that is flat out FANTASTIC!

So aside from all the winter wonderfulness, of course one of my special highlights were the amazing gifts I got!. From boots, to sweaters to vintage jewelry to gift cards from Starbucks  one of my amazing new toys is the SUPER useful slab roller, courtesy of my amazing hubby. This 20 lb gadget allows me to flatten a smooth sheet of porcelain clay at my desired thickness, this is amazing news for my hands, as pounding and rolling the clay is not an easy task, and with my new roller baby, I can do this fast & easy!. Thanks baby! *_^

Since it is a new year, and that always results in resolutions for everyone, I thought it appropriate, if not fitting, to create a line of inspirational bracelets, to give the wearer a boost of confidence, strength and to remind them of a special message that in the heart, has mountain-moving meaning.

I have many deigns, which I will be listing this weekend, so far you can get your hands on the "Believe" one, which is already for sale in my Etsy shop.

 Any-who, I will be getting back to my roller baby, I swear I hear it calling my name...Meli, come play with me... lol.... ok maybe not, but I will take off to work on some cool new designs.

See you all next friday, have a splendid weekend and an amazing new week!.

Toodles,
Meli

We have a contest Winner & A Pumpkin Pie Recipe To Share

 

Happy friday darling friends!; I am so excited to announce the winner of our giveaway, and she is

 

Sherry, you will receive a $20 gift certificate from Muddy Heart Pottery's Etsy shop, and get anything you want, or gift it to anyone you want. I think it's really beginning to look a lot like christmas!, and Sherry just got her first gift! ^_^..... not uncommon of me to be antsy and give my presents a bit early, I really cannot contain myself or keep a gift hidden, it is a condition I've had since childhood, and it gets more severe with every holiday....*_^


So next week is thanksgiving (wow, I am so amazed at the speed this year has gone by!) and I am already baking pies, cookies and cakes, oh my!, and this week my hubby asked me to make 2 of my fabulous pumpkin pies, which are my pride and joy! (and my personal favorite kind of pie). Although I have baked a few holiday things, oddly, I have not tasted any!, but it's alright, I am baking an army of pies for thanksgiving, and because my pumpkin pie is soooo yummy, I had to share the recipe, so you can make it and enjoy it with your family.








Muddy Heart Pumpkin Pie Recipe ^_^

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of rum (optional - I use spiced rum to which I added a vanilla bean into for extra flavor -- great to do to any bottle of liquor)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 small pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (I get mine at The Fresh Market, but feel free to use any)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) (I use libby's, but feel free to use any)
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) (I use carnation, but feel free to use any)
• 1unbaked deep-dish pie shell (I use pillsbury pie shells, but feel free to use any)

 

 

Directions

MIX Mix the ingredients all together in a large bowl, and pour into your thawed (unbaked) pie shell; this quantity will be enough for 1 pie (fill up to the rim, the filling settles a bit)

BAKE  Preheat your over to 425° F, pop in pie and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350° F and bake at that temp. for 40-50 minutes and set on a cooling rack until it is room temperature (don't cover with anything while it is cooling)

 

 You can choose to decorate your pie like I did, and for this you will need the dough from a pie dish (nicely thawed but not warm or it is too sticky), cookie cutters, a toothpick, and egg and a pastry brush.

Knead dough, and then roll until you have about a 1/4 of an inch in thickness, then start cutting your leaves, acorns, pumpkins or whatever thanksgiving design you have (you can always cut leaves free-handedly with the point of a sharp knife)

 If you have any stamps lying around you haven't really used, give them a squeaky clean scrub, and press a special message into your dough cutouts (this is the same process I do to create my worded porcelain items *_^)

TIP:  Imprint your family's last name, or a funny saying, just think of anything that will be endearing sentimental, or even silly...just don't forget to bring a camera, you'll want to photograph your masterpiece!

 

Now carefully place your pieces on top of your filled pie, making sure not to drop them , or they will sink in the filling (TIP: if you prefer you can bake the pie halfway, then take it out and add the dough decor, and continue baking until it is done)

 If you want beautiful golden crust and decor, simply crack your egg in a mug, and beat with a fork, then carefully brush on the egg onto any doughy area, this will bronze anything it glazes, beautifully!

 

 

Tada!, you will now be able to bake a fabulous pie for your family and friends, and really show off for its looks, and most importantly, its flavour! yumm!

 

 I am very thankful for my family, because without them I am an empty pie shell ^_^ , I am also thankful for God's blessings in my life and my loved one's life, and I am thankful for my growing little business and every single one of you ^_^

Have a beautiful thanksgiving!

XoX, Meli