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

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

 

We're Having A Giveaway!

Hi friends!; I hope you all had a good weekend; I spent mine at my first craft show (more on this on tomorrow's post *_^) .

I don't know about you but I am in a giving mood!, so I figured that the best thing I could give you all is a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Muddy Heart Pottery ^_^

I have stocked the shop with so many gorgeous pieces (many more to be added soon)

I added 11 ways to enter, and each time you do so is a chance to win! ^_^ The giveaway starts today Sunday November 4th and it runs for 10 days, ending on Wednesday November 14th.

* Win a $20 Muddy Heart Pottery Gift Certificate *
Etsy shop: www.muddyheartpottery.etsy.com
Giveaway Runs from 11-4   to 11-14

Enter Now and share with your friends & Family! 

Good luck!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Porcelain Yarn Bowl, the essential companion for all those who Knit & Crochet

There are so many gorgeous gifts in my shop, perfect for you, yourself... and yes, maybe someone else you love *_^

Your x-mas tree will dazzle with this OWLdorable ornament!

A busy week & a new Kiln!

Hi dear friends!; another week has raced by, but for me, it has been a fabulous fast week, filled with many new wonderful things and improvements!...here's the recap:

 A recently organized and more stylish studio/craft room -- This is what I did most of my long weekend, I painted some furniture on saturday, and organized and re-decorated my studio/craft room all day sunday and monday. It looks wonderful!, and every time I walk inside, I feel happier and more inspired to create wonderful pottery!

 

A new automatic kiln and its very own brand spanking new kiln room! --Meet Steven! (I dubbed him after my husband, because he's hot! hehe). Yes, I have been waiting for this bad boy to arrive all the way from Palm Beach, and it recently came, and my amazing husband spent his long weekend building my fabulous kiln room, along with doing all of the electrical work required, and now it is time to do a test firing and start firing all my work in-house!!.

Until now I have been firing my pieces at a firing studio where I pay for each firing, and it is terrifying to have to package all of my "oh-so-very-delicate" greenware and drive 6 miles to it, many a time losing several pieces to the commute....one of the main culprits is the various train tracks I have to drive over...I literally cringe and screech as my car rolls over them....it is so painful to see my hard work be wrecked by bumps on the road, literally! *_^.  But no more!

Here are some pieces I am currently working on :

Carved Porcelain Pieces -- I am working on a "luxe" line, where I push my abilities as an artist and create more detailed and time-consuming work....these will be amazing to work on and amazing to own.... so far I have a gorgeous vase I will call "Honey-Combing", it is a stunning piece!, so far I have spent over 2 hours between hand-building it, sanding it, and now carving it...but the carving is only 1/4 done, and this weekend I will work on it more, hopefully completing the carving, so it can be bisque fired, and then glazed and high fired.

I am open to color suggestions!, so do share your opinion on what color you think this vase should be!


I hope you have a wonderful weekend!


XoX, Meli

Hello! ^_^

Hi there!, thanks for stopping by; I decided to create a blog for my pottery shop to share my work, my life and other goodies in between ^_^

Today I have felt in a x-mas mood, so I played some Bing Crosby while I worked on designing the adorable gift wrapping I will be using during the holidays to delight my customers ^_^

I am designing my own boxes of various sizes to accommodate my porcelain pieces..this one is holding a beautiful maple leaf tree ornament from my winter forest collection.

It is funny because I get sooo much enjoyment when I am ready to ship my orders out and get to wrap them up all cute!; my Mom says I have always loved to wrap gifts...and unwrap them! *_^

I think that the packaging and presentation is as important as the gift itself!...so I have been online spending oodles of time on google and pinterest for creative gift wrapping ideas...and I have so many ideas now I'm having a hard time picking just one!...

Well, it is 2am here in lovely NC, and I think I should go to bed before I start seeing double...*_^


XoX, Meli
Muddy Heart Pottery