Andover Pottery

Why do people enjoy handmade Pottery? There is clearly a type of person that gravitates toward handmade things. It's probably obvious but I am one of them. Long before I ever sat at a pottery wheel, I loved all kinds of creative things, baking, gardening, painting, drawing and generally creating art. I love and admire handmade furniture, woodwork, knitted and quilted items, the list goes on. What is it about something crafted by hand that draws many of us towards it? Especially in todays reality of AI unfused content everywhere, it's even more desirable to hold something beautiful in your hands that was created by another human being. My hope is that my customers will feel the creativity and care put into each piece of work they purchase.

Thoughts From the Winter Studio Three sculpted kitties that sit outside my front door. As I dream about spring, I am constantly reminded about the natural rhythm of the seasons. Last year my garden was the most challenging of all the years I can remember. The bunnies were prolific and relentless, chowing down every single seedling that I so carefully grew and planted. Voles dominated both my green house and our lawns, it was very discouraging to say the least. I understand why so many people give up on gardening. Why am I mentioning gardening on a pottery website? For me the two are inter-twinned. As I look to the new year ahead, I hope to provide my customers with fresh new ideas and continue to make the original designs that seem to be appreciated and loved.

Throwing a Lidded Jar on the Pottery Wheel Lidded jars have many uses. In the kitchen they can be used to store herbs, spices, tea etc. Other uses are storage for hair accessories, jewelry, office supplies etc. In this video I show the basic throwing technique I use to throw these covered jars. First the base and then the lid. The lids can be decorated with spirals or knobs can be added to the tops. This design would also work for garlic keepers if ventilation holes were applied through out the piece. Like any form, the more you make the quicker and more skilled you will become. Throwing a few extra lids is always a good idea. Sometimes extras are good fits for covered tea mugs to help keep your favorite warm beverage hot. www.andoverpottery.com

Using plant matter to press into clay to create nature inspired pottery pieces. Here's a video I made to show how I make my nature mugs.

As our lives seem to get busier each day, finding time to cook at home can be a challenge. Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to get serious about losing weight, so I joined Weight Watchers (now called WW) with my husband. In the course of 7 months I lost 20 pounds while my husband lost close to 40 lbs. and we have managed to keep it off. For us, the key to keeping the weight off is really all about lifestyle choices. For our family, major changes came down to eating fresh healthy foods, cooking at home and of course exercising regularly! (I love my Fitbit). For those of us who cook at home, having some key kitchen accessories can really make a difference. Here are some of my favorite pottery items that I use daily in my kitchen. Salt Cellar Utensil Holder Spoon Holder