tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28887567778924712712024-03-19T10:49:21.424-07:00Peace, Love and PotteryKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-32177391626233990022011-02-13T16:49:00.001-08:002011-02-13T17:01:42.109-08:00Here is to a great 2011Has it really been almost a year since my last pots? That's ridiculous! And I'm sure I could come up with a million excuses ... the kid's schedule keeps us busy, mostly soccer but this year she is going year round with indoor soccer in the winter until spring soccer starts back up, the husbands work schedule and all the events he is involved in, Festival of Trees was a huge success again this year and of course he keeps busy with the President's Club events around the area, or my schedule kept us busy, what with studying for the state board exam for tax preparing - a 5 hour test??!!??!! that was insane.<br />At any rate, it's been almost a year and I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Things are good now and getting better by the day. I have a great staff, some of them very new, who are taking good care of the studio while I embark on my third tax season, but for this one I'm fully qualified to prepare taxes and have set a goal of 100 tax returns that I prepare on my own. That is a huge jump from the 12 I semi-prepared last year. <br />I start boot-camp tomorrow (yikes!) and I'm optimistically terrified. So if you see me in the next few days, just know that my face doesn't usually look like that, I'm just sore and cranky. And if you see me in the weeks after that, tell me what a good job I'm doing, because I'm sure I could use the encouragement.<br />Courtney continues to amaze me every day. She is very observant and kind, two great qualities in a kid who is not yet 7. She enjoys soccer more than anything else, and I don't even think she realizes she is the only girl on her team. She runs as fast if not faster than the boys and charges the ball in a way that makes me cringe, but I'm proud of her. She fell skinned her knee on the sidewalk a couple weeks ago, while doing an crazy jump of some sort, and the next day we had to design an outfit around her wound so she could show it off at school. She is quite a kid.<br />We are looking forward to a trip to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Las</span> Vegas later in the spring, as well as her 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> birthday party and an evening at the theater when Wicked the Musical comes to Eugene. Court knows all the words because we listen to the soundtrack in the car a lot, and she is probably more excited to see it than Mike and I.<br />It's going to be a great spring!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-64663870678415029932010-02-25T13:42:00.000-08:002010-02-25T13:47:13.352-08:00DISNEY Bisque!!!Disneyland is a big part of my childhood and I even worked there for awhile during college. We have always gotten many requests for Disney bisque and now I am so excited that Disney Bisque is on it's way!! We expect the order to arrive sometime next week and we are SO excited. There will be more pieces released throughout the year so we will be bringing in new pieces as they are released. <br />What is your favorite Disney character or Disney memory?Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-80362400624112188172010-02-08T18:17:00.000-08:002010-02-08T18:18:32.834-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre; "><!-- Facebook Fan Badge START --><div style="width: 100%;"><div style="background: #3B5998;padding: 5px;"><img src="http://www.facebook.com/images/fb_logo_small.png" alt="Facebook" /><img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/27193925425.1284897429.2115664001.png" alt="" width="0" height="0" /></div><div style="background: #EDEFF4;display: block;border-right: 1px solid #D8DFEA;border-bottom: 1px solid #D8DFEA;border-left: 1px solid #D8DFEA;margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 5px 0px;"><div style="background: #EDEFF4;display: block;padding: 5px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="top"><img src="http://www.facebook.com/images/icons/fbpage.gif" alt="" /></td><td valign="top"><p style="color: #808080;font-family: verdana;font-size: 11px;margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;padding: 0px 8px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/kate.tiernan" title="Kate Tiernan" target="_TOP" style="color: #3B5998;font-family: verdana;font-size: 11px;font-weight: normal;margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;text-decoration: none;">Kate Tiernan</a> is a fan of</p></td></tr></table></div><div style="background: #FFFFFF;clear: both;display: block;margin: 0px;overflow: hidden;padding: 5px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="middle"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-OR/BrushFirePottery-By-You/27193925425" title="BrushFire...Pottery By You!" target="_TOP" style="border: 0px;color: #3B5998;font-family: verdana;font-size: 12px;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?oid=AAAAAQAQzooZ5scsZHIZE4YB2Qrr-QAAAAv3UZQL3UO5THybE6QGCDa_&size=square" style="border: 0px;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;" alt="BrushFire...Pottery By You!" /></a></td><td valign="middle" style="padding: 0px 8px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-OR/BrushFirePottery-By-You/27193925425" title="BrushFire...Pottery By You!" target="_TOP" style="border: 0px;color: #3B5998;font-family: verdana;font-size: 12px;font-weight: bold;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-decoration: none;">BrushFire...Pottery By You!</a></td></tr></table></div></div><div style="display: block;float: right;margin: 0px;padding: 4px 0px 0px 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/fanbadges.php" title="Create your Fan Badge" target="_TOP" style="color: #3B5998;font-family: verdana;font-size: 11px;font-weight: none;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-decoration: none;">Create your Fan Badge</a></div></div><!-- Facebook Fan Badge END --></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-62978191845286590292010-02-03T13:59:00.000-08:002010-02-03T14:08:18.936-08:00LoveWe are back from vacation! It was so much fun. Despite the crazy weather in southern california we adventured from the Zoo to the Aquarium to Universal Studios with many other stops in between. And the Lego store at Downtown Disney was by far the best 3 hours we spent shopping :) Courtney is a Lego-maniac right now (egged on by her dad) and we had way too much fun shopping and playing in the Lego store.<br />Now we are home and back to school and work. And it is tax season which means I'm back at my fantastic accountant's office helping out with taxes and whatnot. It is busy, but its so much fun! <br />Coming up are a trip to Uncle Nony's house in Washington for a birthday extravaganza and hopefully some great family mini-trips a little more local.<br />The studio is doing great. My staff is amazing and I'm so fortunate to have each and every one of them. Valentines Day is coming and lots of adorable gifts are being made. And we are frantically planning Spring Break Camps so be on the lookout for flyers for that. Meanwhile come in and paint something bright and sunny to prepare for spring...it really is right around the corner.<br />My peace today is that I'm doing something I love and learning lots while doing it. My love is my daughter and how well she is handling the adjustment to me being back at "work" for awhile. And my pottery is the fantastic coffee mug I use at my office desk for tea in the morning. <br />May you all have Peace, Love and Pottery as well!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-63781128546328947022010-01-10T09:25:00.001-08:002010-01-10T09:35:08.922-08:00Time for a vacationAs you may be able to tell it has been quite awhile since my last post. Mostly due to the fact that we are a retail business and the holidays bring a level of chaos that just does not allow for sitting and blogging at my convenience. There was not a weekend in December that we (and I mean we, the husband, the kid, the whole crew) were not at the studio working and glazing and helping customers create their fantastic holiday gifts. Mike is our lifesaver spending every one of his weekends helping out in the kiln room. Courtney learned to glaze this year and did a great job on the little ornaments and whatnot. And the rest of us spent the month running around trying <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> to look like chickens with our heads cut off. We had a great season and are enjoying the relative calmness now. It's just enough time to breathe for a minute because then we gear up for Valentine's Day and before we know it Easter and Spring Break. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just enjoy today!<br />And today we are planning a vacation. Courtney and I are getting ready to take off on a road trip. (Poor Mike has to work, but someone's gotta do it!) We leave late this week for California to spend some time with Yai Yai and our friends in the LA area. Sunshine and warmth, here we come! We will out of necessity have our cold weather clothes on as we drive away but we will be shedding layers the farther south we get. Sandals and t-shirts are in the suitcase. This reminds me that I should get a pedicure. These toes haven't seen sunshine in months!<br />I'm looking forward to time with the kiddo in the car, and to time with the three of us for many many days together. And really looking forward to the mental break and the anticipated return when I am relaxed and ready to begin the tax season at my other "job". It's going to be a great spring!<br />~Peace, Love and Pottery<br />KateKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-21416726099313800942009-11-29T12:25:00.001-08:002009-11-29T12:25:34.674-08:00Another successful year at Festival of Trees!This is one of my favorite events every year and this year was no exception. We met some great people and enjoyed the people watching during the 4 hour event. The fundraising this year is for a new Hospice House and the event was well attended and well funded. Our little contribution makes a difference and this is the time of year to remember that. <br />Now that the fun of that event is over I'm heading back to the studio and the hustle and bustle of our wonderful business. I'm sure there will be an update on that soon!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-43161894601884787712009-11-17T09:48:00.000-08:002009-11-19T07:45:18.744-08:00Giving ThanksI have seen so many FB status updates about what people are thankful for this week. Seemed strange to me until I realized that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!?!?! I'm sorry, what now?<br />So the leisurely approach to my "to-do" list just went out the window. Here is a sample of what I'm attempting to get done in the next 5 days.<br />~Call the electrician to fix the bathroom light fixture which has been on the fritz for weeks and we are just now getting around to doing something about it.<br />~Clean out the garage enough that Mike can get his boxes of stuff out for the annual fundraiser he is the finance chair for. (Notice I did not say finish the job - think more of a path to through our personal crap to get to his work crap that is buried in there somewhere)<br />~Move back the piles of crap to expose the washer and dryer and get caught up on laundry<br />~Plan and shop for our part of the Thanksgiving meal at GG and Papa's house<br />~<i>Spend an afternoon with my dad and his wife so they can see Courtney - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">done!</span></i><br />~Get Courtney's bedroom ready for Mike's mom who is visiting for a week<br />~<i>Attend Mike's work party but leave early so we can make it to Courtney's Fall Harvest Party at school</i> - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Not going, decided to just do the fun school party instead!!!</span><br />~<i>Get a haircut? This is a big maybe. Might be more like me hacking at my hair in the bathroom. </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">- <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">done!</span></span><br />~Finish the staff schedule for the studio<br />~Get an email ready to send to all our customers letting them know about our Black Friday Sale <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">- <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">delegated, so </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">done!</span></span><br />~Clear the pile of clean laundry off the top of the dresser and actually get it put away. I know the pair of pants I'm missing are somewhere in that pile.<br />~Pick up my mother-in-law at the airport<br />~Spend a morning in Kindergarten being the helper parent<br /><br />And I'm a little tired just thinking about all of that. So now I'm heading to Dutch Brothers to get some energy. It's gonna be a great day!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-405202203086538922009-11-09T09:32:00.000-08:002009-11-09T09:53:31.862-08:00Exercise OverloadSo this weekend I started walking again. And for a nice easy introduction to exercise decided to tackle a 4 mile hike. Now granted it was all flat, so no real incline was involved. But this body has not experienced any exercise since P.E. was mandatory in high school! Needless to say I was a little tired when it was all said and done. And thank goodness for my walking partner or I would have given up and gone home. After a short rest period, basically me passed out on the couch for the next 2 hours, it was time to go to work. The studio is in that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-holiday state where it seems to get busier every day. So my Saturday evening included a busy studio, not an empty table in the joint, two parties and loading one kiln. After 6 hours of being on my feet and busy I was getting a little cranky! My darling husband did come and help out for the last hour thank goodness. It was pretty much home to bed after that day of madness. <div>Fade into the next morning.... and it truly was a fade in....took quite the negotiating skills to get my body out of bed. And what is on the agenda for this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">blustery</span> Sunday morning? Cleaning gutters and stacking wood at the grandparents house. Mind you, my grandparents have about 6 acres of property and are 79 and 82. Thankfully Mike is happy to help and we try and get up to their house once a month or so and help out with whatever they need done. So Mike worked on cleaning the gutters and Courtney and I cleaned out the barn (no actual animals anymore, mostly storage for the various family members and the studio). We packed up a few display pieces to take to the studio and put more things away that needed a home in the barn. After this project we stacked two cords of wood in the wood barn and loaded a truck full to bring down to the house. We filled up the wood stack at the house and got everything covered back up. Finally it was time to call it a day and go in for some of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GG's</span> stew and biscuits. I tried to convince the family that if you are supposed to get 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 times a week that I had, in two days, exercised enough for the rest of the year. They didn't buy it. I'm going to keep working that angle. At least until next weekend when it's time to walk the trails again.</div><div>And now I will stop wining about my excessive exercise this weekend and get back to work. Have you ever noticed how you feel better after you complain for a minute? Thanks for letting me complain! :)</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-54762312738482900262009-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:002009-11-06T13:37:05.508-08:00Halloween Fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eIZYMVRnqL5whxRjrimEoT_9GpFHXLbgibY5WarJGbCQucAC8qUUZomD9MSDL98K-wWslwlQ5Pumi_eagYuSsH9zZjM-sRt0qWYiFRDK62wdpgIe_OoxEQytYysnhJjAlYrpOOAE1fc/s1600-h/Super+Courtney+with+Pumpkin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eIZYMVRnqL5whxRjrimEoT_9GpFHXLbgibY5WarJGbCQucAC8qUUZomD9MSDL98K-wWslwlQ5Pumi_eagYuSsH9zZjM-sRt0qWYiFRDK62wdpgIe_OoxEQytYysnhJjAlYrpOOAE1fc/s320/Super+Courtney+with+Pumpkin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401106188358038258" /></a>Yes I know it has been a week since Halloween. But this picture is SO cute I wanted to share. Better late than never right? Our great friends have an annual Halloween Party and pumpkin patch. It is something we look forward to every year. Hard to believe we have been 5 years in a row! <div>Courtney had a great time on Halloween. We spent some time at a friends house handing out candy and had a really fun time. We did not get many trick-or-treaters at our house however and consequently we still have candy in the bowl. I'm not sure why I pretend I have any willpower. I finally gave up and ate almost every Milky Way in the bowl. And when Courtney asked me where the candy went., I blamed her dad.</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-45744178026479079572009-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:002009-11-04T13:36:43.704-08:00Kindergarten is a vacuum!<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;">So here it is November already and I'm realizing that Kindergarten is a vacuum. It sucked up all of our time during the fall. Maybe it's just me but the addition of only two more days of school as week makes our schedule twice as busy. Both Courtney and I are enjoying the new friends and activities. The "school" aspect is so different from preschool. And yes. I did cry most of the first week. Court did great! Her mom was a mess.<br /><br />So it's a few weeks in and just when we think we have a handle on things our whole house gets sick. It was awful! Between the three of us we missed almost two weeks of school/work. We did play a lot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">legos</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">UNO</span> though. Now it's November and the beginning of the holidays. Will we ever get caught up? Family is coming for thanksgiving. Mike is working what we hope is his last year at the Festival of Trees. I am hiring new staff, training the group, placing orders and generally going a little bit crazy every day. But hey, it's Wednesday, what else did I have to do today anyway? </span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-62783457540048654052009-08-09T22:39:00.000-07:002009-08-09T22:47:45.465-07:00One month and counting...If Courtney's school opens on time (they are building a new school and we aren't sure it's on schedule) then she will start Kindergarten in ONE MONTH??!!?? I'm tearing up a little already. So the focus for the next 30 days will be to enjoy every minute of our not yet in school, still completely believing in everything we tell her, baby girl's summer vacation. Oh, and trying not to cry.<br />Meanwhile at the studio things are going great. We have two more weeks of summer camps and then a couple weeks of regular studio activity before the fall season begins. September is generally a slower month for us and we use that time to get ready for the holiday rush. So there will be a lot of cleaning, some rearranging, and preparing for the many many orders that arrive from October until January.<br />At home we are preparing for house guests this week. My sister-in-law and our nieces are coming for a visit. It's always so much fun to have all the girls together. We might even sneak in a beach trip one day. And after that fantastic madness is over we are hoping to make it to our annual San Francisco Giants game. A long weekend in the city will be just what we need to cap off this wonderful summer. And maybe, just maybe, someone will teach me how to post pictures on this thing! :)Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-61516569874392414412009-07-23T13:12:00.000-07:002009-07-23T13:16:59.992-07:00Oh the heat!I'm not good with heat. Really not good. I get crabby and irritated at just about anything. So this week we are spending lots of time at the studio in the air conditioning, and lots of time locked up in the house. We did venture out yesterday to the music concert at Oakway center. That was fun. Ice-cream, music and friends. Today its back to work!<br />Work is busy, summer camps are in full swing. Next week is the little campers week. Ages 5 and 6 all week. It's going to be so cute! Hopefully one of my fantastic staff will show me how to post pictures and we will get some camp photos to share.<br />In the meantime, I think I'm going to go get a popcicle...Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-86100707895574785492009-07-09T16:38:00.001-07:002009-07-09T16:38:42.651-07:00Im sitting on the front porch this afternoon enjoying the breeze and the smell of BBQ. Courtney and I worked at the studio this morning for summer camp. She painted and I loaded kilns. Then when the next shift came on I had to remind myself to leave! Sometimes I just keep working and it's hours later before we end up heading home. Court is the greatest because she plays, colors, cleans up at the back sink, and just generally amazes me with her imagination and patience. I'm extremely lucky to have her. The next time you are in the studio check out her lollipop sale. She is quite the little entrepreneur.And now we are going go play with the dogs in the backyard!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-15171105397290868112009-06-25T16:51:00.000-07:002009-06-25T17:04:14.703-07:00Sunshine and SummertimeAt the studio we have spent the last few days unpacking boxes of new bisque. Spent today getting all the new pieces out on the shelves. Tomorrow is movie night and we are watching Bolt!, one of my favorite new disney movies. We are also getting ready for summer camps that start July 6th and run for 7 weeks.<br />At home we are in a constant state of cleaning. Who knew 5 year olds made such a mess!! We are trying to plan some fun camping and other vacation trips because we just realized that June is almost over and before we know it school will be starting again!<br />Peep the Diva (as she is sometimes known) has been helping at the studio writing tickets for customers, and unpacking bisque. She is also helping at home by playing with the dogs and working in the yard. This summer is a little bittersweet for me. She is done with preschool and about to move on to Kindergarten. I want to fill the summer with all things "5". I want to suck up all the sweetness that she is and enjoy every minute of her. <br />She has a lollipop sale business at the studio and she is saving her money to take us to the beach. I can't wait!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-53691130266808465212009-06-19T13:13:00.001-07:002009-06-19T13:18:49.045-07:00The balancing gameFather's Day is this Sunday! And the Em's opening weekend is this weekend! We are taking advantage of this coincidence and will be attending two games this weekend. In the meantime we had an order arrive yesterday (got it all unpacked and put away...yeah us!) and a birthday party for 40 kids this evening. I'm thinking by tomorrow night I will be ready for a hotdog at the ball park.<br />It's a never ending attempt at balance. And I'm beginning to accept that it will never actually balance (the bookkeeper in me has a <span style="font-weight: bold;">really</span> hard time with this) but that the tilt of the scales go back and forth. The magic happens when you can keep them pretty darn close. And I'm doing a much better job at this these days.<br /><br />Happy Father's Day to all the dads.<br />Congratulations to all the grads.<br />And keep up the great work to all the moms!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-40685488647119202162009-06-16T21:04:00.001-07:002009-06-16T21:04:37.277-07:00I amaze myselfSo I had heard about this ping/pingle thing and was a little intimitated by the technology of it all. But tonight I sat down and figured it out. All by myself!! Yeah me!<br />Now it is my hope that I will be posting a little more frequently....we'll see :)Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-73061899457009387242009-06-07T22:56:00.000-07:002009-06-07T23:11:36.383-07:00Two extra kids = 10 times the work!As most of you know my husband and I have one beautiful daughter. And absolutely no plans to have any more. We are happy with our little family and enjoy the time we have together just the 3 of us. I am grateful to have a fairly big extended family whom we get to see frequently. This weekend for example we had my two nieces as houseguests while my brother and his wife had a little vacation. Their kids are 5 months old and 3 years old. Add to that our 5 year old and we had a house full of little girls. The house got messier than it has in a very long time. The laundry pilled up higher than I imagined (I forget how much laundry new babies make!). The volume of screeching laughter and giggles was tremendous. It was fun and silly and girly....basically it was fantastic!<br />Meanwhile the studio is working smoothly thanks to my amazing staff. I work a handful of shifts and this week one of them was Saturday from 12-5 so I could teach a clay class for a group of 7 year olds. I happily left the bigger girls home to play in the yard with Mike and the baby and I headed to work. It really brought back memories from when Courtney was little. We spent a lot of time at the studio when she was brand new. I had the playpen and all the paraphernalia that comes along with a new kiddo. This time however, I was not as prepared. We got through it, mostly because my niece is a trooper and the best little sweetheart since my own baby girl. I was impressed with my multitasking abilities if I do say so myself. We had a great time, the clay kids made some fantastic projects and I got to smell the sweet baby head sleeping in the baby pack. It was a fantastic weekend and I'm so thankful for my family, my staff, and my life.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-20932682465200359372009-05-22T18:37:00.000-07:002009-05-22T18:42:17.876-07:00Where did May go?If you are anything like me you are approaching this holiday weekend with excitement. I'm really looking forward to having friends over and sitting out on the back porch. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough to use the misters (not very likely) and the dogs will behave themselves (not likely at all!). But in any shape the weekend takes, I'm excited.<div>Memorial Day Weekend is the official start to summer in my book. And that means summer camp. I'm going to be teaching a week of camp myself this year with my very good friend. We are designing our camp around our kids, both age 5, because there just really isn't a lot of camp activities if you are 5. Wish us luck, we may be in over our head! </div><div>The sun is out and the weeds are not going to pick themselves, so I will go ask Mike to do it. :)</div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-17040749358183906012009-05-13T17:23:00.001-07:002009-05-13T17:29:56.835-07:00Spring is in the air - or is that rain?So my little blog has undergone some changes.... It's having some growing pains, and a little bit of an identity crisis. But I think we, errr I mean it, is better now.<br />New page = new focus. <br />Peace, Love and Pottery is the name of my company. Peace, for the peaceful balance we work to achieve in our lives. Love, for the family and friends that make life so great. And Pottery, for the fantastic business I happen to be in.<br />So the blog format now will focus on the balance of my peace, and love, and pottery. Some days are better balanced than others. Hopefully you will enjoy hearing about my experiences. I'd love to hear your stories and comments.<br />Have a fantastic day and do something fun!<br />~KateKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-32736086863208107512009-05-03T11:23:00.000-07:002009-05-03T11:27:32.781-07:00Mother's DayYou still have time to paint for Mother's Day! Turn your completed project in by Wednesday and you can pick it up Sunday. (You can paint as late as Thursday, with a small rush fee.)<br />You can also bring Mom on Sunday and paint together. We are open 11am - 7pm.<br />Don't have time to paint? Pick up a gift certificate for Mom to come paint anytime.<br /><br />Pssssst Moms ~ Tell the family what you want, drop hints if they will pick up on them, or call us and let us know what to suggest :) We won't tell them we are working for you, we will let them think it was their idea!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09593378737971885179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-44129454629498193242009-04-20T16:48:00.000-07:002009-04-20T17:35:02.333-07:00It Feels Like Spring!Hope everyone's been enjoying the sunshine! It was exciting to watch our window-painter scrape off the snowflakes and put up some spring flowers. She also painted a cute red bird in a bird bath, which seems to be a favorite :-)<br /><br />We have lots of new pottery in the studio, as well as some great gift ideas for Mother's Day. Don't have time to paint? You have options! We'll be open from 11-7 on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 10). Make a reservation and bring mom in for an afternoon of painting and create a special gift together!<br /><br />Thanks to all of you who showed up for our first Paint 'til You Faint event last Friday, it was a real success. We had two different parties booked that night--a bridal shower and a 14th birthday party--which made for a lively evening. We're definitely planning on making this a monthly event, like Therapy Thursday and Ladies Night. Join us from 8pm-midnight next month (date TBA) for a night of painting and hot chocolate!Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01388772187648127786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-10794863998091181552009-02-04T10:23:00.001-08:002009-02-04T10:44:26.724-08:00Valentines DayWe've got a bunch of new pieces perfect for surprising loved ones on Valentine's Day. Heart Mugs, Bowls, Boxes and of course tons of idea books, stencils and stamps to create a personalized present. There's still time to paint and have everything ready for Valetines Day. Or if you're looking for something fun and creative to do on Valentine's Day, you should come by the studio. When buying two pieces, couples will get the second for half price with a reservation!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08340283362635693516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-46493739516723609092009-01-26T16:38:00.000-08:002009-01-26T20:58:40.133-08:00Picture Pieces!It seems like every family has classic family photos. Our family favorites usually involved us kids and include pictures from a Halloween party when I was four, what has become known as the "rice cake picture" when I was a toddler, and among many others a photo of the three of us at the beach.<br /><br />We can now put all those pictures on pottery! Forever immortalized on pottery. How fabulous is that? My mother was very excited. I chose the beach picture since I could think of some fun shells to put around the rim.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3229931629_79c009c73f.jpg?v=1233030834" target="_blank"><img style="width: 472px; height: 354px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3229931629_79c009c73f.jpg?v=1233030834" alt=" " border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I also chose to make a box with one of the photos my friends refer to as "world's greatest," and although some of us are in our pajamas it's still one of our favorites.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/3230780602_30a8f7803e.jpg?v=0" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/3230780602_30a8f7803e.jpg?v=0" alt=" " border="0" /></a><br /><br />All you have to do is bring in a picture or email one to us and we have special photo paper that can be fired. Although it only fires black and white, you can bring in color with the paint. It takes us about a week or so to get them back to you since they require two firings.<br /><br />I had a customer who was in today and mentioned that a picture would be perfect for her parent's 55th anniversary. Seems like a fabulous idea and there's still time to make a unique and creative gift for Valentines Day!Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08340283362635693516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-35911750001745535262009-01-15T12:46:00.000-08:002009-01-15T13:34:24.325-08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm11Z-GuGR8hoXZUrbSHvyKAiew8xSZbcjrRbbdg9q5l5MjD7MtqRJ4LNUcY8sFR10OHTcvOOmpZdtX0AwXRfnt3_bywQrw-AvZMQDhr9BGefqohLnrqF2LUJxTPYZFQUIS0tiih9eV12/s1600-h/DSCF3381.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm11Z-GuGR8hoXZUrbSHvyKAiew8xSZbcjrRbbdg9q5l5MjD7MtqRJ4LNUcY8sFR10OHTcvOOmpZdtX0AwXRfnt3_bywQrw-AvZMQDhr9BGefqohLnrqF2LUJxTPYZFQUIS0tiih9eV12/s320/DSCF3381.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291631382137206338" border="0" /></a>I met up in Ashland with some of my good friends from California on New Year's Day. It was a very last-minute trip, but on my way out of town I was sure to stop by the studio to check out a paint kit and grab some 6" tiles. My friends have the most adorable little girl who was born on Jan. 13, and I wanted to get some hand/footprints done for them for her 1st birthday. Lucie picked out the colors she wanted and was so good while we painted her cute little hands and feet.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm11Z-GuGR8hoXZUrbSHvyKAiew8xSZbcjrRbbdg9q5l5MjD7MtqRJ4LNUcY8sFR10OHTcvOOmpZdtX0AwXRfnt3_bywQrw-AvZMQDhr9BGefqohLnrqF2LUJxTPYZFQUIS0tiih9eV12/s1600-h/DSCF3381.JPG"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">I brought the tiles back to the studio, added her name, age and the date, and fired them. I was initially planning on framing them--we have some really nice little frames for 4" and 6" tiles. However, on the drive home I remembered that we have stools that fit two 6"tiles.<br /></div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr-BxFiZduHI3gDB9c-SDT_yCzwI3KfqiIypBDY-b9_fdatakjlxn99bXEHqaHkbRM0p-2mKBTwngyNqhkmycJw4zZEOvsLfAqYsIduzOjU_NEans_Qg6_ksSA-Kb3ZX0YesZfUilDb2Z/s1600-h/DSCF3393.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKr-BxFiZduHI3gDB9c-SDT_yCzwI3KfqiIypBDY-b9_fdatakjlxn99bXEHqaHkbRM0p-2mKBTwngyNqhkmycJw4zZEOvsLfAqYsIduzOjU_NEans_Qg6_ksSA-Kb3ZX0YesZfUilDb2Z/s320/DSCF3393.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291632953657947682" border="0" /></a>I finished the stool with a really nice walnut stain (thanks, Laura, I'll remember to get that back to you at some point!), glued the tiles in, and then added a little grout to fill in the small gap between the tiles and around the outside of them. I couldn't have been happier with the end result. My friend received the stool yesterday and loved it. She said Lucie likes it, too :-)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Happy 1st Birthday, Lu!</span></div>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01388772187648127786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2888756777892471271.post-67992987333754796902009-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:002009-01-11T21:51:10.886-08:00The reviews are in!As mentioned previously, the holidays were such a busy time for us, it was hard to know which way was up sometimes. Customer service is so important to us, and when there is a studio full of people all day long, it can be difficult to feel like you're giving everyone the attention they deserve.<br /><br />Well, I got the validation I needed from some of our wonderful customers who reviewed our business on <a href="http://www.yelp.com/eugene-or">yelp.com</a>. I love Yelp. It's a great way to learn about local businesses and share your opinions about them. I was so stoked to discover two recent reviews (besides my own...) that had such wonderful things to say about us. It totally made my day, and I couldn't wait to share the info with my fellow employees. Thanks, fellow Yelpers! You guys are fabulous!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/brush-fire-eugene">To read the reviews, click here!</a>Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01388772187648127786noreply@blogger.com0