alphabet bags

canvas totes from AlphabetBags.com

bread plates and goblets

Bread plates and goblets are finished to add to the set of twelve swirl plates commissioned by a friend. Each one stamped with a number from my set of Caslon 540 lead type. I love the way glaze pools in the numbers.

a very merry

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CREDITS
photo no. 1: giftwrap by Agnethe and Asya
photo no. 2: giftwrap leftovers by Ezra and Nora
photos no. 3-4: puff pastry breadsticks from the The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts by The French Culinary Institute, made by Asya with a lot of complaining due to annoying complexity of the recipe. They turned out tasty.
photos no. 5-6: table setting by Agnethe, table cloth and napkins from Layla. Soup bowl, bread plate, votive from gleena.

cookies

I love this compilation of readers’ photographs and recipes, published in the NY Times. I can't wait to bake the Ginger-Molasses ones today. Happy Holiday!

set satisfaction: no. 5

I decided to create a place setting that will bring summer to any upcoming wintry gray day. Available on gleenashop.

snowy Pawtucket

Looking out my window.

Looking at my windows, top floor, the third and fourth ones in from the very left.

The Blackstone River and Slater Mill, downtown Pawtucket.

Downtown Pawtucket, with the Cathedral on top of the hill.

Horse feeding on snow, from my favorite sculpture, downtown Pawtucket.

gleena open studio plus 10 great things to do around Providence/Pawtucket, RI

1. gleena’s organic bowls  2. Josh Silverman’s “Pawtucket turns me on” T-shirts.  3. Cynthia Treen’s wrapping cloths  4. Chelsea Bird’s silver and enamel jewelry

Please stop by and say hello at:

545 Pawtucket Avenue
Studio B202 (second floor)
Pawtucket, RI 02860

Thursday, December 17 to
Monday, December 21
11am to 6pm 
other studios will be open in the building on Saturday and Sunday

All gleena pieces will be 10-20% off the gleena.com prices.

Also featured in my studio:
• Josh Silverman’s super soft “Pawtucket turns me on” T-shirts.
• Cynthia Treen’s wrapping cloths, as seen in her book, Last Minute Fabric Gifts
• Chelsea Bird’s delicate silver and enamel jewelry

As an incentive for the out of town visitors,

I have put together an itinerary for a great day trip:

Providence/Pawtucket is just 1 hour from Boston, and 3.5 hours from NYC
Best travel times are Saturday and Sunday mornings

FOR BRUNCH:
1. The Modern Diner 364 East Ave, Pawtucket, RI
affordable and yummy with items like cream-cheese-stuffed french toast topped with blueberries
2. Seven Stars Bakery
the best decaf latte ever, and the best raspberry danish, plus oh so tasty locally baked bread to take back home with you

FOR AFTER BRUNCH:
3. Studio Hop, just up the street from Seven Stars,
810 Hope Street, Providence, RI
filled with local artists’ works, gorgeous jewelry, and very reasonably priced Danish Modern furniture
4. Krietelier, a few doors down from Studio Hop
run by two lovely talented ladies with a great eye for textiles, tell them I say hello
5. Hope Artiste Village Farmer’s Market
where all the locals get their local produce, including cheese and very tasty ice cream
6. Heir, downtown Providence,
a must visit for the pure aesthetic joy of being somewhere completely extraordinary
7. RISD Works, at the RISD museum galleries,
a beautiful showcase of the talent that RISD nurtures, the museum is good too

FOR DINNER:
9. Ran Zan
simple, good, Sushi, at the very best price
10. Chez Pasqal
my favorite restaurant where the service is always impeccable, the food is amazing, also great for a drink at the bar
The Blackstone Boulevard offers a lovely after-dinner walk right outside the door of both restaurants

twelve twelve

Another wonderful wedding gift commission for a couple married on 12.12.2009. My client suggested the date to be written out on the inside of the bowls, to echo the couple's invitation. I loved that idea. On the bottom of the larger bowl, we decided on the couple's names set in a circle with the full date. After a few technical setbacks, like the kiln breaking down and the typography coming out too light at first, the bowls were re-fired, gift-wrapped and shipped out this morning. It has been an eventful couple of weeks.

I'm thinking of making a T-shirt with the above "fragile" label.

shape, color, texture

This past Saturday I participated in the RISD Holiday Alumni Sale, always an inspiring event filled with unique creations from the very talented RISD community. It is a day of reunions and catching up with friends who gather from all over the country.

This year, I was impressed by the work of Alexandra Fallon, a furniture maker and a ceramist. Alexandra creates stunning slab-pressed and pinched tableware, her shapes ranging from tiny votive holders, to extra large gorgeous bowls. The table set with these pieces will transport you to the South of France or a rustic Tuscany garden.

I love the irregular forms Alexandra comes up with. She chooses a beautiful variety of textured clays to work with, the colors ranging from red to brown to golden to creamy white.

For more information, visit Alexandra’s website, Source & Tradition.

astronomy plates, at the RISD Alumni Sale Saturday, Dec. 12th, 10am to 5pm

Visit me at the RISD Alumni Holiday Sale this Saturday, from 10am to 5pm. Among other gleena items, I will be showing my Astronomy, Math & Weather series, which first debuted at farm, in Wellfleet, this summer.

The Alumni sale is at the Providence Convention Center, Downtown Providence, RI. Click here for details.

a pleasant surprise

My wee teas seem to be popular with the wee ones. This photo was sent by one of my customers, whose daughter immediately knew that the orange cup with the "O" was hers.

12 cups for Christmas

The custom order of twelve wee tea cups is off to Calgary for Christmas. Each family member’s initial is stamped into porcelain with vintage lead type (Caslon 540). Click here to see the cups loaded into the kiln.

anthropologie catalogs, always a treat

Beautiful, inspiring images from the new Anthropologie catalog. I would like to know the talent behind the gorgeous sets and photographs, and always wish styling and photography credits were included on the pages.

The white paper and cloth-covered room is a stunning sculptural installation:

I love the layout below; the prop styling, the linear arrangement of product, the handwriting, the dotted lines leading to the numbers, the white circles that break the bottom edge of the photograph, everything works so well together:

big thank you to Martha Stewart Crafts for a fantastic sale event

This past Saturday I participated in the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale. For the first time, Martha Stewart doors opened to the public. Organized by the talented crafters who create exquisite beauty in the magazine month after month, the event was a smashing success, filled with crowds until just about closing time. I wanted to share some of my favorite moments and vendors.

I loved this display of the December Living issue, blown up to life-size.

The Sweets Shop was enticing, the packaging lovely as usual.

The crowds kept coming, with a line snaking down W. 26th Street.

My favorite items from the sale, beautifully crafted pins and earrings by Athena Preston, a senior craft editor.

Marcie McGoldrick makes elegant, delicate porcelain tableware. You can see Marcie and Athena’s work this Sunday, Dec. 13th, at the Divine Studio Holiday Sale, 21 E. 4th St., 6th Floor, NYC, 11am-6pm.

These are fantastic! Hand assembled ornaments and figurines with sweet Victorian faces. Vintage by Crystal

My friends Liz and Quy have the most discerning, knowledgeable eyes when hunting for antique treasures. I am constantly inspired by ceramic pieces they find, like this beautiful silverware platter. Check out their freshly launched website for more inspiration: bowerantiques.com.

Perfect delicate hair ornaments, by Handle & Spout.

My lovely Holiday Sale neighbor, Sophie, makes these labor intensive, gorgeous button necklaces. Contact sophie.nicolay@gmail.com for details.

I had to purchase one of these sweet money purses from JeanOnJean, check out her blog for info: JeanOnJean.

My porcelain ornaments debuted, though everyone thought they were necklaces. Perhaps they should be?

It was a super fun day, filled with catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones, like Cindy from Quaint Handmade (yeay). Thank you everyone for stopping by, especially Leslie and Jen who bought lunch!

visit me at the Martha Stewart Holiday Sale Saturday, December 5th, noon-6pm

all better

Bethanie the kiln is fixed and all filled up with freshly glazed porcelain. I am especially excited by an order of 12 wee tea cups, each stamped with a different letter for a family member. How fun. Here they all are tucked in for their glaze firing, don't they look cozy?