beach dunes and ocean blues

A few years back, I had created a set of beach-inspired vases for an installation in Wellfleet, Cape Cod at my friend Susie’s gallery. The last of these beauties is now heading off to a summer cottage along with a set of ”beach dunes“ cups inscribed with peace, happiness, love, and beauty. Plus a tiny glass bird, hand-blown by my friends at Henrietta Glass, a small woman-owned studio in Pawtucket, RI. Putting together gift sets like these is just so satisfying.

lovely registry for Christine and Peter

I love how Christine chose mostly ivory for her set of dishes, accenting with mustard, pink, green, and orange on a few pieces. So elegant, and fun.

housewarming mugs

gleena on 100 Layer Cake, photography by Tory Williams

on the right: boat vase

roomy tea bowl

on the left: anemone place setting. on the right: numbered goblet

on the left: boat vase, numbered goblet, ivy leaf place setting, small organic bowl, votive. on the right: petal bowls set

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photography by Tory Williams, flowers by Rachel Mercier

serving set by the sea

ocean waves, a custom table setting created for a couple who love to surf

on 9.8.12 J&M got married

hand-embroidered insect napkins, hot off the... hoop?

Nancy Ustach, mom to one of the brides registered with gleena, saw the insect platter gifted to her daughter, and was inspired to embroider napkins to match. I know nothing about embroidery, and it was fun to see the small embroidery hoop imprint around each illustration. Now I get the process...

All the embroidered insects are wonderful, but the hummingbird moth is my favorite. This simple touch adds so much personality to a traditional napkin.

u r the 1

I love this wedding commission, the idea came completely from my client. It just makes me smile. The couple’s names and the date of their wedding is on the bottom of the plates. I can see them having tea and cake on every anniversary.

monogrammed wedding set

A wedding gift with the couple’s initials on the two larger bowls, and their daughter’s initials on the smallest.

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.

custom wedding gift

My client chose the organic bowls set and the butterfly platter for special occasions, and the roomy cups for every day cups of tea and coffee. She wanted the pieces personalized, and decided on the couple’s names and date of their wedding on the serving pieces, and their initials on the cups.

This wonderful commission combined my two loves, graphic design and ceramics. I so enjoyed collaborating with my client, and designing the round mark for the couple. I used Mrs. Eaves typeface for the names and date. Applying it to porcelain instead of paper was very satisfying.

When the pieces fire in the kiln, part of the type and image fade by melting into the glaze and porcelain, creating a slightly antique feel. A lovely combination of old and new.

white oak

When I was little, I used to collect great big bouquets of fallen autumn leaves. The plates commissioned by Laura Kaufman remind me of that time. Laura’s marriage ceremony took place under a White Oak tree. Here are the final plates, in use at Laura’s house.

photos of leaves and photo of the final plates are by Laura Kaufman

a clever wedding gift

My friends Ben and Susan commissioned a set of eight wee t cups for a wedding gift. The cups are stamped with the couple's initials, C and J, and the words all relate either to the wedding day: Celebrations and Joyful, or to the couple's characteristics: Creative and Jaunty. Through the words Ben and Susan selected, I feel like I got to know a little about the couple. It seems like the cups are going to a wonderful home.