Although he only formally started a week ago, it’s fair to say that my boyfriend/partner/fiancé has quite succeeded in helping me get my packages out quicker. I have to admit there have been times in the past when being a full-time ceramicist, customer service correspondant, director of marketing, accountant and shipping clerk can get overwhelming. It’s nice to “outsource” one of these tasks—just shipping, for now—even if it hasn’t even gone outside the room.

Really, I just had to set aside the time to teach him my system. That’s harder than it sounds if you’ll keep in mind all those different hats I wear. When I set up my business I purposefully walked into this ever-whirling task-tornado; I think it took me this long (a year and a half) to adequately explain to someone else how I want to weather it.

Poemdrops a-plenty will very soon be drip-dropping into my shop, probably today. This latest batch was made over the past month, one of the rainiest months of the year here in San Francisco. During such a drizzly time, cutting and shaping and sanding the clay into stylized rain droplets seemed quite… well, “poetic” would be the right word. But the word “poem” in Poemdrop has a much simpler explanation. Here, I’ll show you:

Even closer:

Yes, that sure is a lot of pendants. Each is inscribed with a tiny snippet of poetry, and each comes with a bound ribbon of fabric. And they’re all being put in the shop. Each and every one. Soon. Soon-ish. Not to mention all of these pod pendants:

And hey, buttons too!

Look at all those buttons—big, small, smooth, textured, each set a different glaze. So much to list! And how silly of me, when I could be doing real work… to instead sit here blogging about it.

…that the restaurant carrying my wee bowls, Contigo, is going to be open starting today, March 3rd! I’m going to be visiting later this week, and hopefully you will soon, too. I’m so excited to finally get a glimpse at their menu. And here’s some photos, courtesy of Brett Emerson:

My first big custom order is almost complete. A restaurant here in San Francisco, Contigo, asked me to make about 30 of my wee bowls for use as salt dishes. Making the wee bowls has always been fun but sometimes it can be challenging to have that much fun… if you understand my meaning. It was quite an odyssey to make that many bowls, all within identical specifications. Let’s just say I was glad to get the order and glad now that they’re done. Tomorrow they will set out into the world, to be set out on tables in my own town. I’m fairly sure the owners will like my work.

However, complications do happen. After their second glaze firing I discovered that I’d somehow forgotten to inscribe anything on them. Blast! Inscribing is important: it makes each item personal, it let’s people know that someone actually hand made them, but more importantly who hand made them. I experimented with an overglaze but, sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any good way to fire them (I simply don’t keep that many tiny kiln stilts around). Now I’ve settled on the unlikely choice of marking them with an ordinary everyday Sharpie. Yes—as simple as that. Provided my handwriting is careful enough, things should finally be complete. 

If you’re ever in town, if you’re ever hungry, and if you ever visit the soon-to-open Contigo, carefully check under the little ceramic salt bowl on your table. Know that it came from someone who enjoyed making it, from someplace quite like this:

Bon appétit!

ReadyMade Winter Ball Craft Fair
Thursday, December 4th, 6:30-11:30pm
The Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa St, San Francisco

EHS Pilates Holiday Craft Bazaar & Chili Cook-Off
Sunday, December 7th, 2:00-7:00pm
1452 Valencia St @ 25th, San Francisco

I have a few bits of exciting news on the horizon, but in the meantime I’m practically out of breath working on new projects, making new things, and generally preparing for events. See you next time there’s an eye to the storm!

Right now is rather a crazy discombobulating time for me. This will be the first holiday season when Panopoly Creations is really up and running. I am working hard to get my name out there and be seen, while still trying to improve my product line and online shop offerings, and keep within my budget.

(Crazy Town, by lvhdesigns)

The next two months will see me and my wee wonders popping up all over the place! Here’s a rundown of places you can catch me, both online and off:

• I’m a sponsor of Heart Handmade this month. It’s such a lovely blog, full of great picks and features for craft and fashion.
• On Saturday, November 22, I’ll be at the Holiday Design Bazaar, benefitting Buen Dia Family School, at a.Muse Gallery, 614 Alabama St., San Francisco, from 12-6pm.
• And the next day, Sunday, September 23rd, I’ll travel across the Golden Gate (with eneefabricdesign in the backseat!) and offer my wares at the Sonoma Artisan Faire, from 12-5:30pm, at the Sonoma Veterans’ Hall, 126 First Street West, Sonoma, CA. There are going to be more than FIFTY totally rockin’ artisans and crafters vending at this event!
• Please take a moment to check out all the great artists over at Handmade in California, of which I’m just one small part. It’s a wonderful resource to find local artists and craftspeople.
• On Sunday, November 30th, I’m going to be joining a bunch of lovely ladies from the SFEtsy Team, at our group’s table at Bazaar Bizarre. The fair, located in the County Fair Building at Golden Gate Park, San Franciso, runs from 10am-5pm. We’re going to be switching out our goods throughout the day, so if you don’t catch me the first time, check back later in the day for a whole new group of vendors.
• Then, in December, I’m going to be listed in the Modish Holiday Marketplace!
• On Saturday, December 13th, I’ll be vending at the Root Division Christmas Island Getaway Sale, from 7-10pm, at 3175 17th Street, San Francisco. It’s going to be a great event. Complete with polar bears.

And…that’s it for now! After the craziness of the holidays is over, I hope to get back to having the time to feature lots of other artists in this blog again.

Blogging, or writing in general, is very much a rainy day activity for me. Something about the murmuring sounds outside, the narrowing of possibilities for my day…it makes me more introspective and more willing to just sit back.

But today something very exciting has happened as well, that simultaneously fits my introspective mood! Jena over at one of my favorite blogs, Modish, has written a Handmade Spaces feature about me and my workspace!

And other bits of news:

My Obama magnets got featured on The Obama Craft Project! If you’re in the US, please vote tomorrow!

I’ve donated one of my pendants to the Paper and Stitch blog giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled–there are going to be lots of awesome goodies up for grabs!

Also, Indie Fixx is having an awesome giveaway right now too, with tons of amazing items in the lineup, including one of my favorite vendors from last month’s Indie-Mart, Sprout Studio!

My current goal in my shop is to have 250 total listings (current and sold) and I am almost there! I’ve also been working hard on updating all my photos to give them a more consistent, warm, dreamlike look. Here’s some before and after for you:

Before:

After:

I have a feeling I’m going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen today now…maybe baking bread or pumpkin puree…and probably some good ol’ fashioned cheeseburgers too!

I had lots of fun at Indie-Mart yesterday! It was a beautiful day (just a wee bit windy though!) and I had great company in my double-wide booth with Jen of Mastodon Garden. I got a chance to run around and check out the other booths, which included mostly great handmade clothing and vintage finds, peppered with some cupcake and confection makers, and various other designers, crafters and artists.

Highlights of the day for me were:
· Getting to chat with Tara of Combustion Glass Works, the face behind the Sonoma Artisan Faire, where I’ll be vending next month.
· Sprout Studio‘s totally awesome, original display setup.
· Blackbird Photography‘s beautiful work (the boyfriend took home one of their pieces), and their adorable kids, who were selling their crayon and marker drawings as well.
· A sweet lady going around selling her “Bierocks for Barack” to raise money for the Obama campain. They were super-tasty!

I busted my butt in the couple weeks before, making enough new items to fill my tables and shelves. Courtesy of the ever-supportive Orin, here’s some photos of my display!

Sorry I haven’t been around here much, y’all–things have been crazy-busy.

In fact, I’m just popping in to give some event announcements! Please come by and say “hi” if you can!

SF Indie-Mart
Sunday, October 12, 12:00-6:00pm
Thee Parkside, 17th & Wisconsin St., San Francisco
70 designers, plus live music and DJ’s, beer, BBQ, and cupcakes!

Sonoma Artisan Faire
Sunday, November 23rd, 12:00-5:30pm
Sonoma Veterans’ Memorial Hall, 126 First St. West, Sonoma, CA
Organized by a fellow Etsian, the current list includes 30 amazing artists and crafters, with more on their way!

Bazaar Bizarre
Sunday, November 30, 10:00am-5:00pm
San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, SF
One of the biggest events of the year! I’ll be sharing a booth with 7 of my fellow SFEtsy Team members.

Meanwhile I’m adding new material to my Etsy shop (and getting my Dawanda shop up to date) all the time!