Well, it has been a year...

Photo by Kavin Bradner Photography. 

So... hello there. Fancy meeting you here considering I have left this thing vacant for the past year. A LOT has happened and to be honest, I can't really go into detail. (Mostly, I have forgotten the majority of it all.) We are indeed a whole year older and my son, Levi, is also now two. With that, some changes have been made to Oak Leaf Pottery. I have phased out many shows and have picked up more wholesale and custom orders. My time has become quite limited with a little boy to look after. It took a lot of soul searching and praying over that decision, but I think (and hope) that overall our family is happy with the change. Another big change is our shop page. My lovely husband, Dan, has been updating that slowly and you should expect to see even more on there in the near future. One great thing that we were able to do is offer free local pick-up for those of you living in the area, or for those passing through. So make sure that you choose that when you place an order!

Photo by Kavin Bradner Photography. 

I am excited about some new partnerships that have developed with my wholesale part of the business. Give 'em a little looksie and stick with me for photos of their finished products on my Instagram and Facebook pages. 

My new partners in crime are:

Cooper River Roasters  Charleston, SC

Trout Lily Deli & Market  Asheville, NC

It's The Little Things  Spartanburg, SC

Archaic Pine  Rapid City, SD

I am very excited to be working with these businesses and couldn't be more thankful for their support! I have also picked up several dinnerware set orders, as well as a wedding registry! How amazing is it to be a part of a family's most intimate conversations and experiences, right?! I love making work for families to use in their homes. There is something really special about that. Thank you to those people who have been using my work in their homes or who are getting ready to- Congratulations and a huge shout out to my very first wedding registry couple, Salley and Randy! 

Well, I know that wasn't much, but Dan and Levi should be back from the park fairly soon so that is my cue to log off of here. I can't promise to post all that often, but I do hope to do it a bit more than once a year... yikes.

With love, Allison

Well, the kiln is too hot... so I guess I will make a blog post.

It is far too hot to work in the studio today.  The kiln is cooling down, but unfortunately it is still too hot for my liking. So here is a much needed and very procrastinated blog post. Some things that are happening here- wholesale orders, working on the online shop, trying to slow down a bit and appreciate life a little, The Big Crafty, and time with our little family. It is a lot to fit into a day. A week. A month even. I blink and an entire month has passed by. My little baby is almost a year old. I am behind on custom orders. I don't spend enough quality time with my husband. I desperately need to work on our unruly yard. I wish that I could work on some of these ideas rolling around in my head for new pots. Yikes.

Should I even be sitting here on our couch wasting work time?

If this sounds too incredibly familiar... hello. I would love to meet you! (And ask if you have figured out this thing called life and small business yet.) Some days I really think that I am alone in my thoughts, but I do realize that there are others out there somewhere! Today is just one of those days where I stop and think "Oh man. Am I doing this right?".

This post is mostly just a thoughts post. Sometimes I really need it, though it doesn't happen often.

Thanks for listening. And, as always, thank you for your unwavering support of Oak Leaf Pottery and our little family. Now, back to life.

See y'all this weekend at The Big Crafty (hopefully with a fun new display! I need to go sand a table now...).

Well so much for a monthly post...

  Here I am again on a not so nice day full oh freezing rain and cold weather (once spring and summer roll around, how will I ever post anything!?). I have decided not to venture into the studio after all, so I thought "oh! I need to make a blog post for this month!". Well.... after looking at my previous post, I realized that I didn't make one for last month either... oh man.  New Year's resolution: post once a month.  I do apologize.

  Anyway, so here I am, mint tea in hand, fake fire a-blazin', cozy with my pups, and smelling my neighbor's fire place.  I honestly love these kind of days.  They remind me of my childhood in Maryland.  From what I can remember, we used to get a ton of snow and ice in the winters and I always looked forward to being home with my family.  We had a wood stove as a kid and that's how we heated our house.  It was pretty cool especially when everyone lost power and we could still cook and get warm!  Our neighbors came over a few times to get all cozy.  Now I just like to pretend that the smell of wood burning is coming from our fire place and not the neighbors hehe. 

  Even though I am enjoying this little cozy room, I will need to venture out at some point with the pups (for some reason they enjoy the cold stuff out there).  I also have a ton of planning to do for Oak Leaf- things that have been put off for a bit now.  Keep updated with us because we are planning some big things!  I may be able to actually go to my studio on days like this in the near future (hint: it will be much closer to our house), I am planning on revamping the Etsy shop- thank you for being so patient!, and I will be prepping for this year's festival season.  Today is the day to get some of these things done, I hope!

  Oh! Some other exciting news for Oak Leaf and our family... we are expecting our first little studio helper!! Due August 2016.  So very excited about this- and also a bit nervous on how the summer will play out, but not to worry!  We've got this. :) This will change some ways that we will be taking and processing orders, but that will be announced later on. Yay!

  Anywho.... enjoy your day and stay snuggled up!!!  Look out for a post next month (I can do this)!

Some exciting things have been brewing...

So first of all, I should apologize for my lack of presence on the blog and other social media.  I have been a bit less active online and much more active in the studio.  

One of my most exciting orders that I have been working on is for Hub City Tap House in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  First of all, let me just say that the guys who run this tap house are amazing.  The day I decided to walk in with my prototype beer mug I was SO incredibly nervous.  (I'm sure I had broken out in my red nervous rash all over my neck...) The Tap House had just opened recently and my husband and I loved the place so much I thought, "How cool would it be if these guys would use or buy my beer mugs?!" So I made a prototype, brought it in (all crazy nervous), and they loved it! They were so welcoming and excited.  I couldn't have asked for a nicer group to work with.  So a month later I had delivered their first round of mugs and they sold out like crazy! I am now working on their second order :) This has been such an amazing opportunity and blessing.  I couldn't be more thankful! 

I am also now working with The Urban Planter in Spartanburg, South Carolina which is another wonderful locally-owned shop!  I love to support local and really this notion didn't hit me until Dan and I moved to South Carolina.  Paul Desmond, his wife, and mother own and run this great little place together.  They make beautiful terrariums, fairy gardens, and their focus is live plants, so if you want a beautiful, lush, green arrangement that will last and last- they are the people to talk to!  This has been so much fun and I have been expanding my work to include air plant holders, hanging succulent pots, and fairy houses!

The other fun shop that I have been able to get some work into is Urban Digs in Greenville, South Carolina.  I feel in love with this little hip shop the moment I walked in.  Amy, the owner, has some great finds there- from ceramics to plants, jewelry to retro house wares- this is one neat place. Not to mention, she has the sweetest shop dog, Mattie! 

Green Springs in downtown Seneca, South Carolina is another fun shop that has been selling my pots. I recently supplied the owner with another batch for her many holiday shoppers. The store is quirky and vibrant and features nearly 20 potters and seven glass artists.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have met these people.  I am so thankful for their support as well as all of the people who I have met at all of the crazy festivals I have been participating in!  Thank you to my Oak Leafers - you know who you are! ;)

Ok... So one last bit here.  As a "Thank you" and a "Merry Christmas from Oak Leaf" I am giving away a set of three of my slab trees.  You may have seen this posted on Instagram and possibly Facebook already, but for those who have not- please LIKE us on Facebook to be entered to win.  That's all you have to do.  No strings attached.  No lie. Just Like us :) I will be announcing this TOMORROW, December 1! Hurry and enter! I am already working on my list of names to pull from!