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

The BIG Crafty

Yesterday was well Sunday, yes, but it was also the day of The Big Crafty event in downtown Asheville, NC! Dan, Levi, and I hit the road around 6:30 am to travel up the mountain. It was a really super early morning for all of us, but luckily we had packed the car the night before and prepped everything else ahead of time like our lunch, waters, and the diaper bag. I absolutely love the drive to Asheville. It makes me think of Fall and hot coffee... sweaters and the crisp smell of leaves. It was especially pretty yesterday morning because of all of the mist hanging in the tops of the trees as we climbed. I actually got lost in it, but then I realized "Oh, crud. Will it rain today??". I forgot about the show entirely and then it dawned on me that rain would not be a welcome thing during the show. We did luck out which was fantastic and the rain skipped us. Whew.

https://www.instagram.com/oakleafpottery/

After getting into Asheville, we made our usual pit stop at Vortex Doughnuts on Banks, Avenue. I really wanted to pull out on if my little slab plates for a quick photo shoot, plus Levi needed a little break from all of the riding. The doughnuts were nothing short of amazing (of course!) and Dan split a mocha with me which we drank during booth set up.

https://www.instagram.com/oakleafpottery/

So set up was GREAT! We pulled into Pack Square after the doughnut pit stop and were some of the first to arrive. It takes me ages to set everything up the way that I like it so unfortunately for Dan and Levi, we have to arrive several hours before show time. SO... we pull in, unload, I feed Levi among all of my crap-ola, and Dan moves the car several blocks away. When we find our spot, we were at first nervous about the location, but it turned out to be fantastic! It was in the main area of Pack Square, but raised up a couple of steps in a grassy little park area with trees and.... shade! It was perfect for Levi who would not have been happy in the hot sun. I had asked the coordinators about being in a shady spot when we first got accepted and they were so very accommodating! It was great. The set up went a little bit quicker than anticipated and my little dining table set up worked out super well. I was so happy. It really made all of the difference! People could visualize how to put together my pieces to make sets. Dan was so great with all of the customers and Levi kept his cool all day. We had several friends and family members visit us during the show, also! What an amazing day!

A HUGE thank you to Horse and Hero and any other wonderful creatives who make this show happen! Thanks to our family and friends who came out to support us- we love you so much, and thank you to those amazing individuals who help make my dream a reality by purchasing my work and supporting our family!

A Baby Named Levi and Some Other Updates...

As most of you already know, I had a little boy name Levi on August 9.  This would explain my great hiatus from throwing, making, creating, posting, selling.... etc. Hopefully I will be back in the studio very soon! I will have limited time there, so I will probably not be working on many custom orders, but mostly wholesale and show work.

Now... on to a Baby Named Levi...

This is by far one of the hardest things that I have ever done.  I am speaking for both my husband and I when I say that. When you read this, many of you will think, " Well duh, didn't she know that going into it?". I did know that it would not be easy, but when people tell you that you will never be prepared, they are so very right. I will spare you the gory details of his birth, but let me just say that it was very scary and I feel so blessed that Levi and I were both ok afterward. I did end up getting induced and had him without the aid of any pain meds (not so sure that I can do that again... but hey, I did it once...). Once he was born we realized that he was not getting any nourishment from me and had to supplement with formula for a couple of days.  We went to lactation specialists and ultimately ended up working with an occupational therapist.  We now see our OT every week to work on Levi's mouth, his muscles, and his ability to just eat.  He has made huge strides and now will even latch on! Honestly, we had given up on that idea, but it may be a possibility with the help of these wonderful people that have been placed in our lives. We are still working up to breastfeeding and are mainly feeding him using this handy "special needs bottle" made by Medela. Levi is gaining weight and seems to be staying awake longer which tells us that he is in fact making improvements! Yay! Other than the eating issue, Levi is a very healthy, happy, adorable little dude. If you follow me on Instagram, I apologize for the abundance of baby photos and lack of pots!

Next, Some Other Updates...

Farm Fresh Fair 2016 is right around the corner and we will be there among some other amazing makers! The Farm at Rabon Creek is such a neat place to go, especially for this event! Who doesn't like a farm with donkeys and chickens as well as handmade goods all around?? Am I right? (Secretly, I really want to live on this farm!) But anyway, Farm Fresh Fair is September 17 10am-5pm and September 18 11am-4pm. If you would like any extra info on the event, you can find it here. Come by and say "hello" at our booth under the covered stall area! This will be Levi's first big appearance as the Oak Leaf Pottery baby and he would love to meet everyone!

I am also excited to say that we will be participating in Crafty Feast again this year! Crafty Feast will be on December 11 from 12- 6pm at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, SC. This is our second year participating and last year we had an absolute blast! I am super thrilled to be a part of this event!! There are so many wonderful makers who participate, as well as amazing coordinators. This is not an event that you should miss! Find the information for the event here.

Thank you to everyone who reads my incredibly random posts and who puts up with my lack of punctuation skills. (eh-hem... thank you, Dan, for pointing that out on several occasions...) We really appreciate all of your love and support!!

All of the Things...

Well this whole posting once a month plan has not panned out for me unfortunately... but I am here now- two thumbs up!

Wholesales:

First I wanted to give a big shout out to my last two wholesale customers- Congress Street Coffee LLC in York, South Carolina and Embellish Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina! It was so wonderful to work with both of these local small business owners... especially right before my due date.  They were so kind and considerate, as well as patient!

Some of the Squat mugs that can be found online for sale through Congress Street Coffee's website.

Photography by Katie Taylor Photography (website)

Photo taken from Congress Street Coffee LLC

Congress Street Coffee LLC is a new coffee business in historic York, South Carolina.  Though they do not yet have a physical location for their shop, they have big plans ahead of them!  The owner, Jonathan, has written on their "About page" on Facebook:

"Congress Street Coffee LLC isn't a place (yet!) but we do have a passion for coffee and sharing the pleasure of artisan-roasted coffee with our friends."

Dan and I met Jonathan and his wife at York Summerfest last summer.  The event itself wasn't very successful -- it was mostly geared toward food, music and rides --but out of it came a great partnership with Congress Street Coffee LLC!  God works in funny ways sometimes.  This was definitely one of those times. A year later, after the not-so-successful Summerfest event, I was contacted by Jonathan who had held onto my business card... for an entire year! He reminded me of the coffee shop and asked if I would be willing to chat about his ideas for some mugs- how crazy, right!?  We were able to order a fantastic stamp from Tin Oiseau - a local stamp maker and small business in Greenville, South Carolina, and then I started making!  His website has since gone live and you can order not only the mugs, but also 12 oz bags of their whole bean coffees.  Check them out here to place an order, and give them a follow on Instagram and Facebook!

Embellish Asheville is located in the historic Sinclair Building off of Broadway St., right in the middle of bustling downtown Asheville, North Carolina. This indie, unique shop features local makers and products- jewelry, pottery, bags, and other fun little finds! We were so lucky to have met the owner, Barb, at the Made South event in Taylors, South Carolina back in May. She was so friendly and fun to work with! We loved that her focus is locally made goods and her little shop just looked amazing the first time we drove by to scope it out. :) Her window display is so well curated and her entire store breathes "support local". From the warm, inviting displays to the friendly shop manager, she has it going on! If you are a local or a visitor, you need to check them out at 59 Broadway St., or you can find them online here! You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram!

Without all of the amazing people that we have met through shows and just by word of mouth, I wouldn't be able to continue with pottery.  I am truly thankful for all of those connections and feel very blessed to work with all of you!!

Studio Update:

My hard- working husband working on our path out to the shed... which is no longer.

One 1926 shed down.... a new one to go!

So the other big update is the home studio.  This has been a much slower process than originally intended, but we are getting there! Our house was built in 1926 by a local jeweler, Rufus D. Lewis. The shed our back (in my estimate) was built around the same time- Dan actually found a piece of wood with Rufus's name and "Spartanburg, S.C." written on it while he and his parents were tearing down shed walls. When we first moved into the house I had grand plans to rework the shed and make it my home studio. Unfortunately, 90 year-old wooden sheds in ant infested South Carolina do not hold up all that well when there isn't a poured foundation... So with much sadness and reluctance, we decided to tear it down and start new. Dan's parents were so kind to come over many times to tear down and haul away our decrepit shed. We were so thankful for their help... what a huge job! Now, my parents will be helping with the pad/ foundation of the newer, much larger studio.  We do have a building picked out and our electrician all lined up, but it will still be some time before actually being able to throw my first pot at home. This really is incredibly important for Oak Leaf Pottery to continue growing and functioning as a small business.  With a little one at home, it will be harder to travel to the co-op to work at all hours. As we work towards our goal of having a home studio, Dan and I will come up with a plan of some kind for a work schedule for me. It will work out! I have much more confidence after speaking with other potters and artisans/ makers who have gone through the same thing.

So...with that being said, I will be taking a short break during the month of August.  I will start back up in September with Farm Fresh Fair in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.  The arrival of our son will take over the majority of my time, so I will not be making for a little bit. We are at 38 weeks today, so any day now our little bug will be here! Thank you to everyone who has made this journey an amazing one! :)

"Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1