Five Ways To Welcome Spring (No Spring Cleaning Required!)

Where we live, Springtime temperatures are not cooperating with the calendar. It’s still chilly and snowflakes continue to fall from cloudy skies. I’m having to think like it’s Spring even if it does not feel that way. My usual energy burst to spend time outdoors and in the garden, this time of year is being rerouted to other activities. Here are a few suggestions to help you spring forward into the new season whether or not mother nature is cooperating with your Springtime expectations. 

Cook A New Recipe.

I tried a new risotto recipe this past week. It was so easy because all the ingredients were combined at once and then baked in the oven. If you've ever made risotto, you probably know it usually require constant stirring (and stirring) as it cooks on the top of the stove. The recipe shown above makes me think of baseball season! Let me know if you try it!

Take A Walk On An Unfamiliar Route.

Even if it's still a bit chilly, bundle up and get outside. If you often walk the same route, start off in the opposite direction, move to the other side of the street, just shake it up a bit. I'm always surprised at what I notice when I take a familiar walk from a different angle. 

Pull Out The Good Dishes and Utensils and Use Them for a Month!

Why not? Saving things we love and own for just the right occasion means they don't get used very often. Bring out the 'good china' and dust off the antique vase hiding at the back of the cabinet. Spring is about renewing life; this is one good way to honor that idea.

Spend An Hour Less Online.

This can be a hard habit to break. Screen time can be addictive. Put down the phone, tablet and walk away from the computer. Take that walk, call a friend (see suggestion below), go to your cookbooks and look up a new recipe to make instead!

Call Someone You’ve Been Meaning to Catch Up With.

Phone a friend. Especially, someone you think about often, but never really have time to call. Now that you're spending less time online, time constraints should not be a problem!

Springtime weather will get to where I live eventually. There'll be plenty of time to dig in the garden, clean out the closets and put away the winter clothes. In the meantime, I'll work on some of the suggestions I've outlined here to help me feel like Spring!

Shared Scenarios

This week has been filled with connections. I have been busy in the studio preparing for a large private show to help raise money for a charity this coming weekend in Huntsville, Alabama. The garden stepping stone that originated the idea for this event is complete and ready for placement! My newest connection to that area is the family of my daughter’s fiancé.  I have other friends with similar southern roots and it’s been nice to realize that shared connection. 

The Potter’s Guild of Frederick is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a show in the Hodson & Whitaker Gallery of Hood College. As a former member of this group, I’ll be sharing a piece I created in that show. I joined the group when I first moved to Frederick to make connections with the clay community locally. 

On Sunday, I met up with two other craft artists (Erin Pelicano and Kelly Roberts) for a photo shoot at a local Arts Center in Frederick, Md. We have all been interviewed about our business for an article to be published in Sass Magazine in early December. I am familiar with the work of each of these talented artists through our common connection -- The Muse -- but had not had the opportunity to spend time with them. Our shared experiences as artists, mothers, wives, and friends overlapped in numerous ways. It was good to solidify those common connections.

Take some time to think about the shared connections you have going on in your life. When you connect all those dots, it's a good feeling! What we have in common far outweighs what makes us different from each other. 

What Are You Craving?

It is officially Fall according to the calendar. The temperature today is expected to reach in the 90’s. There are still signs of summer’s growth in the garden, but the earlier darkness and carpet of dead leaves along my walking route signal inevitable change. I notice I experience different food cravings depending on the season. Does this happen to you too? I’ve been searching my recipe collection to help me decide on something different for dinner. At night, my sweet craving has been strong. I’ve sought to satisfy it with a slice of cake, caramel M & M’s, and coffee ice cream. Each has tasted delicious, but not quite satisfied that craving. Any suggestions?

I planted a set of flowers to border the stone wall of this backyard garden this past week. If you look closely, you'll see some of my garden totems in the far right corner of the photo. This garden evolves throughout the seasons with new plantings and garden sculptures (including many of my own)!

As usual, my activity in the studio reflects what is happening in my life. The glaze colors I choose are often more subtle. The shapes I think about making are for serving food and entertaining. Often I make a dish with a specific recipe in mind.

I’ve replenished my supply of bird feeders for the garden in anticipation of helping them through a winter season. I still like a pop of color in my yard -- no matter the season. I tend to make these pieces in bright colors year round. 

Tell me what you are craving. Are there certain recipes that come back into rotation for you this time of year? Is there a certain type of pottery you use over and over in your kitchen or when you have company in the fall? What colors appeal to you this time of year? All this information is helpful to me in the studio. It inspires me and helps the creative process. Click here or the photo below to tell me!

Birthday Month

Gifts are on my mind. The month of July is filled with birthdays in our family and in that spirit, let me extend a special present to you! Save 25% on any in-stock ClaybyLaura garden item you purchase this week. Use the code BIRTHDAY to receive the discount when you place your order.

Click on this photo to choose a bird feeder for your yard.

Sometimes I have a hard time picking a meaningful item to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday. Young children are pretty easy to shop for, but I often struggle to choose gifts for the adults in my life. Will they like what I’ve picked? Will they use what I’ve chosen? Is there something else I could have bought?

Watering cans can double as a vase to hold your garden's beautiful bounty! Click on photo to shop.

I’m the kind of present-shopper that tends to purchase a gift for someone in the moment. If I find a perfect present for a friend or family member, I will buy it on the spot. The purchase is not always dependent on a looming holiday or personal celebration. For me, gift giving is a way to show a person in your life you’ve found something that makes you think of them. 

Give the toads in your garden a a special shady spot! Click on this photo to choose.

Sometimes the best presents to receive are the ones we gift ourselves. What have you had your eye on lately? It could be lunch with a friend, a special pair of shoes or spending one-on-one time with a family member. Go for it!

Who doesn't like to see a lady bug bringing good luck to their garden? Click this photo to see them all!

If there’s a ClaybyLaura garden item that could bring some joy to you or fulfill a gift need, now’s a perfect time to purchase. I’ve restocked and updated my garden inventory online. Remember to use the code BIRTHDAY to save 25%! 

Teachable Moments

I speak clay. What I mean is, I’m familiar with the lingo associated with creating ceramic art. Fire, cone, underglaze, bisque, grog, raku and slip are all words that have special meaning to a person in the pottery world. The trick is learning to explain familiar terminology and techniques to someone unacquainted with the language. Sharing this knowledge not only helps educate a student wanting to learn about the craft, but also informs customers and other art appreciators.

For me, as I’ve probably mentioned repeatedly, teaching regularly opens my own eyes to new ideas and constructive approaches. It happened this week when I lead a group of students through the steps of making a wrap bracelet. I prepared the step-by-step creation and assembly instructions in my head so I could clearly explain them to the craft party participants. I demonstrated some of the construction techniques and answered questions as they arose. And my students did not disappoint! THEY, in turn, taught me a variety of imaginative ways to achieve the same end result. I learned too!

Remember these two shapes? I asked for your input and you were helpful and telling me your preferences in exchange for a chance to receive one of them as a gift! Thank you for sharing your insights! I am taking them all 'under advisement' to add this item to my inventory. Christine Link @SkeinnyDippngYarn is the lucky recipient of the oval shape on the right!

Teaching and Learning are two sides of the same coin. They go hand in hand. I continually discover additional approaches to my creative process by sharing what I know with others. And it’s not limited to clay. I try to adopt this approach with any conversation. What can I teach and what can I learn from this encounter? A fresh perspective is always welcome. Can you identify any recent teachable moments from your life? 

A visit to Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax, Va. this past week was filled with new garden ideas. I went with my friend Celia who speaks the language of Gardening. It was fun to try to absorb some of her wisdom and enjoy the beauty of nature. Of course, I came home with several new plants for my own landscape!

Seasonal Sale!

Now you can purchase my creations directly from my website! To celebrate, I’m selling several of my in-stock garden items for discounted prices! This particular sale will last through the month of October 2014. If you’ve been considering a piece for your yard or garden, now is a good time to make that happen. My garden art can be outdoors year-round in all weather conditions and will provide a whimsical pop of color throughout all four seasons. Supplies are limited (as they say in the advertising world!) and the prices are low (with FREE shipping offers on most sale items). Go to the Purchase page of my website to get a full view of the sales items and clay pieces you can purchase today.

I have privately received positive feedback from many people about my blog and website. Thank you. Your input is important to me. Please continue to send me suggestions on how to improve and what you'd like to see me make. If you follow me on Facebook, please comment on, click the ‘like button’ and repost my website facebook messages to help spread my visibility. Posting comments directly on my Blog page and clicking the like (heart) button there is also helpful.

As always, thank you for your support!

Bowls are always useful. I'm making some new shapes and sizes of bowls in  my studio. These have the first layer of underglaze color and are ready for the first firing!

I hope to 'spread the love' with these little heart-shaped dishes. 

I received this hand-made journal from my artist-friend Pam Kessler. I met Pam when I lived in Hilton Head, SC. She was in town to sell her beautiful botanical watercolor paintings at the Bethesda Row Arts Festival this past weekend. I helped her set up her booth early Saturday morning.