One of the highlights of my “surprise walk” was running into Team Lavender!!!

Two of my pottery students from Lillstreet. Jacob & Molly have been in my classes for quite awhile, most recently the Lillstreet Throwdown class… twice! We’ve even celebrated some momentous occasions with them in my class… engagement, wedding, baby shower!!! And now they’ve recently moved into my neighborhood and we just happened to cross paths today. It was great to see some Lillstreet friends again during quarantine! We even had our own socially-distant “hug”!!!

But then THIS was all their fault… they were eating frozen custard from Lickety Split. And I couldn’t get it out of my head… so this yummy indulgence was all their fault!!! Not mine.

Today I was surprised by my doorbell… who expects a doorbell when everyone is self-isolating still?! Well, not me.

But it was a wonderful surprise to find Pam & Carla downstairs just to say hello! They were on a socially-distant & face-masked walk… so I went out with them as it was such a beautiful Spring day! A surprise afternoon with friends!

Just what I needed today.

In the continuation of my pal Gerry’s birthday party in quarantine… looks like Rosene made some freshly baked brownies for him to celebrate… all decked out with candles and a special handmade platter! Sure there may not be frosting… but I know there are extra chocolate chips sprinkled in to make up for it!!!

With this whole self-isolation lock-down thing going on, we couldn’t celebrate Gerry’s birthday together today! Yet I felt somehow “obligated” to celebrate from here… so I “just had to” make some brownies & topped with my favorite ice cream… and a candle just to make it “official.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GERRY… I was there in spirit… and in brownies!!!

Desperate times call for desperate measures! So glad to see that my friend Julie has been taking care of herself & staying healthy with a little “retail therapy!” And supporting artists & local businesses at the same time! Thank You so much Julie… we all appreciate it! Distinct bath & body, Bachor pothole art… and ME!!!

Looks like my buddy is kicking off his birthday morning with a morning FaceTime with some of his kids… and a cup of Joe in one of my mugs!!! Looks like a great way to start the day!!!

For those of you saw Cory’s amazing teapot in process a couple days back… and were wondering what the final teapot looked like AFTER the final firing??? Well, here you go… and it’s AMAZING!!!

And while you’re at it… be sure to go see more of her work and follow Cory on Facebook!!! Click here!

Here are a few detail shots… all whimsically crafted by Cory!
Some great details & accents that have come out of the COVID-19 lockdown & quarantine. Just a few more signs of the times!!!

While “documenting” the whole concept of Shelter-At-Home… of course Cory had to pay homage to the whole face mask situation! So many people making masks of their own… and Cory making even more, but now on such a small scale!

Notice the clothesline hanging between the teapot & spout…
and the wonderful masks hanging out to dry!

Hopefully there’s some days in our future soon where we won’t need those darn masks any more!!!

So my friend Cory McCrory has been working on a new teapot for an upcoming show. And don’t for a moment think it is a “normal” teapot thrown on the wheel like I would make. Oh no… that’s NOT how Cory rolls!

Instead, Cory makes these elaborate, handbuilt sculptures with paperclay that have made me smile for YEARS!!! We first met at the Hinsdale Fine Arts Fair when our booths were one row away from each other. I could see her work, she could see mine… but we didn’t have a lot of time to go over and look as we were both busy in our booths. But I could already tell from a distance that I was enamored already!!! I finally made it over to her both and instantly fell in love with Cory AND her amazing work!!!

So if you’re NOT following Cory on Facebook or Instagram, you definitely should be!!! She’s been working on this amazing teapot for the past couple weeks… and graciously been sharing photos every step of the way. I’ll post a “teaser” of the finished underglazed version as it goes into the kiln here. But for the full “start-to-finish” Photo Album, click here for a link to her Facebook page.

And this beautiful African violet has been blooming since last Fall !!! One of my favorite customers propagates & grows African violets… all from his Mother’s original plant from something like forty years ago! A beautiful tribute to his Mom… and a great gift he shared when he gave it to me at my Holiday Home Show already planted in one of my own flowerpots!!!

And it hasn’t stopped blooming since!!!
Not sure why… but I’ll take it.

So here I am still showing off some of my pottery collection! Here’s another kitchen cabinet with my Steven Hill dinnerware set. Long story… it’s all here on my blog if you just do a quick search for Steven Hill… I never thought I was going to get it… it was a long time coming… but Steven pulled through, and “surprised” me with these beauties!

Great glazes. Great pottery. Great guy!!!
Thanks Steven!