Looks like the hunt has begun! Allison has found her first fortune cookie of 2024… perched high in a tree!!! There are plenty more out there… gotta keep searchin’ searchin’… cue the song by Del Shannon!

While I was at Illinois Beach State Park, I wasn’t just focused on hiding fortune cookies… but also the amazing natural beauty all around me! It was a bit gray & overcast, but that didn’t deter me. Wintery wooded areas, sections of moss, marshlands, sandy lake fronts & more. A wonderful mix of nature to start off the New Year!

I loved traveling through both sections of the park… but a bit frustrated that the farthest north beach access is closed for renovations. But then I saw how many renovations they’ve made to the rest of the park and I was AMAZED!!! The beaches used to be covered with cement boulders, dead trees, sand-smoothed bricks & terra cotta tiles… not the “prettiest” of beaches. But they have now put in some breakwaters out in the lake to prevent erosion… and back-filled with what must be TONS of fresh new sand! This is going to be a huge beach destination this summer… now living up to its name… Illinois Beach State Park… now with an emphasis on BEACH!!!

Yes, I have once again hidden some handmade ceramic fortune cookies to kick-off the New Year. Spreading good will & good fortune around for people to find. The following photos are the “clues” that you can use to find the twenty-four fortune cookies scattered around Illinois Beach State Park. I’m not going to make it easy… but the search is on! Go outside & play in nature… and find “your fortune” at the same time!

Let the search begin… twenty-four fortune cookies for 2024!!!

Starting a New Year… with a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan. So excited to see the sun as we look forward to a great year. Wishing you a year full of beautiful sunrises & bright sunny days… both realistically & metaphorically!

Looks like I wasn’t the only one who made homemade chocolate chip cookies for New Years Eve! My friends Mike & Patty also made a batch… and served them on one of my stamped platters! As everyone knows that homemade food tastes even better on handmade pottery! Even Casey their boxer had his eye on them!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2024.
Thank you for making my 2023 so much fun & so successful.
I’m looking forward to another year full of adventures, art fairs & pottery…
and most likely a sunrise here & there along the way!

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay fun!!!

The clock is ticking… the year is ending… and we’re about to embark on a New Year! Hope you’re having a great night with family, friends or even your TV remote… whatever makes your night special! Enjoy… reflect… and stay safe!

It’s the end of the year and I’m busy making a big batch of chocolate chip cookies for tonight’s festivities. Reminiscing about yummy cookies… how my Mom used to bake them for my art fairs… how my niece Taylor has occasionally taken over “cookie duty”… and so many other end-of-the-year thoughts. Seems like the perfect time for cookies!

Imagine my surprise a few weeks back when I got a Facebook Message from Patty… a pottery friend & fellow Lillstreet teacher… who was visiting her daughter in Brooklyn and stopped by a small bookstore. She was excited to find that the bookstore featured a LOT of pottery books. Patty found this one that she thought would be good to show some new techniques to her beginner classes.

Flipping through… she found THIS photo that looked a bit familiar to her! So funny for her to find a book “out in nature” that features one of my pieces on page 61… under the category of “Impressing” as it is a British publication. Special THANKS to Patty for bringing another copy home for me too!!!

And yes, I was aware of it…
but it was published several years ago, so I had kinda forgotten about it?!
So it was a great “photo-refresher” from Patty!!!