Dramatic clouds this morning… including an interesting “beam” of sunrise brightness shooting upwards early on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this sort of sunrise effect before… not really sure what was going on?! Soon enough though, the clouds lit-up, the sun showed off for a few minutes and then went back behind the clouds… most likely for the rest of the day!

Today it’s all about MUGS in my studio… with over 75 mugs looking for good homes! Whether it’s your home or a friend’s… everyone lives a nice handmade mug! Stop by my studio today until 5:00pm to help support & celebrate SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY.

Today’s the day to celebrate SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY! Come out, shop & support the small businesses in your neighborhood. And if you’re near Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago… I will be in my studio selling mugs today until 6:00pm! It’s the perfect gift for a friend, a co-worker, family or even yourself!!!

Lillstreet Art Center – Second floor – 205 West, 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago

So I started my Thanksgiving at my Dad’s place at Friendship Village… with his girlfriend Bonnie!
We had a great visit… but nothing “special” in the pumpkin pie category!

But then I drove down to Central Illinois for another “Friendsgiving” where the dessert spread was VERY IMPRESSIVE!!! With a LOT of homemade goodies… including pumpkin pie, cheesecake, apple pie, cookies & two “chess pies” that I had never had before. They were extra tasty… I’m sure because they were baked in a handmade ceramic pie dish! Thanks Kel & Kelly for hosting… and for sending me home with some sweet leftovers!

Knowing that yesterday would be filled with holiday food, I decided to go for a casual hike in the forest preserve woods before stopping at my Dad’s place for Thanksgiving. The weather was amazing yesterday… with beautiful blue skies, dramatic shadows & a lot of Fall colors still hanging on. A wonderful way to start the day before the feasting began! And always THANKFUL for the beauty in the world thanks to Mother Nature!

Wishing you a day full of special moments with family & friends…
and all of the pumpkin pie you could hope for!

Red skies in the morning… uh oh…

So it looked like we might have some good sunrise potential this morning. But instead the wind gusts were there, the waves were crashing & the clouds took over the sky. Looks like it’s going to be a blustery gray day… with rain moving in later in the day!

And a special THANK YOU shout-out to my friend Sharon who made a great Instagram post about her trip to my place! She’s a real estate agent showing off her photography skills. Capturing a lot of my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW… as I didn’t quite have the time to do it myself!!! Thanks Sharon!

And if you didn’t make it… see what you missed?!!! HA!!!

A HUGE holiday Thank You to everyone who made it to my place this weekend for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW. It was the perfect weekend for everyone to start their holiday shopping. So much fun hanging out & chatting with everyone in the comfort of my own home! A lot of pottery found its way to new homes… but there’s still plenty more where that came from. I’ve been very busy!

So… if you missed this weekend… or just need to do some more holiday shopping… I will be doing another HOLIDAY HOME SHOW on December 16th & 17th. The shelves will be replenished and my friend & talented metalsmith Amy Taylor will be joining me for both days!

Not a cloud in the sky again… so another beautiful bike ride again! You know I prefer clouded sunrise drama… but I’ll take a clear & quiet serene bike ride now & again. And today was the perfect start to the day. And now it’s time to get ready, re-stock, & replenish for Day Two of my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW. C’mon by…