Here’s a beautiful arrangement of flowers with purples & pinks to go along with a new “aubergine” stamped vase… a special holiday gift from Dad. Now honoring Grandma’s memory with a collection of her favorite flowers. Thanks for sharing Allison!

My cousin Kim went hiking at Illinois Beach State Park and found a couple fortune cookies along the way! Braving the bitter breeze & bone-chilling temperatures to play along with my silly little game. So fun to see people enjoying the scavenger hunt & kicking off their New Year searching for fortune… cookies!!!

A lot has been happening around Lillstreet Art Center during the holiday break. Most exciting to many of us… the soda kiln has been torn down & rebuilding will start soon! Very exciting as they’re starting over all the way down to the cement pad with lots of brand new bricks!

Some with a beautiful soda build-up “patina” colors & textures! All found outside in the alley by the dumpster… as some new things are happening inside Lillstreet!

Looks like the fortune cookie search has begun!!!
Allison & Michael were out at Illinois Beach State Park today searching in the bitter cold.
Let the fortune cookies be found!!!

From Allison…
“Don’t be mad at us!!! We found FOUR fortune cookies this morning but only took THREE. Decided to leave the fourth one even though my body had trouble resisting! Figured one for me, one for Michael, and the third one for Mamma Molloy. My Dad plans on going on a hike tomorrow morning with Ricky if they can tolerate the cold. It was bitter WINDY from the west and DARN cold!! My face was beet red in the end but I persisted. Decided to check out both the northerly route and main beach space.”

“Pretty sure I saw a fellow scavenger hunter in a white coat who likely got the little birdhouse one & one you may have put at a pavilion in the northern sand dunes area. Pretty sure she must know you directly!! We didn’t converse though because she was far off from where I was but I saw her inspecting things only like a fortune cookie hunter would!!!“

“And I had to take the third one we found because it was on the back post of a turtle crossing sign and my spirit animal has been a turtle since high school!!! I’ll likely make a post about it, too! Hope you’ve heard from others! One of my favorite traditions I’ve the last, what 4 or 5 years now?“

“Apollo was checking them out when I returned from delivering artwork to a shop! He was a VERY curious cat indeed.”

So that’s three down… twenty-two more to go!

Has anyone else been out there searching yet???
Send me photos when you find’ em!!!

“Gotta keep searchin’ searchin’… find a place to hide… searchin’ searchin’!!!”
Let the games begin… and WELCOME TO 2025!!!

To celebrate, I’ve hidden 25 ceramic fortune cookies for people to find!!! Twenty-five for 2025… get it?! Anyway, they’re hidden all over Illinois Beach State Park. An annual tradition that started during the pandemic. And now every year, more & more people are starting to search for their fortune… cookies!

So new this year, I’m also asking that you find all you can, take pictures & selfies along the way… but try to limit yourself to taking one per person home for your collection. Let’s leave some there so more people can experience the fun of the search! Use the photos in this Reel for your clues… and let the searchin’ searchin’ begin!!!

Kickin’ off the New Year with a beautiful day hiking up at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois. It’s a beautiful lakefront park with plenty of sandy beaches, marshy wetlands & wooded areas to hike… and no people!!! I was there all day and saw a total of six other people! A hidden treasure – I basically had the place to myself!!!

Shhh… don’t tell too many people, let’s keep this between you & me!

Welcome to 2025!!!
Hard to believe that another year has passed. Yet I’d like to thank everyone for making 2024 my most successful “pottery year” ever! The undying commitment, support & encouragement of my friends, family & Followers really keeps me going. I’m looking forward to the New Year with a few “new” ideas in mind. Time to get back in the studio, time to start teaching again, time to start planning my calendar & time get back into the swing of things! Looking forward to another fun & successful year!

Wishing you all a fun & exciting New Year’s Eve!!! A great time to celebrate with friends & family reflecting on the past year & looking forward to the New Year! Have fun… but stay safe out there!

After what seems like “weeks” of cold gray skies… it was great to finally see the sun this morning! A welcome sight as we come to the end of the year. Nothing overly dramatic in terms of sunrises, but definitely rejuvenating to see sun once again!