Congratulations DARLENE BRAY! You are the lucky winner of a $100 gift certificate to Village Pottery. We look forward to your visit to the shop!

Thanks again everyone, stay tuned for our next giveaway

1- A special pottery lesson for you and a guest where you’ll get to learn how to throw on the wheel at our shop in New London, PEI. Can’t make it to the island? No problem, you can also..

2- Have a $100 shopping spree at the shop in New London or in our online store

How to Enter:

Leave a comment below on our blog and tell us what’s the best thing about your Mom, what makes her so special? Maybe she bakes the best cookies or juggles a million things each day.. we want to hear about it! Make sure you include your email address so we can contact the winner.

BONUS POINTS!

1- “Like” us on Facebook or Share our page if you already do
2- Tweet “I just entered @VillagePottery’s #MothersDayGiveaway to win $100 Gift Certificate & you could too: http://bit.ly/KeUvFI #contest #PEI”

Each “like” or tweet will count as a bonus point for a total of 3 possible entries. Contest is worldwide. Winner will be announced Sunday, May 13th 2012 at 11am EST. Good Luck!

Ellen makes beautiful plates and trays that are always popular in the shop. Here’s a photo of her green leaf oval tray and blue leaf lunch plates. We also have large 10″ dinner plates that are perfect for serving your favorite appetizers when paired with a small bowl for dips.

We always look forward to having Clay Impressions Pottery in our shop and I think our customers do too – her pottery is highly sought after! Like what you see? You can “like” Clay Impressions on Facebook, visit Ellen’s website by clicking here or come see her work in person when Village Pottery opens May 5th!

1- Her pottery is gorgeous

2- Patti’s career in pottery began at our shop!

That’s right, about 10 years ago Patti was hired to work the front cash at Village Pottery. She’s an outgoing, friendly person who had a creative side just waiting to get out! Before we knew it, Patti was throwing pots on the wheel and creating her own unique line of pottery with a lot of hand carving and decoration. The time finally came when Patti realized she’d like to have her own pottery studio. Mom helped her map out a blue print for her studio and next thing we knew, Patti was off to start on her own creative endeavor.

Well, now 10 years later Patti has come full circle and we are now selling her beautiful pottery in our store. She’s got a great selection of mugs, trays and saucers that are all fully functional, microwave, oven and dishwasher safe. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll find in our shop…

Last week I spent the day with another young potter, Jessica Hutchinson. It was a snowy day so the drive from Charlottetown to Tea Hill was a bit of an adventure. After driving down her long lane, I was greeted by their adorable new puppy, Caribou.

Jess, her boyfriend Devin and I enjoyed a delicious lunch of thai spring rolls while chatting about everything from our current home brew to the joys of running a seasonal shop. They just opened up a new shop last summer “Hutchinson Pottery & Gallery”. It’s located in an old school house on the Rustico Road and is very charming! You can read about it by visiting Rilla Marshall’s blog here.

Hutchinson Pottery & Gallery

After lunch we went down to Jessica’s basement studio, which overlooks Tea Hill beach. Sadly, I was so enthralled that I forgot to take any pictures. She has a great set-up with lots of shelving and a kiln, which was once Stoneware Pottery’s, is in a small shed next door. Jessica uses red clay and a variety of different glazes. Some of which is sprayed on, which is new technique to me. Her work is stunning, each piece is definitely one of a kind!

Hutchinson Pottery Mug

Hutchinson Mug & Teapot

After checking out her studio, we hopped in the car and headed to town. I had thrown 35 wine goblets earlier that morning and was anxious to get back and see how they were doing! We sampled some of my boyfriend’s home brew while I showed her around my studio. I introduced her to my slab roller – which has proven to be a great addition. All it took was one lace tray and Jess was sold – she has one coming from Quebec very soon!

In the end, we both had a great time and plan on doing this sort of thing more often. I think it’s a great opportunity for potters, or artists for that matter, to share ideas and pointers with one another. After all, we are all inspired by something and you never know just where that will come from. Thanks to Jess, Devin and of course Caribou for the great day!

See you next time,

Suzanne
The Potter’s Daughter

Later that evening, we attended the Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI) Awards Gala Dinner. We enjoyed a delicious dinner accompanied by great live music and then came the awards…

We are very excited to announce that Village Pottery was awarded the Tourism Atlantic Technology Award! There was a great video montage recapping everything we’ve done over the past year including the launch of our new website, online shop and social media pages. This award is handed out each year to recognize one tourism operator in each Atlantic province for their innovative and strategic use of technology that benefits both the individual business and the larger tourism industry.

“We are very excited to be recognized by both ACOA and TIAPEI for our use of technology,” said Daphne Large, Owner, Village Pottery. “Over the last year, we have used social media and eCommerce to innovate and grow our business. Launching a new website, online shop and blog allowed customers to purchase pottery year-round. As a result, we have been very fortunate to have received national recognition and record sales.”

What started out as an ordinary week turned very exciting and memorable! Thanks to TIAPEI and ACOA for recognizing our efforts. We appreciate it!

Thanks to our newly installed elements in the kiln, we are now able to do glaze firings! Normally, Mom would continue to bisque and pack up her pots. Then in April she would drive them out to the shop in New London to finish firing them there. Wait no more! We had our first glaze firing last week, here’s a sneak peek

The lid is up and we are now able to check out the first pots finished in 2012! Lots of gems, including our new animal print inspired pottery and white lace vases and trays. Mom is a proud potter!

I was really pleased with how my new white lace trays turned out. I have been busy making an assortment of sizes. These smaller ones are great for holding your jewelry, coins, keys or for serving up your favorite appetizers. Planning to add these to our online shop very soon – stay tuned!

A week later, we fired another kiln load just in time for Valentine’s Day, as I had some new heart shaped pots and mustache mugs destined as gifts. Luckily, they all turned out great and we had some very happy customers.

I had a great Valentine’s day in the studio with lots of people dropping by to pick up gifts. A lot of those people were connections made on Twitter and a few sent us photos. Here’s a friend on Twitter, Ellen enjoying her new mo mug & spearmint leaf necklace! Thanks for this, Ellen.

Overall, it’s been a great 2012 so far. We’d like to thank everyone who has tweeted, “liked” and commented on all of our pottery online. As a small token of our appreciation, everything in our online shop is 20% off today only! Click here to start shopping as this offer expires at 4pm Atlantic Time.

ps: The Potter’s Daughter Jewellery is on Sale too! Click here to save 30% today only!

Happy Shopping & See you next time!

Suzanne, The Potter’s Daughter

The first thing I noticed when entering Ellen’s home was her incredible collection of pottery. She asked coffee or tea and told me to pick out of a mug from either the “Winter” or “Summer” shelves. I sort my clothes in seasons but pottery… now that’s impressive!

I took a good look at her collection of mugs, cups and wine goblets. Each with their own story. Ellen was able to recount the details of the potter and place each piece came from. It was fun to see some of her earliest pieces like this mug featured below.. and it also encouraged me to keep collecting.. no matter how full my shelves are!

After a cup of tea, we gathered her two adorable dogs, Mist & April and headed to her studio which is just about 20 meters from her house. Ellen started by throwing a mug on the wheel to show me how she uses her stand up wheel and the tools she uses to trim and design her beautiful mugs.

Then she showed me how to make a carved flat wall pot. It required leaving the pot thicker than normal, so you can carve off the side to make this unique design. I also learned how to trim the pot while it’s still turning so you won’t have to later (big time saver). After Ellen finished demonstrating, I got on the wheel and made this funky pot! It will be really neat to see how it turns out with our glazes.

Next up, Ellen showed me how to make a Chip & Dip Platter that doesn’t need trimming. Again, this a big time saver and for a production potter.. that’s key! We used the slab roller to make the base, then threw the small bowl onto the plate. Once the two pieces were secured, we raised the lip of the plate and voila! You’ve got yourself a beautiful platter perfect for serving vegetables and dip, hummus and pita bread, etc..

Speaking of hummus, we enjoyed a  delicious lunch of my mom’s homemade carrot soup paired with Ellen’s homemade hummus, then we went back to the studio to work on handles. This is still a weak point for me, one that needs a lot of practice. Ellen on the other hand makes hundreds of mugs every year and has become a bit of a pro in this department. She got me to pull a bunch of handles then attach them to a bowl. Sure enough, by the 4th try I had a respectable looking handle! Sometimes all it takes is a little push and guidance.

It was great to be around Ellen for the day. I left feeling inspired and excited to try these new things at home. It continues to amaze me how each potter has their own tips and techniques. I appreciate living in a place where artists are open to sharing their knowledge, knowing that in the end, it will only increase the quality of the crafts on PEI. Thanks to Ellen for being such a great mentor today, it was a lot of fun!

Check out Ellen’s profile by clicking here.

Visit Ellen’s Website & Read her new blog!

“Like” Clay Impressions on Facebook

1- She went to grade school with my mom & has known her for years

2- She was the first Anne of Green Gables!

3- She has a beautiful collection of our pottery in her home in England

Gracie Finley, all of five foot two and 100 pounds, is the longest-playing Anne (1968-74; 1984 and 1985) in the history of the theatrical gem. “I was 16 years old, and so thrilled to be a part of it. Charlottetown was the place to be in Canadian theatre… I felt privileged and honoured to win the lead role,” says Gracie Finley Stickings, who now lives in Buckinghamshire, England. Read more about Gracie’s role in Anne of Green Gables by clicking here.

Gracie very graciously shared photos of her beautiful home in England. She lives in a 375 year old building named “Willotts Farm” that was originally “Woodsmans Inn”, Brick & Flint. It’s located in Buckinghamshire in the Chilterns – and might we say, our pottery looks very nice in this beautiful home!

Gracie has been collecting colorful canisters for years, as you will see here in her kitchen she has several cranberry and spearmint jars, along with a large cranberry fruit bowl and spearmint ring rest. We look forward to seeing Gracie in the shop every summer, as well as her granddaughter Emily who is following along in Gracie’s footsteps!

Thanks again Gracie – see you next summer!

Suzanne, The Potter’s Daughter

Well, this took place yesterday and it couldn’t of went any better! The place was packed and there were people cramming their necks into the boardroom trying to catch a glimpse. It was a great crowd, including fellow artists, small businesses owners and people just curious to learn about social media. Everyone was very engaged and contributing to the discussions. I got to meet a bunch of “virtual” friends from Twitter and Facebook which was really neat!

It felt great to share our story with social media and hope that it will help to inspire other small businesses. 2011 was quite the year for this little pottery shop from PEI, from launching the new website, online shop and blog to growing our social media networks ten-fold. We’ve shipped pottery to every corner of North America from Northwest Territories to Texas, South Carolina to Newfoundland. We even shipped to Europe and Australia a few times! Very exciting.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed the journey so far and that you’ll keep following us along to see just where we end up!

Thanks to all of our fans, supporters, friends and loyal customers for a wonderful 2011. Here’s to an even better 2012!