Ceramic Love Hearts
Valentines and Mothers Day are fast approaching… grab a unique heartfelt gift for your loved one from my website shop! Each item is an individual one-off, and it makes a gift even more special knowing it is the only one of it’s kind!
News Update
Oops my blog has been neglected lately, I’ve been so busy and lots of exciting things are happening at the moment…
I was away last week staying in a log cabin with some friends, we didn’t get any snow but we had a great time!
Valentines Day is fast approaching so I’ve been busy making personalised engraved love heart plaques and sending stock to new galleries (more details to be announced soon!)
A couple of days ago I was contacted by someone on behalf of Richard Curtis, the writer/director of Notting Hill, Love Actually etc. Unfortunately his mother recently passed away and for her funeral next week he was interested in purchasing 200 of my ceramic plant markers with his mothers name engraved! Sadly it was far too short notice for me to get a batch of 200 plant markers made in time by myself, especially for each one to be individually engraved, but it still feels so exciting being approached by someone so famous!! Luckily a company was found who could mass produce the markers in enough time. I wonder how they came across my plant markers… perhaps in one of the magazines they have been featured in such as House Beautiful!?
If you are a regular reader of my facebook page, you might remember me mentioning an exciting opportunity last year where my website was going to appear in a book. I am now pleased to announce that imagery from my website is going to be printed in a new book – ‘The Workshop Guide to Ceramics‘ by Quarto Publishing, which is out in March! Can’t wait to receive my complimentary copy 
While on the subject of exciting news… my new kiln is going to be delivered in March! It will be fantastic to finally have a more reliable and much bigger kiln. New work is already in progress in the workshop ready to fill it up!
Homemade Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
I made this soup a couple of days ago using a recipe by Rachel Allen. Perfect for cold wintery days!
Ingredients:
- About 8 ripe tomatoes, halved
- 1 large red pepper cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 50ml double cream
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200′C
2. Arrange tomato halves and red pepper chunks, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking tray and scatter over the onion, garlic, thyme and sugar. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until softened.
3. Once cooked, tip the entire contents of the baking tray, including any juices, into a blender. Add the stock and blend until smooth, then pour into a large saucepan. Bring the soup to the boil, add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to heat through.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crusty tiger bread!
I tried my first bowl full of this soup for lunch yesterday, and the verdict was….. delicious!! Although I had been told I smelt of garlic a lot, so I might cut down on the garlic cloves next time!
Magazine Features…
A few more magazine publications for Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics!
My ‘Beside The Sea’ ceramic heart pendant appeared in the Gift Guide in the Dec 2011 issue of FACEON magazine, featured as Star Buy! I received my complimentary copy of the magazine this week…
My ceramic Leaf Bunting was featured in the Dec 2011 issue of Wedding Ideas Magazine…
and my ‘Dear Santa’ ceramic plaque was featured in the Dec 2011 issue of Affinity Magazine…
Overview of 2011
A little late, but better late than never… Happy New Year! Christmas seems like such a long time ago now, but it was lovely to have a relaxing break although I ate and drank far too much!
I would like to take an opportunity to thank everyone who supported me alongside Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics throughout 2011, including family, friends, customers, fans, and many more people I have met along the way. It wouldn’t be the same without you all! It has been another great year with plenty of memorable times, and I thought I would share some of the highlights with you…
- A range of my products were professionally photographed by Matt Debouge in 2011 (see a selection above). I was very happy with the results.
- I hosted my own solo exhibition entitled ‘Fragments of Nature‘ in two of the large cabinets at Daventry Library (below).
- I also took part in the following exhibitions throughout the year;
‘Craft & Design Month‘ at Down to Earth Gallery in May
‘Contemporary Coastal’ at Staacks from June – July
‘Summer Exhibition’ at Victoria Fearne Gallery from July – August
- While taking part in Theo Paphitis’ #SBS (Small Business Sunday) on Twitter, I was lucky enough to have my tweet re-tweeted by Theo in April 2011, which was a fantastic early birthday present!
- I was so excited to be on board The Light Direction team, becoming an official merchandise creator for the popular novel series. My specially designed beach hut hangings, magnets, brooches, pendants, plaques and mini art on easels are all now merchandise pieces for the ‘Beside The Sea’ theme of the book.
- I gained 4 new stockists;
The Tearoom Boutique
Peephole Crafts
Poppies Tea Shop
Also thanks to Pretty Things Derby where my products were stocked for a short period, but unfortunately the shop will be closing down in a couple of weeks.
- Some of my tea light bowls were used as props in the photography of some stunning jewellery.
- My new website www.charlottehupfieldceramics.com was launched in July, following the success of my new online shop which was relaunched in November.
- 2011 was my best year for magazine publications so far… I was featured in magazines including Vogue, House Beautiful, Amateur Gardening, Living Edge, Country & Border Life, Fusion Flowers, plus many more.
- I introduced some new products to my range, including Framed Ceramic Art…
…and also a varied selection of one-off wind chimes, mini ceramic art on easels, and decorative display panels.
- I also introduced some new design themes to my work, including dandelions, beach huts, leaves and bonsai trees. These themes are still currently under development so expect to see more from these ranges throughout 2012!
- I sold my work at various fairs and events throughout the year, and won a hamper prize at my last fair in December for ‘Best Dressed Stall’ which was a fantastic end to the year!
Phew, what a year it has been. It was quite a roller-coaster at times but still very enjoyable
I’m looking forward to progressing with Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics in 2012, lots of exciting things are already planned – this year is going to be the best!
Merry Christmas!
Phew… my last orders were sent out on Tuesday. I’m now enjoying wrapping presents, making (and eating) more mince pies and sausage rolls, and getting covered in glitter writing Christmas cards!
Molly loves opening her advent calender every day, although she is a bit rough with it. I think she will wonder where it’s gone after Christmas!
** Wishing you all a great Christmas and a very happy New Year. ** It will be sooo nice to have a rest!
Ceramic Hanging Decorations
New to my shop this week… Ceramic garlands and bunting can be found in the hanging decorations section of my website. Hope you like them!
Ceramic Leaves & Hearts Garland
Green & Blue Textured Ceramic Bunting
Natural Ceramic Hearts Bunting
NEW Ceramic Leaf Bowls
* New ceramic leaf bowls now available! *
I really enjoyed making the bowls below. The green bowl is sold but the botanical leaf and the natural maple leaf dish are currently available at £12.00 each. They make perfect soap or trinket dishes, and would also make great gifts for Christmas! More leaf bowls will be in the kiln later this week, watch this space!
Christmas trip to Germany
What a fantastic weekend! My trip to Germany was a nice little break and I really enjoyed visiting a few of the different Christmas markets, they looked and smelt amazing, especially all lit up in the evening. I also hadn’t laughed and danced so much in ages, so all in all definitely a fun-filled trip!
Seasons Greetings!
After all of the festive excitement at the Contemporary Craft Shopping Experience on Sunday, I’m now feeling very Christmassy! I’m looking forward to making some home made sausage rolls and mince pies soon. It will feel even more like Christmas this weekend as I’m off to Germany and can’t wait to visit the Christmas market in Frankfurt, I hope it snows!
Here are my favourite images from my Christmas pin board on Pinterest above.
Have you got your Christmas tree up yet? It’s not too late to buy handmade ceramic Christmas decorations from my shop if you’re decorating your tree this weekend. My Christmas Pudding decorations have been popular this year but I’ve just made another batch. My personal favourites are the snowflake decorations, elegant and simple.
I won Best Dressed Stall!
Another fantastic day at this annual Christmas fair yesterday, the Contemporary Craft Shopping Experience was a huge success for me and it was a very enjoyable day. With plenty of customers coming through the doors all day and the smell of mulled wine coming from the cafe area, there was plenty of festive cheer in the air!
I took these photos of my stall before the show opened. There was a bit of extra room to the right of my tables so I created a little alcove space that people could walk into, and it seemed to attract them in. I had lots of lovely comments about my work which always motivates me, especially when lots of it sells!! I was sooo happy to have sold one of my large sculptural vessels as well as lots of vases and plenty of other bits and pieces.
And if that wasn’t enough to put a smile on my face, I also won this hamper prize for best dressed stall, wow! This definitely finished off the day nicely, and I’ve still got a big grin on my face today.
As always it was lovely to see and chat to some friendly faces of other stall holders, and great to meet some new people too. Looking forward to this event next Christmas!
