Category Archives: handmade bowls
New Products for May
All new for spring and available on my website. Please contact me if you are looking for something in particular.
a peek into this week at CHC
It’s been a great week at CHC headquarters! I’ve been busy planning and organising for some exciting new things ahead. The weather has been up and down but we have still had our fair share of sunshine peering through the clouds. I’m on a mission to make 3 vases a day at the moment… so far so good!
I paid a visit to one of my local stockists yesterday at The Hayrack Gallery in Upper Stowe, such a charming little shopping village with a barn restaurant and farm animals. The gallery is looking lovely inside, it had been about a year since my last visit, so it was nice to see fresh work from new artists. It was time I replenished my stock for the gallery, so I took along lots of new pieces and even helped set up a new display of my work. It was great fun!
We used one of the window sills just as you enter the gallery, so at the moment you will be greeted by my work as soon as you enter. I think the rustic brick window sill really complimented my work with the natural tones.
Various bowls of all different shapes and sizes are on display, along with a couple of clocks, framed pieces and some ceramic planters.
There is also a second display of my work inside the main room of the gallery, where you will find a selection of vases, more bowls, plant markers, and mini art on easels (see below).
Just outside the gallery there is a beautiful display of turquoise planters that look really stunning. I would quite like one of the hanging cones myself!
‘Mushroom Bowls’
I’ve named these ‘mushroom shaped bowls‘ as they have always reminded me of mushrooms. With the little pool of melted glass in the centre of the bases, it is almost like finding hidden treasure when peering inside.
Each bowl is hand-formed using the pinch pot technique, and then evolved into individual unique pieces by altering the wall thickness, overall diameter, and form of the rim. I have a lot of fun making these and enjoy decorating each bowl differently.
When I look at the group of bowls together they also remind me of flower heads, all growing happily in the sunshine.
You can view my full selection of handmade bowls and dishes over at my shop.
New for 2013…
It’s been a busy few weeks for the start of the new year. I’ve been busy making gifts for Valentines & Mothers Day, as well as a few custom orders – I’ll show you what I’ve been working on in my next post soon. My personalised heart plaques have been popular so I have lots of these drying out at the moment, ready to fire at the end of the month and send out in time for Valentines Day.
Valentines Day must have come early for me this week as I received these beautiful rainbow tulips that look stunning in one of my organic vessels on the kitchen windowsill, and also in one of my elegant dandelion vases. I wonder if I’ll still get flowers on Valentines Day too? 
The workshop has been pretty cold to say the least, with clay freezing and pieces not drying out it has been a bit of a nightmare. But it soon gets nice and toasty with the heater on, and I’ve brought some bits inside to dry and defrost!
It has been snowing all morning here today, and we are expecting 5 – 10 inches by this afternoon so I doubt I’ll be doing much in the workshop this weekend – I think sledging is on the agenda!
Although it’s still winter and there’s lots of talk of snow, here’s something completely contrasting… I’ve been making some new beach huts and seaside inspired pieces. Can’t wait for the sun to shine again.
From 2nd March – 14th April 2013, twelve of my mini ceramic landscapes on easels will be featured in an exhibition at The Beetroot Tree Gallery in Derbyshire, called ‘Miniature Magnified‘. Here are three of the twelve below. They all have individual names and will be for sale during the exhibition. I have more available on my website here.
Below: ‘Blue Skies’, ‘Frosty Puddle’ & ‘In The Countryside’.
NEW to my website this month are a variety of new bowls. They are all similar in shape and form but each one was made slightly differently, making them unique with their own little quirky features. Each bowl is also decorated with different textures and colours. They have a few different names including mushroom bowls and flower pod bowls. Feel free to browse my website to have a look at the new bowl range. Which is your favourite and what would you use it for?
I have one of these bowls at home that I like to put small pieces of jewellery in, but I also like to display them on their own to admire the colour in the bases. They also make great tea light holders.
Lastly, thought I would share this lovely photo from a customer of one of my vases settled in its new home.
Think thats all for now, I’m off to the post office to post this weeks orders before the snow gets worse. Have a great snowy weekend!
Fresh from the Kiln ~ Leaf Bowls
I really enjoyed making these leaf bowls, and glazing them was fun too. I’m pleased with the results, I think the areas of melted glass gives them a nice finishing touch. I absolutely love the outcome of the layered glazes and green glass in the Gloriously Green leaf bowl (top left). The striking shape of the Blue Ice leaf bowl is also quite attractive. Which is your favourite?
You might remember a previous post a couple of weeks ago showing these leaf bowls in progress. It’s so nice to see the before and after stages. There are a few more yet to be fired – I couldn’t fit them all in the kiln as custom orders took priority.
Fresh from the Kiln
It was an exciting day opening the kiln last week, I couldn’t wait to see how my new glazes had turned out. As well as some new coloured glazes I also now have a new transparent top coat glaze which gives a lovely shiny look and feel.
I like playing around with contrasting surfaces – Such as the textured & matt leaves against the smooth & shiny body of this new Tall Glimmer Vase with Raised Leaves.
I am completely in love with this new dandelion vase… So much so that I haven’t brought myself to sell it as yet. I think I’ll keep this one for myself and try out some others soon. Just need someone to buy me some flowers to put in it though!
There have been lots of new additions to the bowls section on my website. Feel free to have a browse and see if there’s anything you like. As well as making fresh new additions to the home, all of my ceramic pieces make ideal gifts for birthdays, weddings and house warming presents.
With the dedicated garden section on my website, your garden won’t feel left out this summer. From plant markers, wall planters, ornamental pots and hanging decorations, you are sure to find something to add a bit of character to your garden. These two wind chimes above are new to my website this week.
You will find lots of new vase designs added to my range too, including the popular Sea Line and Sky Line designs above.
My favourite of the new bowls is the Seaside Bowl above, with impressed shell designs and a striking pool of melted blue glass in the base it makes a very attractive piece.
Which is your favourite?
Bowls Fresh from the Kiln
Not long to go until the arrival of my new kiln, I’m so excited! In the meantime I’ve been busy using my old kiln to fire orders and other bits and pieces. I’ll still use the old kiln for smaller items but it will be great to be able to fire some more large sculptural pieces and larger batches of work again in a bigger kiln.
Here are some new leaf bowls ~ available in the shop on my website as Rustic Maple Leaf Bowl and Rustic Botanical Leaf Dish. I love the combination of deep colours and the shiny pools of melted glass.
If you haven’t got your Mothers Day gift sorted yet, take your pick from a selection of new love heart bowls, they make perfect soap dishes and are also ideal for holding jewellery, other trinkets or tea light candles.
I hadn’t made any of my usual wavy edged bowls for a while and they all seem to be selling out, so I’ve got plenty more lined up to be fired in the new kiln. Here are a couple of new ones below. I think the close up detail would make a nice framed print!
Hope you’ve enjoyed some of my new bowls, check back this week for some new sets of coasters and hanging decorations!
My Bowls used as props in Jewellery Photography
When I had an order for some of my ceramic tea light bowls a few weeks ago, it was nice of the customer to leave me a message on her order letting me know that the bowls would be used as props in the product photography of her jewellery.
I am delighted that my bowls have been used in this way! Isn’t the jewellery stunning? You will find more of the collection at kutuu.co.uk – have a look around at the many truly beautiful pieces. The simple shapes and natural materials make the jewellery easy to wear and often an ‘everyday favourite’.
A selection of my handmade ceramic tea light bowls are available in the Bowls & Dishes section of my website.
New Handmade Ceramic Pieces
A few weeks ago I showed you some photos of a few ‘panels’ in progress (if you missed that post you can revisit it here). I have finally gotten around to glazing and firing one of the panels, which is this ‘Cowslip Meadow’ Decorative Panel ~ What do you think? I love the defined engraved markings and I think the little speckles of glass really finish this piece off. It would look stunning displayed in any room of the house as a feature piece, or even on a window sill. The panel comes complete with a clear acrylic display stand to enable it to be displayed standing up. I couldn’t decide whether or not to keep this piece for myself as it is so pretty and it is also one of the first I have made! I’m looking forward to seeing how the other panel will turn out. I might try a different glaze effect to see how the two contrasting panels look side by side. This Cowslip Meadow panel is available on my website (link above), and like many of my pieces, it is a unique one-off so there is only one!
Set of 4 Crystal Turquoise Heart Coasters
These coasters would make a great wedding gift for the bride and groom, or even displayed on the tables as tabletop accessories at a wedding or party.
The ‘Beside The Sea’ Ceramic Bowl above is my favourite item fresh out of the kiln this week. The colours are so vivid and it reminds me of the seaside.
Dandelion Mini Ceramic Art. This mini art complete with easel is another pretty piece. The seeds from the dandelion are being blown away with the wind…
The texture of this Blue Decorative Mini Vessel was created by rolling the soft clay onto a mould of tree bark.
And last but not least ~ Meadow of Dandelions Round Cream Bowl
I hope you have enjoyed my latest collection. All of these new pieces are available on my website. Please feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear what you think!
Fresh From The Kiln
A few new bowls and vases fresh from the kiln and added to my website this week…
From left to right:
Beach Hut Dish with Yellow Door
Meadow of Dandelions Medium Vase
Field of Dandelions Pentagon Vase
Hope you like my latest pieces! Have a lovely weekend x
more new Bowls
New Bowls
