Category Archives: News

News Update

February 04, 2012   Charlotte   1 Comment

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!

Posted in: News, Trips
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NEW Shop Launch

November 21, 2011   Charlotte   No comments

I was very pleased with the launch of my new online shop last week! If you haven’t seen it yet, pop over here and have a look around.

You will see new categories for some products, and also subcategories in sections such Accessories, Hanging Decorations and Ceramic Art.

Thank you to my web developer Matt Debouge for his much appreciated help and support.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in: News, online shop
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At the weekend…

April 04, 2011   Charlotte   1 Comment

What another lovely weekend it has been, with a mixture of warm weather, making new work, spring cleaning the house, clothes shopping, jogging in preparation for Race For Life, and a brilliant day yesterday with both mine and Dave’s Mums over for Mother’s Day. Rather than cooking a full sit down meal, we decided to do buffet type food and that went down really well. There was LOADS of food, and still lots left!


We took our Mums on a trip to a big garden centre which they enjoyed. I bought some artificial daffodils to replace these real ones on the kitchen window sill when they die. They are such a happy colour and really brighten up the kitchen.

Lastly, some extremely exciting news to share with you!!
Every Sunday between 5:00 – 7:30pm, Theo Paphitis (famously known from Dragons Den) encourages small businesses to promote their products/services on Twitter using #sbs (small business Sunday). Each week Theo picks 6 winners and retweets their tweet to his followers, and last night I was one of the lucky winners!

I found it a little overwhelming, and still can’t quite believe it. It has been a great start to a new week and I haven’t stopped grinning all day!

Posted in: News, SBS, small business Sunday
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Sign up for my Free Newsletter!

February 16, 2011   Charlotte   5 Comments

I have finally managed to complete one of the biggest things on my ‘to do’ list, which was to start a monthly newsletter. It took a while for me to get to grips with how it all works using the Mail Chimp program, but now that I have it fathomed I am looking forward to sending out my first newsletter!

The only problem is I don’t have anyone to send it to!! :(

It is highly classed as spam if you send emails out willy-nilly to people who haven’t specifically signed up to receive them.

My monthly newsletter will feature all of my latest exciting news, brand new products, special offers, updates from my workshop, and all sorts. If you would like to sign up, please fill in your name and email address here, and you will gratefully receive my first newsletter in a couple of weeks.

Feel free to spread the word to anyone else who might be interested! Thank you :)
Posted in: mail chimp, mailing list, News, newsletter
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Summer Fair & Panel Presentation

July 26, 2010   Charlotte   3 Comments
You might remember my previous post about a summer craft fair at a new venue, the Stanwick Lakes Visitor Centre. I was at this fair yesterday, and despite the venue being very small (there were only about 8 stalls altogether), I was very pleased with the items I sold, and did better than expected. Overall it was quite a slow day, but picked up during the last 2 hours which I think was expected for this venue. Most people were just visiting the area to either walk their dogs, walk along the lake, and enjoy the scenery. Many customers told me they didn’t realise there would be a craft fair there, so it was a pleasant surprise for some of them.

Because the space was very limited, I was restricted to only one table, and I am used to having two. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough room to display everything, but I managed to use a few boxes to alter and expand my space a little. Half of my tv display stand usually comes with me to craft fairs (see below), it’s brilliant for displaying items and adding height to the table! I decided not to take it yesterday as it would have taken up most of the table space. I still managed to create a balancing variation in height without it.


~ News ~

This morning I went to a jurying session where I had to show and talk about my work to 8 people on a panel. You may also remember my previous post about this last month – it was to apply for membership to be part of the Northamptonshire Guild of Designer Craftsmen. The people on the panel were all current members of the Guild, and they were all very friendly and welcoming. I was very nervous about it all this morning, but I shouldn’t have been! It was quite informal and I had a cup of tea. I was expecting them to say “Right, go ahead, tell us about your work…”, and I was prepared to do that, but it was just general chatter and they each asked questions. They said my portfolio and presentation were professional, which was good to hear because it is something I am picky about and hoped I had everything just right.

The selection of work I took was this riverside vessel below, a set of 4 natural leaf coasters, a natural vase and my summer dish.

I am now waiting to hear back from them to find out if I am selected to join the Guild as a member. It will be a fantastic opportunity if I am selected, it would be great to be part of a group of like-minded people that are all passionate about what they do too.

Posted in: News, northamptonshire guild of designer craftsmen, stanwick lakes, stanwick lakes craft fair
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Round-up of the week

July 02, 2010   Charlotte   2 Comments

Although the sun hasn’t been shining as much, it has still been very hot and humid this week. I prefer making things from my workshop in the evening when it’s a bit cooler.


I’m hoping the sun has his hat on again ready for the weekend, I’m going to a friends BBQ tomorrow and some sunshine would be nice. I’m taking along a big bowl of home made potato salad, so I’d better get making that tonight.

I love this photo of me and my Dad’s dog Gnasher in the hammock. Isn’t he cute?

I’m happy with my orders and other things related to my ceramics that have been going on this week. First of all, a lady who purchased two of my ceramic heart paper weights (below) from the craft fair last weekend has contacted me in need of some more. I plan to make loads more as these are popular little purchases at craft fairs.
I’ve had 2 orders for plaques – one heart shape with 2 peoples names engraved, it is going to be a wedding present. And a rectangular plaque with ‘Daddy’s Shed’ engraved – I thought that was a cute idea! These plaques are in progress at the moment.


Have you ever visited the Folksy Blog? There is so much going on over there at the moment, including shop owner interviews, and valuable information for crafters including many craft fair hints and tips. This weeks topic on craft fairs is “How much stock do I need to bring?” – Definitely a good read – Some of my own tips and my craft fair essentials check list is included in the article. I have also been featured on the Folksy blog in a post called an Introduction to Pottery – well worth a read if you are interested!

Thank you to Elissa of Not Just Handbags for featuring my Bark Dish (below) in her Nature themed picks from Folksy on her blog today.


This week I’ve had a page added to the Potter’s Gallery on the Pottery Crafts website, featuring a profile about me and my work, and a large selection of images of my work. Check it out here! There are also some other great potters in the gallery, I especially like the work of Jude Howe.


One of my images displayed in the gallery is of this set of Natural Leaf Coasters.

Other big news is from the craft fair at Castle Ashby last weekend – I was approached by one of the other stall holders, Adam Jordan, one of the current members of the Northamptonshire Guild of Designer Craftsmen. Here’s what the Guild is all about:

“Northamptonshire Guild of Designer Craftsmen has been in existence since 1990, with a membership of around 30 craftsmen and women, making high quality products in wood, metal, plastics, glass, clay and textiles.

The guild aims to encourage the highest standards of craftsmenship and design and encourage interest in, and awareness of crafts.

The guild seeks to bring together individuals, who generally work in isolation, to promote their work collectively. Exhibitions in galleries, provides an opportunity for makers to bring special and innovative pieces to a wider audience. In addition we also set up smaller displays in public venues such as tourist information centres and arts centres to maintain a high public profile for the guild and it’s activities.”


Adam said he thought my work was of a high enough standard to approach the Guild about becoming a member myself. I’m now in the process of organising a date to go and present my work to a jury panel at the Guild. I’m a little nervous, as I’ve never presented my work to a panel before, but I think as soon as I get into it I’ll be fine.

If I am selected to become a member, I will have my own page on the website, the opportunity to exhibit at approx 3 exhibitions per year with other members, and connection to a network of crafts people in the county. It sounds very exciting, I’ll let you know how it goes! The images above are a selection of some of the current members’ work.
I better crack on with that potato salad… What are you up to this weekend?

Posted in: commissions, News, northamptonshire guild of designer craftsmen, pottery crafts
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I’m in the Creative Crafting mag!

June 01, 2010   Charlotte   2 Comments
The June issue of the Creative Crafting magazine has been published today, and there is a full double page spread article about me and my work inside. Have a peek of the article here.

The magazine is full of other inspiring crafter interviews, a new crafter directory, tutorials, and Father’s Day gift ideas. If you would like to browse through the magazine, have a cup of tea at the ready and click the slideshow below;



Happy June! :)

Posted in: ceramics interview, creative crafting magazine, News
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Trip to Dairy Farm & some more news

March 08, 2010   Charlotte   1 Comment


We visited a local dairy farm at the weekend, where they are holding a series of lambing weekends throughout March. It was a lovely day, the sun was so bright and its the first time I’d seen clear blue skies in a while. I got a bit too excited by the sun and thought I’d be ok without a coat, and soon realised I was wrong when the cold winds starting blowing! But it really felt more like spring, especially seeing the lambs.


The little guy above was my favourite, he was very curious! It was also nice to see the mummy sheep looking after their babies. A few of them started stomping their hooves on the ground when too many people crowded the pens, I think they were trying to protect their babies and scare the people away. There were lots of sheep still waiting give birth.


We could have stayed at the farm all day admiring the cute lambs and waiting for some movement from the sheep, but the cold wind sent us home into the warmth to cook a roast dinner.

We did have a wander round some of the little shops near to the farm, and it was outside the flower shop where we came across this cheeky cat sunbathing on the flower stand!

~ News ~
Aside from visiting the lambs and enjoying the sunny weekend, I was pleased to have made a sale on Swanky Maison. I’ve also added a few new items to my product range on Swanky Maison so be sure to check them out for some last minute Mothers Day gifts!

Other exciting news included my Bumpy Hill Ceramic Pot being featured in an article on The Storque on Etsy, which is their handmade blog linked from the home page and gets lots of views per day.

I was also excited to receive an order from a follower on Twitter at the weekend – which started from general chatting with a follower I didn’t know I had! The order is for a big plant pot so I’m working on that at the moment. Will be keeping you up to date with progress photos!

PLUS I am a featured sponsor on the popular Rikrak Studio Blog in March, and there is an “I Love my Sponsors Giveaway” going on over there. All you have to do is visit each of the 32 different sponsors’ shops (including mine!), and leave separate comments saying which items are your favourite. The winner will receive a $25.00 gift voucher for any of the sponsors’ online shops. Good luck!

Posted in: commissions, dairy farm, etsy, etsy storque, lambs, News, order, plant pot, sales, swanky maison, Trips, twitter
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Wholesale order

February 26, 2010   Charlotte   10 Comments
I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a couple who are about to open a new gift store in historic Lavenham in Suffolk, stocking handmade products from around the world. They were keen to stock a large selection of my work – I was delighted. They purchased some of my products upfront, and collected them earlier this week. It was nice to meet someone face to face who has bought so much of my work.

The new shop, ‘Gifted in Lavenham’ is due to open around mid March. The old tudor style town where the shop is based looks very picturesque. I think the shop will be successful, especially within this type of location.

They are going to put a large photo of me making my work up on the wall, that is such a compliment!


So I’ve been on a high all week, and have been frantically churning out new designs. It’s a good feeling!

Posted in: Galleries, handmade gift shop, historic lavenham, lavenham suffolk, News
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Joined Etsy & Featured in a Treasury!

February 24, 2010   Charlotte   4 Comments
I decided to join Etsy a few days ago, I thought it would be good to start getting my work noticed worldwide as well as in the UK. I’m really enjoying my experience of Etsy so far, there is so much to learn and I’m discovering new inspiring things every day.

You might have noticed a new feature in my side bar –>

It’s a link direct to my Etsy shop and shows a selection of the products that I currently have for sale. Feel free to visit my shop and ‘heart’ me if you are a fellow Etsyer! :)

I’m overwhelmed to already be featured in a treasury by handjstarcreations – It’s called ‘All Natural’, and my Organic Ceramic Planter was chosen to be featured amongst 11 other gorgeously natural findings.

Pay a visit to this treasury and leave a comment if you like what you see!
Posted in: CharlotteCeramics, etsy, etsy treasury, my etsy shop, natural, News
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I’ve been short-listed, please vote for me!

February 08, 2010   Charlotte   27 Comments

Wow, I can’t believe my Organic Tree Bark Vessel made it into the short-list in the Handmade Olympics for Event 1 – ‘Favourite Handmade Goodie with an Innovative Design’. I’m so pleased, thank you so much to everyone who voted for me.

Now I’m going to ask another cheeky favour! If you like my work, I’d be even more grateful if you could take a minute to vote for me in the final poll. When you get to the Rikrak Studio blog by clicking ‘vote for me’ above, scroll down past all 11 images, you will see my Organic Tree Bark Vessel is 6th down in the list. Keep scrolling down to the end of the images and you will come to the voting poll. Please leave a comment to let me know if you vote and I’ll try and return the favour by doing something nice for you – perhaps featuring your work on my blog.

For extra special features you could also mention my Organic Tree Bark Vessel in the Handmade Olympics and ask people to vote for me on your blog, or tweet about it on Twitter! :)

Don’t forget there are 8 different short-listed events to vote for (I’m in event 1). These are just a couple of the other products I voted for;

Favourite Handmade Goodie For Kids (Event 2)
Indoor Play Tent – Moozle Home

Favourite Handmade Eco-Friendly Goodie (Event 3)
Old print renewed – Oldrenewed
Posted in: Giveaways/Competitions, handmade olympics, News, organic tree bark vessel
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My Profile on Swanky Maison

January 29, 2010   Charlotte   3 Comments
My profile page on Swanky Maison has been set up about 2 weeks now, and there are a handful of my products available on the site. I couldn’t resist sharing this lovely statement wrote about me and my work by the two Swanky Ladies Cath & Emma, I think it makes my products sound inviting!

“We love Charlotte Hupfield’s work! Inspired by her natural surroundings, the peace and harmony she finds in the natural world simply oozes from her sculptures. All her creations are completely individual and unique making them the perfect additions to our boutique collection” Emma & Cath, Swanky Maison.


I’m also really pleased with the statement written about me and my work. You can view it on the Swanky Maison site here.

I’m feeling very positive with all of the much appreciated help, support and encouragement from Cath & Emma at Swanky Maison, they are doing a great job. Thanks ladies!
Posted in: charlotte hupfield profile, My Work, News, swanky maison
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  • Welcome to my blog!

    I hope you enjoy my news and updates about Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics. My blog is home to my latest work in progress, new work fresh from the kiln, craft projects, favourite recipes, inspiration, trips and holidays, and a little bit of life in general. I like to think of my blog as a place where you can get to know more behind the maker of the work on this website. Please feel free to comment on any of my posts - I would love to hear from you!

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