joyemadeclay.com
Hand thrown with love, these butter bells were made with a speckled clay that makes it a joy to hold. Butter bells are an easy way to class up your countertop while keeping your butter under wraps. Don't limit these babies to butter as they also love to hold your favorite cheeses. This dish is large enough to easily fit a ½ cup stick of butter.
Miss Betty is named after my grandmother who always placed a priority on the importance of fat in cooking. My aunt was always looking for ways to cut calories while cooking and my grandma Betty was infamous for sneaking behind her back to add in a little bit of bacon grease for a little bit of flavor.
Each item I make is made by hand with all of my attention, love and care. Making pottery has many stages that take a lot of time and caution. First, I either throw the item on my wheel or I handbuild it, depending on the item. Then, the object is left to dry for a few days to see that it does not dry too quickly. This prevents warping and cracks. Once dry, imperfections are taken care of and it goes into the kiln. This first firing is called a bisque firing. It is fired at 1000 degree Celsius (1900 Fahrenheit) for 8 hours and then it has to slowly cool overnight before I can unload the kiln. After the bisque firing and some cleaning of the piece, it is ready to glaze. Once the glaze has dried for a day, it is fired again at 1040 degree Celsius (1920 Fahrenheit). After 19-20 hours of firing and cooling, the piece is almost ready. I do some touch up sanding to the base, clean it off and it is ready for its new home.
As you can see, pottery is not only time intensive, but it requires care at every stage. The smallest variance of this process can bring about a completely different result. The beauty of a handmade piece is that I truly put all of my heart into every stage, making each item that I sell a little piece of my heart. Are there imperfections? Yes. But so much love is put into each piece that I hope those imperfections make you love it even more.