Laurel Tree Pottery

10/11/2026

Every so often I peruse through pictures of mugs I have made (I sort of use Instagram as a gallery of when I remember to take a photo) and I think I should make something again. I'm thinking of making some Winter tree mugs again. What do you think?

10/02/2026

Something spooky is arriving at Kleather's Pumpkin Patch tomorrow morning… 👀🖤
Meet Mummasita — wrapped up, a little mysterious, and definitely high maintenance! 😂🌻
These little mummies took quite a bit of time to hand-paint all those details, so they’re a little more labor-intensive. But honestly… she’s worth the trouble and ready to haunt your morning coffee! 👻☕️

09/23/2026

“I want my Mummy.”

That’s what one of these mugs whispered to me this morning. 👀

Apparently, they’re starting to tell me what they want to be. 😂

This is what I accomplished in the studio today—8 mugs that made the cut and 3 little “failures” that will eventually become something useful. Because around here, a pottery fail isn't always a failure. Sometimes it’s just a piece waiting to tell me what it wants to be.

I have a pretty good idea what these mugs will end up being … but I’m not telling just yet. 😉

First, they have to dry, next, survive the creative process and then..survive the kiln!!! (I promise to let them thoroughly dry this time!)

If all goes according to plan, you’ll eventually see them at the Patch. 🎃

To be continued… 👀🖤

09/22/2026

Delivered to the best MIL. She loves it. 😊🌻🧡

09/19/2026

Finally getting around to doing some fall decorating. I made these ghosts last year. I put a little light under each of them as well. Now we just need cooler weather! 🍂🍁🧡💛👻

09/18/2026

I love when a vision comes together. These trio of ghosts will be at Kleather's Pumpkin Patch tomorrow. ❤️👻

Der Dutchman is getting delivered tonight, Sweet T Confections cakesicles tomorrow morning, Laura's Two-Bite Buckeyes, Anchored Baking Co cookies, our slushies, chais, and all the things available tomorrow morning!!
These mugs by Laurel Tree Pottery are just incredible!! Only 12 available, and we open at ten!
I cannot hold, I am sorry… but goodness how GORGEOUS! Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil! 👻 We also have a couple leaf mugs for tomorrow! Come out and see us!!

09/17/2026

🔥 A glaze fire is really a test in patience. 🔥

The firing itself takes about 11 hours, reaching 2,233°. Then it has to cool down, which takes another 11–13 hours. So, in my mind, I just schedule 24 hours for the whole process.

And opening that kiln? It’s like all the anticipation of a kid on Christmas morning. 🎄

Am I going to be happy?
Sad?
Frustrated?
Or doing that thing where I just stare at a piece and think, “Well…that didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.” 😂

This firing was especially exciting because I experimented with combinations of 2, 3, and even 4 different glazes. And the fun (and sometimes maddening) thing about layering glazes is that the results are never completely predictable.

You can have an idea in your head of what’s going to happen…and the kiln gets the final vote. 😉

I have one more hour to wait before I find out if this batch is going to be a 🎉 or a 😩.

So apparently, this is what the skeleton is doing too. 💀😂

Create slowly. Trust the process. And wait for the kiln.

09/13/2026

The first sentence at the top of the Laurel Tree Pottery page says, “Create slowly.”

I used to have a T-shirt in high school that said, “The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.” At the ripe old age of 67, I apparently still tend to identify with the T-shirt instead of the sage wisdom of creating slowly.

I was so excited about a special set of mugs I was going to take to Kleather’s. And then…

Boom.

The medallions all popped off.

This means things were just not quite dry enough. There was moisture — very apparently — still under the medallions.

I thought they were dry. They looked dry. They felt dry.

Things are not always as they appear.

I've been doing this for a long time, and in the beginning I did have more than my share of blow-ups. I knew better. I know to trust and honor the process.

Yep.

Did I?

Nope. 😂

The good news is that the mugs themselves are salvageable. I’ll use them to create some simply glazed mugs, which actually gives me a fun opportunity to experiment with different glaze combinations.

Will I try to recreate the original set? I’m not sure yet.

But I do know this: sometimes the pottery has a way of reminding you who is really in charge.

Apparently, today it was the clay.

So I’m going to take the hint.

Slow down. Let things dry. Trust the process.

And maybe someday I’ll finally outgrow that T-shirt. 😉

09/09/2026

I know AI is a bit of a hot topic these days, and I honestly don't know how everyone feels about it. So I thought I'd share how I use it in my creative process.
First, a little disclaimer about this turkey mug: the mug you are looking at is purely an AI mock-up. It does not exist…yet. 😂

My goal is to take what you see here and recreate it in actual clay.
This turkey started as an idea in my head. I knew the general look I wanted—the style, the feeling, the colors, the details—and I used AI to help me get that idea onto the screen.

Then I started the tweaking process, and yes, that did take a while.
And tweaking. And tweaking some more. 😂

“Move this.”
“Make that simpler.”
“Change the colors.” (which I am able to tell it exactly what glazes I want to use)
Eventually, I get to the point where I look at it and think, YES. That’s what I was seeing in my head.

That’s how I think about AI in my creative process. It isn't creating the idea for me. It’s helping me visualize and develop an idea I already have. And yes - it definitely speeds things up. Instead of spending hours trying to sketch something just to figure out if the idea works, I can experiment with different possibilities and make changes very quickly.

But getting the picture on the screen is only the beginning.

Now I have to figure out how to translate this into clay. What becomes a stamp? What gets carved? Will those glazes actually give me the look I want? How do I make all those little details work on an actual mug?

And there is absolutely no guarantee that what I make will look exactly like this. 😂I guess maybe that’s part of the fun??

So think of this image as my digital sketchbook. AI helps me take the vision in my head and turn it into something I can actually see and work from. Then it’s up to me to take that vision from screen → clay → kiln → finished mug.

I hope you don't think any less of me with the process I have started using. I get some great ideas. Now we'll see if I can pull it off. 🦃🤣❤

09/08/2026

Can we talk about Thanksgiving for a minute? 😂
Do you ever feel like Thanksgiving is the overlooked holiday?
It gets sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas and sometimes feels like…

🎃 Halloween: “LOOK AT ME!”

🎄 Christmas: “I’M HERE!!!”

🦃 Thanksgiving: “Um…hi. There’s turkey.” 😂

Well, I’ve decided Thanksgiving deserves better. So this year, Laurel Tree Pottery is giving Thanksgiving its moment. ❣️I have already designed the mugs (and NO, I’m not sharing them yet 😉), but I can tell you to think folksy + vintage…turkeys, old trucks, oak leaves, acorns, and all sorts of cozy Thanksgiving goodness.
And these are going to be work. There are LOTS of little glazing details, so they may be a little higher priced than some of my other mugs. But I think they’re going to be pretty special.

I’m shooting for a Thanksgiving drop the last week of October or the first week of November. 🦃🍂

I’m finishing up some fall pieces for Kleather’s right now, and then Thanksgiving is officially on the studio schedule.

Oh - and those little animal planters I’ve been teasing? 🐱🐶🦉🐷🐮
I haven’t forgotten about them! I’m thinking I may hold those back and see if they want to make their grand entrance as a Christmas release. 🎄

So basically…there’s a lot happening in the studio. And my poor husband is probably wondering where we’re going to put all of it. 😂 Stay tuned... ❤️

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