What was your dinner served on tonight?

I am always taken off guard whenever we go to someone's house for a meal and we get boring dishes that came from a department store or that they picked up second hand somewhere. (Or even worse, paper plates and plastic cups!)  I guess I'm so used to eating and drinking from handmade wares that I often take it for granted.

I'm in the process of packing up some pots that we have had around for several years and I'm going to gift them to some folks who I know will love to use them in their home.  I am also going to give some things to people who may not even be aware that having handmade crockery is an option.  It will be a good opportunity to educate some folks and to pass on the joy of pottery.

Tonight I made tortellini with a homemade tomato sauce.  I sauteed zucchini and yellow squash to go on top.  Delicious, and even better eaten out of some of our favorite dishes.

On the left a shallow bowl by Michael Kline, on the right a dish made by Marcia Tani Paul. In the back cups by Stanley Anderson (left) and Bulldog Pottery (right).


We have so many pots in our home that we use constantly.  It's really does make a difference to use a pot that works so well for it's intended purpose.  Just this morning I mixed up biscuit dough in a large stoneware bowl that I made years ago.  It was neat remembering back to when I'd made it and it held the contents of my ingredients just perfectly.  Pots that we have bought from other potters usually carry a story, from meeting the potter, to visiting them at their studio or at a show, that memory comes back each time I take a pot out to use.


In a world where most objects are bland, poorly made, and carry no connection to other human beings its great to have handmade pots in our home to use and enjoy.  I know it may sound cheesy, but they make life better.


Looking forward to tomorrow morning when I'll pick a favorite mug to have my tea in.  Wonder which one it will be?....