What Happened to Compassion?

I haven't been a good blogger lately, but I have a good excuse. I've had a lot on my mind.

So.... I've been thinking about compassion. It seems that a lot of people are lacking it.

How do you get compassion? Is it only through hardship? Or does it come hand in hand with gratitude? Or is it an act of love? Or a combination of all of the above?

I suppose it is comforting to believe that we are blessed because we deserve it and others suffer because they deserve it, but I'm not comfortable putting others down in order to raise myself up.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." The Dalai Lama.

That's my random, pre-coffee thought of the day.

Love and Chocolate

The only thing better than being in love is when the person you're in love with brings you chocolate! Love can be intoxicating or stabilizing. It can make you fly or give a firm foundation. Love is the best gift, and often the only gift, we can offer. Chocolate is a close second.

This handmade tumbler, sadly, is not made of chocolate. It is, however, created with love in our studio; it is wheel thrown and glazed in a chocolate brown with a sweet red heart.

New items are still being added to the Etsy Love Challenge. Here a a few more favorites. You can click the photos for more information or to visit their stores.

Jim Bridgeman of Bridgeman Studios has a whole line of these amazing ceramic balloon hearts.


This cut paper art from Crafterall is so sweet.


Everything Lesperance Tile does is worthy of talking about.
This tile is no exception!

I think I'm in love!

I posted this dish a week or two ago in the leather hard stage. Often, this is the romantic stage with pottery. Either you are in love with your piece - it is smooth, dark, and cool but still flexible enough to bend to your will; or you hate it. Occasionally you might let the hated ones grow on you, but by the time they are bone dry, you should know whether or not the relationship will work.So, this little guy passed the love test and went on to be bisque fired and then glazed and fired again. Sometimes, at this stage, you fall right back out of love. Some pieces go bad in the glaze firing and disappoint you with blisters or pinholes or even (gasp) cracking. I always wonder what I did to make them hurt me so. But this little guy was true to my heart and came out perfect!