Newly Listed: Earthenware Artisan pottery

Earthenware Artisan pottery, Multiple Openings Bud Vase, Studio Pottery Pots, home decor, Farmhouse, Vintage Rustic Country Living by StarHomeStudio

MM Linen Santharia Multi Quilt Cover Set by LuxeBedding

Dark Bedroom Plants by quietjoyathome

Pottery town: Karacasu

This last weekend I went to another photo expedition. I will divide my trip in 3 blog posts because I have too many photos I want to share. Our bus took off at 6:30 am on Saturday and we drove for 3 hours to Karacasu.

Karacasu has a part that kind of stuck in time, everything has a layer of red dust because of the clay.

There are artisans that make the potteries.

Men and women that keep fires going to bake the potteries.

Painters.

This soap dish was very muddy and rustic and although it looks old it is actually just dirty and plastic :)

The clay was also prepared there.

And a lot of the work places were kind of cave like old stone buildings.

Everywhere you could see broken pieces.

And all the houses were red from the clay dust.

A little uphill was just a rustic old town, without the red dust.

With old doors and windows, it was like going back 50-60 years.

This old lady was happy to pose, although I rather wanted to photograph her natural :)

After that we went in to the center of the town, where there was a beautiful Mosque.

With beautiful hand painted details hand wood work.

The old water taps were not working anymore, instead there were new ones a little further ahead. Muslims wash their faces, ears, hands, arms and feet before praying, hence why there are always water taps in front of mosques.

We also passed a old school iron worker, and he was happy to pose while working.

Even the electricity was old school at some places :)
I will share more of my trip next week.

Newly Listed: Asymmetrical Pottery Earrings

Asymmetrical Pottery Earrings with Pearls Blue Beach Pottery Sea Tumbled Pottery by StaroftheEast
Nature photography-Icy Blue-winter landscape-icicles-dripping -cabin by IrishVikingDesigns
Sea Wave, Nautical Photography, Ocean, Stormy Sea, Dark Mysterious, Sea Storm by BreeMadden
Beach Decor Photography, sand grasses, Dunes, nature fine art by moonlightphotography

Collaboration with Azulado

For several months Sandra from Azulado and I have been talking about working together on a collection. I love her sea inspired pottery like this beautiful barnacle bowl and the spoon dish below in shape of a fish. She also makes ceramic jewelry, you can find them in her shop.

Mean while last week her first package arrived with supplies to use in our jewelry.

I gave an idea of what I wanted and Sandra made some yummy cabochons, the starfishes are funny enough her idea, I had not thought of a star :)

And here are my first two pieces with Sandra's work incorporated in them.

 
I love the direction these ceramic pieces are taking me, especially during these cold days these sea treasures warm me up :)

Sandra makes all of the ceramic pieces in her studio in Portugal, all pieces are made by hand, fired at 2012.0 Fahrenheit (1100 degrees Celsius) glazed and then fired again for strength.

More pieces are in the making, so stay tuned!

Thank you!

First of all I want to thank everyone who supported Sandra these past few days, she so much needed it. Our giveaway has come to an end, but any purchase will still be greatly appreciated by her, she has a lot of beautiful items in her shop so be sure to remember her when you need a gift.

She was supposed to be released yesterday from the hospital, but unfortunately she will be there a little longer. I got a message from her cousin telling that she is doing well but that her clinical status is not completely solved yet. Hopefully with all your help she will have a big smile on her face once she arrives home (hopefully in a few days).

And here is the randomly picked winner from our giveaway:

~~HEYME~~

Please contact me for your address and to let me know in which color you want your tree :)

The Season of Kindness

I am sure that all our readers remember our Etsy friend Sandra, who lost her husband almost a year ago.

Sandra has a hellish year behind her. Besides her grief she has encountered lots of ill will from the people that were supposed to stand by her.

Sandra and her little boy lived in an old farm house and used an other space as a workshop that both belonged to her husband and his siblings. It was accorded that she could stay there and pay the taxes and the upkeep.

A few weeks after her husband's death, they told her to vacate the workshop. She didn't protest and converted  the stable of the farm in a new workshop. She did most of the work herself, but still, she had to make expenses to do it that she could hardly afford.

And, of course, when that was done, they wanted her out of the house. They started a pestering campaign , cutting her phone, her electricity, when she had work in the kiln, etc.
She has resisted as much as she could, but the stress was too great and finally she caved in and has moved to a rented apartment.

Sandra is a very brave young woman, and in the middle of all those unsavory maneuvers, she never stopped working, making products to sell locally and on Etsy.

Despite her best efforts, she is really struggling financially.

Kindness should not be limited to this season. But it is the season of celebration, family warmth and joy, and the season to remember those who lack all that.

Sandra has a bunch of great new items in her shop. She has the most lovely Christmas ornaments for a price that most people can easily afford. And we all need Christmas ornaments, don't we? And presents for a bunch of relatives, right?

If every one that reads this would buy at least a small item from her shop, Sandra and her little boy would have a Christmas, maybe not happier, but at least a bit more carefree.

To thank you for your kindness, we will send one of our Christmas trees (in the color of the winner's choice) to one or more of the people who buys from her. We will lot a Christmas tree  for every fifty entries.
Leave the transaction nr. in your comment here (or contact us through Etsy if you like to keep it private) to enter the raffle to win a Sea Urchin Tree.

Please, spread the word among your friends and let's share the kindness.  It is the Season of Kindness.


P.S. We had written and planned this post for the weekend, but are posting it earlier because Sandra is in hospital since last Wednesday.
She has pleurisy, and they have put a chest tube in her back to expel air from the pleural space.
She will be home probably on Monday, but as you can imagine, the situation is even more dire now.
Please help if you can.