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It feels almost like I've given birth. Partly because this endeavor has taken just over nine months but also, like a new mother, I am super proud, fairly exhausted, and there has been some pain, but mostly joy. And, oh, what an adventure!
If you're not sure where to look first, I can point you to my personal favorites! In Tableware, it is the Dinner Bowl. This bowl is very versatile, and we use it in my home for everything. It's not so deep ingredients become buried at the bottom - making it great for curry, salads, or even a hearty breakfast. I also love the Latte Cup. We use both every day.
Among sets, favorite items include the Cup and Saucer. This is what I use for my own morning cup and sell out wherever I go. If the saucer is not your thing, then the cup used with the saucer is the Latte Cup (still my favorite of all the mugs). I also love the Bitty Bowls or the Dipping Bowls. We use these frequently - even my 19-year-old son will grab one to put ketchup in over squirting it on his plate.
In Vessels, my favorite is the Gourd Vase. It is lovely with flowers or alone. As a huge fan of Trader Joe’s flowers, I will pick up a bunch, and they look great. If not, the vase is just beautifully organic alone. I also love the Yarn Bowl. As a knitter, I've never been thrilled with the wooden choices that are more commonly available. But this one looks so great on a table; no one even realizes it is a yarn bowl (unless I'm knitting!)
Making the work comes naturally. This website stretched me in so many ways. So a post about it would not be complete without my gratitude list:
I am grateful to have started with the business name and logo first. If you are ever looking to start a business, this is the step before declaring a business structure, registering with your state, securing a domain, or bank account.
I am grateful to use Shopify as the website platform. Businesses of my size do not afford a custom website. As a maker of one-of-a-kind goods, Vesselry will never scale to where a custom site is affordable. If you are bootstrapping as I am, I highly recommend Shopify. The real beauty lies in the seamless inventory integration for selling at Art Festivals or on social media. When someone purchases in person or online, the moment the order completes, Shopify removes that item from inventory, ensuring I’ve not oversold a thing that is no longer available. Crucial for a maker whose product takes three weeks to make in most circumstances.
I am grateful to be using a theme from Out of the Sandbox. Not only is it (mine is Turbo) super fast and incredibly flexible, OOTS tutorials and customer service are amazing! All I had to do was upload content and follow along making adjustments as I watched their incredible tutorials. When I had a question, they were very responsive.I am grateful my first photos were terrible. I could not comprehend how I could have majored in art major, been a scrapbooker, a family photo-framer, and be so sorry at this! But it forced me to learn Lightroom where I could adjust exposures, and crop, and resize images and “tether capture”. It took a while to learn and improve, but by the end, I could take a single shot and know it was the one I needed. And now, when I make something new, I have the confidence I can take the photo and upload it to the website with relative ease.
I’m so very grateful for my children and my friends. They were so hugely supportive helping with photography, suggesting changes, proofreading and consistently encouraging when I felt overwhelmed.
And lastly, I’m grateful to get back into the studio making beautiful handcrafted porcelain ceramics for you.
