Warm Imbolc Greetings

I got an awesome comment from a customer on Etsy today. She had bought two mugs from me recently and was making inquiries about buying two more. In her note to me she said: ""If you're wondering why so many mugs in a short span of time: I decided I hate washing glassware, and handmade ceramic is so much more satisfying to me to hold and use anyway" (from Jennet)
Isn't that cool?!
It makes me so happy that she prefers handmade pots to commercial glassware & even happier that she wants so much of MY pottery!
Selling my pottery is always useful in that it gives me money to buy more supplies so i can make more pots & it feeds my belly as well but comments like those feed my soul.
And the timing is perfect for Imbolc, which in my tradition is all about Brigit & her sacred hearth, the fire of inspiration that keeps us warm in the depth of winter.
What is keeping you warm "in the belly"(one of the original meanings of the word Imbolc) of this winter? I hope that whatever it is, you drink it from one of my mugs!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We're back, just in time to remind folks about one of my favorite events of the Holiday Season:

Please join us in the beautiful bucolic Maryland countryside for the annual

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE and STUDIO TOUR!

At ART of FIRE's wonderful compound in Laytonsville Maryland Saturday and Sunday December 5 & 6 and then again December 12 & 13 From 10 till 5 all 4 days.

As has become tradition, TUATHA, that wonderful traveling gallery of Celtic Loot will be sharing our space and our neighbor from the Maryland Renaissance Festival, Allen the Printmaker, will be in Art of Fire's gallery- that's 4 amazing artisans in one stop!

But wait, there's more! We'll be selling mead making kits and more to the point, we'll have mead SAMPLES from Ambrosia Farm- as well as hot cider and of course, Theda's amazing cookies in the gallery! And GreenMan Leather will have some good stuff, we've got some great sage bundles from D's native american pals & i've finally got some hand knitted hats to sell- you gotta check out my Pumpkin Hats for adults! And Acorn Hats. And Gnome Hats too!

And, there's even more: we're just one stop on Countryside Artisan's Studio Tour, which has some great new studios nearby- you can pick up a map from us or download one from their site: http://countrysideartisans.com

You can get all of your holiday shopping done without ever setting foot in a mall. We've got gifts for Celts and anyone else with great taste, and it's all handmade by folks who's passion for what they do shines through into the art and craft they make and sell. It's a gift not only for the folks you give to, but also to yourself- you don't have to go to the mall or through the computer, you can actually get out into the fresh air, meet real people, share some mead and cider, talk, laugh, relax and get your holiday shopping done at the same time!

We can't wait to see you there. Please come and visit, cause I miss my Maryland (and DC and Virginia) peeps. I wanna catch up & get some hugs & maybe even sell you some pottery while i'm at it!

PS bring your friends & relatives, spread the word... i'm broke & would love to meet your pals, especially if they appropriate great Celtic pots & other loot!

for detail & directions you can go to either the Countryside Artisans site or Art of Fire's site: http://artoffire.com or our website: http://dancingpig.com or be really old fashioned and call us: 304-377-1952

We Aren't Dead! (yet)

...though Pennsic and the Maryland Renaissance Festival almost killed us off.
(above, me & my family modeling our spiffy new Dancing Pig shirts at Assateague Island on our all too brief August vacation)
We've returned to the hills of West Virginia to rest up & restock.
We've got our Etsy stores back up & are making plans for Holiday Sales.
We're looking forward to the SCA Holiday Market Fair in Manassas Virginia on November 21
and then we'll be at December Studio Tour and Holiday Open House at the Art of Fire Glass Studio in Laytonsville Maryland for the first two weekends of December.
We'll have lots of pots and plenty of other goodies for sale at both events so start making plans & we'll see you at one or both of these fine festive events!

(on the right, my friend & fellow merchant scum, Mary P from Tuatha Gallery at last December's Open House. How much fun is she having? You need to come find out!)


I gotta go make more pots!!!