~*~Happy Holidays!~*~

We want to wish you all a very happy holiday! We have been blessed with wonderful customers & wish all the best for you all in the new year!

HOLIDAY SHOP HOURS:

The shop will be CLOSED 12/25-12/31 so that we may spend the holidays with our family. We do apologize for any inconvenience. We will reopen on Thursday, Jan 1st!

Merry Christmas!

~Maker~

Kim, of cabin creek farm, had the following on her blog & while this blog is mostly for the shop & it's happenings, it spoke such volumes, I wanted to share with the readers here..thank you Kim!

~As I Faced My Maker~

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again.I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles.Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through! God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'

Bloemenbinder's Holiday Open House!

If you're in the Jamestown area, come by & see me at Bloemenbinder's Holiday Open House. I am SOOO excited to be a part of what looks to be a neat, fun event! Debbie & Denny do wonderful natural arrangements ~ rustic & gorgeous! Wonderful potted containers, etc. We went tonite to set up & ohhh everything looks so wonderful! There will also be other arts/crafters there! I'll be there with my primitives ~ a few new goodes too!, my friend Kim will be in the room with me with her sewn primitives, & there are many more vendors! Hope you stop by!

Saturday, December 6th ~ 9am-5pm

4520 Vickery Chapel Road

Jamestown, NC 27282

(Right across from Guilford College)

We'll also be there next Saturday too! December 13th ~ 9am-5pm

Christmas in the Country Holiday Open House!

Thank you to all of you who visited us this weekend! We were yet again blessed with a wonderful turnout (I think we have the best customers in the world!). And, thank you too, to those who schlepped out in the nasty weather Sunday. We appreciate each & every one of you!

Now, for those who sooooo loved our trees at the Christmas Show, but were too far away to come visit the shop, I promised I would post if we had any left. We have just a few so if you're interested, shoot us an email or call & we can ship right away. But hurry! They're going fast! :)

Whew!!

We are BACK home after 12 days in Charlotte!! We had a wonderful show ~ thank you to all our customers! We met lots of new people & were so happy to see returning customers too!
We also won an award!! We received Honorable Mention for our booth display! I was soo tickled! I will post pics later as soon as I get my camera dug out of the truck!

The rest of this week we will be feverishly preparing for our 6th Annual Christmas in the Country Holiday Open House!! What fun, what fun!! I will be sure to post a few sneak peeks as we progress thru the transformation into Holiday mode!

Christmas in the Country Holiday Open House
November 29th, 10am-6pm
November 30th, 1pm-5pm

REMINDER: We will be CLOSED this week to prepare the shop & will open on the 29th! Hope to see some of you here!

Southern Christmas Show!!

Come see us!! November 13th-23rd! We'll be overflowing with the best primitives, pottery, smell-goodes (potpourri, candles, etc.), and much more! We're booth 1110-1112! Hope to see you there! For info & directions visit http://www.southernchristmasshow.com/

NOTE: Our shop will be closed Nov. 12th-28th. We will reopen for our 6th Annual Christmas in the Country Holiday Open house on:
Saturday, November 29th, 10am-6pm
Sunday, November 30th, 1pm-5pm

AND the rest of the holiday season we will have extended shop hours!!!!

Wed-Sat 10am-8pm & Sundays just call ahead!

Signs?...CHECK!

Well, after over 40 hours of painting & 6 hours (!!) sanding, 200ish signs are ready for the Southern Christmas Show (and a few for the shop)!!! Yes, I now have a Popeye muscle on my right arm! LoL They still have to be stained, but that goes a bit quicker as David can help with that! We have a saying for everything ~ Outhouse, Laundry Room, Santa Claus is Coming to Town & many, many, more!! We'll be in booth 1110-1112!

~*~RoCkY HoRRoR PiCtUre ShOw~*~

What is Halloween without this classic?! I love it!!

DH & I just got thru watching it tonite ~ me for the upteenth time, hubby for the first time (he had seen bits & pieces & listened to the soundtrack endlessly because of me though! LoL)


My best friend in college & I both were addicted to it! And, so much so, in fact, Halloween 1997, we went to a live performance of it ~ in which the audience participates! What fun! Of course, you have to "dress" a part! Here's a pic of me with David (we had only been dating about a month at the time of this pic ~ boy he didn't know what he was gettin' into, hehe!!). Can you tell the pastey white make-up & blood red lipstick? See my funky gold tiarra?! What you CAN'T see is the rest of the black tux jacket, black strech bellbottom pants & funky platform shoes! What a fun nite we had! And, no, David did NOT go with us ~ we couldn't convience hubby & my bf's boyfriend/now-hubby to go with us! Wonder whY?? LoL
If you haven't seen it, DO so!! hehe!!

Changes!

Well, if you have found yourself here while trying to reach our website, we have made some changes!!! The website that our server was on was down for 2 weekends in a row, the last weekend lasting almost 5 days. While I have been with this company for many years, for the past 6 months there have been days off & on the website has been down & then for the past two weekends to last the way they did just seemed to be a sign we needed to move on..Quite frustrating & senseless to pay the money for a sight no one can view! We've been discussing this for a while, so for now at least, we will just do updates & such here (that way *knock on wood* there won't be the down times)....And, after the busy holiday season we hope to have our picturetrail sight up & running for sales! So don't worry ~ for those who are too far away to visit our shop or attend our shows, we will resume shipping as soon as I get that all set up! In the meantime, I will post goodies here as time allots & if anyone is interested OR interested in something that was on our website, please feel free to let me know!

Cheers to new changes! :)

Free!!

Kittens to good home! For those who know us & who have came to the shop, animals are a huge part of our life. And because we have a plethora of furry babies, our home & farm is running full!! Well, now a momma kitty has shown up here with 5 little kittens in tow! I really don't know how they find our way to us, but I guess they know we'll tend to them! Or feed them! LoL

The mom is quite skittish, but the kittens are old enough to be weaned so the babies are currently living in our sunroom awaiting their forever home! We just put them in there last nite & "showed" them the liter box, well, they took right to it! So they're all liter box trained if anyone should decide they want to keep them inside!

I will post pics of them tomorrow ~ there are 4 boys & 1 girl! If anyone's interested in the meantime, please email!

Thanks!

Yay!!!

My dear friend Lori awarded me this awesome award! AND she also tagged me to list things about myself & then tag 6 others. So here we go!

1. I'm majorly ADD & OCD. (which explains why I make a gazillion different products ~ myself! LoL)

2. I'm an only child.

3. I have 2 degrees in Computer Sciences ~ one for office systems (mostly computer software) & one in information systems technology (everything from web design to networking to building a computer). I love designing graphics & product labels, etc. but other than that, I HATE working on the computer! LoL

4. I LOVE to bake ~ I want to own my own bakery in another life!

5. I asked my hubby out! After months of waiting on him to ask me out, I couldn't wait any longer! I just thought he was too darn cute! hehe!! After we'd been dating a while, he said he had always wanted to ask me out but thought I was already taken! To think we wasted those other months!

6. I'm very shy ~ until I get to know someone well...

OK, so now I'm tagging 6 more:

1. Beth at Olde Tyme Marketplace

2. Judy at The Cinnamon Stick

3.Barbara at N.C. Cabin in the Woods

4. Jen at Just Country

5. Gina at Cat Nap Inn Primitives

6. Barbara at Turkey Hollow

Thanks again Lori!!

A basket full of.....gingers????

Well, it was supposed to be the basket to put my gingerbread men as I finished stuffing them, but my sweet Mara, decided the basket looked like a wonderful place to curl up!

We are working feverishly to get all sorts of goodies ready for the Southern Christmas Show in November and our Holiday Open House after we get back from show. So while the posts here may get more sporatic as we get closer to November, we are still "here" ~ just covered in fabric, fluff, paint, clay, sawdust, wax, etc...LoL

We will be sure to update with the dates & our booth for the Southern Christmas Show, and of course, we'll be adding info for our 6th Annual Christmas in the Country Holiday Open House!

The NEW look!

Well, for those who couldn't make it out this past weekend for the Harvest Gathering, you're in for a treat when you do come!! We finally got the remodel all done ~ just in time! So here's a little before/after:

BEFORE:

AND A FEW AFTER SHOTS!:

See the NEAT cabin walls??! With REAL chinking?! We also got a new beadboard ceiling (stained, not painted) AND no more fluorescent lights ~ we got some great punched tin fixtures!! A full cabin look & feel! Very primitive ~ to go with our merchandise!

So, stop in soon! :)

A Big Thank you!!

We just want to say a HUGE thank you to all those who came out to our Harvest Gathering AND to celebrate our 5 year anniversary!! We are both humbled & blessed with such amazing, wonderful customers!

Also, a thank you of sorts to Hurricane Hanna ~ though she did drench us with lots of rain, her timing could not have been better as she made her way out Saturday morning just in time for opening!

Thank you again~

lisa & david

~*~HaRvEsT GaTHeRiNg aT HoMeTHrOwN PoTTeRy~*~

Come celebrate the harvest season with us! We will have ready for you the best witches, pumpkins, crows, candles, signs ~ all things you need for fall decorating! And, not to be forgotten, our wonderful primtive furniture, pottery (including some fall redware pieces!!), handmade primitives, antiques & much more!!

We're also celebrating our 5th anniversary! We'll be introducing customer appreciation cards, a raffle & much more! And wait 'til you see the shop's new look!

We hope to see you!!

Saturday, Sept. 6th ~ 10am-6pm

Sunday, Sept. 7th ~ 1pm-5pm

Pa trip

Here's a few pics of the goodes we picked up while on our buying trip to Pa this week!! YES, we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies coming down the road, but we couldn't pass some of the finds up! We had left the trailer at home because it's still tourist season in Pa so we didn't want to have to fight that traffic with a trailer....
But, sad to think I still left some goodes behind that just wouldn't fit!!!!

The goodies are still waiting to make their way into the shop ~ some may not know, but we've been under major demo & David's been finishing up the last details this weekend. Sooo, I've had to wait for him to get done before I can move things around & get the goodies in!! They'll be ready to go for our Harvest Gathering in a few weeks! More details later...

~*~A wonderful time~*~

David & I just spent the past few days in Pa on one last buying trip before fall open house & the holiday season begins. And, while it was a "business" trip, the one treat I had on my list was to go up to the Cinnamon Stick in Hereford, Pa. Here's a pic of the outside (borrowed your pic Judy, hope you don't mind!):

The shop, to say the least, is a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e. And Judy is the sweetest little shopkeeper! We truely enjoyed our visit & oh the goodies she has! If you're in the area & looking for unique primitives (and wonderful handmade ones, too), then you HAVE to head to her shop! Tell her I sent ya :) And, of course, while you're there, Homespuns is next door & shopkeeper Kay has wonderful hand-dyed woolens, bolts & bolts of fabric & other sewing goodes.

As for how we made out on our buying trip, well, we've got LOTS of goodies to pile into the shop! I'll post pics of some of our finds tomorrow. For now, it's back to the shop to work & wiggle some of the goodies in!

SUMMER PORCH SALE!!!!!!

Today & Tomorrow ONLY, August 1st & 2nd, we've got a whole ton of goodies out on the porch for 50-80% off!!!! Almost all items are priced below my wholesale price! Stop in this weekend to get some great deals & stock up for the holidays!! Treenware, cutting boards, wooden geese, soup mixes, & much more are on sale!!

And, the sales continue inside with our Garden-in-a-Bags for 50% off!! These are wonderful to grow year round & make wonderful gifts for the gardener in your life (or those who have everything!).

Blog award!!

My sweet friend at Diane, at http://www.aprimitivejourney.blogspot.com/ awarded me with this special award!

Now, I'm asked to pass the award on to others. So of course, Jill at http://www.thefruitofherhandstudio.blogspot.com/ is a top choice! Megan, at http://www.americanprim.blogspot.com/ has a great blog, too! And the mother daughter duo & fellow shopkeepers at http://www.thecountryjuntion.blogspot.com/ have a great blog & yummy recipes from time to time!

Thank you, thank you, again Diane! :)

A New Location for our goodes!

We're still keeping up shop here, don't get me wrong! We've just expanded! David & I, along with my dear friend Beth, spent the better part of yesterady settin up shop in Salisbury. Nestled in the historic town, in an old factory (dating back to pre-WWI!), the factory has been beautifully renovated into an emporium full of all sorts of goodies ~ from antiques to home decor & primitives, there's something for everyone! We have a wonderful selection of our pottery, soy candles, soy lotions, soy room sprays, sewn goodes, primitive wares, and much more down there! All the furniture pieces, by the way, are David's handiwork & are all for sale. So if you can't make it up this way, be sure to stop in the Emporium! AND if you happen to be in the Emporium, we're only 30 more minutes up the road, so check out both locations! We'll be continually adding new things in both locations!

Just in!!

We just recieved our shipment of Crossroads Reed Diffusers! If youv'e never used one, these things are great! And we picked scents that were close to our best-sellers in our soy candle line. They're perfect for an office, bathroom, or just a little spot you want some scent without burning a candle. And they last for a long, long time! We also have the holders, too! Not neccessary, but nice if in a "high traffic" area, to keep the diffuser from getting knocked over!

DON'T FORGET!! FLAG WEEK ENDS TOMORROW! 20% OFF ALL FLAGS!

Flag week!

In honor of flag day, Saturday June 14th, we're celebrating all week long! From Wednesday the 11th-Saturday the 14th, all flag goodies will be 20% off! We've got in some great flag bunting ~ already tea stained & outdoor safe! (shown above), neat little flags on spindles (see in the redware pic below), and lots of tea stained flags to tuck into buckets, watering cans, etc.

So stop on in & celebrate flag day!

New goodies!!

Sorry it's been sooo long since I posted! I've been working feverishly on some new goodies! Here's a pic of just a few of the sewn goodies that went out to the shop Saturday evening!

And FINALLY here's a pic of the new redware!!

Hope you stop in soon to check out all the new wares!!

New REDWARE!!

Due to the overwhelming success of the holiday redware designs I did, I've been working off & on on some new designs....Well, after a few misses, I finally hit on some designs I liked the outcome of !

The line is ALL patriotic pieces! There are stars, flags, etc. They came out wonderful & we just spent this afternoon reworking an area in the shop to display these pieces in all their "glory"!

Parting ways...

I've decided it's time to part ways with some things in my personal collection.

Sooo what does this mean?

Lots of these primitive wares will be available in our brick & mortar store! All the items
are pieces that I just simply love tho no longer have the room for....so they're in need of a
new home! I've added a few things today ~ an old chippy black bench & an old quilt! I'll
be digging out more things & taking them to the shop in the morning! So if you're in the area,
we hope you'll stop in!

On a side note, we have a smaller, but still good! selection of herbs & flowers left!
Hurry while they're still here!

I've been in a patriotic mood lately with things I've been working on...maybe it's because I'm a Memorial Day baby (which my dear hubby keeps reminding me is NOT far off)...or because now that spring open house has passed, I feel like it's time for stars & stripes...

In all actuality, I LOVE flags. Especially old ones. In fact, we have our spare bedroom done up in patriotic theme...

so where am I going with this??!

Wellll...

being in a patriotic mood has been carried over into the shop. I just got in a shipment of star flag bundting ~ tea stained. They really are pretty! I've finished up some sweet little liberty bust dolls. VERY cute!! Extremely primitive, too! And I'm working on a few more patriotic dolls & a wonderful punchneedle piece.

So stop on in the shop to find lots of goodies for your patriotic home ~ even if just for the summertime!!

A New Look....

If you've found your way to my blog via another way other than my website, then I hope you'll hop on over & check out our new look www.homethrownpottery.com ! We have a complete new graphics set, created by the wonderful Terri of Pumpkin T Graphics . She does amazing graphics & is super-fast!
Let me know what ya think of the new look!!

AND

along with the new look, be sure to keep an eye out on the website for new products!! I'll be adding some new products to the website in the next few weeks!

A Thank you...

to all those who schelped out in the rain & mud yesterday & today for our Open House. We enjoyed the visits from old friends ~ and new! ~ and hope to see you all again soon!

On another note, everyone who made it out enjoyed the availability & selection of herbs & flowers so much that I've decided to offer them for a few more weeks! But hurry! Once they're gone, no more will be in stock! We have all the wonderful common herbs & some really unique annuals & perinnials. A few hanging baskets left too ~ including some hummingbird plants!

ALSO the Tomato Leaf lotion & soap didn't get bottled in time for this weekend (I just ran out of time!) so I'll be finishing it up & will have it out in the shop this week. As well as some more sewn goodies (a few dolls, some sheep & new rabbits).

Sooo if you didn't make it out this weekend, we hope you'll stop in soon to see the new goodies!!
Thanks again!

Spring Gatherings at Homethrown Pottery!!

This weekend is our FIRST annual SPRING OPEN HOUSE ~ aptly called "Spring Gatherings at Homethrown Pottery" because...well....I wanted something catchy...AND we have a huge gathering of spring goodies for this weekend! I'm still frantically sewing away, painting furniture, pouring candles, working on soap....The last load of pottery went into the kiln last nite & will come out Friday evening. I have quite a few new pottery pieces ~ the shelves will be fully stocked! And David took the day off work today to help get a few more things finished up ~ a few more cabinets & birdhouses...

AND

to destruct our kitchen..

YES! of ALL times for something to go wrong, our refridgerator DIED yesterday. Kaput...According to the repairman it had lived its life & would be cheaper to buy a new one...Well if you haven't bought a fridge lately, it's like buying a small used car! It took a trip to Lowes & to Sears ~ and 4 hours later ~ before we commited to one..BUT what does this have to do with destruction of our kitchen? Well, I didn't want a regular refridgerator this time ~ I wanted a side-by-side. And he said "Oh, it'll fit." Turns out he was humoring me. It needs an extra 1/2" at least...So he & papaw are going to have to "modify" (his words) the hole a bit to make it fit. Mind you there's a wall on one side & cabinets on the other so I have NO idea how he will be modifying. I probably don't want to know..And did you all know they no longer keep fridgerators in stock? My guess would be because there's too dadgum many to choose from & they have no room. It's ridiculous the choices! So it will be delivered in all its glory ~ in the rain ~ tomorrow...

I digressed...

DID I MENTION?

We will have a wonderful selection of herbs & flowers for this weekend too!!
I hope if you're in the area you venture out this way!

SPRING GATHERINGS AT HOMETHROWN POTTERY
Saturday April 5th ~ 10am-6pm
Sunday April 6th ~ 1pm-5pm

Off to show...

We'll be heading out in the morning for the Spring Crafts in the Afternoon at the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market. We've been participating in this show for 5 or so years now. It's a sweet little show & we've made several friends there over the years. We haven't seen many of them since the Christmas show, so along with setting up to show we'll be catching up with dear friends! There are quite a few talented artists there & a large variety of items. I'll be beside my dear friend, Kim McEntee, who makes wonderful primitive dolls. And very close to us will be Zaytoon's booth, which is also a wonderful Mediterranean cafe in Greensboro. They always have the most wonderful goat cheese & spinach pitas (really a flaky crossiant), and stuffed grape leaves, olives, ohhh lots of yummies!!
If you're in the area, the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market is on Yanceyville St. in Greensboro, across from the old ball stadium (not far from A&T as well).
I'll have a good variety of pottery, lots of spring primitives, & sprays, lotions, etc. They only allow us one table, but we're going to cram as much as we can on there!! :)

Hello in there!

This has to be one of my favorite pics! I was searching thru files on my computer this morning & came across this one, so I thought I would share. This is our sweet "daughter", Freckles. It was taken a few years ago when we first brought our female sheep home ~ we were in the stall with them & of course, she wanted to see what was going on!

New goodies in the shop!

Well, I'm back from Charlotte & have almost rested up! I worked a bit as time allowed at the show & have finished up two more punchneedle pieces ~ and just finished up a small hooked rug this morning!

Along with these new pieces I've finished up, I have lots of goodies to put out in the shop in the morning! I have some new sewn goodies ~ from sheep to rabbits to pillows & more! As well as a few new candle scents & a few new spray scents, some wonderful cupboard candles, and some wooden rabbits that David made! They turned out super-neat! He took a few with us to Charlotte & the response was wonderful so he has a few to put out in the shop, too!

As most of you know, David & I make 95% of the items in the shop, but I do bring in items to compliment the shop ~ braided rugs, amish barn stars, cookbooks, etc. And with our Spring Gathering coming up in just a few weeks, new goodies have already started arriving!!

A change of pace...

For those familiar with my work, you'll know that "pretty" raggedies are not normally my style...Most of my works are much more primitive...But I have ventured outside the box a bit & created this lil' gal the other day...She has wool hair that has been felted on ~ another new venture of sorts for me (I've only tried it one other time on a Santa's beard)...Anywo, she still needs an outfit ~ I can't decide what looks best on her! hehe! If she manages to get dressed in time, she'll be going with me to Charlotte...If not, then she'll be in the shop after I get back...Let me know what ya think! :)

Getting ready....

Show season starts up in just a week for us here! We were invited to be a part of the Southern Spring Show in Charlotte, NC, which is a (long) 5 day show. It's been a rush getting things ready, but it has given me a jumpstart on spring mode. Though I do love winter, I know most customers are a little tired of my snowmen! lol So I've been stitchin' away on some new designs ~ from rabbits to sheep to raggedies & much more! If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by the Charlotte Merchandise Mart ~ booth 2318 & check us out! I started binding a few rugs las nite, so this will be the first chance to purchase some of my hooked rugs...
If you can't make it, though, I'll have lots of new goodies in the shop when I return!
For those interested, the show dates are Feb. 27th-Mar. 2nd.
Now, back to work! :)

What's all the hype about??

Well, I must admit, I read several of my favorite prim designers' blogs for quite some time now ~ I have a habit to visit a few of them every day! So I thought I knew what a blog was..But when my hubby asked me what a blog was & why everyone has one, I wasn't sure how to explain!! lol So, after lurking at all of my favorites for all this time, I'm starting my own (I DO love to write! and ramble! lol)....Maybe when hubby sees mine he'll finally "get it"?! we'll see! :)