What an amazing Father I have!

My God has blessed me with the most amazing family! I have more than 100 relatives that live in a 20 mile radius from me! I love them all so very much! One of the most important people in my life is my Dad. What an awesome guy he is. He has done so much for me throughout the years. Mostly showing me how to be a good person. A person who stands up for what's right. A person who will always be there to help whoever may need it. A person who has soooo many things that he wants to do, needs to do, but will drop it all for anyone who needs a helping hand.  Anytime I need a car repair or home repair or just some good advice, my dad has always been there for me, no questions asked. 

When I got interested in pottery a little over 2 years ago, he was there to support me in any way he could. Just about 3 months ago, I came to him with an idea. I wanted a way to do demonstrations at festivals that had no electricity. We started looking and found plans for a treadle (kick) wheel. Well, needless to say, he was off to work. Excited about it. Spending most of his spare time on it. Wow, how lucky am I to have such support! See I told you he was great! Now, It is up and running and man, is it pretty!  

Stokes Stomp!!

Well, I have successfully done my first festival!!! It was at the Stokes Stomp that's held in Danbury, NC, right on the banks of the Dan River. What a beautiful experience. I have been to the Stokes Stomp many years in the past for a day visit. This year, a group of friends got together and rented rooms at the lovely Whippoorwill Inn. The Inn is located right across the river from the festival. So, I got to spend the entire weekend on the river. I met so many nice and interesting people and had the opportunity to share my craft with everyone there. I got lots of compliments and buyers! It was truly an amazing time. I ended up selling 19 pieces of pottery! Not too bad for my first craft show! 

Now, that I know what its all about, I am striving to make this a very regular thing. I want to do any and all festivals that I can. So, look for me at your next local craft show, I may just be there!!! 

♥ Getting Started ♥

Well, my name is Monica and I am a potter. I started doing pottery in the fall of 2010. I had always wanted to throw pottery on a wheel and thought what better way than to build a homemade wheel and give it a try. As my dad and I started to put the pieces together using a video from the web and his skills as a master carpenter, I met someone who had just started taking a pottery class. With some help from my dad to pay the cost, I also started the class.

The very first night, I was sooo excited. My dream to make pottery was becoming reality. The first time I sat behind the wheel and was told to center a piece of clay, I was completely lost. Slowly thru the night, I realized how amazing this process really is. By the end of the night, I had made 3 pieces!!!! They weren't bad either. My teacher said I was a natural! I was so happy. The class lasted 10 weeks and I made a lot of pottery. The following Christmas I sold lots of my pottery for Christmas presents and gave the rest away to family and friends.

While going to class, my dad and I completed the pottery wheel. Now, I could throw pots whenever I wanted! In my very last class, my teacher told me she new someone that was getting rid of some kilns and lots of pottery supplies and tools. The only catch was we had to clean out the whole basement. Gathered up my amazing family, some friends, and some trucks. We worked out butts of and cleaned out the basement that was from floor to ceiling with molds and tools and anything else you could possibly think of. WE DID IT!! I got 2 of the kilns to go in my studio and lots of tools.

Needless to say with a lot of hard work, I only had about $50 invested in my pottery studio.