Perfectly romantic anniversary story...

"Can I tell you that my husband and I both ordered one. And didn't know. I opened the box with his in it thinking it was mine that I ordered lol. I had to tell him because the box was opened. He ordered it a little differently, so we both thought it was hilarious that we both ordered one so we're gonna have both in our house. It's a great story.
Thanks"

There's something so very delightful about the unexpected moments we share with our loved ones. A couple, both excitedly anticipating their own unique pottery piece from Zotter the Potter, only to discover that they’ve both ordered the same item! This perfectly romantic story captures the joy as they unpack their surprise gifts.. The shared chuckle over the mix-up turns into a cherished memory, a reminder of their connection and the fun they have together.

At Zotter the Potter, we believe that every piece of personalized pottery tells a story, and it's these happy surprises that make life even more beautiful. Crafted with love and attention to detail, our pottery is not just a gift; it's a memory waiting to be created.

zotterthepotter

zotterthepotter Etsy store

Let It Snow...

   The first blasts of snow are magical.

Let It Snow pot available on our Zotter The Potter Etsy Store

                                                                                                                                                                         

It's the little things that make our day...

We love hearing from customers: 

Name:        Gina R
Message:
I would like to request Email specials. I received a marriage crock as a gift - and love it! It's sitting right in my kitchen, where I can see and use it every day. I think it is a fabulous and personalized gift to give to
friends.

Thank you!
Gina

 Marriage Crock shape (MC) with holly logo

http://zotterthepotter.com/personal.php?item=MC&cat=0

See more options at www.zotterthepotter.com

or on our etsy store: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/zotterthepotter?ref=si_shop

Our smaller personalized dog bowl and a letter...

We've been getting requests for smaller dog bowls.

We are now selling a smaller personalized dog bowl on our Etsy site.

 

You can see it here:

Small Personalized Stoneware Pet Bowl

 

 

 It's the perfect size for a smaller dog like this one:

 

Her owner sent us the following order via hand-written letter.

The letter and picture really made our day here.

First of all, who writes letters anymore? This one is a keeper.

 

Kitchen Love....

Don’t you love when you see your zotterthepotter gift being used?

 

Glaze Fire Day

Stamping pots, throwing pots...on a glaze fire day.

 

 

Mike filling in the glaze fire log, noting time and temperature.

 

 

Checking the cones inside the kiln for reduction check at 1800 degrees. You can't see it very well, but the flame is shooting out pretty far.

He likes to throw standing, which I guess is getting more and more popular...

Two different view of our cookie jar.

Our cookie jar page...

 

Glaze Day

 

 

To Order

 

 

It's time again for another glaze fire.

Each pot has to be dipped in our glaze mix first.

Let's take a moment to notice Mike's mustache.

He's been working on it for months.

 After each pot is hand-dipped in glaze, the glaze has to be carefully wiped off each bottom.

Any glaze left on the bottom of a pot can meld it into the kiln shelf when firing.

 It's hard to get Jenna to pose for a picture, but I got an action shot.

www.zotterthepotter.com

15% Labor Day Special

zotterthepotter.com

 

We all work hard for our money, so take advantage of this Labor Day discount offer!

***

Is there a Special Occasion Coming

Around the Corner?

It will be here before you know it.

15% off all items in the shop now through Sept. 5th.

just type the code "LaborDay2012" under

"special instructions/gift message" during checkout.

(found under "Shipping Information after Billing Information")

****Please note, discount is processed manually and will not be reflected in shopping cart.

We will email discount confirmation***

Pottery classes for kids...

Quite often, we get the following question:

"Hi - I was wondering if you offer pottery classes for kids (my daughter is 12). Thanks."

Currently, we don't, but I do like to offer the following options.
The first would be Manchester Craftsmen's Guild.
http://mcgyouthandarts.org/atp/ceramics

And the second would be the Union Project.
http://www.unionproject.org/Ceramics/Ceramic_Classes

We really like the quality and the objectives of these organizations.

We love our Shop dogs...

Zotter The Potter handmade stoneware pet bowl

Size: 4" x 7.5"

to order: http://zotterthepotter.com/personal.php?item=PB&cat=0

Our personalized pet gifts are more popular than ever. You and your pets will love the virtually spill proof design. As are all our personalized gifts, the glazed surface will make cleaning your personalized pet gifts much easier.

One of the biggest benefits of using stoneware ceramic is that it is very clean and hygienic. They are super easy to wash and don’t suck up chemicals and toxins.

Stoneware ceramic is also handy for popping into the dishwasher. The heat of the dishwasher will kill any bacteria or germs and mean that the dish will be completely clean.

This large personalized pet bowl is a great size for medium to large dogs.

We are lucky to be able to bring our dogs to the pottery studio.

I'm even luckier because I get to keep one right next to me in an extra desk drawer.

We put a little cushion in there to make it a little more comfortable.

 She thinks it's more comfortable than this cushy dog bed.

 Which means nothing because he thinks the concrete floor is more comfortable than the dog bed too.

He likes roughing it.

An oldie but a goodie...

I love this picture of Stella. It was taken a long time ago ( I think 2007 if the pot is anything to go by) but like our pottery, it's a classic image that has stood the test of time.

Speaking of our classic pottery , we got an order today from a customer we hadn't heard from since 2007. She had placed her first order with us Aug 2002, and her last order with us was from Aug 2007. She said the weddings had slowed down some since she had first placed her order, but she had one coming up this August and called us. I was so glad she had kept us in mind. It's customers like her that make what we do such a pleasure.

Marriage Crock with Distelfink logo

Although our most popular piece is the marriage crock with the two names and wedding date on it, you can personalize our pieces any way space permits.

 I really liked this format for Milliron Farm using the Distelfink logo because we got the inspiration for the distilfink logo from a hex sign on the side of a barn.

It is a Pennsylvania symbol for good luck and fortune.

Walt Demonstrating at a Festival

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Our first load of the year...2012

January is the time we tighten up the kiln for the upcoming year.

The changes we made allow us to fit even more pieces into each kiln load.

We took apart and redid the shelves and  fire bricks.

 This is a stamped baby gift for Skylar with our shamrock logo.

 An anniversary wedding crock for Penny & Fred with our Snowman logo.

 They were the first pots put into our first kiln load of the year.

 We start filling the load as the pieces dry. They don't go in until they are dry or they'll explode in the bisque fire. These pieces are still drying. You can tell by the darker variations of clay on the pot.

 These pieces are dry and waiting to be loaded into the kiln.

 Like this....We load the kiln until it's full then we do our bisque fire.

Here's to a Happy, healthy and Prosperous New Year!

We're trying something new...

We're lucky to have some really talented artisans at Zotter The Potter.

We're thinking about trying something new and showcasing their work outside our standard

Zotter The Potter line.

We'd like to introduce Mike Rozzi.

He not only throws our shapes, but his own as well.

This is a picture of his spice jar.

It's a one of a kind piece.

Once it's gone, it's gone.

Houston Pumpkin Festival

Pick of the Day: MC with Monogram Logo

http://www.zotterthepotter.com/

October is a gorgeous time of year in Pittsburgh.

The leaves are changing, the days are nice and crisp...it's a beautiful time to be outdoors.

This year, we went to the 28th Annual Houston Pumpkin Festival sponsored by the

Houston Fire Dept. in Houston, PA.

It was busy. They had over 175 Unique Craft & Food Booths includ­ing Pizza, Fun­nel Cakes, Hot Sausage, Gyros, Veg­gies, Ket­tle Corn, & Much More! There was a Children’s area with

Pony & Car­riage Rides, Rock Wall, Bounc­ers, Pump­kin Dec­o­rat­ing, Pet­ting Zoo, Train Ride & Much More.

Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

We found a vendor who made their own Root Beer and Sasparilla Soda. Delicious.

Who doesn't love a miniature pony?

They had a petting zoo for the kids.

A picture of our Pumpkin Harvest Logo