Introducing LePennyJ.com Site

Hello! Thank you for visiting my site. I love this page and don't want to quit it just yet but am going to be focusing more on my new site - www.lepennyj.com - and would love for you to visit me there.

xoxo, Jessica

Honest {Broken} Soul

Sometimes a piece consumes me a little - like this one.

It seemed I had stumbled on a good reminder for me - and maybe others - at yoga a few weeks back. I had worked on getting the shape just the right amount round, just the right amount not exactly round. I had measured out where words and details went inside the piece. I had spent quite a while determining how I would finish it (glaze choices are always one of my most difficult decisions). And then, after the final firing, a small crack through one side of the dish appeared! 

 So, I thought about tossing it for a bit but that didn't seem right. Then I remembered reading about Kintsugi, which is a process for repairing pottery that highlights the joinings with gold, silver or platinum. Since I couldn't part with the piece just yet, I decided to try it. And, I'm so very happy I did. I don't know that I'll go breaking work on purpose to do it again (maybe), but I do think it adds to the character of this piece. It's perfectly imperfect or imperfectly perfect . . . or both.

Fabulous Flea!

Nalls Produce is opening it's doors for a Fabulous Flea Market this Friday and Saturday. 

There will be bargains on Nalls merchandise and lots of kitchen and garden goods for sale from local vendors. 

I am so excited for LePennyJ works to be a part of it! 

Working on the inventory now but there will definitely be mugs, platters, vases, garden "stones"  . . .
and other wares perfect for the gardener, cook, coffee drinker, or flower lover in you or someone you love.

Mugs and Fishes

Well, that's almost right given Valentine's Day is coming up. 

I've been on a mug making and mini-fish making kick of late. I guess the mugs came from getting ready for the holiday craft bazaar at Grounded Coffee Shop (yum, yum) last year and realizing I had only ONE mug ready for selling! At a coffee shop. 

mugshot

The fish are something that are a fun distraction while I'm waiting for a piece to be ready to trim, add a handle, or just have some time where I need to put off thinking for a bit. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with all of them . . .

littlefishes

New works in shops at Society Hill Designs (Falls Church location) & Honest Soul Yoga (Alexandria), and Etsy.

Happy Hearts Day! Mugs & Fishes, Jessica

Laughing In The New Year

Here's to a new year!

And some fresh resolve. I'm not very good with resolutions, but I know there is always something that I can do better. And I quite often need some reminder of what I've set out to focus on more in the coming year. This one came from a conversation with my daughter about a month ago. We had seen "The Princess Kaguya" earlier that day and then set off for a long drive which gave plenty of time for reflection.

 

And it's true, you should never {ever} lose your laugh. 

A {Good} HiSsY Fit

I'm so very proud to show my space at Honest Soul Yoga in Alexandria, VA where some new works will be selling.

Pardon me while I burst into a million (or so) shiny pieces . . .

 

. . . okay, back. I was in (before a really fantastic class - they're all fantastic) today to set everything up. Most are from my (new!) BREATHE, LAUGH, LOVE line with a few select other pieces.

Come for a class, leave with a pot! Come for a pot, stay for a class!

A Little Buzz-aar | Holiday Craft Sale @ Grounded Coffee Shop

I'm so excited (and I just can't hide it) . . .One of my favourite local coffee joints hosts a Holiday Craft Bazaar every year - and this year, I'm going to be there with my works! And a full / empty / full coffee cup. They have some pretty fancy bakery treats to enjoy too.  

Come in and say hello!

Artfête Part Deux

After a long day of setting up - the studio and my table, it was time to stop. It was so much fun getting everything cleaned up, covered up, spruced up. As usual, I took forever getting my table figured out - all the while knowing that things will get moved around (and maybe even wrapped up, taken home, gifted, enjoyed) while I'm away. 

I do love seeing the studio as it's getting ready and seeing everyone else's work on display - many pieces I've seen at different stages in the process but it's nice to see them all together. Come out this weekend - and if you can make it to the party tomorrow, there will be music from a great local band, food, drinks and fun! 

Artfête + Holiday Ceramics Sale

This weekend is a fun time to be in Alexandria . . .

The Art League Artfête Open House & Holiday Party is Friday night, with the ceramics sale continuing through the weekend. 

On Friday, there will be live music, food, drink, artwork, and artist demos to kick off the holiday season . . . I will be working in the afternoon on Friday - so that I can stay for a bit of the fun! The Scottish Walk Parade is happening in Old Town on Saturday just a few blocks away - and after there will be cider (and probably cookies!) in the studio to warm you up while you look around. 

Lyon Park Not-Just-A-Craft Fair THIS Weekend!

I will be at another neat event this weekend! The Lyon Park Not-Just-A-Craft Fair in Arlington, VA where there will be lots of other interesting crafts but also a bake sale full of delicious treats and a farmer's market with local produce. It's going to be a bit chilly out but should be a lovely day! 

Come in and say hello!

Lyon Park Fellowship

716 N Barton Street

Arlington, VA 22201

Fort Belvoir Cozy Winter Craft Show - November 15

It is going to be chilly this weekend but will be warm and toasty inside the Fort Belvoir Community Center. And there will be all sorts of nice people {like me} selling their works, crafts, delicious foods and more (always more)! 

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Please come see us - non military ID will need to enter through Tulley Gate.

Littles

Playing around with some smaller works again. A few of these I called pun-y bowls. Because they are small and I was in quite a silly mood when I made them so I stamped on some slightly modified phrases.

In With the Cold, Out With the Old

Or something like that . . . it is getting colder - I saw a few folks out over the weekend with hats and was actually a tiny bit envious - and I am changing things around a bit. 

I went over to Society Hill Designs yesterday to freshen up the stock there and I will be working on adding some new pieces to my Etsy store this week!

Sunday Stretch

In a bit of a worlds colliding coincidence, I get to be at the Grand Reopening for my favourite yoga studio this Sunday. 

With new LePennyJ works to show! 

Come out and join the fun!

Block Party Tomorrow

Come out and join the fun - and help keep the rain away! 

Nalls Produce is having a mega block party at their place tomorrow and everyone is invited. Like they say, food, fun - a moonbounce (sorry, I think it's kids only!), and I will be there with some new works. 

Maker Traveler | Clay Fish in Singapore, Pewter Bowls in Penang/Georgetown, and Okonomiyaki in Tokyo

Well, back for a while now but had a little (okay, more than a little) trouble with re-entry into "normal" . . . time change was much harder coming back and very much disliked having to (horrors) actually drive myself places after a couple of weeks traveling via plane, bus, taxi, or train. I've been back in the studio a couple of times since and hopefully will have a few finished pieces again this week but wanted to say hello and share a bit of my experiences here.

My family had told us about an opportunity in Singapore for a pottery outing so as we were on the plane over, I started thinking that it would be interesting to make a souvenir in each location we visited and to some degree that came to be. We went to an awesome workshop in Singapore at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle where we made clay fish. 

We used a hand-building technique that was new to me and one I may start incorporating into my regular works soon. The pieces had to dry prior to being fired (it's an open air space so it takes a little longer) and we were only in town for a few more days, so we're still waiting for the fish to make their way over - yet to be seen whether they'll be swimming or flying . . .

In Malaysia we visited Penang. Most of our time was spent in the Georgetown area wandering through Little India and Chinatown checking out the shophouses - and street art. This is probably my most favourite thing about traveling, just seeing another city's normal routine.





We ventured out to Straits Quay where we made pewter bowls at Royal Selangor's School of Hard Knocks. Not nearly as relaxing as the time spent making clay fish in Singapore - but then we did get to bring the finished product home!

In Tokyo, we were scurrying around so much that the only thing we made were "pancakes" - okonomiyaki - for dinner one night. Those weren't brought back of course but gobbled up in a few minutes time. We visited so many places in Tokyo!

As nice as it is to be back home, I do wish we had more time everywhere that we visited. Nowhere more than Japan - we did venture out to Mt. Fuji for a day trip and were lucky to have a beautiful view of the mountain, but there is so much more of Japan, even just in Tokyo, that I would love to see sometime!

One thing that held across the board was how nice everyone was to us - no matter where we were and how inconveniencing we might have been at the time (and we were somewhat frequently imposing on someone). I hope I/we are the same to visitors here also - something for me to continue to think about and take more notice of my own behaviours.

Goings On - Here and There

I was at Society Hill Designs earlier this week to refresh the stock there, visit and look around myself. I always find something - usually a few somethings! - to fall in love with while I'm there. Here are a couple of pictures of some of the new pieces I dropped off.

For some reason I wanted a quote about birds on the bigger plate. I had William Blake on my mind that day but when I did a search on quotes, this one from Eubie Blake came up. It struck me as pretty fitting for my mood right then. I shortened it just a little for the piece - the full version is here.

"Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind - listen to the birds. And don't hate nobody."

Right now, I'm grateful for the chance to go on quite an exciting journey.  Tomorrow I begin the day here in the DC area but will surface somewhere entirely different - first stop is Singapore, with a side trip to Malaysia and then back through Japan for a few days before coming home.

I started working on a few new pieces this week and am looking forward to getting back to them on when I return. But for now, just looking forward to the trip and finishing up the last minute packing involved with going somewhere new! 

Birthday Bash @ Stifel & Capra

There's a party happening this weekend with plenty of treats for everyone!  

Come celebrate at the Stifel & Capra Seventh Annual Birthday Bash with birthday cake, wine tastings, and shop specials. 

Society Hill Designs is offering 20% off entire boutique, including all LePennyJ Ceramics!

New York New Work

I recently had the chance to experience some aspects of one of my favourite cities - New York, New York.

It was an anniversary outing - we try to go somewhere special to celebrate each year. It's always a treat to spend some time together away from the hurry of every day.

This trip to NYC really reminded me of a previous trip to Venice, Italy. Like that trip, we walked most everywhere - from midtown a zigzag around the city and across the Brooklyn Bridge, all the way to the Fort Greene outpost of the Brooklyn Flea. On the way back, we took the subway to near Brooklyn Bridge Park, walked a bit more and then sat in the shade there before catching a cab back over the bridge. We knew we would never make it walking back the seven(ish) miles in time for Bullets Over Broadway - the other big reason we were here. What a show that was!

Just as I remembered, New York never really sleeps so we were able to grab a very authentically Italian pizza after the show and still make it to a bakery where we were treated with two bags of not-quite-day-old extras to bring home.

This piece that I had been working on was waiting for me when we returned - seemed like the perfect way to sum up the trip, a happy wish.

And a few more in the works that should be completed soon. This is somewhat of a new colour palette on some designs I had been playing with last year so we'll see how they turn out. Maybe if I Wish Happy some more, they'll be to my (and others) liking!

Studio Time

Finally in the studio yesterday for a good stretch of time. We've been playing a game of Monopoly at our house - going on four days with lots of breaks - so it felt good to get back to work on some new pieces. It was such a gloomy day outside, rain throughout, so I made some flowers.

I also picked up one finished piece that made me smile. So looking forward to some days at the beach later this summer . . . 

For now, happy weekend!