You won’t find pottery like this, anywhere.
This is the perfect time for those last minute gift ideas to save the day.
How about an Ellison Bay Pottery Gift Certificate. You can buy them directly from our Etsy store or call us. We will instantly email you the PDF which you can print and put in their stocking or envelope. These never expire, cover s/h costs, and are perfectly perfect for that last minute creative and thoughtful gift ‘issue’ you have been trying to solve.
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Join the growing group of people who are Ellison Bay Pottery lovers. Don’t see what you want? Call us @ 920-740-5859 or 920-854-5049 and we’ll help you find the best gift at the best price or Buy that Gift Certificate right now and relax.Art For every Day Affordable Functional Beautiful Unique One-of-a-Kind.
Our stoneware and porcelain functional pottery is meant to be used every. We make our pottery with you in mind. The handles are comfortable. The pottery is light. And you can put them in the dishwasher, the microwave, the oven and the freezer.Call 920-740-5859 or 920-854-5049 or hop over to our Etsy store.
SPECIAL—Hand Made Little Dishes are Great Stocking Stuffers « Ellison Bay Pottery Studios
We use these lovely dishes for so many more things than I listed: little cookie dishes, centerpieces, saving and displaying shells and pebbles. I bet you have a suggestion or two. Leave one here and share.
ring dish
tea bag holder
candle dish
soap dish
spoon rest
condiment dish
Special for Tuesday–buy one get the second 1/2 off! Many more at our store..and of course in the gallery. Great Stocking Stuffers. Hurry.
Pit Fired Pitchers in the Snow
2010 Dates for Family Friendly Pit Fire Pottery Workshops « Ellison Bay Pottery Studios
Treating Pots for the Pit
JOIN US! Our Pit Fire Workshops resume Wednesday May 19, 2010. Call for reservations 920-740-5859
A few steps in the process
There are so many different ways to pit fire ceramics, and each time I research this I learn more.This is our process:
The pottery is left unglazed, as it was thousands of years ago. We decorate the surface of each pot with a variety of materials: terra sigillata, copper and salt wash or cobalt an salt wash, plant foods (liquid and crusty), and other minerals and oxides.
Terra sigillata (stamped earth) was used by Greek & Roman potters to make the surface of their urns shiny and to provide a very temporary water proofing for cooking pots. Clay is mixed in water and the particles settle for several days. After decanting the water from the top, the section with the smallest clay particles suspended in the center is removed. We wait until the application has dried and then polish it softly. A glow appears almost immediately which remains after the pit firing.
We have a 30”x 60”x 30” above ground pit because there is very little topsoil in Door County. We used old firebricks with one and hard bricks with the other. We made the pit smaller because we fire them weekly.
First the pit is filled with 4-6” of sawdust. It is then lined with pine slab wood, which burns the hottest. Salts (table, sea, water softener, de-icer), oxides (cobalt, copper, iron), organic materials, which contain minerals, (dry dog/cat food, dried banana skins, coffee grounds, pine cones, cherry pits, sticks, leaves, dried bunny manure, walnut shells) are sprinkled on the bed of sawdust before the pots are loaded into the pit. All of these are transformed into gases when burned, combine and then alter the surface of the pottery, which are also treated. Pots are tumble stacked, or leaning into each other and resting on top of each other.
We can get away with this because there is no glaze on the pots, and therefore no risk of pots sticking to each other. Instead, each pot’s decoration and surface treatments affect each other. We then begin to build a bonfire on top of the pottery, starting with small pieces of scrap wood. We then twist newspaper and stick it into the spaces and then put another layer of wood, larger pieces now, and then more paper and then finally, the last layer of wood. John dribbles an orchard mix on the top layer and then lights the bonfire. We let the fire burn hot for 30-45 minutes and then cover the pit using old kiln shelves, reducing the amount of air and causing the firing to go into reduction, which helps develop colors.
Pit
The fire takes between 6-8 hours to burn completely down and it’s safe to open it up. Once the ashes are brushed off, the pots are scrubbed clean and then allowed to dry. A final application with a water based poly preserves the surface and gives it a slight glow.
Pit Fired Fern Vase
Pit fired pottery is decorative, so use dried arrangements. Hairline cracks are evidence of the firing process, as are the marks of the flame left on the surface. We are almost at the end of this year’s pit firings. We are talking about doing one on the winter solstice. Winter firings are so cool, dark comes early, flames are shooting high into the night, the cracks between the bricks glow with the heat. If we are lucky there will be snow on the ground which will crunch. It will be mild, and almost magical.
I am already planning our summer here at the pottery and just picked the date to resume our fun filled and very popular Family Pit Firings. Check it out.
Casserole in process
9 Reasons Why You Should Buy Ellison Bay Pottery Today
- You have earned this Valued Customer Thank You
- It’s Affordable-always
- 10% Christmas discount ~ just for you
- Free Shipping ~ just for you
- Easy and safe to use: dishwasher, microwave, oven and freezer safe.
- Hot Pots for Cool People ~ That’s YOU
- It’s Handmade and Unique ~ just like you
- Free Recipes to make cooking with our pottery fun and easy.
- Pottery just makes all of us feel better.
1. Wavy dish
2. Brie Baker
3. Wavy Dish
4.Crock~Wine Cooler~Vase
> 9 Great Pottery Gift Ideas and What to do With Them
- Wavy Dish (cb purple) snacks
- Brie Baker (anb) brie and other hot dips, any other dip
- Wavy Dish (grn rvr) nuts, change, rings, candle
- Crock (glaze-smb) wine cooler, kitchen tool holder, vase
- Teabag Holder (cr-g) spoon rest, candle, soap, ring dish
- Small Pitcher (fag)
- Sculptural Vase (cr)
- Pipe Plant Vase (rutile)
- Browse our online store for more ideas
5. Teabag holder, soap/candle/ring dish, spoon rest
6. Small green matter pitcher
7. Sculptural Vase
8. Pipe Plant Vase
How can you get your Hot Pots now?
Call us (920) 740-5859
Email:dmcneil83@gmail.com
Click Etsy
use the code EBPC in the notes.
We will ship (standard) it that day: FREE!
