Straight from the Lean Dog's mouth.

Get Organized

2011-05-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

Hello, its been a while - again! I seem to always get sidetracked, but I guess thats just a part of running your own business.

Lately I have been looking expanding my business. Wholesale is big on my to do list. I consign in a few shops, but I want to go bigger. It takes a lot of work to get there. I bought the e-book by Megan Auman of Crafting an MBA - Crafting an MBA Guide to Wholesale and Trade Shows. It is a truly helpful book that guides you through the whole process from beginning to end. I highly recommend it if you're interested in expanding your business. She also has a great website talking about running a craft business and offers her services as a consultant. I'm considering doing that next.

Also, today I am about to embark on an adventure in organizing! The studio space in my backyard is a disaster! How does someone work in a place like this?? So, its time. Next up after that is my office space needs some organizing too, since its been cluttered with bathroom remodeling supplies and such for the past couple months. I'm sick of working at the kitchen table!

Hope all is well out there. I'll post again soon, with some pictures of my newly organized studio, perhaps.

Out of Order

2011-04-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was so gorgeous. On Sunday me and my hunny decided to take advantage of the weather and go for a bike ride to the beach. We get there and decide to take a walk on the beach. We were just hanging out and I see a wave coming at me and so I am backing up (I don't mind getting a little wet, but this looked bigger than normal) and not paying attention to whats behind me and what was there? A big boulder! I fall over the side of the boulder scraping up my left leg and twisting my right ankle in the process landing in the water falling hard! And yes, I heard that lovely snap/crack sound a sprain can make. Kind of creepy! Anyway. Rode my bike all the way back - it hurt a little, but not as much as it did that night. It's been 48 hours since it happened and I'm feeling a LOT better. The swelling is going down more daily and hope to be walking normal by next week. I can walk a lot better than just yesterday, so I know its healing nicely. It really does work to sit on your lazy bottom and rest when these kinds of things happen! It only makes it worse to walk on it. The only thing that sucks is I feel worthless that I cannot go out to my studio and work. I did go a little bit today and loaded some work into the kiln, but it started to ache. Anyway. Wish me luck on a quick(er) recovery! I need to get out there and create! :)

Heartsy

2011-04-07T18:22:00.001-07:00

Last night while withering in my boredom I stumbled upon Heartsy. It's this fabulous site which happened to start up (appropriately) on Valentines Day 2011. They offer buyers 'out of this world' deals on featured Etsy stuff! Basically they sell vouchers towards featured Etsy shops for 50% off and up!! Amazing deals/steals! The way your shop can get featured is you have to submit 5 photos and fill out your name/email/website. They then post your photos up for a vote from anyone in the Heartsy community (thats me and could be you if you want) and if you get 30 votes saying "Yes, I definitely would buy this" then you move on to the next stage where Heartsy reviews your submission. If they pick your shop, you will negotiate a deal and a time and then your deal goes up for everyone to grab! I've noticed they have time limits on these deals as well as a limited amount of deals they offer. From my research of the shops involved I have noticed they sell a KILLING! Sure its at 50% + of their regular prices, but if you sell a lot its kind of similar to wholesaling and if your prices are priced right for wholesaling it shouldn't be a problem for you.

So, I submitted my work this morning and already reached my 30 votes. This does NOT guarantee I'll be featured, but we shall see. And if I do get featured, look out for some major steals people!!!! I'll keep you posted. You can still vote for me here. Thanks!

Kelly

GLAZE - Black vs. White

2011-03-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Been doing experiments in simplifying a tad bit lately.... just in shape and color. Made pieces with a simple 1 colored glass with black or white glaze. Its fun to check out how different a color can look against black or white. See for yourself the differences.

Large green round pendant with black glaze or white glaze. 2" in diameter.
Same goes for the following beauties.... everything is still one of a kind! I've just simplified a glazing strategy - making it black or white or I even offer brown glaze (not shown).

Red/orange glass with black or white glaze. This is a small round pendant - 1 1/2" in diameter. Notice the amount of colored glass varies. That's just how they turn out, you never know. Still one of a kind! Always will be.

Aqua with white or black in oval shape. 2" x 1 1/8".

Yellow with white or black glaze. Oval. 2" x 1 1/8".

Cobalt with white or black glaze. Oval. 2" x 1 1/8".

Many of these have been listed in my Etsy Shop. They come with a 16" chocolate brown cotton cord. I can also sub a chain if you'd like or even lengthen the cord. If you see one that's not listed and you want it, contact me at Kelly (at) leandogpottery.com and I'll set up a special listing for you.

yum

2011-03-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

I've been making some real good food lately - not just ordinary food, vegan food. Most people I know misinterpret the word "vegan" as something that has weird or strange ingredients, when in fact its the exact opposite! Look at your box of mac-n-cheese or any other processed food for those kind of ingredients. Something being vegan just means its made without any milk, eggs, meat products - or basically anything that comes from an animal. Substitutions are made in place of those ingredients. For subbing cows milk I use other kinds of milk - soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk, oat milk and almond milk - which is my personal favorite - and I am sure there are others I am forgetting. For butter I use a brand called Earth Balance which is made with vegetable based oils. For eggs you can use many different things - mashed up bananas, applesauce, tofu or there are special egg replacer products available in markets - there are a few other things to sub for eggs too, that I am sure I forgot. For cheese there are many, many different commercial brands that work - my favorite being Daiya! It melts wonderfully and is the tastiest stuff I have ever had in my life - better than real cheese - in my opinion. Below I made a vegan lasagna - I used trader joes soy mozzerella which is very much like mozzerella made with cows milk. I have made meals with this stuff and not told my guests it was soy until afterwards and they said they would have never known. Here is the recipe for the lasagna thats called "Love Potion Lasagna". I got it from vegweb.com which is full of any kind of recipe you could be looking for. I'm always on there looking for what to make next!

Hope this helped clear up any misconceptions you might have had about vegan food (if you had any at all). I leave you with a challenge - go find a recipe on vegweb and give it a try and come back and tell me about it.

Give Back

2011-03-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

One thing that makes me feel good, and I think it makes anyone who does it feel good, is giving back - whether its your time or money - its all good! For about a year now I have had a charity of the month (almost every month), where I would give a percentage of my Etsy Shop sales to that charity. No matter how much it is, I know its appreciated, and that feels good.

Giving your time feels even better (in my opinion). It's story time:

I have been a volunteer for Cal Fire (formerly California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection) for 17 years - not fighting fires, but teaching fire prevention to children and adults at schools, fairs, campsites, and many other places. Not only do we quiz kiddo's on not playing with matches and who to call if there is an emergency, but we dress also up as Smokey Bear and do Stop Drop and Roll demonstrations. Fun stuff!

This is me and my best friend Jessica with Smokey at a rodeo! Anyway, all this has been a great experience for me. But the best experience was back in the early 2000's (I am not sure the exact year) on Christmas Eve. I get a call from the volunteer coordinator telling me about a house that caught on fire and it happened to belong to a family with young children. We went to the house as they were putting out the fire and met the family, luckily everyone got out safely. We felt so horrible for them knowing it was Christmas eve and they were homeless. We knew we had to do something - so we immediately decided to organize a food/gift/clothing drive for them at a local fire station and we got more donations than we could handle! It was so amazing how everyone came together for this family. It was Christmas Eve! Last minute, literally! Yet, it was amazing to see how many kind hearts were out there. Seeing the families faces when we showed them what we had for them was the best part. They felt blessed, as they should have.

I still do my Smokey Bear routines and a little bit of Stop, Drop and Roll to help teach children the importance of fire safety. I also am a huge animal activist and that is usually where I donate percentages of my sales to. This month I am donating to the Fresno Bully Rescue. I am originally from Fresno and happened to stumble upon their facebook page when a couple of my friends "liked" it. I immediately knew they were going to be my March charity. I love what they are doing for this breed with a bad rap. As you may know, many people label them as vicious or scary. But I happen to know two who are the sweetest doggies ever. Pit bulls are just like any other dog breed, they are born with love and want to be your best friend, too. Here is a link about the myths of the bully breed.

Thanks to everyone who helps support this charity with me while shopping at Lean Dog. Or you can just donate money directly to the cause on your own here. If you live in Fresno, or nearby, you can also donate your time volunteering by walking the dogs, training, cleaning kennels, cleaning up around the grounds or helping promote an event.

Lather it up

2011-02-18T15:53:00.001-08:00

Soap. It's something we all use, everyday! It's a huge big deal in the handmade world, too! There are tons of fantastic soaps you can find on Etsy. Any shape you can think of and all colors of the rainbow! - and don't forget about scents! Holy cow, they come up with some fantastic scents! Today I am going to share with you some picks of mine - focusing on simple shaped soaps with fantastic color and scents.

First we have the colorful Cantaloupe Melon Sugar Soap from sunbasilgarden. Here is a little about the scent: "Bring on summer with this fantastically fresh new sugar soap. Ripe cantaloupe with juicy cucumber and green notes."

Next we have a nice yellow colored bar of soap from Batty's Bath. It's called Lemon Poppyseed Vegan Glycerin Soap. Here is what Batty says about this soaps scent: "This is a zesty citrus delight. This wonderful fresh, light lemon scent is a must have for fresh citrus lovers! This bar also features the added exfoliating benefits of real poppy seeds throughout the entire bar!"

Here we have a very pretty soap made by Blushie. It is called Fresh Cut Grass Soap. This is what Blushie has to say about this scent: "Who can resist the crisp green scent of freshly cut grass? Mellowed with just a touch of cool, soothing aloe vera this soap smells just like running your toes through a damp lawn in summer." - makes me excited for warm weather!

Next we have a lovely blue colored soap from DressGreen - its called Blueberry Patch Soap made with sweet almond oil and shea butter. The scent description goes like this: "Not your typical berry, but is instead a warm and luscious blend of ripened blueberries with a splash of vanilla, topped off with a pinch of spice." --- mmmm sounds nice.

These four soaps have four things in common:

1. They are all colorful and beautiful to the eye!

2. They all have fantastic scents that will brighten up any day, even a rainy day!

3. They are all Vegan Friendly!

.... and last but not least....

4. They will all look great in my neutral colored charcoal grey soap dish!

HAHA! so there you have it... a little diddy on soaps. Hope you enjoyed!

February is LOVE month.

2011-02-02T12:29:00.001-08:00

Did you know that in each Etsy shop you can do a search inside that shop for anything you want. You would use the search box up top (make sure "this shop" is in the drop down menu) and type in what you're searching for. For example: specific colors, shapes, item type, dimensions, etc. It all depends on what that artist wrote up in their tags, description and title of the items. Go ahead to my shop and do a search for anything you'd like here: LeanDogPottery If you are a shop owner you should definitely take advantage of this awesome marketing technique. Use all the tags and be sure to add a detailed description of your item including dimensions. The buyer wants to know all they can about an item before purchasing.

Everybody knows Valentines day is February 14th and that is the day to share love with your main squeeze! February has always been a month full of hearts, love, pink, roses, candy, perfume and cuddling! Doing a search in my shop for the word "heart" came up a lot of items! This posting shows just a few examples to get you in the mood for this month full of love! Click here for the 27 items I have in my shop that come up when searching "heart".

Happy love month everyone!

And by the way, I wanted to point out this during the month of February, Lean Dog will be giving away 10% of sales to The Feline Network of San Luis Obispo! So not only will you get your beautiful new jewelry/pottery - but you'll also be helping kitties in need. ♥

Inspired from a Walk

2011-01-13T15:50:00.001-08:00

I went on a walk today with my hubby. We go almost everyday.... ahh the joys of both working at home. We went on this little dirt path over by a park near my house and I kept noticing glass shards on the ground, so of course I kept picking them up. It seems that this area is sort of hidden off the regular path so youngsters or the homeless probably go here with beer or liquor and leave after breaking the evidence. HAHA! Anyway, I just couldn't resist picking every piece of glass up off the ground I saw and my husband got in on the action, too! I am addicted to glass shards! So this glass has gone from one persons naughty habit to the next! And now I shall create beauty from them! See my shop for the latest creations - I have over 100 that I'll be adding slowly, so check back everyday! Here is just a snippet of what you'll find:

And the winners are...

2010-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who participated!

1st place: Solvita of SoleDeVita on Etsy

2nd place: Claudia

3rd place: Julie of Silk N Style on Etsy

Congratulations to you all! :)

Kelly

YAY! It's Contest Time!

2010-10-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of my 3 year Etsy Shop Anniversary (November 15th) I am having a contest! It's been an amazing 3 years. I have sold over 850 items, I have joined some great groups (EtsyVeg, CCCOE, and Cruelty Free Etsy), I have made a lot of new (virtual) friends, and I have learned oh so much! Thanks to all my fans and friends for such wonderful support and encouragement. Much love and peace to all! For this, lets celebrate with an amazing contest!

I am going to be giving away 3 prizes! That means 3 people have a chance at winning!

1st place: One $20 gift certificate towards any purchase in the LeanDogPottery Etsy Shop.
2nd place: One $15 gift certificate towards any purchase in the LeanDogPottery Etsy Shop.
3rd place: One $10 gift certificate towards any purchase in the LeanDogPottery Etsy Shop.

There are a few ways to gain entries, see below for details. For each entry you must leave a comment below telling me what you did. Think of each comment as a single entry into the contest. Also, please be sure to leave me your email in your comments so I will be able to contact you directly if you win. You DO NOT have to do all of the items below. Pick and choose as you please!

See below for the many ways to enter:

Go to my Etsy Shop, add the shop to your favorites and tell me in a comment below what your favorite item in my shop is.
Go to the Lean Dog Facebook fan page and "Like" the page by clicking the "Like" button at the top. (if you already "like" it, you can still leave a comment below telling me for an extra entry.)
Announce this contest on your Facebook personal page and/or Facebook fan page.
Share the Lean Dog Facebook fan page with your friends using the "suggest to friends" button under the profile picture.
Go to LeanDogPottery's twitter page and follow it. (if you already follow it, you can still leave a comment below telling me for an extra entry.)
Tweet this contest to your followers making sure to include "@leandogpottery" in your tweet.
Follow this blog. (if you already follow it, you can still leave a comment below telling me for an extra entry.)
Announce this contest on your own blog. Please be sure to post a link to your blog in this comment.
Purchase an item from my Etsy Shop! Leave a comment below telling me what item you bought. (Items previously bought do not count.)

REMEMBER: For each item you do from the above list you MUST leave a SINGLE comment. Thanks.

Entries will be accepted continuously until midnight PST on Friday, November 12, 2010. On Saturday, November 13th I will be drawing 3 names using random.org and announcing the winners on this blog. I will personally notify the winners through email, so please be sure to leave your email in your comments. Good Luck to all!!!

If you have any questions about any of the above, feel free to send me an email: kelly@leandogpottery.com

Dishes, Dishes, Dishes!!!

2010-10-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am not talking about the kind that we all hate to do that are in our kitchen sink! I am talking about an abundance of new dishes that are fresh out of my kiln and handmade by me! They are great for candle holders, jewelry holders, ring holders, trinket holders, key holders.... and the list goes on and on. They all have birdies on them - black birds, brown birds, white birds and even owls! Check them out in my Etsy shop!

Traveling Pendant is on the move again...

2010-09-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Back in January I wrote a post all about a good online friend of mine Cher and her traveling pendant. The pendant was created by me, of course, and she takes it on road trips/plane rides/to rugby games, etc. It's a lucky pendant! Below is a photo of it with her at a rugby game in New Zealand!!! Isn't that amazing? I am so jealous! And isn't she just so stinkin' cute wearing it! Love ya Cher!

Charity of the Month!

2010-08-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

I love giving. It makes me feel good. I think it makes most people feel good. I have been trying to give a bit of my sales every month to a new charity. I keep coming back to animal welfare charities. It's where my heart is. For the month of August I am giving 15% of sales to the Woods Humane Society in San Luis Obispo, California. Lets give together! ♥

Etsy Front Page!

2010-06-07T20:24:00.001-07:00

I am proud to say.... I was on the front page of Etsy today!

Sorry I haven't been around lately, I swear some good stuff is in the works!

Time Flies!

2010-05-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe its been a whole month (exactly) that I have written on here. So sorry to my followers! Please forgive me!

I have been pretty busy, and thats good! I have had lots of custom orders as well as getting my work into a few new shops across the US! - which I am very excited about! I was so scared to take that step forward and try out consignment and wholesale - but now that I have, it is so easy! I urge anyone who is struggling with stepping over, to just do it! Check out the Etsy Forums for tips on how to approach a shop, how to set up your wholesale prices, details on consignment do's and don'ts, comparisons between wholesale vs. consignment, etc. And if you can't find an answer you're looking for, I suggest posting a question, and I am sure people will respond. It's a whole new world, but I think its a great opportunity for us small business owners/crafters/creators!

Here is where you can currently find my work:

1. Anna Maria Island, Florida: The Hive Creations 119 Bridge Street

2. Philadelphia, PA: Slingluff Gallery 11 W. Girard Ave

3. Kingston, Rhode Island: The Gift Emporium at URI 99 Fortin Road

4. Lee Vining, California: Mono Lake Gift Shop Hwy 395 at Third Street

5. Philadelphia, PA: VIX Emporium 5009 Baltimore Avenue

And there is more coming soon!!! I am very excited about this and you should definitely check out these awesome shops/galleries if you are anywhere close to these areas! Cool stuff in them, for sure.

Conscious Living

2010-04-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is tomorrow!!! Of course, we should be conscious of the earth everyday, but tomorrow is a holiday directed towards spreading awareness everywhere!

As you read in my last post, I am a big tree hugger! I try my hardest to do all I can to not hurt the planet. It's all we have to live on, its our home. We need to be aware of what we are doing and how it is going to affect the planet. I know its a lot to think about, but its very important - mostly for future generations. I hear people say, "ahh, who cares, we won't be here anyway!" - well, I care. It's important to be conscious. It's great to feel that what you are doing is good. My motto is to treat others as you want to be treated... and that counts for future generations that I will never meet, too! Maybe some of you might think I am going a bit far with this. Oh well. At least it makes me feel good, and thats what matters most.

In celebration I am joining in with EtsyVeg with their Earth Day ExtraVEganza to donate 15% of sales to Earth Save International from 4/22 - 4/24. I also wanted to offer my special customers a deal! Buy any item, get the second 40% off! So a sale and a donation, all in a three days time!

I hope you all will learn something, share something, and feel happy about your decisions you make on this wonderful Earth Day 2010!

The 3 R's!!

2010-04-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have this huge love for rubber stamps these days. I just bought one the other day to help spread the three R's... Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - which is another one of my huge Loves. This stamp was designed by a wonderful Etsy seller Maggie Hallam. I, myself, am a big tree hugger. No joke, I am a NUT about this kind of stuff. Every time I send a package out to a customer, I think to myself that I hope they are either reusing the packaging I send them, or they recycle it, at least! I had always wanted a way to remind them of the importance of the 3 R's. Then I thought, "hey, it would be nice to stamp it onto my packaging." So I did a little search (on Etsy, of course!) and found a variety of stamps for recycling but the one made by Maggie Hallam stood out because it reminds others that there is not just Recycling to help Planet Earth, there is also Reducing, and Reusing!! All three are equally important. And I love how the stamp can be put anywhere to remind others and it makes me feel good that hopefully it saved the packaging from going straight to the landfill without a chance of being reused or recycled.

I always reuse packaging, unless its totally unusable - then it goes in the recycle bin, of course. I also try to reuse older cardboard and other stuff that would otherwise be deemed "trash" to wrap my items up safely and protect them from breaking during shipment.

I hope to spread the word of the 3 R's and hopefully help others learn the importance of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. I also hope to encourage others to spread the word! It's important for our planet - the amounts of waste in landfills is ginormous! Plus the amount of trees cut down everyday for paper production is unnecessary causing an environmental impact. I could go on and on about the importance of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. Check out Earth911.com for tons of info on all kinds of recycling and its importance!

If you're interested in your own 3 R's stamp, Maggie Hallam sells them in her Etsy shop, along with other nature-iffic stamps with animals, trees, mushrooms, leaves, etc. She is a wonderful artist! Here is one of the backside of a snowshoe hare!

She also creates handmade boxes to store you pencils, pens or other stuff! Pretty neat and there are many different colors/designs to choose from!

Planet Earth is our home, and its our only one... Please reduce your impact on it, reuse what you can and recycle what you can't. And if you are sending out packages regularly, I highly recommend you getting your own stamp and help spread the word of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Happiness

2010-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

The following inspires me and makes me happy.

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time. ~Edith Wharton

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim

My Youngest son - Chester-Woo and I.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~Abraham Lincoln

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. ~Anne Frank

My oldest son, Leroy-Grey. He fell asleep on my book, it was adorable.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. ~Author Unknown

A happy thought is like a seed that sows positivity for all to reap. ~Miriam Muhammad

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

This is me and my husband about 6 years ago. We truly were happy right at that moment. The sky was beautiful and check out the rainbow behind us!

Be Happy. Right now. For the future is unknown.

Sunshine Award!

2010-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed how artists are coming together these days and finding new and unique ways to show their support for each other. Today I noticed that I had been nominated for the Sunshine Award by a fabulous Jewelry Designer, Dream Belle Designs. Don't forget to see her Etsy shop too! Thank you so much for nominating me, its such an honor!

The Sunshine Award rules are:
1. Place the logo within your blog or post
2. Pass the award on to 12 other bloggers
3. Link the nominees within the post
4. Let the nominees know they have won by commenting on their blog
5. Share the love by linking to the person from whom you received the award

I'm nominating the following people for The Sunshine Award:
1. Design By Raven Muse
2. Ditsy Bird Designs
3. Late Night Design
4. She's Batty Designs
5. Tolduso
6. Black Cat Crafts
7. Sally Lee by the Sea
8. Crafty as Hell
9. LoChristine
10. Lorelei
11. Silent Lotus Blog - Lotus Out Loud
12. VegKat

NEWEST CONTEST

2010-03-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that I have 400+ fans on Facebook! AMAZING. To celebrate I am having a contest. A simple one this time.... see my facebook fan page for details!!

WEEKEND BOGO SALE!!

2010-03-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am having a sale right now in my shop! Buy any item and you can get a second item at 40% off!!! Thats a great deal!!!
Go over there to Lean Dog Pottery & Jewelry and take advantage!!! Ends Sunday, 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time.

Lots going on....

2010-03-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

There is a lot going on in Lean Dog Land.... as you can see I haven't posted in a while!! OOPS! Sorry about that.
If you didn't know already, I have been having kiln issues for the past 6 months!! I cannot believe its been that long, but it has! (I was gone out of town for 2 of those months, so I don't like to count them.) Finally I decided to get my other kiln that has been at my parents house (3 hours away!). It's coming to me on Wednesday! YIPEE! Lets just hope its not an electrical issue and it ruins this kiln too! Its a big fear of mine. I really don't know what I would do!

Then I have some big shows coming up. One every month starting in May until November. Art in the Park, Dinosaur Caves in Shell Beach, California. I did it last year and it was so much fun. Met lots of neat people, got to hang out by the beach all day, and share my art with everyone. Couldn't get any better than that. And I am very much looking forward to it. BUT, since my kiln has been down for 6 months, I have been basically dwindling down my stock - so I need to pump out tons of stuff. I do have stuff dried out on the shelves just waiting to be fired, so thats great. But more pottery is what is needed!!! And I haven't thrown in probably 6 months!! Oh my!

I am also slightly involved in a local San Luis Obispo group called UpcycleSLO. We are having an event on April 17th, 2010 called Swap-O-Rama-Rama. It's really cool, basically you can go through a series of workshops, that will be given throughout the day, to turn an old and unwanted piece of clothing into something else entirely. If you're local and are interested, feel free to send me a message and I'll point you in the right direction!

Then I am involved in a private project with my husband creating mobile phone applications... I am just a data collector/researcher, but it still takes up a lot of my time!!

Lastly, I have tons of house projects going on: painting my kitchen, organizing my studio, starting a compost pile, planning on starting a garden, etc... its never ending!!!

And also I have to remember my business and marketing. Oh my, is that a chore!! But it has to be done. I recently discovered Link Love - well, I had noticed it about a month ago on Facebook, but didn't realize the size of it, and how wonderful it is until just this past weekend. Its where you share your links on others fan pages and then you follow/fan others links. It's an amazing way to find new awesome people and their art! It's a great way to network and share and explore. An Etsy seller by the name of Runway Crochet wrote up a good blog post about Link Love with advice and quotes from what fellow artists say about Link Love. Runway Crochet has also started a blog called Link Love Success! - which tells success stories with Link Love. If you have one you can let her know and she'll write up a blog post about you, and your success!!

Well, I'm off to take care of some of my tasks for the day!! Thanks for reading!

Handmade Soap!

2010-02-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

I thought it was about time I posted a new post - sorry its been so long.

I've been thinking lately how wonderful handmade soap is compared to store bought soap. Store bought soap usually dries my skin out, has who knows what in it, doesn't smell as pretty, and isn't made with love by a wonderful crafter! I have purchased from a few sellers on Etsy: Anderson Soap Company, Goddess Naturals, and Bohemian Rose Bath & Soap. I have also used soap from a local San Luis Obispo soap maker So-Ap-Petit. All are fabulous soaps, and fabulous sellers! Here is a little about each of them.

I am currently selling a few of my art items in a local shop here in San Luis Obispo, CA. Soap dishes is one of those items - which goes great with a good old bar of soap! So-Ap-Petit is an adorable shop located in downtown SLO. It is in a cute little garden spot off of an alley that leads from Garden street! It is decorated so beautifully with plants everywhere and of course wonderful artsy items. The owner, Jillian, is also a bath and body product creator. She let me try her cucumber melon soap. It smells lovely and gives off a good lather too!

I purchased the Beer Olive Oil Soap Barby Anderson Soap Company. Me and my husband love beer and I was immediately drawn to a beer bar of soap! The soap itself had a great lather - the olive oil added a good moisturizing effect and the smell was pretty darn nice - not overpowering and not feminine at all (which I like).

One of my favorite soaps is the Patchouli soap with Pumice and Midnight Black Clay made by Goddess Naturals. It has a vegan base and it smells so earthy and divine! The Pumice and Midnight Black Clay add a exfoliating experience. I have tried many of the other soaps by her, as well as her Peppermint Shea Butter for cracked heels - and let me say, that stuff is AMAZING! It healed mine and my mother's horrid cracked heels in a weak! Plus it smells really good, and you know it comes from good stuff.

Just recently I purchased a couple bars from Bohemian Rose Bath & Soap. The smells and the feel of her soaps is wonderful! My favorite was the Cranberry Fig. The smell of it was very nice - and not overwhelming at all - then there were cranberry seeds in there to add an exfoliating effect - it was all around amazing, I was sad when the bar was gone. I also tried the Hecate scent, which is a mix of lavender, cedarwood, and patchouli. I just finished that one - it was such a lovely earthy scent - and a super soft lather too.

As you can see, I am big on earthy, natural scents. I enjoy fruity scents too, nothing too sweet or overpowering. I highly encourage you to seek out these 3 Etsy shops and try out their fantastic products, and try others as well. I know I have a list of other soaps I want to try - from many different creators. I just have to take my soap adventures one day at a time!

Help Three Beautiful Cows

2010-02-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last night on Facebook I read that a friend is trying to raise money to help save 3 cow friends from slaughter. They are only 2 years old and have lots of happy years to live. They have been named Pooka Cow (the brown one), Spotty Friend, and Less Spotty Friend. Jodi of This is It! Creations enjoys the company of them and hopes to raise enough money to purchase them from the owner and let them live on their 11 acre land, at least for a short while. She stated they are planning on starting a new line of products where all the profits will go to their care. They are also open to adopting the cows out to a loving family. We only have until February 13th to raise $3600. Please help get the word out! See here for more details and updates from Jodi.

You can donate here:

Or if you'd prefer to send in a check, you can mail it to:

This Is IT! Creations
P.O. Box 1252
Jacksonville, OR 97530

Lean Dog Pottery and Jewelry is going to donate 20% of proceeds to the cows.
Thanks to all in advance for your help! ♥

And the winner is......

2010-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the wonderful Amy of Red Maple Studio! She is the winner of my 1st Blog Giveaway. Thanks to all who entered! I hope you'll enter the next one I have! I'll keep you all posted on when that is! :)

Weather and Work

2010-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Last week was a week full of rain, thunder, lightening and tons of wind! That picture there is of me in Shell Beach, California in Dinosaur Caves park area... we went for a little drive because we heard the waves were getting up to 25 feet!! Yeah, they were huge! The water was an ugly brown too! YUCK!
I like the rain because it is good for the earth and all but its not good for my work! No, No, No! It gets in the way of me working. Partially because my studio is a disaster and its hard to work inside, and my outside area is covered - but, because of the wind, it still gets wet inside. It was kind of a pain. So anyway, I am looking forward to SPRING!

A Special Gift

2010-01-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

Last month I was involved in EtsyVeg's secret santa gift exchange. Everyone was paired with another EtsyVeg member.... I was paired with the wonderful Rachel of Ravissant! She sent me one of the most divine pieces... it was like she had known me forever! She picked something out that fit me pretty much exactly. We did give a little info about ourselves before the gift exchange, but still, she did a great job! We could either give them something we made or something we bought. Lucky me - she gave me a beautiful tote that she made! It is pictured above - beautifully crafted and just super cool. I love it. Thanks so much Ravissant!

This is quoted from her Etsy Shop:"ravissant is a boutique full of one-of-a-kind creations made with love and with quality materials: most sustainable, some organic, some up-cycled, some vintage, all beautiful! :o) " I love what she stands for. Enjoy these photos of more of her work and visit her shop if you get a chance: Ravissant!

its that time again... Blog Time!

2010-01-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a little something about my friend Cher... she is the fabulous designer of my blog. She created the tree above.... makes me smile. I love it. She is also a HUGE Lean Dog fan.... no seriously, HUGE! GIANT! The best! She probably owns more pieces of Lean Dog stuff than I do... haha! She started this new thing called "Lean Dog Traveling Pendant". She takes photos of herself wearing a Lean Dog pendant... its fantastic! She really is great! See the post here. Anyway. She is also a great designer.... as you can see above. She read me perfectly and designed it.

Other than that, Lean Dog is currently creating tons of new stuff... we just got to get that kiln working again. I'm looking for a kiln technician in the Central Coast area of California!! I only know of one who is probably 4 hours away! That might be costly! We will see... until then, creating is what I do, and listing some stuff that just hasn't been listed yet.... surprises that will arrive daily! Keep Checking Back!

Oh and from today until Thursday I am having a 20% off sale!! WOOHOO! Just because I think my customers are great and I decided to have a little fun sale!

1st Blog Giveaway!!

2010-01-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Since its the beginning of a new year, and I am excited about it, I'd like to announce my first blog giveaway!! The winner will receive the ring pictured to the right. It's made with ceramic and turquoise glass. And it has an adjustable ring base. It measures about 1" across and almost 1/2" thick. It's chunky, but not as chunky as most of my jewelry!

To get a spot in the drawing all you have to do is:
1. become a follower of my blog.
2. fill out this form.

BUT WAIT!! There are also ways to get multiple entries into this contest.

~You will get 2 extra entries for doing one of the following:
1. Follow Lean Dog on Twitter
and tweet about this giveaway with a link to it on your twitter!
2. Become a fan on Facebook and post a link on your facebook about this giveaway!

~You will get 5 extra entries for posting a link to this blog post on your own blog!

~AND if you purchase an item from now until January 31st you will also be automatically entered with 10 more entries!!

*For each of these please send me a comment on here with links to where you posted or what item you bought.

Contest ends the 31st and on Feb 1st I will draw a random winner using random.org.

If you have any questions, please email me at kelly@leandogpottery.com

Thanks, have fun and pass the word along!! :)

Vacation, Vacation and some new stuff!

2010-01-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I have been away from my home for over a month now - visiting with family and going on business trips with my husband. It's all going to come to an end next week and I am very happy about that. Being away from home and studio is quite hard. I did bring a large amount of my items with me.... lugging it around is kind of a pain, but you do what you gotta do to stay afloat! :)

Anyway, I've been listing new stuff the past couple days and more today and more to come tomorrow! Keep checking the Lean Dog store for new items daily!

First day of December!

2009-12-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

Oh MY!

I have no idea how this day snuck up on me! I have so much to do! I am making ornaments - snowflakes, trees, bows, etc. All for the holidays! They should be ready by the end of the week. I'll post photos as soon as they're available!

Featured Artist: Kara Kathleen

2009-11-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am doing my first "featured artist" post. I am doing it on an artist on Etsy named Kara Kathleen . She is actually my husbands cousin and we received a beautiful wedding gift from her. It was a watercolor painting of our cats! It is such a beautiful piece and she did a wonderful job portraying them. The detail she puts into her art is amazing! Here it is here in a frame we bought:

It is slightly hard to see the beauty close up, so please visit her website for more detail in her work.

Kara is a very crafty lady. She has two other shops on Etsy. In one of them she is also known as The Cake Artist. There you will find adorable fondant cake toppers and some baked goods.

The other shop is called Sweet Little Birdie where you can find handmade children's clothing and cute little "pocket buddies". Shown below is a Night Before Christmas Lounge Set and you choose the pocket buddy you want.

I highly recommend checking out her work. She's an amazing creator. Keep up the good work Kara!!

Another day, Another dollar

2009-11-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

I started the master cleanse yesterday. Well, today actually is the day I started to drink the lemonade concoction. It's not so bad, so far. Last night was HARD! I was so hungry!! But I fought it, and drank my Senna tea. I'll keep ya posted on how I am doing.

I am in the process of making some awesome Christmas Tree Ornaments out of clay and found glass! They are going to be fantastic! I am so excited about them. Too bad my kiln is still down and I have to wait until about the 23rd to fire them. Thats ok though, plenty of time to purchase for your tree!

Other than that, things are going great in Lean Dog land!!

Lots of new stuff!

2009-11-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

So, I finally raided my studio and gathered up tons of new stuff to put in my Etsy Shoppe! Necklaces, rings, mugs, bowls, and coasters! All will be going up for the next couple of days! It takes so much time to put up each item!

Here are a couple sneak peeks:

I also started a small section called "only ten dollars" because it has items that cost only $10.00!! Great for stocking stuffers!

I am also about to celebrate my 2nd year Etsy-versary on November 6th! WOO HOO! So I am having a sale in my shop: buy any item and get the second half off! Also all jewelry items will be shipped FREE!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day! One of my favorite days of the year. I love checking out the creativity people can come up with in their costumes. Especially the kids. The other night was Halloween night at our local farmers market and I saw some pretty interesting costumes. Looking forward to tonight - a friend is having a costume party! Too bad I have a show the next morning so I can't stay out too late, but I'll enjoy every minute of it anyway!

In celebration of today I made some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! Hope they are tasty!

Happy Halloween everyone, be safe!

last shows of the year!

2009-10-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

I am a part of Art in the Park in Shell Beach, California at Dinosaur Caves Park. It's the first Sunday of every month from May - November. This is the last month, folks! It's a pretty good show in which I have done every month this year. It's a lot of work but its worth it. I am pretty sure I will be a part of it next year. It's located in a beautiful spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I've met tons of people and have had tons of fun! Come on out for the last show of the year on November 1st - 10 am til 4 pm.

I will also be in another show on December 3rd in Fresno, California at TGI Friday's. I will be the only vendor there. Its a show just for me that day! They will have happy hour drinks and food and of course my items up for sale! Starts about 8pm. If you're in that area, come on out!

Vegan Recipe for World Vegetarian Day

2009-09-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday October 1st is World Vegetarian Day, and October is World Vegetarian Month! In honor of this wonderful occasion, I am posting a tasty recipe at least once a week, I might put up more just for the heck of it! My first recipe is one that I made up myself with a little experimentation.

Leek, Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pizza

* this makes 2 pizzas, and serves 3-4 people.

INGREDIENTS:

Pizza dough of your choice (I used trader joes pre-made)

1 1/2 cups Pizza Sauce

1/2 block of tofu
1 small can tomato paste
garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried basil (1 tsp each)

1 head of garlic
12-14 sun-dried tomatoes (I used jar kind in olive oil)
2 Leeks sliced and cleaned GOOD
2 TBSP vegan butter or olive oil
Another 1tsp each (approx) of garlic powder, pepper and dried basil

DIRECTIONS:
**Pre-heat oven to 350-400 degrees depending on the dough you use. **
1. slice and clean leeks really good, then saute them uncovered in a pan with the vegan butter or olive oil for about 10 mins - till soft yet slightly crispy. (You can cook longer if you like them more crispy.)

2. break up the garlic into its cloves (leave the skin on!) and place them on a sheet in the toaster oven or oven and bake on about 375 for about 15 mins. Check if they are soft and roast longer if they are not.
3. While those are cooking, get a medium bowl and mash up the tofu with your hands or fork. Add Tomato Paste, and one tsp each of garlic powder, salt, pepper and basil. Stir all together.
4. Roll out your pizza dough on a cookie sheet. (I usually buy pre-made dough from trader Joe's)
5. Spread the tofu mixture onto the pizza dough.
6. Once the leeks are cooked to your liking, spread them evenly onto your pizza(s).
7. Place the sun-dried tomatoes onto the pizza(s) evenly.

8. Squeeze/break the garlic out of their skins and spread whole cloves all over the pizza.
9. Splash on some of the pizza sauce on the pizza (on top of the toppings)
10. sprinkle on some garlic powder, pepper, and basil all over the pizza(s)
11. Bake in oven for about 15-17 mins - or until your dough is ready. (it really depends on the dough you use)
12. Slice up and serve!

New Shop!

2009-09-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce that Lean Dog Pottery and Lean Dog Jewelry are now in a new shop in downtown San Luis Obispo, California! The shop is called So-ap-petit! It is in a beautiful garden nook displayed gorgeously with plants and fountains! The majority of the shop is outdoors, but the owner built a little indoor space with found windows and doors - its totally eclectic and is a must see!! She makes her own bath and body products - soaps, scrubs and balms and she also displays art from local artists - such as myself!! I am so happy I stumbled upon this shop, I have a feeling I am going to form a great relationship with the shop owner, she is just so sweet and friendly and has tons of talent!

Check it out if you are in town!

1129 Garden Street #B Patio, San Luis Obispo, Ca. 93401
805-545-9900

nice people!

2009-09-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

A fellow blogger named Jodi over at The Creative JAR used a photo of one of my PEACE pendants on her blog to help symbolize international peace day.

What a lovely lady. Thank you Jodi!

Good Fortune

2009-09-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Went out for chinese tonight. MMM MMM Good!

My fortune said:

"You are headed in the right direction. Trust your instincts."

Well, thank goodness!

upcycle your recycles!

2009-09-16T09:11:00.001-07:00

Being a part of Etsy has been a great thing for me. I have met TONS of awesome people on there! A lot from groups I have joined. One group that is my favorite is EtsyVeg. Full of people who make animal friendly crafts! Full of love! Anyway. There is challenges monthly or so and one coming up is "Upcycle Your Recycling Challenge". Basically you are matched up with another team member and you send that team member 5 pieces of recyclable material and they send to you, and you turn those pieces into a work of art! Sounds exciting to me! I love the challenge.

I took a class at San Francisco State called Art for Children and it was full of fun projects like this. It seems that we forget our creativity lengths when we become adults and its fun to challenge yourself and try something new! Once I am done I'll post photos of both the items and then them made into a work of art! :)

Lean Dog?!

2009-09-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest questions I get from customers/friends/family is, "How did you come up with the name Lean Dog Pottery?" So here is how:
When I first started to go to college I had no idea what I wanted to do. I struggled for about 7 years in community colleges (off and on--mostly off!) trying to find my place in this world. Well, one day I decided I was going to move to San Luis Obispo and attend Cuesta College. My uncle told me one of his buddies from high school, Randall, was an art instructor there and said I should take one of his classes. I thought to myself "sure, I love art, i love creating, why not?". So, I signed up for one of his classes- 3-D design. My uncle was excited for me and said, "when you talk to Randall tell him:'Hey, aren't you one of those Lean Dogs, and see what he says.'" I then asked my uncle what a "Lean Dog" was and he said it was just a nickname him and his buddies gave to each other.
So, on the day I met Randall, I did just that. He was taken aback on what I said, like I had thrown him through a time warp or something. He said, "How do you know what a Lean Dog is?" Of course I told him my story and where I was coming from. Anyway, the reason behind my naming my business this is because Randall was a great mentor to me. He helped me realize that art is my life, it is who I am. So, in turn, I dedicated my pottery studio to the Lean Dog's.