I am super proud of my guys! On Friday they gathered up every bit of scrap pewter that they could find in the shop. Although there are SO many things to love about working with pewter, there is also the side benefit that any imperfect piece, reject, over-run or broken fragment can be melted down and re-used!

The cost of pewter ingots is the main factor in setting the price of a finished piece. So anything we can do to keep those costs down helps everyone out.

It tooks 6 hours on Saturday for me to melt down all of the scrap. Into the melting pot it went and then I recast it into oval blocks. I just couldn’t drop in this sweet little anchor, however…

Saving the pewter anchor

Last year, we had cast a few anchors – just for fun – for Rosella – our youngest daughter (who is a DG sorority girl). This was extra but somehow I just couldn’t drop it in.

This is how the ingots come from our supplier:

raw ingots

I never get tired of the thrill of opening a new barrel of fresh ingots!

And here are my recycled ones:

recycled pewter

I don’t know why they have kind of a gold sheen to them. When we put these back into the pot to cast our products they look just like our other pieces. Kind of a mystery… (I’m obviously not a chemist.)

Anyway, I do believe that we rescued nearly 800 pounds of pewter. That is a lot! A very exciting Saturday!

My wonderful husband (of 30 years) is out of town this week. He is the one that keeps us in dessert – bringing home all kinds of great things from our local bakery. So what do to do tonight – with not a single sweet to be had in this house?

I decided that I better get out the mixer and whip up some cookies with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pecans. I got out the chocolate chips, a couple of sticks of butter, and then prepared to measure out the sugar.

Chocolate chips, of course!

What would cookies be without a couple of sticks of butter??

Oops! I didn’t know what to do – I had no pewter measuring spoons and cups! Our house is for sale and we have been counseled to take everything out that might set any mood but neutral.

I was at such a loss! For nearly 30 years I have cooked with our own spoons and cups. Ok, granted, we do own a pyrex measuring cup – but how to get the flour and sugar out of the canisters into it??

How to get the sugar out without my trust pewter measuring cups??

But then I opened our flour canister and – eureka! -  look what I found inside! A Heart to Heart one quarter cup measure – yay! I could make it work.

Heart to Heart 1/4 cup!

And then, in a random drawer, I found a Fleur de Lys 1/4 teaspoon. I was getting closer. It was beginning to look possible.

Fleur de Lys 1/4 teaspoon

Before I knew it, I had my dough all whipped up, in the oven and my cookies were baked.

Freshly baked cookies - yummy!

You can be sure that the first things that will go back on our counters, when we sell our house, will be our Measuring Spoons and Cups!

This is not my first post about Ojai since, as those who know me well, can tell you….Ojai is possibly my favorite destination in America!

Located just 14 miles inland from Ventura, California this little town is known as Shangri-la. I am always happy to head down there to visit my mother and her husband.

This time I also had time for two extra fun experiences:

I was able to pop into Human Arts – a gorgeous shop in downtown Ojai which carries all kinds of beautiful American-made artisan products including – you guessed it! ours! I can’t believe I forgot to take a picture of it from the outside but here are some views of the inside  – and of our display.

Human Arts

Then, coincidentally, I had the chance to meet a loyal Human Arts customer. This lovely woman, Jude, had contacted us earlier this year wanting to know what to do with her measuring cups that had lost their original luster.

We arranged to meet outside of Ojai today! It’s always a thrill to meet someone who has been using our measuring cups for over 10 years – and maybe even longer! Ojai has incredible weather but we somehow managed to get caught in a bit of a wind gust!

Not only does Jude use her cups herself, but she has a daughter who owns our moose measuring spoons and another daughter who has one of our pet food scoops. We sure appreciate people like Jude who choose to buy American artisan goods! Thank you, Jude!

During the Christmas season last year, we were just so busy that we had to shut down our online Studio Sale.

Finally, we have caught up a bit and have had time to re-launch this fun part of our website.

From time to time, we ask our retailers to send back their un-sold merchandise in exchange for fresh, new products. We get pretty excited when old favorites come back to us. We re-photograph them and post them at steep discounts. For example, here is our wine bottle coaster!

Other items end up in our studio sale because they have been discontinued (to make way for new items) or they have slight blemishes.

As items are sold, we post new ones. So it’s always worth checking back!

Hearts, hearts, hearts!

Dotted heart pendant

If you have plans to make a trip out to the Pacific Northwest, you will definitely want to add Hood River to your itinerary. It’s only about an hour east of Portland – right on the Columbia River!

Hood River - one hour east of Portland

It’s incredibly scenic – with Mt. Hood rising right up behind it – and it’s known world-wide as one of the best places to windsurf.

Mt. Hood!

Windsurfing on the Columbia River

It’s also a fun little place to have lunch and shop! I was there this week-end with my youngest two daughters.

Unfortunately, the store that I really wanted to visit had just closed.

Rosella and Petie

But I must say that I was pretty happy to see their awesome Crosby & Taylor display right in the front window! In fact, it caught our eye even as we drove up the street.

The store is called Twiggs and it has been there since 1994 – very cool! It has all kinds of beautiful things – for you and for your home.

Twiggs Window Display

front display!

While we were in San Francisco last week, we ate at many wonderful local restaurants. But the best dinner was the one that was made just for us by my Uncle Bill and his wife, Effie, in Berkeley.

I just had to take a picture of Effie’s vintage Bamboo Measuring Spoons which had been gifted to her over 20 years ago! I asked her if she uses them all the time. (She is an incredible cook!) She admitted that she has always thought of them as art for her kitchen and she has actually NEVER used them! Sure enough – I saw some thin cheap aluminum spoons in her dish drainer!

I was flabbergasted. But she loves loves them and has never wanted to take them down from their prominent location right over her sink.

As you can see, they have developed a lovely patina over the years.

Bamboo Measuring Spoons - from 1992?

Here is what a new set would look like, if purchased today:

Bamboo Measuring Spoons on pewter strip

But I suspect that Effie would not want a new set, even if I offered them! They have sentimental value to her and are a permanent part of her beloved kitchen.

I also spotted another piece of pewter – this time on their refrigerator.

When our oldest daughter, Raven, got engaged nearly 11 years ago, to our Senegalese son-in-law, Cheikh, we hand-carved “save the date” magnets for them. I was touched that Bill and Effie still have this one on their refrigerator – firmly holding up their granddaughter’s drawing.

"" pewter magnet

Last month it was Atlanta and New York. This month it’s San Francisco. When we arrived to set up our trade show booth, it was 76 degrees – very welcoming to us rain-soaked Oregonians!

Sunny California!

However, we didn’t come here to pose out in the sunshine for 4 days!

Heading inside, how excited we were to spot our very own Vineyard Canisters featured at the registration desk!

Our Canisters!

Needless to say, this brought many buyers to our booth – especially those who own vineyards and were looking for products for their tasting rooms. Everyone was SO excited to hear that our products are artisan-made in Oregon!

They were also excited to hear that we can make custom products for them. I look forward to getting back to the studio and working with some of the logos from these vineyards to see what we can develop for them.

Everywhere I go in America, I see the same chain stores and the same products. I know how excited I am when I find something that I have never seen before. I hope that, come summer, many visitors to Napa Valley will get the same thrill when they pick up a custom-made item in their favorite winery gift shop!

Fleur de Lys Measuring cup

We always love contests in the shop so how could we resist playing the Super Bowl Square?

But wouldn’t you know it? The person who won both the 1st quarter and the overall game was Ashley – who doesn’t even follow football and was certainly not to be found in front of the game on Sunday!

I spent the hours, leading up to the game, in the kitchen whipping up the prizes. That, I must say, was probably as much fun as watching the game – and the ads!

Here were the prizes…I think the theme is obvious!

1st quarter winner – Chocolate Brownies with Guinness

2nd quarter winner – Beer Cheese Soup

3rd quarter winner – German-style Fried Potatoes with Lager

Overall winner – Drunken Sausages and Peppers in Pale Ale

Our house is for sale so we aren’t allowed anything out on our kitchen counters (except for our canisters) so I was glad for an excuse to pull out our Pewter Measuring Cups and Spoons. It just doesn’t seem right keeping them hidden but, once we get a buyer, I will have them right back out.

I have the Fleur de Lys Measuring Cups and Spoons and – since we make them – an extra set of Measuring Spoons in the Bird pattern. As you can see here…

Bird Teaspoon - rescued from the disposal

our Bird teaspoon took a tumble into the disposal a bit ago. I need to get it replaced. If this happens to you, we can either hammer out the dents and sand the edges a bit….or we can give you a recycling credit on it towards the purchase of a new one. But, I hope you are more careful than we are!

Next posting….the recipes, of course!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Super Bowl or, if not, a quiet Sunday afternoon while everyone else was watching!

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to keeping your resolutions for 2013 (including collecting more of our beautiful products – ha!). We are happy to start off the year by welcoming the newest addition to our team – Ashley!

Ashley started working with us in September, doing some assembly and jewelry work on the side of the other jobs that she already had with a few small local companies. (Ashley is one hard worker!) In November, she took a job with a larger company, but we soon realized that she really has what it takes and we asked her to join us full time. We are so happy to say she accepted – with much exuberance, as well!

A recent graduate of the University of Oregon, and an avid lover of artisan design and heirloom products, her appreciation of handmade, high quality goods is what set her apart from other possibilities. She is a hard worker, and great lover of design, and we figured, why hire outside when we have such a highly qualified applicant who we already know and appreciate?

Ashey’s background is in small local businesses and we are happy to say that she is bright and forward thinking, offering a fresh perspective which we hope will provide us with ventures and possibilities in other markets we haven’t even thought of yet.

Her first order of duty is to work through our website (so it’s easier for you to use!) and she already has some great ideas about it. Our second order of business is going to be our trade show in Atlanta next weekend. It will be her first trade show (and first visit to Atlanta), but I have a feeling she’ll be a natural.

I am happy to say that because Ashley has decided to join us, I will be able to focus more on the design and production of our products, a job which I love and cherish. However, just because you may see less from me on our social media platforms (since that’s now Ashley’s job!) it doesn’t mean I’m out of the picture or appreciate you any less. I will pop in now and again to share my favorites recipes and stories.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!

Deborah

Our Angel of Hope was spotted by a photographer from the Oregonian (Portland, Oregon’s newspaper)! You can even pick out our 2012 Collectible Snowflake Ornament in the background!

This was part of a story about shopping in Multnomah Village - where our daughter’s store, Peachtree Gifts, is. She just moved her store there 2 weeks ago – and already got into the newspaper!

Multnomah Village, a quaint neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

Peachtree Gifts