Our new friends at Two Classy Chics posted a wonderful review of our Mother Measuring Spoons earlier this week! We were very touched when we read some of the nice comments they made:

• The curved handles on these spoons is so lovely! They fit so nicely in my hand. The weight of these spoons is amazing.
• No fumbling around trying to find the right one to use.
• The handles are curved at the end to create a hanging hook with the message “A Mother’s love is beyond measure” imprinted on them.
• The spoons are imprinted with all of the different ways to say “Mom” and “Grandma” in many different languages.
• These are amazingly beautiful! I almost don’t want to use them!

Aww- thank you ladies!  Keep in mind, while our measuring cups and spoons are indeed lovely- they are meant to be used- so go for it!

The Two Chics are also hosting a Giveaway of our Mother Measuring Spoons. Visit their site and read Crosby & Taylor Pewter Measuring Spoons Review & Giveaway to learn how to enter (there are numerous methods of entry)!  Hurry-this giveaway will close on July 7th , at 11:59pm EST Time.

Large Dog and Kitty Treat Jars

Here we go again!  We are kicking off “The Dog Days of Summer” with our first ever Just for Pet Lovers Giveaway! If you don’t have pets yourselves, these prizes will fill your gift coffers and you will be prepared for the next time you need a gift for your favorite pet lover!

Our grand prize package  includes an assortment of delightful peices from our Pewter for Pet-Lovers Collection! The hand crafted stoneware treat jars will keep your best friend’s treats fresh (and look fabulous on your countertop). The winner will select from our 4 lustrous glazes: Whipping Cream, Butter Pecan, Pistachio, and Blackberry.

All items are lead-free, food-safe and – even better – made in America!

HOW TO ENTER

This contest will run June 27- July 22, 2011.  You can enter from our Facebook Page, Twitter or you can go directly to the Pet Lovers Giveaway Contest Site.

The grand prize package includes:

• Large Dog Treat Jar ($79 value);
• Kitty Treat Jar ($39 value);
• Three Patient Kitties Key Rack ($25 value);
• Puppy Hook ($9.50 value);
• Kitty Hook ($9.50 value);
• Whiskers & Spot Salad Servers ($65 value);
• “Lucy” Kitty Necklace ($34.50 value).

Total Value: $271.50

First Runner-Up will receives a Large Dog Treat Jar ($79 value); Second Runner-Up will receive: Whiskers & Spot Salad Servers ($65 value)

We wish a very Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers and grandfathers who are lucky enough to know one of the greatest joys on earth – being a parent!

How do a couple of pewter smiths start off their Father’s Day? They drag their 2 youngest daughters, a son-in-law, and an exchange student out of bed at 7am – say what? on a Sunday? – and meet their daughter’s in-laws (that sounds complicated!) at St. Honore Boulangerie for coffee and French pastries.

This place is SO special! A lot of bakeries in America try to make authentic French pastries. St. Honore must import its flour from France – or maybe they use Crosby & Taylor Measuring Spoons and Cups – ha! – but, for whatever reason, their pastries are the REAL DEAL! If you are ever near Portland, Oregon, you must stop in.

Crosby & Taylor owner, Jim, and our daughter's father-in-law, Abe

We had cats in my home when I was growing up. We have cats now but I have never lived in a house with a dog. But, my goodness, I know plenty of people who don’t just have a dog but are OBSESSED with their dog.

I like giving our kitties their treats late at night when they are still outside who knows where and I really really want to go to bed and I need them to come inside please pretty please! “Where are you, kitties?” I call out. They come. I give them a treat.

I know that dog owners are the same. Like our children and ourselves – sometimes treats are just the thing.

So I am proud to say that we are now offering really wonderful Treat Jars for Kitties, Small Dogs, and Large Dogs.

I really like our Treat Jars. I think the knob on top (which we like to call a “finial”) is pretty cute – since it is shaped like a paw, of course! Like our other ceramic pieces, they are all available in our 4 gorgeous glazes: Whipping Cream, Butter Pecan, Pistachio, and Blackberry.

If you are the kind of family that has pets and likes to reward them now and then – or maybe even more often – than I do think you will like these!

Lucy getting a treat from our new Kitty Treat Jar

Large Dog Treat Jar (Butter Pecan Glaze)

Kitty Treat Jar (Blackberry Glaze)

I am really inspired by our latest project! We are creating a line of products that will be exclusively available through the Made in Oregon stores. There are 7 of these stores in Oregon with their busiest ones being those in the Portland airport – no surprise there!

It was hard to narrow down my design choices, but I decided to start out with 4 of Oregon’s most popular motifs:

The Douglas Fir tree (after all, Oregon is the #1 producer of Christmas trees in all of America!)

The Chinook Salmon (our state Fish)

The Oregon Blackberry Flower (our state flower is actually the Oregon grape but I chose the Blackberry – a much more attractive flower, in my humble opinion)

The Meadowlark (so cute  – our state bird! I can’t say I’ve ever seen one – I guess I better get out those binoculars on and take a look outside!)

Anyway, normally, when I start work on a new design I get on the web and do some research. So, I started to google – salmon, meadowlark, fir tree, blackberry – and then I felt foolish when I realized that all I had to do was leave my computer and take a walk outside to see a fir tree and a blackberry bush!

getting started on the Made in Oregon line

I have 4 samples in pewter done now and will run them by the Made in Oregon team this week. If they love them as much as we do, we will start to work on the actual product line – coffee scoop, petite salt pot, tea bag holder, tiny spoons, and much more!

pewter samples for Made in Oregon

I am proud to say that I have been an Oregonian now for 30 years so I really look forward to sharing a little of our state with other locals and with all the tourists who honor us with their visits.

If you’re anything like me, you are frequently asked how you ended up in your particular line of work. My Dad is a retired Physics Professor. My mom is a very active Botanist, after retiring from 30 years as a University Reference Librarian. My brother and sister are both Doctors. So how in the world did I end up as the principal designer and owner of Crosby & Taylor?!  (Was I born into the wrong family?!)

Well….I do believe I would trace it all the way back to my teen years when I desperately wanted to be an exchange student to a French-speaking country. That took me to a summer in Belgium which then led to the University of Virginia, where I majored in French, which then led me to the University of Oregon and a Master’s Degree in French Literature in grad school, which then led to….Hold on! this is where my path takes a sharp turn off the main road!

In one of my literature classes was a dashing, young (ok not all that young – ha!) man named Jim Chapman. He had strolled over to the University of Oregon to “brush up on his Italian”. One thing led to another and the next thing he knew he was teaching Italian 101 – say what?!

Jim was actually paying his bills by making adjustable wooden lamps and then selling them at crafts fairs up and down the west coast. I had never heard of anything like this so, naturally, I just had to tag along and see what this lifestyle was all about. Here is a video telling our story….hope you enjoy!

(Note: The woodworker with the big fuzzy hair is actually not Jim – but a good friend! Also – this video was made just before we changed our name to Crosby & Taylor!)

Elaine modeling her Birthday Dessert

Our 18 year old daughter, Rosella, loves to cook and bake! So she was pretty excited when she heard I needed a dessert for Elaine’s birthday party. She is always looking for an excuse to get into the kitchen. (I hope there will be a kitchen in her freshman dorm in the fall!)

Elaine is our wonderful accountant who moves into my office twice a month and tidies up our books, writes our paychecks, and basically handles nearly everything that involves money. She is truly a joy and we all look forward to our Elaine Tuesdays.

So, when I realized that this birthday was one of those BIG ones (you know, like 29 and 39 – ha!) I knew we had to throw her a little party. Carl, our amazing potter, threw some burgers on the grill, Rosella made a delicious pasta salad AND Fresh Raspberry Bars – thanks to Paula Deen, of course.

Elaine was quite happy to model the tasting of the Bars.

They were really yummy. You might say to yourself – well if you combine raspberries and cream cheese and Paula’s genius….how could they not be?? HOWEVER, I am a chocolate lover and I rarely – ever so rarely – waste any of my precious daily caloric intake on anything sweet that is not made of, covered with, sprinkled with, and/or drowning in CHOCOLATE. So, take my word here. These bars are really something special because I went back for seconds and thirds and …..well, there are a few left, I think.

Here is the recipe – thank you, Paula! Enjoy!

Paula Deen's Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars

Paula Deen’s Fresh Raspberry Bars

For the crust:

Directions

Happy Birthday Elaine - you're the best!

We had a lot of fun over the holiday week-end and added some great new products to our Studio Sale! They are all about BIRDS. We think the prices are pretty great, too. Who doesn’t love a deal?

We paired our Bird Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups with some wonderful reclaimed wood.  We recycled wood from an old fence just up the road near where our woodworker lives. Birds and fencing – seems perfect!

Bird Measuring Spoons on Reclaimed Fencing

Bird Measuring Cups on Reclaimed Fencing

We also have a pair of Bird Canisters. Each one has a sweet bird knob sitting on top. We used our Butter Pecan glaze on these  – which is a yummy buttery color.

Pair of Bird Canisters

Last, but not least, we added Bird Buttons – sold in sets of 6. If you have kind of an ordinary sweater,  you could swap out the buttons with these lovely birds and suddenly you would have a really special sweater.

Set of 6 Bird Buttons

Hope you enjoy our new products!