Last Christmas season we were pretty excited to learn that our Angel Measuring Spoons were a “Paula’s Pick” in Paula Deen’s Holiday magazine.

Angel Measuring Spoons

Soon after we finished them, we began to get inquiries about matching Angel Measuring Cups. Well, it was Christmas season and you imagine what that meant…we didn’t know if we were coming or going. We were crazy little elves running around making things and shipping them out – just as fast as we could.

But now it’s Spring and our workdays have a totally different look and feel. Right now we are calmly making products and sending them off for Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings, and such. But not at the nearly out-of-control way we were doing last Christmas. This means that we have been able to create matching Measuring Cups!

At first it really seemed a challenge to figure out how to enable our Angel to hold 4 Measuring Cups. But we got it all figured out and we are super pleased. We hope you will love them as much as we do.

Angel Measuring Cups

And, who knows, maybe Paula will end up making them a “Paula’s Pick” this holiday season….which reminds me – we better get a set sent off to her!

It would appear that an Oregon Duck wandered into our pottery studio and walked right across our new Oregon Spirit bowls.

Salad/Serving Bowl in Oregon Green

Small Bowl with Duck Feet

But, I have a confession.

It is actually our pottery assistant, Whitney, and her skilled hands that create these fun webfoot prints.

Duck Bowl in process

Whitney making web foot prints

There is a ridiculous number of logo products out there for Duck fans to purchase. In fact, when I dropped off our samples at the licensing office last month, it was hard to see Gail, the licensing assistant there, due to the stack of incoming products.

However, Gail was pretty excited to see our products arrive. I got the idea she thought it was pretty cool that our products are made right here in Eugene. After all, I drove the samples over myself – rather than just ordering them from some factory thousands of miles away.

A lot of people have encouraged us along this 10 month journey. It’s one thing creating a new product line. But it’s a whole different animal when you are trying to make products that need to pass inspection and get legally approved.

Whew! We are glad to have made it this far and can’t wait to see where these bowls and our other Oregon Spirit products will end up!

Go Ducks!

Although there are a lot of creative parts to my job, one of the best aspects is designing custom products for people. We were approached last year by the gift shop buyer, Pam, at The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, NC.

Pam had come across our products and thought it would be awesome if we could make some products just for them. After many e-mails and phone calls back and forth, Pam and I finally settled on a Spoon Rest & Coffee Canister (pictured below), and a Coffee Scoop.

Their first order for these three products should have just arrived in their Gift Shop last Friday. I think they are lovely and I hope that the visitors to the Cove will think so, as well! It’s been wonderful to work with Pam to develop these pieces.

Our Coffee Canister for The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove

Crosby & Taylor Spoon Rest Designed for The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove

Ciambella {Chocolate Ring Cake} on bella alimento

Italian cuisine, known for its use of simple, quality ingredients combined with love, is meant to be shared with family & friends! -bell’alimento

I am proud to say that our Vineyard Measuring Spoons with Pewter Display Post were featured in the very lovely food site: bella’limento.  Its author, Paula (who happens to be a freelance writer for that other famous Paula!), fell in love with Italy in her youth and now shares her passion for Italian culture and food with her readers. The site features simple, seasonal and satisfying Italian dishes.

Paula’s philosophy is “beautiful food doesn’t have to be complicated”. Lucky for us, Paula has a “THING” for pewter (we had no idea) and took us up on our offer to do a Vineyard Measuring Spoons giveaway on her blog. Sadly, the deadline has passed to enter….but there is a silver lining:

She leaves us the gift of Ciambella (Chocolate Ring Cake) that you simply must try (pictured on the right). Visit her site for this recipe and enjoy her many other lovely Italian dishes featured throughout this gorgeous site.

Thank you, Paula, for featuring us and we are glad you enjoy your spoons!

Follow her on Twitter @bellalimento and Facebook

As in many cities, Portland’s home builders like to showcase their newest homes for a few weeks each summer. In Portland, it is called the Street of Dreams. I headed over there last week to check out one of the homes that was staged by Candace White, a local decorator.

She chose to place our Vineyard Canister Set and matching Super Post Set (Measuring Spoons and Cups all on one post) in the kitchen of the home that was called “Con Amore”.

We were honored to have our products in this lovely kitchen.  Check out the photos!

I couldn’t wait to go on the tour and see how everything looked.

I joined my daughter, Petrel, and her husband, Jacob, along with his wonderful parents.

I'm not really sure why I felt the need to pose with all of our products - I guess because I was so excited!

It was really nice to meet Candace, as well. She is the one who pulled everything together.

Limited Time Offer: Buy One Crosby & Taylor Heart Spoon Rest Get a Second One Free!

Pair of Heart Spoon Rests

Everyone knows two is better than one – right?  Through the end of May, you can get two Heart Spoon Rests for the price of one!

Here is the background on this special….Through the years I have taken home nearly one of everything we make (that is a heck of  a lot of pewter!).   However, I have a terrible confession to make: I have never taken home a Spoon Rest for myself!

I know – SHOCKING!  Spoon Rests are one of my favorite things to give as gifts – so why don’t I even have one myself? I thought I didn’t really need one. I’m not the tidiest person in the kitchen and I guess I tend to just set my wooden spoons and spatulas down wherever they end up.

When I was in Portland recently making dinner for one of my daughters and my son-in-law, I couldn’t help but notice how SPOTLESS their kitchen is! There was NO way I was going to be sloppy in that pristine place. So, of course, I used their Spoon Rest. Now, granted, they have a small one. But, still, it was quite large enough and I was surprised how good it made me feel to set my messy spoon on that tidy little Spoon Rest.

I now see how great it is to have a lovely pewter Spoon Rest! So, through the end of May, you can get a pair of our Heart Spoon Rests - for the price of one! You get our smaller, original one along with our newer, larger one!

The question for me is now which one will I take home for myself? Fleur de Lys….Dragonfly…Fish….Bird….Heart…??

Small Heart Spoon Rest in a tidy kitchen!

A few months ago we contacted all of the wonderful shops and galleries that carry our products and asked what they would like us to make for Mother’s Day. From all of the entries, we chose Karen Monte’s from KaDee Kay Gourmet Kitchen Products in Mount Dora, Florida.

KaDee Kay Gourmet Kitchen Products is a retail store selling unique kitchen items in Mount Dora Florida in the beautiful The Arbors & Eyebrows complex.

Karen from KaDee Kay Gourmet Kitchen Products

She suggested that we make double-ended Measuring Spoons. We thought it was brilliant and a perfect addition to our product line. We awarded her with $350 in merchandise and she also got 3 pairs of these new spoons.

Double-ended Measuring Spoons

I have never been to Mount Dora but I will definitely have to stop in next time I’m in Florida – and I hope you will, too – because this looks like a really fun place to shop.

Thank you, Karen, for entering our contest – and for submitting this great idea!

Congratulations again to our 9 Facebook Friends who have each won a set of our new Made for Mother Measuring Cups! In February, we asked you to share the names which you use for your mothers and grandmothers.

Made for Mothers Measuring Cups

Mother Measuring Cups - reverse sides of handles

From these submissions, we picked many wonderful names  – from Bibi to Mamacita!

Thank you to all who submitted their special names.

If your name is listed below, please send your address to us at: info@crosbyandtaylor.com so that we can send out your winning cups. (In the case of duplicate submissions, we awarded the cups to the earliest entry.)

Measuring Cup Winners:

Ashley Hunt Martin – Mimi

Karen Wahl – Mormor

Tamara Luke – Mummy, Baba

Danielle Carey Burruss – Omo

Paula Kiss Gauthier – Meemaw

Megan Spears Blackford – Nannie

Andrea Monitcchio Monroe – Nonna

Christine Hudson – GG, Mamacita

Melanie Brinker – Bibi, Mommy-0

Enter Our Made for Mothers Collection Giveaway By May 1!

We are at it again!  We have launched a new giveaway for our loyal friends and customers and this time, we will have 3 winners!

Enter our Made for Mothers Giveaway before Sunday May 1 at 11:59PM PST for a chance to win pieces from our NEW Made for Mothers Collection for yourself or to give to a special woman in your life for Mothers Day!  Be among the first to have pieces from the collection inspired by members of the Crosby & Taylor Facebook community who shared special names which they use for their moms and/or grandmothers.

The entire Made for Mothers Collection will be available for order (just in time for Mothers Day, May 8th) beginning next week and will consist of Measuring Spoon Sets, double-ended single Measuring Spoons, Measuring Cups, and a Spoon Rest.

There are 3 ways to enter this contest:
1) Going to our Facebook Page;
2) Enter via Twitter (see how you can earn extra entries!) Twitter
3) Or Click on this Link.

Our Grand Prize Package includes 5 fabulous products from the Made for Mothers Collection:

• 1 set of Pewter Measuring Cups with matching Pewter Post (retail value $178)
• 1 set of Pewter Measuring Spoons with matching Pewter Post (retail value $79)
• 1 pair of Double-ended Pewter Measuring Spoons (retail value $54)
• 1 Pewter Spoon Rest (retail value $25)

TOTAL Prize Package is Worth $336

• Our first runner-up will receive a set of Measuring Spoons with Pewter Post (retail value $79);
• Second runner-up will receive a pair of Double-ended Measuring Spoons (retail value $54)

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

Congratulations to our 9 Facebook Friends who have each won a set of our new Made for Mother Measuring Cups! In February, we asked you to share the names which you use for your mothers and grandmothers.

From these submissions, we picked many wonderful names  – from Bibi to Mamacita!

Thank you to all who submitted their special names. If your name is listed below, please send your address to us at: info@crosbyandtaylor.com so that we can send out your winning cups. (In the case of duplicate submissions, we are awarding the cups to the earliest entry.)

On Monday we will be launching our grand Made for Mother Sweepstakes in which everyone will have another chance to win these Cups.

Measuring Cup Winners:

Ashley Hunt Martin – Mimi

Karen Wahl – Mormor

Tamara Luke – Mummy, Baba

Danielle Carey Burruss – Omo

Paula Kiss Gauthier – Meemaw

Megan Spears Blackford – Nannie

Andrea Monitcchio Monroe – Nonna

Christine Hudson – GG, Mamacita

Melanie Brinker – Bibi, Mommy-0