Welcome to january: A New Year’s reset in the Little Fire Ceramics studio
Welcome to January, and welcome to a new year in the Little Fire Ceramics studio. After months spent preparing for the holidays, throwing on the wheel , glazing, and firing handmade ceramic pieces that will become lifelong companions in the homes of customers and their loved ones, it feels like the table has been gently cleared. The pace has slowed. The studio is quieter. There is room again to imagine what comes next.
Like many people, I spend some time setting goals and intentions for the year ahead, both personally and for Little Fire Ceramics. But the ritual that matters most to me is a full New Year’s reset. In the studio, this means hours, sometimes days, of pulling out every box, cleaning every tool and surface, reviewing backstock, and reorganizing shelves. I rebuild systems based on how I actually worked the year before. It is a practice I genuinely love and look forward to each December. I try to complete it before the first day of the year so I can step into January with a space that feels calm, clear, and full of possibility.
My clipboard is already full of projects waiting their turn to be handcrafted. Couples who were married in the fall or winter and registered for custom Little Fire Ceramics tableware collections are now ready to move forward with their personalized tableware collections. I am deeply excited to begin bringing these bespoke ceramics to life, first as a carefully made sample set, and then as a full handcrafted ceramic tableware collection. This process allows couples to hold one of each piece and experience how it will look as a full collection. They imagine how it will feel in daily use, and to be sure these are objects they want to be part of their lives for years to come. My hope is always that these collections become true heirlooms, present for quiet meals at home, joyful gatherings with friends, moves to new spaces, growing families, and evolving tastes.
Alongside these custom projects, I am sketching and testing ideas for new forms and glazes that will make their way into the online shop and to events in the months ahead. Much of last year felt like planning and anticipation as I prepared for a move and the changes it would bring. Now, I feel ready to experiment again, to explore new surfaces, and to turn long held ideas into tangible forms.
Moving into my new ceramics studio and showroom in Chicago in June of 2025 feels both distant and recent at the same time. One of my long standing dreams has been to welcome more people into this space, and I am excited to do more of that in the year ahead. If you were part of one of the workshops or craft nights I hosted at my studio in Milwaukee, you know how much gathering together for creative endeavors is a time of joy. I am currently planning workshops, informal gatherings, and open studio days that I look forward to sharing soon in my new space in the Ravenswood neighborhood.
I am ready to get back to work, to let the ideas and plans that have been quietly taking shape during the busy holiday season come to life now that there is time and space for them. September 2026 will mark ten years of Little Fire Ceramics, and I cannot wait to share this milestone, and everything leading up to it, with you. If you would like to follow along to receive occasional updates from the studio about new work, events, and openings, you are warmly invited to join my mailing list. Thank you so much for being part of this journey and wishing you a wonderful year ahead.