Wishing all our friends, family and customers a very Happy Christmas, click here for a  a little festive something that will make you smile…

Well I have had a bit of a break from the blog over the past few months as work and life took over and here we are at Christmas….

I must have assembled hundreds of these gift boxes over the past few weeks.

These little heart dishes are flying out the door.

Andrews brooch’s are so beautiful, a timeless gift…

I have collaborated with Moth to a Flame candles and these candle bowls are the result,  we have Lavender and Christmas scents. My little Christmas bells are very festive.

We have a great selection of other bits a pieces. I particularly love these Nordic snow patterned hot water bottles.

As well as the usual shops we supply, this Christmas we are involved in two pop up shops, The Christmas Boutique in Ranelagh, Dublin which is open until this Sunday and the MADE in Kilkenny pop up shop, Rose Inn st. Kilkenny which is open until Christmas Eve, so if you cant make it to our shop in Castlecomer you might be able to find something special in one of the pop up shops.

I want to share some of the Craft highlights form this years Kilkennys Arts Festival….

Andrew Ludick bowls in ‘A Makers Journey’

Mark Campden ‘A Makers Journey’

Gus Mabelson ‘A Makers Journey’

Andrew Ludick ‘Form a Line ‘ exhibition

Above are some of  the amazing paper pieces on show in the National Craft Gallery

and Lucy McKenna’s hauntingly beautiful ‘Darker Wood’ in the Castle Park.

‘From inspiration to creation’

here is a little insight into how I came up with the bowls that are in

A Makers Journey Exhibition

My journey began in the garden with a plant I love called ‘bells of Ireland’. I love the simple shape of the foliage. Next I did some sketches of the plant and played around with suggestions of form. Here is my story board…

Then I got stuck into the making proccess which took place in our polly tunnel at home ……….

because of this little guy I have very little time in the workshop right now….

and here are the finished pots in the exhibition. A series of porcelain bowls glazed in a transparent glaze.

So there you have it,  ’A makers Journey’ from ‘inspiration to creation’ now on show at Butler House, Kilkenny

This is MADE in kilkennys 3rd exhibition and it looks fantastic. If you are in Kilkenny for the Arts Festival make sure to pay Butler House a visit, we also have a pop up shop open for the week which has a great selection of Kilkenny craft.

The exhibition A Makers Journey demonstrates the craft persons individual creative process. From the inspiring object or image, through their personal process of design, it explores the different element taken into consideration to create a successful, well designed aesthetic piece of work.

The Exhibition opened last night and runs for the duration of the Kilkenny Arts Festival until Sun 14th.

The Year of Craft is well underway with lots going on and hopefully people are becoming more aware of the word craft and what it means in 2011. To mark the National Ceramics Month there was a lovely photo and 3 page article in the Irish Times magazine two weeks ago on some Irish Ceramic makers(I’m way behind on this one as we were in the States for a while) it featured Andrew (third from left on the sofa)  the promotion continues in the Kilkenny shop in Dublin if your up that way take a look at the exhibition of work in the windows.

Andrew and I both have work in the Irish Design Shop which is popping up in the National Gallery of Ireland this month. Also in Dublin is the super exhibition ’transFORM‘ organised by Ceramics Ireland as part of the Year of Craft Program, this is taking place in Farmleigh. This features some amazing work by Irish ceramic artist based here and living abroad including some of Andrews work.

I am sorry for the lack of posts this past couple of months but this little man has been keeping me on my toes and blogging has been low down on my agenda….the gorgeous photos above are courtesy of  the wedding and potrait studio , they were taken of Abraham at two weeks old.

Meanwhile its business as usual in Rosemare Durr Pottery shop. New spring and Easter stock has arrived including some of these lovely Easter trees, more photos to follow.

Lastly I just wanted to share a couple photos of the wood anemies that we sowed last autumn, they have been looking beautiful for the past few weeks with the bluebells close behind…..

Eleven days ago Abraham was born…..everyday he changes, gets fatter and smiles more. This Valentin’s our house is filled with flowers for the our new little man, thanks to all our friends, family and customers who have wished us well and smothered Abraham with gifts………..Happy Valentin’s Day.

The wonderfully talented stylist Eleanor Harpur has featured Andrew Ludick ceramics and a little of my own work in the last couple of issues of  House and Home magazine. The issue below was shot on location in a beautiful old cottage in the grounds of  the Discovery Park..

Some of Andys beautiful vases…..

Stacks of my plates and bowls look great in this beautiful dresser from Eclectic Interiors….

More of Andys ceramic fish and vases..

What a nice way to start the new year….TV chef Neven Maguire is using my pots in his new series which goes out on Thursday nights, 8.30pm on RTE 1. Its is great to see them on the telly and Neven makes good use of my little bowls, ramekins and jugs….keep an eye out or click here to view reruns. A big thanks to the very talented Sharon Hearne -Smith who is responsable for the beautiful food styling on set.

We are enjoying being home for a few days and hope all our readers/customers & friends are enjoying the same.

 The shop will be open from 12pm to 4pm Wed to Fri this week . Closed Sat and Sunday.

Just drop me an email or give me a call if you need to get something outside these hours.

It was such a lovely surprise to open the Sunday Times Culture section today, to be greeted by a huge picture of Andy’s pots (there was a lovely one in last weeks Sunday Times as well). It is for the winter Exhibition in The Lavit Gallery, Cork and what lovely things they say about his work……….

‘Andrew Ludick’s lively ceramics steal this Christmas show with their hand-formed shapes and strong patterns, driven by thin black lines and a rich use of limited colour. The Pineapple Vessels in the window are a favourite, but his bowls are equally covetable.’

These vases are available from the gorgeous Lavit Gallery, Rosemarie Durr Pottery, theMADE in kilkenny pop up shop, Kilkenny and The Irish Design Shop, Dublin

We have a great collection of Craft Kits for Kids in the shop right now, perfect stocking fillers that will keep the little ones entertained for a while, and they are all fair trade.  Here is a sample ranging in price from €5 to €8

Craft stick puppet kit.

Fairy Making Kit

Make your own bugs kit

It has been a long week….with temperatures not rising above freezing by day and as low as -16 C at night we had a hard time just keeping things moving, but we did. The shop is open for business and looking very beautiful…

These shaker style bird feeders arrived just in time, our poor feathered friends need all the help they can get.

Speaking of feathered friends….here is a felted one that is staying in doors with his wooden pig friends. Christmas decorations that you can love all year long.

We have received lots of our Christmas stock , check out some more of the new products here, better still call in to see for yourself…..not a piece of tensile in sight!

Andrews work is featured in today’s Irish Times magazine, click here to read……and our friend Ann Barber owner of  one of the most gorgeous shops in kilkenny the Butterslip was featured in today’s Irish Independent Weekend magazine. Blanaid Hennessy writes about Ann’s beautiful house featuring some of her lovely collection of things which includes lots of our creations over the years…….thanks Ann for your great taste.

Its hard to see from my poor photograph but the table top below is an Andrew Ludick creation, its very beautiful and completely one off..

Yesterday we transformed the reception area of the Discovery Park into a Harvest wonderland……this was to mark the end of the fantastic Savour Kilkenny Food Festival.  Interior stylist Eleanor Harpur put together local craft and food to create a beautiful atmosphere for the throngs of people who came through……….

The Castlecomer Discovery Park and Craft Yard is where to go this bank holiday Monday, as part of the Savour Kilkenny festival you can see some beautifully styled tables by one of Ireland’s leading interior stylists incorporating the best of local food and craft. Be inspired with imaginative ideas for a Harvest table, a Halloween children’s table and a Christmas table. Enjoy the fruits of Samhain with a seasonal display of harvest-time fruit and vegetables and get creative (and sustainable!) for Christmas with a display of seasonal gift ideas mixing local craft and artisan food. A selection of exciting dishes will also be created in the award-winning Jarrow Café using local seasonal ingredients.

In the Discovery Park all the family can celebrate Samhain (the end of Summer) which is the second biggest festival in the Western world. It marks the turning of the Celtic Year and we are celebrating it in full. Children can look forward to face painting, storytelling and a fancy dress competition, with some surprises in store throughout the day.  The theme for the storytelling will be the traditions of Halloween relating to food including customs such as the ancient thanksgiving to the gods for the harvest after all the crops had been stored, ’souling’ much like the modern day ‘trick-or-treating’, hollowing out turnips to make the ‘Jack-o-Lanterns’, barm brack, and much much more.For information call Castlecomer Discovery Park, The Estate Yard, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, Tel 056 4440707. All events are free.

MADE in kilkenny are getting into the Savour mood by having an exhibition of tabletop craft in the National Craft Gallery. The show will run for Saturday and Sunday. You will be able to get ideas on how to mix a collection of local craft to create an unique feel to your dining table, not to be missed. For more details check out www.madeinkilkenny.ie

Here are some photos from the recent ‘MADE in kilkenny’ exhibition in Butler House, which was part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival……

With so little posts this summer I want to give you a brief overview of lots of things that have been going on. The shop was very busy and the arts festival was a great success, it has just meant that I have had no time at the computer but there are lots of photos so bear with me. First I wanted to show you what my garden has been looking like the last couple of months….this is very exciting as it has been completely transformed since last summer with the help of Monica (a great local gardener who has put many hours of back breaking work into our little patch). So these flower beds are in their first summer and I am so pleased with how they look. I just received hundreds of bluebell, snowdrop and wood anemone bulbs today so that’s my work cut out for me over the next month or so……..

One year on from our launch, MADE in kilkenny are exhibiting again in Butler House as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival.  Here are some of the pieces that Andy and I are putting in for the show……….

All the work in the show has being inspired from places in Kilkenny.  Andys are photographed here in the gardens of Rothe House the place of his inspiration.

The tea set I made is photographed in Castlecomer Discovery Park by the river, the place of my inspiration…

These are some of the new shots from the great photo shoot in shutterbug.  Blanaid pulled out all the stops with the styling and Moselle had some fun……..check out some more photos here.

Sorry for lack of posts of late,  summer always means no time to sit at the computer and beautiful sunny evenings definitely means no time or desire to sit at the computer……..the up shot is the garden is in full bloom and looking lovely and the house is full of summer displays. We have some gorgeous photos coming up from a shoot a couple of weeks ago and lots of new stuff so just bare with me and I will get them all up on line.

I made these ceramic bells earlier this year and waited until the bluebells were in bloom down the woods before photographing them. The bells make a beautiful ring depending on the size and I think they look gorgeous displayed in nature. Prices range from €15 to €25

I wanted to share some photos from Andy’s exhibition in the Narrow Space….its a beautiful show and it runs for another few weeks. Full of colour that makes you smile when you walk into the gallery, better still it will make you smile when you bring a piece home….

Andrew has a solo show opening this Friday in The Narrow Space Gallery,  Clonmel. The show runs for the month of May so don’t miss it….

Along side the coal miner is his buddy Mr. dinosaur……still under construction but these photos will give you a good idea of how it looks. If you are unaware of the connection between these two you should visit the footprint in coal exhibition in the Discovery Park.

The Discovery Park is full of amazing sculptures this weekend and it will continue for the month of May. These sand sculptures are the highlight for me. I have watched mounds of sand being carved and sculpted into a miner and a dinosaur….they will not be finished until Monday so if you can make it down to the Yard to see the finishing touches, you wont be disappointed

We have a collection of all sorts on our workshop wall…above are a series of  glaze tests I did a couple of years ago. I had lots of fun doing these  tests and promised myself that it was something I would keep doing on a regular basis, but like lots of things busy production took over. It is good to live with them and some of these days I will develop them some more.

Beside the glaze tests we have a collection of found objects, all of which were found on the ground outside the workshop……all sort of little people, flowers and insects. They make quite an eclectic collection.

Thanks Aisling from the Narrow Space and Patsey Murphy from The Irish Times for the editorial in today’s paper. A really nice plug for Andy’s upcoming exhibiting…

‘American ceramic artist Andrew Ludick has been living in Castlecomer since 2003, sharing a workshop with his wife, potter Rosemarie Durr. A new exhibition of his delicate, glossy earthenware bowls, mostly white with dashes of colour, begins on May 7th in the Narrow Space Gallery, 14 Mitchel Street, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary, tel:052-6127838. Prices for these beautiful collectibles start at around €40 for a small vessel, see thenarrowspace.com’

What a great weekend, the sun was shining and it felt like summer (a bit weird with no leaves on the trees) Anyway I got stuck into a bit of baking and it was definitly worth all the effort.  A couple of years ago I did an Italian cookery course with Christine at Tasteworks and it was money well spent. Each week she covered the basic staples of the Italian kitchen and I learned how to make yeast dough and gorgeous focaccia bread. Following the classes I was full of enthusiasm and baked loads but slowly got out of the habit of making yeast dough. Anyway this Sunday was the day to get back into it, I needed a refresher from YouTube on how to knead dough but it came back to me once I got stuck in. It tasted fab and worth all the effort…..

BASIC WHITE YEAST BREAD

1lb/45og strong white flour

300-320 mls warm water

1.5 teaspoons of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 sachet of easy blend yeast

Mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl and add the water and oil.  Mix and then turn out onto flowered worktop and knead for 10-15 mins. Place in an oiled bowl cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm kitchen with no draughts for about 1 hour until it doubles in size. Knock back and leave to rise for again, then press out air and leave to rest for 10 mins. Flatten out into a rect. baking sheet, then dimple with your fingers. You can use whatever toppings you want, I put olives, red onion, basil and garlic on one half and on the other I put fresh rosemary, sprinkled it all with rock salt and drizzled lots and lots of olive oil.

Bake in hot oven for 20 to 30 mins….eat while hot

I served the focaccia with baked potatoes, tomatoes and herbs. Put chopped potatoes, tomatoes and fresh herbs in a oven proof dish with some red onion, chopped garlic, olive oil and a little water (enough to cover the the bottom of the dish) Bake for about 45 mins. yummy….

Check out some of the new Inch Blue baby shoes we have in the shop right now……too cute for words

I hope you all get your fill of eggs this weekend……the shop will be open on

Sunday from 1pm – 5pm and Monday 12pm – 5pm

so if your out in the Discovery Park for a walk, or an Alice in Wonderland Experience, call in to say hello…

Happy Easter all

At last the daffodils are out…..these are the first of the year from my garden, brightening up the shop and looking great in Andy’s vase.  Andy’s work looks beautiful all on its own but introduce a few colourful flowers and its magic!

We have lots of great Easter Decorations in the shop right now,  they make great gifts that won’t  pile on the pounds….

Kids love these bunnies and they are only €2.50 each

I was told today by a customer that this is called  a  ’Japanese Easter Tree’ I love the idea of an Easter Tree…

How cute are these little egg warmer bunnies?

I realise all my recipe’s lately are cookies but that’s the nature of winter (that’s my story) so here is one that is very healthy and full of goodness and the rice krispies make them nice and light. By summer I will be on salads… promise

150g/5oz butter

75g/3oz light brown sugar

75g/3oz honey

250g/9oz porridge oats

75g/3oz  rasinis or sultanas

50g dried apricots chopped

50g/2oz Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5

Melt butter in a saucepan with sugar and honey over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Then remove from the heat and let cool a little.

Mix together oats, dried fruit and rice krispies. Then add the melted ingredients to the bowl, stirring everything well.

Spread the mixture into a lined 9in x 13in tray and bake 15-25 mins until it turns golden brown. Cool in the tin, then cut into squares or fingers………enjoy!

We recently got a new kitchen, well a new element  with plenty of old mixed in. The challenge was to do it on a small budget and yet have a artisan feel to it. I would have loved to have gone for a locally made kitchen but had to compromise, so in the end we went for a flat pack with solid wood worktop. A friend Mark from Bridge Pottery, made the knobs which I love and think they add a handmade feel to the kitchen. The floor is cheap pine which I whitewashed and then sealed, it reflects so much light and makes the room appear light and airy. The subway tiles were a real success, I love them….the other bits and pieces are collect and made over the years.

Andy made these utensil holders a couple of years ago, I think I need some more….I have a weakness for wooden spoons!

None of our chairs match, I have picked them up over the years at auctions and the cupboard in the corner was a fab find in Eclectic Interiors. It acts as a pantry and takes up very little room.

Another great buy from Eclectic Interiors was this dresser which holds all my crockery (a bit of a crazy mix from all over the place, not much matching here) the lovely plate on the side is another beautiful piece from Bridge Pottery.

I wanted to mention the amazing pieces created by two members of ‘MADE in kilkenny’ which were worn on Sunday night at the Oscars…..Liselott and Nora from the Cartoon Saloon wore the pendants below, made by Rudolf Heltzel and a headpiece by Rebekah Patterson. I think they’re work is amazing and am sure they held their own on the red carpet….

Bring a little colour into your Mammy’s heart, this Sunday with a Mother Days Gift  that will last all year long……….

Set of 4 dip bowls €45

Set of 3 pouring bowls €80

‘The Pocket garden’ €5 each

For the past month I have seen a transformation of my dark dated kitchen (which I have lived with since we bought the house over 2 years ago) into a beautiful light filled room that works perfectly. We did not do any structural work so the light is the same as before but its the difference that white surfaces can make. There is still a couple of finishing touches to be made and then I will show you some photos, but for now I just want to show off some beautiful pressies Andy brought me from my favourite shop in the States,  Anthropology………I can’t get enough of Anthropology its my idea of retail perfection (that comes from someone who is not into shopping) and it has brought spring into my new kitchen….

These two cuties are the latest addition to the Discovery Park…..they are not in the viewing area yet but you can see lots of deer in there and I’m sure the lambs will out very soon.

If you have time this week try these cookies, they are quick and easy to make and hits the spot with a nice cup of tea….

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

8 ounces of good choclate coarsely chopped

1. Beat the butter until it whitens then add sugar, beaten until well blended. Whisk egg and vanilla extract together and beat into the butter mixture.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Beat half the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add the remaining flour mixture. Beat in the chopped walnuts and chocolate.

3. Preheat oven to 180 C/325 F spoon cookie mixture about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 mins. Enjoy

Can you have too many bowls? in my opinion… never. I get so much pleasure from just looking at stacks of different shaped and coloured bowls in my kitchen, its an added bonus to be able to use them. Check out some of my new bowls…

This is the official US Trailer for the amazing movie ‘The Secret of Kells’ where it goes on release for St. Patrick’s day. Who knows by then it might be sporting and Oscar! I am chuffed for Tom, Paul and all the gang at the Cartoon Saloon (just a bunch of incredibly young, talented, funny guys and gals based here in our little town of Kilkenny) and I got a great laugh to see Tom in this photo with all those other Oscar nominees……Tom your a Movie Starrrr

More lovelies from the shop……

Say you care with the cutest little heart dish……they come in this gorgeous gift box for only €10. They also make great wedding favours if you are that way inclined!

How cool is this little movie from the New Zealand Book Council (do other countries have book councils?)

Hot from the kiln………check out my brand new ‘Buttermilk range’ of everyday tableware here. Its a soft white glaze with a slight mother of pearl tinge, the shapes are both contemporary and nostalgic. I have lived with it for the past 12 months or so and I am so  happy with the shapes and the glaze, I love it and its great mixed in with my trade mark powder blue glaze.