The Story
According to some humans, the hedgehog’s dilemma is a metaphor about the challenges of relationships. It describes a hypthetical situation in which a group of hedgehogs try to snuggle to share heat during the winter. The assumption is that they must remain apart, as they cannot avoid hurting one another with their prickly spines. Arthur Schopenhauer and Sigmund Freud, two of those aforementioned humans, have used this situation to describe the state of the individual in relation to others in society.
They are both wrong! Hedgehogs are only prickly when they need to be. When they are being snuggled, or better yet kissed by a lovely mermaid, their spines turn fluffy and soft, like a kitten.
The Nitty Gritty
These darn ornaments are not limited to Christmas use. Use them to celebrate the birthday of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, decorate your Hanukkah bush, revel in your dog’s gotcha day, adorn your office, brighten your kid’s room, dress up your porch, or just hang them around the house for year-round joy.
Handmade by hedgehogs with a deep love of shiny things and simply too much style to be believed.
The Goods
All Darn Pottery is either hand built or individually hand thrown on the potters wheel, by little hedgehogs, with locally sourced clay. Our pieces are finished with lead-free, non toxic glazes made right here in our studio in the beautiful Blue Ridge. Our tableware is bright and durable, fired three separate times to temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees. It also feels really good in your hands, with sturdy handles on mugs, terrific balance in plates, good stackability in bowls, and sturdy edges all around. This is not your grandma’s fine china. This is your own darn china.
Every piece is individually made and painted and may therefore look a little different. The minor variations in height, width, and illustration are entirely the hedgehogs’ fault. A lot depends on how much they’ve eaten that morning and the proximity of the next meal. All of the colors look great together and make your table look really happy.
You should also know that our pottery is made without any lead, cadmium, asbestos, anchovies, pink slime or any other yucky stuff. It’s perfectly food safe. Also, our farm has solar power. And bears.
Darn Pottery does not mind being dishwashed because it is decorated with glaze that has been fired into the piece itself. It’s not sublimation and it’s not coming off. Just stack gently and don’t let the critters have a party in there. We do not recommend microwaving as the pieces may get pretty hot. Darn Pottery is not for cooktop or oven use. Do not use to freeze food or drinks. Use a Mason jar instead. Basically, avoid extreme temperature changes. The same goes for the pots.
And now for something completely different...