Professor Shoat on a Bike Tumbler

Sometimes, even the smallest of kind gestures have a huge impact.

$28.00

The Story

Ms. Shoat loved her new scarf.

Ever since being struck by lightning that summer, she had trouble keeping her hair from sticking up all over the place. They told her it would all calm down eventually, but for now she had a very nervous head of hair, a tail that kept curling and uncurling at will (not hers!) and a voice that would occasionally lose its melodic tenor and squeal up excitedly.

Her first-years thought it was funny, but many was the day she was inconsolable in the teachers’ lounge. And then, today, Mr. Booden gave her this lovely woolen scarf. He actually wrapped it around her neck and told her it went well with her eyes. She colored an even deeper shade of pink and later misspelled “cartilaginous” on the blackboard, much to the delight of the class.

The Nitty Gritty

Early tumblers actually tumbled. Originally, the term referred to a type of cup with a round bottom –when placed on a table, these cups would roll — or tumble. We also know there were other types of medieval drinking vessels, such as the drinking horn, that would roll when placed on the table, spilling mead, beer, or wine (water, juice, and milk had not been discovered yet). Why on earth these old timey people would tolerate such nonsense, we simply cannot say. We do know that hedgehog engineers took a special pleasure in inventing a machine they called The Flattener, which, among other things, performed its eponymous function on the bottoms of tumblers, rendering them stable so no more wine would be wasted.

Our darn tumblers are handmade and are approximately 3 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall. They generally hold about 14 ounces.

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.

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And now for something completely different...

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