Hi, I hope this finds you well and enjoying a fabulous summer!
It has been so good, there is no need to even leave the UK for a holiday! I have recently returned from Potfest Suffolk, which I treated as a working holiday! It felt good to be welcomed back to Haughley Park after not being able to go last year. Although Potfest Suffolk is only in its 3rd year, it was very promising to hear that customers had remembered me from exhibiting there in 2023 and came back especially to see Tea with Jud. Hopefully it will continue to grow like the other Potfest events and I will return again. The weather was great, my helpers were wonderful (thankyou Matt, Niki and Becky) and the Air Bnb provided the most perfect respite I needed in the evenings, after 3 very hot tiring days, talking non stop! It had the wild swimming pond of my dreams, which is a new aspiration if I ever move house again!
Potfest Scotland in June was also an amazing event! Due to lots of requests, I made some large Empire Biscuits. They were a huge hit and sold out so quickly!
The theme for the Potfest competition throughout 2025 is “Famous Quotes and Sayings”. I was super duper cuffed to win the public vote on Friday with my entry “Don’t get your knickers in a twist”. It was hilarious to hear people say “I love your knickers” and “Can I buy your pants?” Creating different styles to suit all lingerie tastes, they were so fun to make and I have made some more pairs to sell at Perthshire Open Studios, my next event.
Starting on 6th September, my workshop will be open from 10am – 4pm daily until 14th September. I am venue number 38 on the Orange Route. You can expect to find lots of pottery experiments, including my latest Picot Pots, tea, coffee and homemade cake.
I’m really looking forward to showing you around my colourful corner of Blairgowrie and the new HQ of Tea with Jud.
I made a vase last year. At the time I really wanted to keep it, but the sensible part of me thought “no! I need to sell it and earn money, plus I do not need any more pottery in my house!” For whatever reason, it never sold and I decided that I still love it so much, I am going to keep it.
Maybe this vase was always meant to be mine? I love how pottery is so tactile and when you pick up a piece, you instantly know if “this is the one” for you.
I am really looking forward to doing events this year and seeing you all! I have missed you! I love to see the joy my display brings you, whilst walking around, clutching onto the pots that you can’t put down.
I have started making for Potfest, my first event of the year, and hopefully some of the pieces I have made will be “the ones” going home with you this summer.
2024 has been a very significant year for me. Naturally Christmas is a time of reflection but with so many anniversaries, I have been reflecting constantly this year!
It is 20 years since I graduated from Manchester Met. Even though I successfully passed my course, I struggled to see how pottery could be my future.
It took 10 years to build up the confidence I needed to start my business, and this year I celebrated the 10th anniversary of Tea with Jud.
Another recent anniversary is 1 year since I bought my very first home! I would not have believed you, if you told me this time last year that my new workshop would be built and I would be making pottery again!
It has not been an easy year at all. Having a break from working with clay between January to August did me the world of good, but I missed it so much!
My workshop is warm and bright and I love making pots in it! What a difference it has made to my life! I can’t wait to show you it next year, if I am able to participate in an Open Studios event.
Another highlight this year was making more ceramic Christmas Decorations for Sarah Cave Silversmith. This is always a good challenge for me, coming up with new designs. I am thrilled they completely sold out as now I can put all the money towards a floor for my kitchen! If you bought a decoration, please know that you are now contributing to warmth in my house as well, thankyou so much!
With all my practical work finished now, it’s time to do a deep clean tomorrow (already? yes already!) and start making a plan for next year – new products, new designs, thinking about events etc… before a rest that involves a lot of sitting and knitting this Christmas.
Thankyou so much for your patience and welcoming me back with open wallets and kitchen cupboards. Thankyou also for all your orders and purchases, and to everyone who donated boxes and packaging. I am still so SO grateful I get to do what I love!
I have finally built my workshop and Tea with Jud is operational again! It has been a very busy eight months. After moving house last December, I had some DIY to do in the house before I started planning my workshop.
In February I started to clear space in the garden. This included cutting trees, digging out bushes and removing a pond. The pond was pretty stagnant and I didn’t expect to find anything living in it, but was pleasantly surprised to find 2x frogs and a dragonfly pupae. These were all rehomed safely. Then I had to dig a track from the house across the path so I could lay the electricity cable.
I dismantled, moved and reassembled the shed I acquired with the property. What once was a boring, brown eyesore has now been transformed into my fabulous new stripy, slightly wonky, Tea with Jud HQ! This means I will have an area especially for wrapping and admin and I will no longer have to bring any work into the house!
After the shed was relocated I was able to cut back some more trees, ready for excavation to begin! Logistically, my new house is very tricky, so all the materials had to be wheelbarrowed in/out or carried down the path into my garden. After approximately 2x tonnes of mud was removed from site, we had to carry in 10x tonnes of type 1, 2x tonnes of sand, 3x sheets of mesh, 4x tonnes of concrete, 2x tonnes of wood, 10x sheets of tin, 200x sheets of insulation, 27x sheets of OSB, 17x sheets of cement board and several tins of paint. I am tired just even reading that, and I will not lie, it was hard, hard graft.
By June, the foundations were ready. My workshop is a kit house from Dunster House. Unbelievably with a team of six of us, the main structure was up in one day. It was so impressive! The instructions were a bit complicated at times, but thanks to my cousin delegating and excellent teamwork, it was relatively easy to build. It was just like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle. It felt like such a huge step to have a solid building in one day, but it was only then I realized exactly how much I had left to do. Everything slowed down. Even though I had planned meticulously and ordered all the materials to arrive in time for each next step, it still didn’t stop me getting behind schedule. I was getting annoyed with myself. The flooring, insulating, lining, electrics, painting, basically everything else were all very time-consuming jobs!
Working as a cleaner during the day meant time was in short supply anyway, so all the prep work was done in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. My budget was also tight, everything that could be salvaged or bought second hand was. Apart from the professionals, most of the labour was done by myself and my friends, paid for with lunch, buns, cake and the occasional beer!
I have now been making pottery in the workshop for the past two weeks, and even though it is not fully set up inside yet, it is an absolute joy to work in. The windows let so much light in. The shelves are painted glossy so I can wipe them. The area around my wheel is tiled so I can wipe it clean too. It is a bright happy workspace, and with all the insulation I can already feel the warmth! It is so nice to get my hands dirty again and I’m thrilled that I remember how to throw after my short hiatus!
If you are waiting for pots, you will just have to wait a little longer! I am making for Potfest in the Pens in October! There is nothing like adding another ridiculous deadline to my year… After that I will be making for Christmas and there will be an online shop update in December, so please stay tuned for that! (You can subscribe to Tea with Jud if you haven’t already!)
This project has been filled with blood, sweat, tears, SO many splinters and even a stress induced cracked tooth from clinching my jaw in my sleep for the past eight months!! But it has also been a lot of fun at times!
My friends and family helped me make an absolute dream team. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. They are the most loyal, encouraging, supportive bunch of people. I know I have said it before but I am so lucky to have them in my life. A VERY special humungous thanks to Kirsten and Robert, who without their unwavering support and help, I would not even have a workshop.
Thank you also to all my clients who employed me to clean as this enabled me to keep paying my bills!
I’m looking forward to being the real Jud again and going out to events selling my colourful pots! Hope to see you about soon! Cheerio Jud
*Time to roll the credits…. Project Tea with Jud Workshop 2024 – Gareth, Marj, Jim, Piotr, Fraser, Uncle Alistair, Matt, Kristine, Richard, Scott, Graeme, Kirsten, Asa, Robert, Katy, Byron, Owen, Lawrence, Euan, Ross, Stewart, Mikey, Jeff, Eric, Maite, Anna, Peter, Melanie, Sandy, Zdenko, Cammie and Max! Thankyou all <3
I have some good news… As you may know I have been looking for a new workshop for a while, and I have finally bought my very own wee house in Blairgowrie! The bigger, warmer workshop which I was looking for does not exist yet as I am going to have to build it! Having a blank canvas will allow me to design my new workshop as practically and efficiently as possible, with the space and warmth I need.
Unfortunately this means there will be a temporary pause in production. My online shop update in December is going to be my last big update for a while. I am moving my potters wheel to my friends garage, and will hopefully be able to do a few small updates while the workshop is being built, but time will tell how ambitious this idea is!
I am slightly nervous about all the change as it is going to be a big project, but like everything else on this Tea with Jud journey, I will just take it one step at a time.
I do have a few more shopping opportunities before the year is over; after the success of my Christmas Bells last year, Sarah Cave and I have come up with some new decoration designs exclusively for her shop. I have made a beautiful selection of Snowflakes, Stars and hand thrown Trees glazed in Grey & Gold or White & Gold. You can see them on display in her shop window on the High Street, Blairgowire. If you would like to buy a decoration please visit Sarah’s shop. If you are not local but would still like to buy one, please contact Sarah directly, and she will be able to arrange postage for you.
There is a Christmas Shopping Day on 8th December at The Lair in Glenshee. I will not be there in person, but you will be able to find some of my pottery there.
Before I leave Westfield Fruit Farm Cottage there will be one more chance to come and buy pottery from my workshop. I am having one last sale on Saturday 16th December from 10am – 4pm.
My online shop will be updated soon, so if you have subscribed to Tea with Jud keep an eye on your inboxes! I have plenty of pieces in all the colour ranges, including Grey & Gold which is always a festive favourite, lots of Candle Holders and Christmas Bells in Golden Dreamscape and Azalea too!
If you have had your eye on something, make sure you don’t miss out!
Potfest Scoltand was absolutely brilliant in June. Since then I have been working my socks off (not literally, as summer has not happened yet, so the reality is my socks are still on!) This year Potfest have a new event at Haugley Park in Suffolk. I will be heading there this week, I’m excited to set off to the unknown, yet familiar! I have been up to my eyes in gold lustre, with a few kiln loads left to unpack. Hopefully all will go to plan and I will have crates and crates of beautiful pots to bring with me!
I will be entering the competition again. The theme this year is “Nursery Rhymes”. The theme always remains the same at each of the events throughout each year. It is such a good opportunity to challenge our creativity and make something completely different to our usual work. My piece is titled “Life is but a Dream”, based on the nursery rhyme Row row row your boat. It is all the good things I spend my life dreaming about. I had so much fun making all the pieces. It is so colourful and I LOVE it!
Life is but a Dream
In September I am taking part in Perthshire Open Studios. I am looking forward to welcoming you to my workshop again with the usual tea, coffee and cakes and also lots of seconds and experiments to sell.
This year has been exceptionally busy. With so much preparation involved making pottery for events, I feel it is really taking its toll on me physically, especially my wrist. I think I have bitten off more than I can chew and my plan of slowing down has not come to fruition, even with my streamlining effort earlier this year! With this in mind, I have decided to close my web shop. My plan is to update the shop every so often, and have it open for a short period of time. I am not sure if this will be a permanent way of working, but I need to try and make some changes and see if it benefits me or not. My next shop update will be early December, so please subscribe to Tea with Jud if you want to be the first to know. Thankyou very much!
I hope to see you at one of my upcoming events. Cheerio! Jud
Ps – I still haven’t found an affordable bigger workshop. If you know of anywhere for sale in Perthshire, particularly the Blair/Alyth area please let me know! Small house, Big workshop… small budget. Thankyou!
Hello! After a busy November I’m very pleased to announce the shop is now full of lovely pots and some new pieces, as promised. Thank you so much for your patience! New to the website is the Golden Azalea Collection. It has been proving very popular at recent events and complements the Golden Dreamscape collection beautifully, so it was about time I added it to the website. My new products are Spoon Rests & Berry Bowls for the kitchen, and especially for winter I have Candle Holders and Christmas Bells. The bells are so cute, and they really ding too!
Christmas Bells at Sarah Cave Silversmith
I made some Grey & Gold Bells exclusively for Sarah Cave. You can find them in her shop in Blairgowrie. If you do not live locally and would like to buy a Christmas Bell in this style, please contact Sarah directly and she will be able to post one to you. The shop window display is minimal and elegant, it looks so beautiful.
I will be posting orders out most days to ensure they arrive in good time, but please remember with it being a naturally busy time of year and the planned postal strikes, there could be some delays. If you live close by, remember you can collect your order directly from me, just select “local pick” up at the checkout, and the postage charge will be removed.
Last orders in time for Christmas will be 5pm on Monday 19th December. Any orders placed after this time will not be posted until week commencing 2nd January 2023 as I will not be in the workshop!
I think that is all the important stuff.
I am truly thankful for your continued support! It really means a lot to me to be able to earn a living from being creative.
See you next year for lots more pots, new ideas and experiments.
Hello, this year seems to be going faster than ever! I just wanted to give you and update of what has happened so far and my plan for the rest of the year.
As you know I have been in search of the perfect work life balance for some time and I feel that this is the first year that everything is working a whole lot better for me. I no longer feel guilty for taking the weekend off! Hopefully I can keep it up, but there are still certain times when a lot of extra hours are needed, a compromise that has to be made due to the nature of self employment.
This summer has been really busy, I have been working on lots of customer orders and new products; Big Bowls, Big Dishes, Berry Bowls and Spoon Rests.
I have also been developing some new glaze designs. If you follow me on social media, you will be aware of the issues I am having with my mint stain (my supplier changed their supplier). They have been really helpful trying to rectify the problem and find a replacement, but it is not straight forward. For now the future of my Pastel and Golden Dreamscape ranges are uncertain. Everything I have in stock is for sale on the website, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. However, I haven’t completely given up hope yet, so I will keep my fingers crossed and do as many glaze tests as possible to find a replace-mint stain!
Earlier in the year I developed an orange glaze, something I have wanted to do for a long time. I have done so many experiments but so far I am only keen on one design. It complements the Golden Dreamscape collection beautifully, and is called Golden Azalea. I really love how the colours work together. At the moment this will not be available online, but I will be taking it to Strathmore Open Studios with me next weekend to see how it fares.
Strathmore Open Studios is running from Friday 26th to Monday 29th August. Please note I will not at my workshop, but I will be exhibiting at Mains of Rattray with 7 other fantastic artists and makers. There will be Ceramics, Textiles, Art, activities and tea, coffee and cake, of course!
Potfest Scotland in June was amazing this year. I was so happy with my display and I even entered the competition for the first time. The theme was “Rooted in the past, planted in the present”. My entry was based on my love for knitting, something that is rooted in my past , and will always be in my present. It was a great challenge, making a sculptural piece using the hand building technique instead of throwing. It took me a little out of my comfort zone but I absolutely loved making it.
I will be taking it with me for my competition entry at Potfest in the Pens at the end of October! The next few months will be busy working towards that. Then, I am aiming to restock the website in time for Christmas, early December. There still may be no Dreamscapes then, but there will be plenty of Grey & Gold and hopefully some bells and candle stick holders!
Hello everyone, I have great news, the web shop has finally been restocked!
Some items are already low in stock (because subscribers get a heads up) but there is still a big selection of products and colours to choose from so I hope you find something that you love! I have some gorgeous new beaker jugs and whisking bowls! I really hope you like them as much as I do. If you do miss out on the piece you want, make sure you subscribe to Tea with Jud so you don’t miss out next time.
I will be wrapping your orders and dropping them off at the Post Office daily. I’m hoping this will ensure safe arrival in time for Christmas.* The last orders I will be processing before Christmas need to be placed by 12 noon on Friday 17th December for last post on 18th December. I will then be out of the workshop, so any orders placed after this time will not be processed until 3rd January 2022, the disadvantage of being a 1 woman business!
You will notice an increase in postage prices. This is mainly due to parcels going missing and getting delayed recently. To combat this, I have decided to post everything Special Delivery as it can be recorded every step of the way and should arrive with you the following day. I know it is more expensive, but my aim is to keep my customers happy by making sure orders arrive, and also save myself lots of unnecessary stress and work, therefore keeping me happy too!
Thank you to anyone who donated some boxes and packaging. Its great to be able to reuse it all. Also, if you took part in any of my Random Act of Kindness competitions this year, thankyou. It’s been really heart-warming to read all your nominations. Keep an eye out for the last competition very soon!
Many, many, many thanks for your continued support.
I hope you have a fabulous Christmas when it comes.
Bye for now!
Jud
*Please bear in mind, there may be some delays as there is a high volume of parcels within Royal Mail at this time of year, and maybe some staff shortages due to you know what.
