The Polish Pottery Garden online store is under construction!
We are currently making major changes to our online store, The Polish Pottery Garden. Our store will be unavailable until our changes and updates are completed.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please continue to check back here for more information. We will still be selling our pottery throughout the fall season at various Pittsburgh area fall craft and vendor shows. Dates and times will be published on this site as they become available. If you have any questions, you can contact us by email or telephone:
Email – thepolishpotterygarden@gmail.com
Telephone – 412-837-9395
The “But What Can I Do With It” Series ~ #2. Baking Apple
Originally published on August 12, 2011.
If you read the first post in this series (about the hexabox), then you may recall that one of the really fun things about polish pottery is its ability to be multipurpose. Our latest shipment of pottery has arrived, and one of our newly available pieces is the Baking Apple.
These cute polish pottery pieces are traditionally used for baking apples. Add some apples, cinnamon, and butter into this apple, bake it in the oven, and Voila! Yummy baked apples. But what if you don’t like baked apples? What if you don’t bake anything at all, and instead only use your oven as storage for your sweater collection? You might be asking yourself, “But what can I do with it?” Well, I’m glad you asked…
Ten uses for a Polish Pottery Apple Baker
1. Put your SOS pad in it and set it next to the sink. Keeps the SOS pad in arm’s reach but out of sight!
2. Great place to store Splenda packets.
3. Cute storage for your tea bags.
4. Candy dish (especially fall candy, like candy corns or those fall M&Ms).
5. Put it on your desk to hold paper clips, push pins, etc..
6. Set it on your dresser and store hair clips, ponytail holders, etc… in it.
7. Put cotton balls in it.
8. Put Potpourri in it.
9. Store your spare change in it.
10. Don’t put anything in it, and just set it on your shelf for decoration.
The “But What Can I Do With It” Series ~ Ramekins
It’s time once again for the “But What Can I Do With It” Series. Besides being beautiful and durable, polish pottery is also extremely versatile. With a little imagination, you can find multiple uses for a single piece of pottery. Our pretty ramekins are a great example of how one small and inexpensive piece can be used throughout your home. Here are just a few ideas of what you can do with our Ramekins:
Polish Pottery Ramekin featuring the Blue Berries pattern.
1. Bake single serving desserts, such as pots de creme or molten chocolate cakes. (Click here for a list of more great food ideas specifically for Ramekins.)
2. Serve chip or vegetable dip.
3. Serve condiments such as sour cream, shredded cheese, or relish.
4. Set it next to your kitchen sink to hold your rings while you wash the dishes.
5. Use it in your bathroom for Q-tips.
6. Place it on your dresser to hold loose change, safety pins, or your favorite earrings.
7. Set it on your desk to hold paper clips or rubber bands.
8. Makes a cute candy dish.
9. Use it as a cooking preparation bowl to hold your chopped onion, minced garlic, diced peppers, or freshly chopped herbs.
Do you have other great uses for these pretty Ramekins? Leave your suggestions in the comments below…
Free Winter Printable
I don’t know about you, but our house feels a bit drab and empty after our holiday decorations have been taken down and put away. So I decided to create a cute winter printable to brighten up our living room!
I formatted it as an 8×10 so that it would fit into a plain white frame I found in my closet. It looks really cute in our living room. Download your free printable today!
Easy Feta Chicken Bake
I’m a big fan of easy dinner recipes. This feta chicken dish is not only easy, it also requires very few ingredients. For me, that’s a win-win! I found it in a magazine many years ago and it’s been a family favorite ever since.
Easy Feta Chicken Bake
Ingredients
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/4 cup diced red pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a 9X13 inch baking dish.
- Drizzle the chicken with 1 Tbsp. of the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Sprinkle with diced red pepper before serving.
September is the new January
Happy New Year! No, you didn’t sleep through Christmas. And yes, I realize that the calendar says September and not January. But in my book, September always feels like the real start of a new year. The kids are going back to school, giving them a fresh start with fresh teachers and fresh enthusiasm. After three months of having the kids home, parents are more than ready for their lovable yet insanity inducing offspring to head back into the classrooms where they can spend their time learning and socializing rather than fighting with their siblings and whinging about how bored they feel.
Don’t get me wrong, summer has been fun. Sleeping in, vacationing, and generally enjoying a relaxed schedule has been wonderful. But summer also feels a bit unproductive. I’ve not been working on any projects, focusing on any goals, and even my to-do lists remain largely uncrossed. The hot and hazy days of summer don’t inspire or motivate me much. But fall brings with it a whole new attitude. The brisk mornings and crisp air makes me move a little faster. Focus a little better. I’m motivated to start anew, begin those projects, and make my way down my to-do lists. Watching the kids grow and learn inspires me to grow and learn too.
So goodbye summer, goodbye lazy days and late nights. It’s been fun but we’re done. Hello September! Let’s get to work on another new year!
Lemon Supreme Pound Cake
I love to bake, but sometimes I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. So when I found this recipe on the Duncan Hines website, I immediately pinned it to my “Sweets and Treats” pinterest board in the hopes that I would remember to try it one day. Well, that day is today! With only a few ingredients, it was super easy and took less than 5 minutes to mix it together and get it into the oven to bake. I think it would be great for a Mother’s Day treat, either served alone or dressed up a bit with some fresh Strawberries and/or vanilla ice cream.
Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Pound Cake
Cake Ingredients
1 Pkg Lemon Cake Mix
1 Pkg instant lemon pudding mix (4 serving size)
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Cup Water
4 Eggs
Glaze Ingredients
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2T. Lemon Juice (or 2 T. Milk if you prefer a non-lemony glaze)
Baking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
3. Blend all the cake ingredients together in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Bake in your prepared pan for 45-55 minutes, until the center springs back when touched lightly. (Mine was definitely done in 45 minutes).
5. Cool right side up in the pan for about 25 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
6. Make the glaze by blending the powdered sugar and lemon juice.
7. Poke holes on the top of the cake with a fork, then drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Delicious Fruit Dip
The weather is warming up and spring seems to have arrived! After a long winter, it’s wonderful to see the cherry trees around our house beginning to bloom and spring flowers around every corner. It’s also great to see some fresh berries in the grocery store. I brought home two packages of strawberries the other day and our kids devoured them in one sitting! I think they were thrilled to be eating fruit that wasn’t an apple or a banana! So in honor of the warmer weather, I wanted to share this delicious fruit dip with you. It is super easy and our whole family loves it. You can serve it with any fruit you want, but we typically use strawberries, blackberries, and pineapple. Enjoy!
Delicious Fruit Dip
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
16 ounces marshmallow creme
1 (8 ounce) container of Cool Whip
3 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Splash of almond extract
Directions
1. Place the cream cheese and the marshmallow creme in a microwave safe bowl and cook on medium heat for 20 second intervals, until softened. (While you can skip this step and the recipe still works, I recommend you do this because the dip seems to turn out smoother this way).
2. Stir the cherry juice, cool whip, and almond extract into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve with fresh fruit.
The “But What Can I Do With It” Series ~#5 Loop Handle Bowls
I just love these Loop Handle Bowls! They epitomize the very things that drew me to polish pottery in the first place: it’s unique, it’s beautiful, and it’s versatile. Here are just a few ideas of ways you can put this lovely piece to work in your home.
1) Ice Cream Bowl- Imagine how cute this would be filled with your favorite ice cream. And if you really want to make it special, top that ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry.
2) Soup Bowl- Warm up on a cold winter day by filling this bowl with your favorite soup or chowder. It’s large enough to hold a generous serving and the loop handle give you something to hold on to until that soup cools off a little bit.
3) Flower Pot- What a great gift idea for Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Mother’s Day! Place some potting soil in the bottom and plant a couple of small plants inside. Very pretty!
4) Serving Bowl for Dips- This bowl would be perfect for serving your hot crab dip, artichoke dip, or any other dip you can think of making. Set it out on the table with a basket of crackers, bread, or vegetables and you’re ready for the party.
5) Anything Holder- Always looking for your keys? Put this pretty bowl on your entry table and now you have a key holder. Put it in your bathroom with rolled up washcloths or fingertip towels. Set it on your nightstand as a pretty container for your small bottle of hand lotion and lip balm.
Let your imagination run wild with this one! In addition to the pattern shown above (Twilight) we also carry this bowl in the Blue Bells Pattern and a Unikat Pattern.
Polish Pottery on Pinterest
I thought Facebook and Twitter were fun, but then I found Pinterest. When I first heard about the idea of pinning pictures to online boards, I was unimpressed. Why would anyone want to do that? But then I tried it, just to see what all the talk was about. And just like that, I was hooked. The pictures! The recipes! The pictures of recipes! The craft ideas and decorating ideas and holiday ideas! Facebook and Twitter are both enjoyable, but I have lost hours of my life pinning recipes and DIY projects to my pinterest boards.
It was bad enough when I only accessed pinterest through my computer. But then I found the pinterest app for my iphone. Now pinterest is with me wherever I go. Have I tried all the recipes I’ve pinned? Not even close. Have I made any of the DIY projects on my diy board? Not a one. But I’ll keep pinning anyway, with every intention of putting those pins to good use one day.
Have you tried pinterest? I would love to hear your thoughts! And if you’re interested in seeing how I’ve been spending my time on pinterest, check out my boards!
Polish Pottery Life 