Popolo Ceramico Blog July 11
This months blog comes from Christina from Popolo Ceramico, thanks Christina!
Popolo Ceramico!
Background
I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter Lola (who is now 16 months) and like most pregnant women I was full of excitement, anxiety, wondering how much longer I would have to wait until the 'big day' finally arrived. The wait incidentally seemed to last FOREVER! A wait that involved me eating my way through...well, anything I could get my hands on actually. I believe the sales of Heinz beans & sausages hit an all time high in my final month of pregnancy! My friends & family all told me to enjoy my pregnancy as I would miss it once my baby was here and they were right.
Once my daughter finally arrived, I was besotted with her. I just couldn't believe how perfect she was and how tiny her little hands & feet were. Everyone was telling me just how 'quick the time would just fly by' and that I must 'make the most of the time with my baby' and again, they were right. Although sleep was now a distant memory and putting my make up on had now gone from necessity to luxury, I still welcomed the big change in my life and knew that it was a very special time and I wanted to find a way to capture these memories for years to come.
I previously studied Art in Newcastle and I have always had a passion for art, ceramics & interior design. I loved the idea of having a variety of good quality, specially designed pieces with my babies hand & foot prints on around my home. Items that not only looked amazing, but could be used everyday and I could be reminded of just how tiny she was and what a fantastic time in my life becoming a mum for the first time was. I sourced some good quality, unfired ceramic pieces and created some amazing keepsakes with my daughters hand & footprints on, using a neighbours home kiln. I then started getting requests from friends & family for the same kind of personalised ceramics and before long, I was becoming known as the "pottery lady". The personalisation went down so well I started to get phone calls from friends of friends and other mums and dads within baby and toddler groups and before long, I realised I was turning my hobby into a full time job! The demand was so high, that I decided to give up my job as a corporate project manager and start up 'Popolo Ceramico'. It’s been one of the most rewarding and best decisions of my life. I now get to work with babies, children and their parents and create something beautiful for the whole family to treasure. I get to spend more time with my daughter as I work my events around her needs. The whole work/life balancing act is much easier than with a corporate job where I was needed onsite 5 days a week.
What we do
I created Popolo Ceramico so I could continue to focus on making personalised ceramics and turn it into a real job. We paint babies hand & foot prints on to high quality ceramics (plates, mugs, tile pictures, photo frames, bowls) provide ceramic party & events within our local area and we also provide a vast array of beautifully designed, quirky personalised ceramics which can be ordered at one of our party or events or purchased online. We know how difficult it can be just getting out of the house once babies come along, so we have created our 'Bambino' range, where you can browse our collection & prices online, then simply come along to one of our events or book a bambino party and we will take your babies prints, using our non-toxic, washable paints. Once the prints have been taken, we will then take them back to our pottery, finish the items in our unique style, glaze them, fire them to 1100 degrees to ensure they are usable for years to come, and then deliver them back to our events venue within 7 days. We also have a new range of clay imprints, plaster impressions, 3D prints coming soon and even pregnancy plaster casting...yes, I complained about being pregnant, but I really wish I’d had a plaster cast done to hang on the nursery wall as it is a fantastic time and I have some great memories (although, I still can't stomach beans & sausages anymore!)
All of the items we offer make fantastic gifts and keepsakes. I still find myself smiling at the photo frame I created when my daughter was a little baby. You forget all of the sleepless nights, nappies, hours of wailing (honestly!) and just remember what a special time in your life it was.
Where can I view your range of personalised ceramics?
Please check out our range of personalised ceramics on our website: www.popoloceramico.co.uk we hope you love them as much as we do.
Where can I get my babies hand & foot prints taken?
You can find us at Just Kidding, Gosforth High Street, Gosforth. We are there on the first Saturday of every month and at various other locations throughout the North East. Just check out the 'Events' section on our website to find out where we'll be next.
Thanks for reading and hope to meet you & your bambino's soon :-)
Love
Christina x
Next months blog comes from Elizabeth Sales and Dr Lin Day of Baby Sensory about sensory development in babies www.babysensory.com
