Belfast Arts in the Park

Looking for something do to this weekend? Maybe a visit to Belfast, Maine, is just what the potter ordered! On any given weekend, Belfast is a nice day trip - it's a working and recreational port, with lots of great shopping, not to mention eating & drinking. This weekend, though: this weekend is Belfast Arts in the Park! Over 100 makers of craft and fine art will be showing in the waterfront park, with live music daily and unique food offerings.

Make sure you visit Booth 111! That's me, Fine Mess Pottery! This will be my first time at this event & I am so excited to be there! Some other faves:

Lori Austill Encaustic Paintings
Lacey Goodrich
Jody Johnstone

Check out the map here. See you in Belfast!

The Maine Pottery Tour is just around the corner!

Possibly my favorite sign of spring! This year the pottery tour has 37 studios, from Kittery to Swanville to Phillips. The Maine Pottery Tour offers demonstrations and giveaways, a chance to meet the artists, shop for handmade pottery, and get a glimpse into life as a potter in Maine. You can even try the wheel yourself at some locations or paint a plate of your own.

What: The Maine Pottery Tour, a celebration of ceramic arts in Maine
When: Saturday May 4th, 10-5
            Sunday May 5th, 11 -4
Where: 37 Locations in Maine! 

In Central Maine, there are 13 tour destinations:

Fine Mess Pottery 131 Cony St, Augusta

Red Door Pottery, 14 North Pearl St, Augusta

Hallowell Clay Works 157 Water St, Hallowell

The Potters House 82 Stevenstown Rd, Litchfield

The Potter’s Shed 605 Hallowell-Litchfield Rd West Gardiner

d harwood Pottery 196D Main St, Winthrop

Maple Lane Pottery, 36 Greeley Rd, Windsor

Loken Pottery 26 Bowman St, Farmingdale

Whitefield Pottery 442 Howe Rd, Whitefield

Rob Sieminski Bog Pond Rd, Phillips

Martha Grover & Josh Rysted 630 West Bethel Rd, Bethel

Tim Fischer Pottery 394 Ridge Rd Lisbon

Barbara Walch Pottery 33 Knox Station Rd, Thorndike

On the Coastal leg of the Tour, there are 11 stops:

Chouinard Ceramics, 75 Main St, Wiscasset

Al Scovern/West Third Ceramics, 108 Congress St, Belfast

Van Der Ven Studios 257 Main St, Lincolnville

Fireside Pottery 1478 Camden Rd, Warren

Neighborhood Clay & Liz Proffetty Ceramics 590 Maine St, Damariscotta

Jody Johnstone Pottery, 135 Webster Rd, Swanville

Barbara Walch Pottery, 33 Knox Station Rd, Thorndike

Good Land Pottery, 487 Morese Rd, Montville

Pottery Farm 943 Belfast Rd, Knox

Everyday Pottery 103 Northport Rd, Belmont

Prescott Hill Pottery 261 Prescott Hill Rd, Liberty 

In Southern Maine, 13 studios are participating:

Zwellyn Pottery 20 Spencer Ln, Limington

Wendy Twitchell Porcelain 232 Beachwood Ave, Kennebunkport

Pottery Girl 1104 Pequawket Tr, Standish

Portland Pottery 118 Washington Ave, Portland

Homeport Pottery 131 Beachwood Ave, Kennebunkport

Peeper Pond Studios, 18 Mast Rd, Scarborough

Chris Davis Pottery 81 Seabury Rd, York

Shannon Wong Pottery 59 St George St, Portland

Delany Arts, 20 Center St, Yarmouth

Southern Maine Clay Guild, 22 Government Ave, Kittery

Ash Cove Pottery, 75 Ash Cove Rd, Harpswell

Ocean Fire Pottery, 23 Woodbridge Rd, York

Chase’s Garage, 16 Main St, York

Dicker for Deals

I visited a Woolwich (pr. Wool-Itch) landmark yesterday: Ed's Stuff. If you spend much time in Maine - above Cumberland count, that is - and you're like me, you've probably driven by it a hundred times, each time thinking, One of these days I'm going to stop there.

Well, the day finally came! I was driving between two craft galleries - both, somewhat confusingly, called Stable (The Stable Gallery in Damariscotta, where you can find my work, and Stable on Front, where, sadly you no longer can. Both are cute little shops, though, and you should visit.)

Ed's Stuff bills itself as an antique shop, but that would be in the Sanford and Son mold: "We buy junk and sell antiques." But if you are willing to sift through the trash, there are surely some gems.

Lots of trunks, in varying conditions

A big stack of metal bedframes

Buoys

If you want a buoy, Ed's is your place. Buoy oh buoy.

More buoys

Still more buoys

These were a few of the finer used toilets available. 

Ditto, toilets. Some in a functional state, other, not so much.

SOOO many windows. You could build
a boho greenhouse!

If ya want doorknobs, you've come to the right place!

And lastly, this invitation

It was a fun visit! I was looking for stools, though, to go under my kitchen island (the one I haven't finished yet - but I've made a lot of progress!) But I know where to go if I need a doorknob or a buoy.

Check Out Quench!!

Belfast, Maine is an adorable little town. Many unusual stores, restaurants, and pubs, and right on the water. It's a great destination for a day trip, and it just got a tiny bit better. Jeweler Jennifer Lisa, of Quench Metalworks, has opened a retail space of fine and unusual handmade wares. Let's check it out!

We found it! Quench is at 9 Beaver Street, in Belfast.

Peeking in the window...

...And lots more! Worth a visit to see for yourself.