I met Melanie at my first big-girl job (outside of academia). Back then, she was the project manager, and I was getting my feet wet in the world of web development. Nowadays, I'm working as a project manager, and she's making beautiful pottery. I don't think either of us would have predicted this, but I think it's safe to say we're both quite pleased with our respective changes in career path.

Even back when Melanie and I worked together, her true love (after her husband and two incredibly cute dachshunds) was pottery. She spent tons of time working in (and managing) the studio she used, and even taught some pottery classes. She loves it so much, that I couldn't be happier to see her now doing this as her full time gig. 

Dots bowls (in new colours!)

Her specialties these days are: bowls, mugs, and vases with brightly coloured dots at the bottom; white vases, mugs, and pitchers with her signature hand sculpted dragonflies; and "wobbly" shotglasses.

What is a wobbly shotglass? Witness:

Jenn sent me an email a while back (I think she found my blog through HappyFrog.ca), telling me about her shop, and I finally made it over there last weekend to check it out and snap some photos! She was super friendly and we ended up chatting for quite a while--be sure to introduce yourself if you stop by and she's there!

The shop itself is not new, but Jenn took over from the previous owner only a couple months ago, and has been working on making it more eco-friendly bit by bit as she goes along. She is covering all the bases, from buying directly from plant growers to decrease how much the plants are transported back and forth, to buying free trade and certified products whenever possible, to using green cleaning products. On top of that, they buy carbon offsets and compost their plant waste! Read more about Pollination's environmental practices here.

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