Frequently Asked Questions

I was named after Halley's Comet, but Halley is widely mispronounced (pro tip: it rhymes with "valley," not "daily"), which made naming a business after myself feel like a questionable marketing decision.

But I still wanted a little nod to my namesake. Comets are essentially giant, extremely fast-moving balls of ice and dust — and Ice & Dust Pottery was born.

Yep! Every ceramic piece is made by me in my home studio in Ohio. Depending on the piece, I use a mix of wheel throwing, handbuilding and slip casting, followed by lots of glazing, decorating and kiln firing.

No factory, no production team — just me making an unreasonable number of tiny ceramic objects.

I’ve always been drawn to the beauty and symbolism of skulls. They’re a reminder of our mortality, but also of the things we leave behind. There’s something especially meaningful to me about exploring that idea through ceramics. Bone and stoneware are both enduring materials, capable of outlasting the lives they were once part of. I love the idea of creating something from the earth that might remain long after I’m gone.

My skulls are also an exploration of the relationship between life and death, permanence and impermanence, and the beauty that can exist in both. Adorning them with flowers, color, and intricate details creates a contrast that I find fascinating. Something traditionally associated with death becomes an object of beauty, celebration, and reflection.

Cultural respect is an important part of my approach. Many cultures throughout history have incorporated skulls into art, ritual, and symbolism, often adorning them with flowers and other decorative elements. I recognize that these traditions carry meanings and histories that aren’t mine to claim. I’m not Mexican, and my work is not intended to represent Día de los Muertos, sugar skulls, or traditional calaveras. While I appreciate the beauty of those traditions, I intentionally avoid reproducing their culturally specific imagery. My goal is to explore skulls through my own artistic perspective while remaining thoughtful and respectful of cultures and traditions that are not my own.

I’m also a vegetarian, and it’s important to me that no animals are harmed in the creation of my work. No real bones or animal remains are used. Each skull begins with visual references that I use to sculpt an original form in clay. From that sculpture, I create a mold, which allows me to reproduce the form through slip casting. Each piece is then individually finished and adorned using ceramic glazes and decals.

Ultimately, my skulls aren’t about glorifying death. They’re about acknowledging it as part of life, finding beauty in unexpected places, and considering what we leave behind. Creating them in clay feels like a particularly fitting way to explore those ideas.

I don't currently teach classes. If you're looking to get your hands dirty in the Columbus area, there are lots of great local options for learning ceramics, including Columbus Recreation and Parks and The Kiln Room.

As glamorous as that sounds, Ice & Dust Pottery currently operates out of my home studio, so I don't offer studio tours or public studio hours.

Trust me, you're not missing a fabulous artist loft. There is laundry. There are cardboard boxes. There is usually a cat somewhere he shouldn't be.

I do! I have experience working with retailers through both wholesale and consignment partnerships and am always happy to hear from shops that think Ice & Dust Pottery might be a good fit.

Send me a note with a little information about your shop, where you're located and what you're interested in carrying, and we can chat.

Maybe! I love a good craft show.

If you're organizing an artist or maker-focused event and think Ice & Dust Pottery would be a good fit, send me the details at hello@iceanddustpottery.com.

I prioritize events that are focused on handmade work and independent artists and don't participate in shows that include MLM/direct-sales vendors or require artists to give the promoter a percentage of their sales.

Sometimes! I occasionally take on commissions and custom projects that feel like a natural fit for my work — usually a new twist on something I already make.

Fair warning: the request list is long, my studio time is limited, and sending me an idea doesn't guarantee I'll be able to take it on. If you'd like to try your luck, my Commissions & Custom Work page has the details — what I do and don't take on, how pricing works, and the inquiry form.

If you love something that's sold out, keep an eye on Instagram or join my email list. Old favorites do occasionally make a comeback.

Maybe soon, maybe someday! I make in small batches and don't follow a set restock schedule. Some designs come back regularly, some disappear for a while, and sometimes I get excited about something entirely new.

Instagram and my email list are the best places to hear about new work and returning favorites.

Very, very close — but probably not identical.

Everything is handmade, and glaze has a mind of its own. Tiny variations in shape, color, surface and decoration are normal and part of what makes each piece one of a kind. I do my best to make sure product photos accurately represent what you'll receive.

Not right now. Pelotonia mugs have been a special fundraising project I've returned to over the years, but the most recent batch is sold out and I don't currently have another release planned. Together, we've raised over $8,000 for life-saving cancer research through these mug sales!

Their return will be announced through Instagram and my email list.

I pop up at craft shows, markets and other events throughout Ohio. Check out my upcoming events to see where I'll be next. But if you just hate paying for shipping and are in Columbus, Ohio, I offer local pickup for pottery!

Use it! Ice & Dust Pottery pieces are made to be part of your everyday life.

Functional pieces are food-safe, dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe unless a product listing specifically says otherwise. As with any ceramic piece, treat it with a little care, avoid sudden temperature changes and try not to drop it on the floor. Pottery remains stubbornly opposed to gravity.

For the full rundown, read my guide to caring for handmade pottery.

Yep! My functional pottery is dishwasher and microwave safe unless specifically noted otherwise. I put my own pottery in the dishwasher all the time.

Just don't overcrowd the dishwasher, keep pieces from knocking into each other, and skip commercial dishwashers and high-temperature sanitizing cycles.

The one big exception is anything with real gold luster. Hand wash those pieces, and never put them in the microwave — metallic decorations can spark. More on dishwasher and microwave use.

Please don't. I don't make ovenware and don't test my work for oven use. The same goes for stovetops, open flames and broilers.

Thermal shock is what happens when pottery goes through a sudden, extreme temperature change — and it can crack or break a piece.

Your mug is made for hot coffee and tea, so no need to baby it. Just avoid extremes, like filling a mug straight from the freezer with boiling water, or pouring an icy drink into a mug that's still hot from the dishwasher. More on thermal shock.

It's on purpose! Glaze melts in the kiln, so a fully glazed bottom would fuse my mug to the kiln shelf. I leave the foot bare, then smooth it so it won't scratch your tables.

The stoneware I use is fired until it's dense and absorbs very little water, so that bare clay on the outside bottom isn't, by itself, a food safety concern. More on unglazed bottoms.

Those fine hairline cracks are called crazing. They can trap residue and make a piece harder to clean, so I wouldn't keep drinking from a mug with significant crazing on the inside. The same goes for flaking glaze, deep pinholes or rough spots where your drink touches.

If you notice any of that on an Ice & Dust Pottery piece, please reach out — I'd like to take a look. More on crazing and surface defects.

You can — but please don't drink from it again. Even glues marketed as food safe don't make a repaired mug reliably safe for hot drinks and repeated washing.

For a decorative repair, a clear two-part epoxy made for ceramics works well, and your mug can live on as a pen cup or planter. Here's how to do it.

No. Pottery is a durable good, not an indestructible one, and even well-made pieces can eventually chip or break.

But if your favorite Ice & Dust Pottery piece meets an untimely end, returning customers can ask about the Oh Shit Discount to make replacing it a little less painful.

In-stock pottery typically leaves my studio within 1–2 business days, then travels to you via USPS. Pre-orders ship on the timeline listed on the product page, and custom work ships on the timeline we agree on. As soon as your package is on its way, you'll receive an email with tracking information.

Apparel works a little differently — see the next question.

I pack all of my pottery carefully (because sending pottery through the mail is an act of enormous trust) and use recyclable or eco-friendly packing materials whenever possible.

Everything in my apparel collection — shirts, tote bags and stickers — is printed to order by my print partner, Printful, and ships directly from them rather than from my studio.

So if you order apparel and pottery together, expect separate packages, arriving on separate schedules, with separate tracking emails. This is normal, and nothing has gone missing.

Because apparel is made to order, it takes a little longer than in-stock pottery. Printful usually needs a few business days to print and pack your order before it ships.

Since apparel ships straight from Printful, I don't get to look over every piece before it goes out the way I do with my pottery. So if something shows up misprinted, damaged or just not up to the standard you'd expect from me, I want to know.

Send me a message within three weeks of delivery with your order number and a clear photo of the problem. I'll take it up with Printful on your behalf. You don't need to contact them yourself, and you don't need to send anything back.

Printful reprints or refunds items with printing errors, defects or shipping damage. If your concern doesn't fit neatly into one of those categories, I'm still happy to reach out and make the case. I can't promise how every situation will turn out, but you won't be arguing with a print facility alone.

The same goes if your apparel package never arrives — just let me know.

Yep! Local pickup is available for pottery in Westerville, Ohio. Apparel always ships directly from Printful, so it isn't available for pickup.

Choose Local Pickup at checkout and I'll send you pickup instructions when your order is ready. Please wait until you receive that notification before heading over — your pottery may still be getting its little travel outfit on.

Not currently. For now, I ship within the United States only.

Because pottery is fragile — and shipping it twice makes me nervous — I don't generally accept returns or exchanges. Please take a good look at photos, dimensions and product details before ordering, and feel free to reach out if you have a question before purchasing.

Apparel is printed just for you, so I can't accept returns or exchanges for the wrong size or a change of heart. Please check the size guide on the product page before ordering. Printing problems and damage are a different story — see above.

If you purchased your piece from another retailer, their return policy applies.

Oh no! Despite my best packing efforts, occasionally the mail wins.

Send me a message within seven days of delivery with photos of the damaged piece and the shipping box and packing materials. I'll send a replacement if one is available, or a full refund if it isn't.

Please hang on to the box, packing materials and broken pieces until we've sorted it out, in case the carrier needs them. And be careful handling broken ceramics — those little jerks can be sharp.

Yep! Send me a note and I'll be happy to help make your order feel extra special.