Husband Now On Board!

What a sweet email from a customer!

Ken and I were eating the same thing, cereal with bananas and strawberries, hot coffee in our painted mugs and blueberry muffins on one of your square plates waiting to be savored with our coffee.  Ken looked over at my placemat and said "Wow, your cereal looks so much better and prettier than mine, how come"  I ask him to take another look and he said "I AM!"  I repeated "what do you think the difference is, we are eating the same thing except mine is in black and red bowl and plate with painted cup but yours is in our old Lennox china you think is still perfectly good for us!"  After a thoughtful look between the two placemats he sheepishly replied "OK, now I get your point, it really does make a difference when you have a nice change!  You really did make a good choice to buy from Lois with her pretty designs"!  Of course, that was music to my ears and thanked him profusely but made a mental note to tell you about it ASAP!

Isn't it great when your husband praises your purchases?

A Glowing Review

We always knew our mugs were "happy" but we were thrilled to receive the following letter that confirmed that they make other people happy as well!

YES, THE MUGS JUST ARRIVED AND I AM BUSY UNWRAPPING THEM!!!  They are sitting all over our counter and I LOVE THEM ALL!!!  Makes me want to keep them all for myself......not selfish either but definitely the red mug with the handle is MINE!!!  AND, I LOVE that platter!  IF it were not so late I would call you but it is after ten there and I never call anyone after 9:00 PM unless it is an emergency.  To be perfectly honest, I am so excited I would consider this event an emergency call to shout in your ear how happy I am with your work...but Ken took the phone from my hand!  LOVE IT LOVE IT!  What great packing, you really have all this down to a fine art!  We are impressed!!

May I share a little secret with you?  Since we arrived home from my oldest brother's funeral I have been so emotional and mourning in a dark pit like I have never experienced before.  It all happened so suddenly and without warning: the reality finally hit me that now I am the only survivor of our generation of seven children.  The "Alone" feeling has been devastating.

BUT, this evening as the door bell rang and Fed EX delivered your package, I was filled with excitement as I began opening the box and seeing the platter my heart literally jumped with joy!!  As each mug was opened my whole world seemed to get brighter and I felt a new joy with each new box!  Sweet Lois, please KNOW your beautiful work has literally helped me turn the corner to a new world where I can once again truly praise the Lord with confidence and KNOW that HE is going to make me whole again!  Just knowing you, the artist and having access to this beautiful, unusual hand made tableware to share with others makes my heart dance with joy.  You truly have made my day today and most certainly the timing could not have been better!  To see the light come on lifting me out of that dark pit is truly the Lord's doing through you!  Oh praise the Lord, I can hardly wait to show the Bible study girls, a unique mug for each lady!

Thank you for brightening up my world but more for bringing healing to my heart!  A heart that is filled with love and gratitude for you and your God given talent!

I truly love you,

Mary

Mug Does Not Drip

We often give Jean Elton pieces as Christmas gifts to friends and family.  In this case, we gave a mug to our father/grandfather.  Here is his succinct response:

You may be on to something great:Background:I drip excessively in drinking out of a cup.Your creation, the cup you sent me for Christmas with that significant lip, does not drip.  I like it.

We are so glad you like it and happy to pass on your pleasure in our coffee mug!

"We were pleasantly surprised to find a firm like Jean Elton..."

Remember The Making of the Mugs video?  We mentioned that the order of mugs was for a corporate gift, but neglected to mention it was for a company called Coalfire.  We wanted to share this email from the CEO and co-founder of the company, Rick Dakin:

Jean Elton is a “throw back company” that reminded me of a time when all American businesses focused on customer service and quality.  Our experience in designing, ordering and delivering unique corporate gifts for Christmas 2009 was extremely positive.As a small business, we thought we could only afford to go into a mass market catalogue and buy gifts for our valued customers.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a firm like Jean Elton that dedicated the time and skill to design and develop a piece of corporate art at a price we could afford.  Obviously, we are more than pleased with the quality and value of our purchase.We received so many thank you cards from our customers this year because we took the time to give them something that they understood was a unique piece of corporate branded art.  The Coalfire mugs look great and are functional.  We will definitely be back for Christmas 2010 gifts.Thank you for treating this small business with the care and dedication that allowed us to make a difference with our customers.Rick DakinCEO and Co-founderCoalfire www.coalfiresystems.com

A Note of Thanks

Hi Lois,Thanks to Jean Elton for your generous donation to our school auction. We are so grateful to have one of your beautiful vases to offer. Trying to fund artistic programs is difficult these days to say the least. We are so fortunate to have businesses such as yours who care about the children!Stay tuned for more information after we hold our event. We have many wishes for our Greenspace Art Center and you will help them come true!Thanks again.Ty MurrayPTC Co-chairMt. Holly Elementary SchoolMt. Holly, VT

My Story

Hi, my name is Amy and I am the manager of this blog and writer of most of the posts on it.  I am also the daughter of the founders of Jean Elton Studio & Gallery and have been using their products all my life.  Now I have a home of my own, and guess what?  I still use the dishes every day!  And not just the dishes.  Pretty much everywhere you look in my house, you will see evidence of Jean Elton.My parents have encouraged me to write up a profile of myself (as we started doing and want to continue doing with everyone involved in the company), but instead (for now), I thought I'd just post a few pictures of how I use Jean Elton dinnerware and home decor in my home.So as you can see, nearly 30 years of using Jean Elton dishes has not soured me on them.  In fact, with all the new designs and colors, I'm more excited about them now than I ever was!

Not for display only!

Recently a woman purchased a set of Jean Elton's hand-painted dishes and brought them home to put them on display.  Her young son was so excited to see them and immediately asked if they could be used for dinner.  "No!" She answered.  "Those are too nice to use, they are only for display!"Her son was so disappointed.  "Why is it all the nice things in this house are only for display?"While she was right that Jean Elton hand-painted dishes are lovely for use on display, they are durable enough to be used every day!  And if you'd like to see the whole process, check back in a few days for a video of the making of the plates, from start to finish.

"I just LOVE the mugs"

You've seen how the mugs are made, but do people actually enjoy using them?  Don't take our word for it, take Sandra's, an avid fan of Jean Elton, especially the mugs.

I just LOVE the mugs – they are the BEST I have every owned – from a drinking perspective, and art form – they are simply the BEST and everyone should own a set of these......Love them!!!!

"I've been happy with everything else you've done."

Around this time of year, Jean Elton receives some orders for Christmas gifts from busy professionals looking to purchase gifts for their employees, clients, or customers.  One such professional said the following, after placing an order for the Jean Elton tri-oval dishes:

I'm excited about the plate also, but then again, I've been happy with everything else you've done. I love the fact that I can give my clients a piece of art by a local artisan. I believe in buying things close to home and supporting my neighbors.

"We Love Our Dishes!"

Steven Bass recently married the love of his life, and on their registry was a full set of Jean Elton dishes.  Upon receiving place-settings from various friends and family members, Steven wrote to Jean Elton with his thanks.

Our Jean Elton dishes were exactly what we wanted.  They came out looking even better than they did in the pictures we saw.  They are so unique and durable that they double as our everyday dishes and special occasion dishes.  We really do love them.

So if you are interested in some Jean Elton dishes for your upcoming special occasions, please visit our store and place your order today!