What is a Belly Bowl?
Belly Bowls are ceramic bowls made using the pregnant belly as a mold. They are durable and can be used for food or decoration. They make a beautiful keepsake and excellent gifts!

How do you make Belly Bowls?
First, we discuss what you would like your bowl to look like. This is your bowl, I do my best to make a bowl you will love! Then I make a cast of your pregnant belly using plaster/gauze strips. I use this cast to sculpt the bowl out of clay. The clay then is dried, fired, and glazed making your unique Belly Bowl.

How can I order a Belly Bowl?
Call 910.343.6239 or email me by posting a comment on this blog.

How much does it cost?
My bowls start at $130 for a simple bowl with no extra designs. If you would like me to add a pattern the price will increase based on the complexity of the pattern. Most of my bowls range between $130 and $200.

Can you make a Belly Bowl from a belly cast?
Yes! If you have a cast of your belly I can make you a bowl. I even offer a $20 discount for providing your cast. However, although I do my best to protect your belly cast I cannot guarantee that it will not be damaged in the process. The moisture from the clay can soften or discolor a cast. I do use a plastic protective barrier, but sometimes this is not enough.

What if I don’t live in Wilmington, NC?
Yes! You simply need to mail me your belly cast. If you do not already have one, I will provide you with specific instructions on how to make one. You will receive a $20 discount for providing your own cast, but shipping and handling fees will be added to your order.

When should I do my Belly Bowl?
Most people choose to do their bowl in the last trimester. But a belly bowl can be made at any point during your pregnancy. You could even do a bowl for each trimester to celebrate your growing baby! I recommend that you schedule your casting prior to 38 weeks to make sure you don’t miss your opportunity.

How long does it take?
The casting/ordering process takes about 45 minutes. The whole bowl creation process takes about two months or longer if I have other orders to complete before yours.

I feel more and more connected with my baby everyday. I am officially at the beginning of my third trimester. There are a lot of grand movements in my belly. My baby loves Reiki. It is really amazing. All will be quiet in my womb, but when I place hands on my belly and start sending Reiki the baby responds instantly with movement. Baby will draw a lot of Reiki for a long time and then things will quiet down again. The last time I was on someone else’s Reiki table the larger part of the session was focused on Baby. The practitioner felt that Baby was healing on a soul level. When I give myself Reiki the flow has a peaceful excitement; I do not sense that the Reiki is working primarily on the physical level– although I know it is supporting my baby’s tremendous growth– but the connection is more if a spiritual one. I am communicating with my baby’s spirit.

Last night when my daughter was giving Baby Reiki Baby responded sweetly to her touch with a lot of movement. They had a very special connection for a long time. Baby knows her big sister! We are very excited to receive the new person in our home on the physical plane. But even though we don’t know Baby’s gender or what their face will look like we are already communing soul to soul.

Red Fish Lake, Idaho (one of my favorite places in the world)

The summer has passed without any update.  Summer is a time for vacations, but I have not been on vacation– at least not the whole time.  I did have a lovely visit with my family out west.  I spent a week camping in the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho with my siblings and their spouses/significant others and children.  That was awesome, definitely a highlight.

me and my sibs after a week of camping

I am still working towards becoming a Reiki Master Teacher.  I will teach my first class October 18 in New Hampshire.  And my first class in Wilmington will be in November. There will be more about that in another blog.

My biggest summer project by far has been growing a baby.  Yes, I am pregnant!  Due March 1, 2008.  I am at the start of my fifth month.  So I have spent my summer in a fog of resting and eating.  Thankfully I was not sick at all.

the sleepy fog captured by my five year old

Giving Reiki has been an amazing way to connect my baby.  I love to lay in bed, with my hands on my belly and focusing all my energy on my womb.  Some days baby draws a tremendous amount of Reiki.  Sometimes I can feel movements.  I feel very in tune with this pregnancy.  This new growth will be the topic of many future blogs I am sure!

The grapefruit has entered the birth canal.

Pushing…

PUSHING..

Ahhh!

Yes, everything does return to its normal shape!

It works with really big onions too.

To see this and other amazing examples of birth art check out the Independent Art Company’s Birth Art Show at their Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 North Ninth Street in Wilmington, North Carolina.  The exhibit opens May 22 with a reception and will run until June 20.  See you there!

Winter Artist Date

A cloud of little dark birds
like swirling leaves in the distance,
rush hour traffic going by,
and me nestled between trees
and the library, sitting on cold cement.
My pants are too tight.
Circles of leaves and garbage
are blowing in brisk air.
Someone in the parking garage
is speaking with a policeman.
A woman walking is a small dog
so it can poop, and she can pick it up
with a plastic grocery bag.
What am I doing here,
when will I be too cold to stay out,
and where will I go then?
More little dogs doing their business,
the traffic died down some,
maybe I will go, but where?


The Questions We Don’t Ask

The questions we don’t ask,
the ones we don’t have words for;
vague loneliness and disconnection,
silence, white noise, broken
pathways from heart to brain;
tears so deep, buried
beneath layer upon layer
of fear and lies,
fundamental lies,
consumed in baby bottles
filled with foreign milk;
lies fed to mothers,
passed down mother to mother
through omission of magic;
power, strength represented
only in shadow, silhouette,
rather than invoked through intention.


Memories

Two lovers linger outside my open window
as you sing from my stereo speakers.
My dog barks at the lovers as the sweetness
of your adoration blossoms in my memory.
My bread dough rises. I punch it down,
and shape it into two separate loaves.


To my true love

I long to have your attention undivided,
your complete adoration
words, hands, body, mind;
no worries or sadness
drawing your thoughts away
like distracted children.


A Tree Grows

A tree grows day in and day out,
dry and wet years, wanting no more
than to reach the sky.

A tree gives day in and day out,
to the air, to the soil,
to the birds and little creatures.

A tree says “yes” day in and day out,
“yes” to the woodpeckers, the sun and the rain,
“yes” to the winds, both the gentle and the harsh.

All this growing, giving, striving
is done in perfect time ;
a tree doesn’t hurry the blossoms or the fruit,
the birds or the sky.


Neighbors

Two birds are calling, in unison,
voices on opposite ends of the field;
talking with one another, sentences
punctuated by a woodpecker,
brought to me on a spring breeze.


Untested Boundaries

My little dog does not know
that if she nudges the
unlatched door it will open, or
how easy it is to push past
the torn screen door;
even though she loves
being outside more than anything.


Today I am Perfect

Today I am perfect.
I have all I need,
all I want.
My heart is warm and full,
the sun bathes me in light;
the earth holds me close with her love.
I have given up all
deadlines and agendas,
there is nothing I need to do
except daydream and drink in sunshine,
living out my thank yous.

Hello! Spring is in full bloom here in Wilmington. Since we have lived here this has been my favorite time of year. I have never seen so many flowers in my whole life. It was spring last year when I received my Reiki Master Attunement, the day before Easter. To celebrate that anniversary I am am offering Reiki sessions at half price, $25 instead of $50 for an hour session. Half price sessions are limited to one per person. This special will end at the end of April, so give me a call (910.343.6239) today to schedule your healing session! Plant seeds for positive personal change! Feel relaxed and rejuvenated! Let your soul blossom!

This spring also marks the beginning of my Reiki Master Teacher training. I will be writing more about my studies later. There is much to celebrate. I hope to hear from you soon!

So what do you think? For me the firing process was very magical, and I am so glad they didn’t explode!

I have two more bowls in process right now, and they are in a whole new league. I will post pics of them in March. I feel ready to make a bowl for anyone who is interested. The whole process is a lot of fun!