Plant Shelfie Bookends

Late in 2020, as my plant collection began to spiral (like so many other people), and I began to run out of space, I started propping books up with potted plants, and stacking books to create pedestals for other plants. This is when it occurred to me to start playing around with making planter bookends. I hopped onto Etsy, and Google, and searched far and wide for “planter bookends”. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t much out there beyond some clunky concrete blocks meant to hold succulents. So I got to work designing a pair.

The very first pair of Plant Shelfie Bookends. (late 2020)

The first pair I made was small. I started with a 4” planter just to figure out how to best assemble them. I also wanted them to hang, and in this early prototype, I had poked a pair of holes in the back of each, so I could string a wire between them to hang on the wall too. They were functional but there was certainly room for improvement. They were too small to support more than a couple small books. The holes in the back were great for hanging, but they also let water drip down the wall if you watered too much. Back to the drawing board I went!

In the last few years there have been several modifications made. I’ve been deliberate in my design choices, to try to make the most beautiful AND function set of planter bookends I can. The 2024 (late 2023) version has been upgraded to have a taller back, this way if you over water, the water will spill forward away from books or the wall. They are made from a planter that starts at a generous 6” diameter and 5-5.5” high. The saucers are bigger- for both holding excess water, and extra stability when holding up all the books. The drainage holes are also bigger so that they drain well and your plants roots aren’t sitting in a puddle of water. I ditched the holes and wire for hanging in favor of a small hook that’s attached when the clay is still wet and fired with the pot. This hides the hanger, and avoids the leaky holes on the backside.

In early 2023, I had a bookend reel go viral, after they had gone largely unnoticed for 3 years, and demand for them soared! If I all I made last year was bookends, I don’t think I would have been able to keep up with the demand. A good problem to have, but as a one woman show (with a pretty painful, as of yet not diagnosed hip problem), it’s still a problem, because I want so much to be able to make bookends for everyone that wants them., but I am physically incapable. And I am beyond thrilled that you want them! After struggling to be a full time artist for most of my adult life, at 46 years old, it feels incredible to have my art be seen, appreciated and desired by so many people (thank you!).

My new Curvy Plant Shelfie Bookends

Another challenge that’s arrived with more eyes on my art: copycats. I saw several other artists making planter bookends last year, and copying my exact design shape. Granted in pottery, and art for that matter, nothing is “new” and everything has been done, but it would be nice if those artists made them their own by changing the shape, or style, or even gave a nod for the inspo. I can’t stop them, as trademarking or copyrights are very expensive and not fool proof, and like I said, I can’t make enough for everybody. I know there is room for all of us, but it still stings a little bit. So I just keep trying to make them better, and adding new styles to my repertoire, to try to stay one step ahead of them.

Mariana and I tried to make molds of a prototype last summer, but they didn’t quite work. We learned what not to do though!

So back to the question of how can I make more for all the lovely people that want to have Plant Shelfie Bookends? I have a plan! I’m researching having molds made of my original designs and collaborating with a local studio (and also doing the same in Portugal so I can finally ship to the EU and UK) to get help producing them. Still handmade, but just in a different way. And how cool that something I created could be used to help support me, and to make work that helps support other artists too? So I’ve applied for a grant from Regional Arts and Culture Council to help me pay for the initial investment in making the molds. I’m working with Mudshark Studios to sort our production, and hopefully by May I’ll have more details to share.

Hand altered bookends drying slowly before being bisque fired.

In the meantime, I’m working with a friend (Wil LaBelle) to help me produce the wheel thrown pots, that I use to make the bookends. I do plan to release small batches of them in the months leading up to my move to Portugal (this summer). I’ll have more coming as soon as we get our timeline for the move and all the related travel sorted out.

Pair of bookends Mariana and I collaborated on, along with a matching vase. Forms made by me, and carved by Mariana. They are glazed in a translucent celadon glaze, 22 karat gold luster was painted on the edges, and then mother of pearl luster was painted on the forms. Fired 4 times.

I’m also working on some amazing collaborations with other artists from all over the US (and maybe beyond) to create one of a kind pairs of Plant Shelfie Bookends that I build and they complete the surface decoration on. These unique pieces will be used to help us raise the funds we need to get our Ceramics Community center up and running in Portugal. The first set of these one-of-kind-bookends is a breathtaking pair Mariana and I made last summer while she was visiting from Portugal. They’ll be coming your way very soon.

If you’ve made it this far, would you mind sharing your thoughts on crowd funding? Would you be interested in a raffle for a chance to win these bookends? Or would a silent auction be preferable?

I also welcome any other thoughts you may have about the bookends or otherwise. While I do not have a waiting list, I do have an email list, which is where I communicate the dates of all my shop updates.

Thanks for reading, and being here with me.