Pairs of small pierced porcelain tree luminaries glowing on each step of a staircase wrapped in cedar garland

Winter at Muddy Heart · Handmade in North Carolina

Sprinkle a little holiday magic through your home

Starry trees glowing on every stair. A candlelit village along the mantel. A porcelain wreath that never wilts. Each one shaped by hand, slowly, for the season when home means the most.

Shop winter Find a gift

Order by December 1 for Christmas delivery

Handmade

Shaped, glazed and fired by Meli

Every piece, start to finish, in her North Carolina studio

For Christmas

Order by December 1

Extra studio hours this season, so it arrives in time

Ready to give

Wrapped in a cloth gift bag

With your note, handwritten on a card

The winter collection

Six small ways to make the house feel like December.

Small rituals in porcelain and stoneware, made to come out of the box each December and quietly become tradition.

Starry tree luminaries lit on each stair beside a garland-wrapped banister

Light the stairs

Pierced porcelain trees, one tea light each. They scatter tiny constellations across the wall and turn a plain staircase into a quiet chapel.

Starry Trees · From $37

A row of small white ceramic houses on a rustic mantel beside a cedar bough and a woven basket

Build a village on the mantel

Hand-cut houses whose windows glow from a tea light inside. Begin with three, then add one every year, the way a family grows.

Candle Village · From $66

Three white porcelain laurel wreaths tied with raw linen ribbon, leaning against a mirror on a wooden mantel lined with candles

Hang a wreath that keeps

Every leaf pressed and placed by hand in porcelain, tied with torn linen. No needles to sweep, nothing to let go of in January.

Laurel Wreath · From $67

Two arched ceramic candlestick holders with lit taper candles on a wooden table

Say grace by candlelight

Two arches, two tapers, and the long dinners of December. Made to be passed down the table, and one day, passed down.

Arc Candlesticks · From $125

A porcelain letter garland spelling JOY, PEACE, NOEL and LOVE strung across a dark mirror with a sprig of pine

Spell it out

Joy. Peace. Noel. Love. Porcelain letters strung on jute, in lengths for a mirror, a mantel or a whole window.

Porcelain Garland · From $104

Hand-painted cream bowls with rust-red dots, checks and the word joy written inside, on a white table in front of a candlelit tree

Serve joy, literally

Dots, checks and a brushed word of rust-red slip on cream clay. For clementines, for cookies, for the first morning of a visit.

Joy Dishes · From $28

See the whole winter collection

A white stone fireplace at Christmas: a porcelain letter garland reading CHRISTMAS, starry tree luminaries along the mantel, knitted stockings on a ladder and a pair of old skates by the hearth

Stockings on the ladder. Skates by the hearth. A wreath in the mirror. The trees lit before anyone else is awake.

Meli's own mantel, Cary, North Carolina

Gifts, by the person

Who are you making happy this year?

Every piece arrives in a cloth gift bag, with your note handwritten on a card.

Meli holding a large lace-textured ceramic bowl heaped with lemons

For the one who hosts

Wild Serving Bowl

$272

A hand in a cream sweater holding a tall white star-stamped mug of tea beside an open book

For the fireside reader

Tall Star Mug

$88

A personalized porcelain laurel wreath ornament with a family name on its banner, nestled in a gift box on wood shavings

For the whole family

Personalized Laurel Ornament

$88

A white porcelain heart ornament with two tiny gold baby footprints and a name, hanging from a fir branch

For the new parents

Baby Feet Ornament

$80

A kraft gift box holding a beaded ceramic candle holder, a small vessel and two beeswax tapers, tied with dusty rose velvet ribbon

For the one with everything

Candlelight Gift Box

$204 · Ready to ship

A small white ceramic cottage with a curl of incense smoke rising from its chimney

For a little magic

Incense Burner Cottage

$68

A hand holding a small bundle of white porcelain star ornaments, each stamped with a name

For the stocking

Personalized Name Star

$32

Two cream cable-knit stockings with porcelain initial tags hanging from a rustic mantel

For the mantel

Personalized Knitted Stocking

$90

A minimal white ceramic nativity of three abstract figures under a wire arch with a porcelain star

For the quiet corner

Minimal Nativity

$113

The whole gift guide Personalized ornaments

Meli's hands pressing porcelain laurel leaves onto a wreath ornament with a family name on its banner — Each laurel leaf, pressed by hand

A note on holiday timing

Order by December 1, and it will be under the tree.

Nothing here is waiting on a shelf. When you order, I shape your piece by hand, let it dry slowly, and fire it twice in my kiln. This season I'm adding extra studio hours and kiln days so that every order placed by December 1 is made, wrapped and on its way in time for Christmas in the US.

Past the date? The ready-to-ship edit leaves the studio within 2–5 business days, and a gift card arrives instantly.

Find a gift Ready to ship

The winter table

Bread, cheese, cake, candlelight.

Lace and carved line pressed into the clay, for the long December table: the bread passed hand to hand, the cheese no one can stop cutting, the cake that comes out last.

A winter table set with handmade Muddy Heart platters, candlesticks and bread at dusk

Carved-line ceramic platters with cheese, crackers and olives on a wooden table beside lit tapers

Carved Lines Servingware

From $32

A wedge of hard cheese on a lace-textured white ceramic board with a jute loop

Lace Cheeseboard

$124

Cake Stand

$170

A golden loaf of bread in a white lace-textured ceramic dish beside a small lace plate

Heirloom Lace Dinnerware

From $23

A tall white textured ceramic pitcher with a big handle holding bare branches

Big Handle Pitcher

$317

Four dark ceramic cheese markers on a board with cheese, figs and a pomegranate

Custom Cheese Markers

Set of 4 · $86

Set the whole table

Mugs

Something warm, in both hands.

Cocoa on the first snow day, coffee before the house wakes, tea with the last chapter.

A hand in a knitted sleeve setting down a white mug lettered MERRY on top of one lettered BRIGHT in red

Merry & Bright Mugs

From $84

Two stacked mugs, one dark and one buff, stamped NICE and COZY, held in a hand

Nice & Cozy Mugs

From $84

A hand holding a tall lace-textured white mug, a wood stove glowing orange behind

Tall Lace Mug

$83

Tea being poured from a textured ceramic pitcher into a personalized mug on a wooden stool

Deep Personalized Mug

$80

Candlelight

The dark comes early. Let it.

Hurricanes, sconces and candles poured into vessels you will keep long after the wax is gone.

A lit pillar candle inside a glass hurricane on a white looped ceramic base

Looped Candle Hurricane

From $133

A white ceramic wall sconce holding a lit taper, hung on a plaster wall by a wire

Wall Lantern Sconce

$137

A lit soy candle in a star-textured ceramic vessel, a match just struck beside it

Little Star Soy Candle

$100

Three white conical ceramic taper holders with honey-colored beeswax candles and bare branches

Conical Taper Holders

From $57

Meli’s kiln in the North Carolina studio, hung with a porcelain PEACE garland

If the calendar is close

Ready to ship, ready to give.

A small edit of finished pieces is always waiting by the kiln. They leave within 2–5 business days, fully insured, in a cloth gift bag with your note handwritten on a card.

The ready-to-ship editLeaves in 2–5 days Boxed gift setsFrom $108 Personalized ornamentsBy December 1 A studio gift cardArrives instantly

Meli, seen from behind in a cream knit sweater, carrying a porcelain laurel wreath toward a lit Christmas tree in her white living room

A note from Meli

This is my house, and my hands.

The staircase, the mantel, the wreath in the mirror: that is where I live, in Cary, North Carolina, and where every piece on this page was photographed after it came out of my kiln. I design each one, shape it, glaze it and fire it twice, and I am the person who answers your email. Nothing is outsourced.

I hope the pieces I create for you become a special part of your holiday traditions

— Meli

Read my story How every piece is made

WOW! Such beautiful pottery. Meli is responsive, kind, and clearly quite talented. This dish is now our island centerpiece for holding fruit (and looking beautiful). I requested a matte finish and Meli asked what I planned to use the bowl for, to ensure I wouldn't get myself in trouble with liquids, staining, etc. - ! appreciated her caring enough to weigh and make sure I'd be very pleased with the results. Big fan of this store, the quality, and Meli of course. Will be a regular customer, I think this is my favorite piece I've ever bought, and her shop is a treasure trove of unique pieces.

Nate

I love my lamps!, if I ever move I am taking them with me! :)

Jade

Absolutely gorgeous! So carefully and lovingly made and wrapped. They are perfect for my new kitchen! The seller is very sweet. I will be a repeat customer!

Sarah

Ceramic Salt Monster Salt Cellar Simon Salt Container - MuddyHeartMuddyHeartsalt pig

I squealed when I opened this guy. Absolutely thrilled to own this piece of functional art for my kitchen. The artist was wonderful and responsive to work with when I had inquiries about customizing a piece, and it’s better than I ever could have imagined. Shipped extremely securely, with a lovely hand written note and professional presentation. Thank you SO much. I’m in love!

Juliet

The mugs are so cute and very well made. Loved working with this seller

Justine J.

Meli was so kind in answering my questions before deciding on a finish and I absolutely love my bell. I'm excited to add more of her pieces to my home in the future!

Richelle & Jared

Before you order

The questions people ask most.

Still wondering about something? Meli reads and answers every message herself.

Write to Meli

Is every piece really handmade?

Yes. Every piece is designed and handmade by Meli in her small studio in Cary, North Carolina. Nothing is mass-produced, outsourced or finished by anyone else. Each piece passes through her hands from start to finish.

Will my order arrive by Christmas?

Order by December 1 for Christmas delivery in the US. Meli is adding extra studio hours this season so made-to-order pieces are finished and shipped in time. After that date, choose from the ready-to-ship edit, which leaves the studio within 2–5 business days.

Can I personalize a piece?

Yes. Ornaments, mugs and keepsakes can carry a name, a date or a few words, stamped by hand. For a custom idea, write to hello@muddyheart.com. Personalized pieces are made just for you, so they are final sale.

Can you include a gift note?

Every piece arrives in a complimentary cloth gift bag. Add your message in the gift note at checkout, and Meli will handwrite it onto a small card and tuck it into the package.

Will it look exactly like the photo?

Each piece has its own quiet personality. Small variations in glaze, color depth and texture are part of handmade work, so yours will be unmistakably the design you chose, with a character of its own.

Are the kitchen pieces food safe?

Yes. Food and drink pieces are made from natural North Carolina clays with lead-free glazes. Stoneware kitchen pieces are dishwasher and microwave safe, though gentle hand washing keeps them beautiful longest. Pieces with gold or silver luster should be hand washed and kept out of the microwave.

How much is shipping?

US orders over $100 ship complimentary. Every order is carefully packed and fully insured against loss or damage.

Beyond the season