I'm Raquel Walton, the maker behind Creative Clay, handmade ceramics, based in Co. Clare. I hand-build every piece from stoneware clay using coiling and slab-building techniques.

My work is inspired by the Irish countryside, particularly the wildflowers of the Burren and the flowers I grew up around, fuchsia, poppies, daisies, cat's-ear & lily. Each piece is painted in vivid underglaze and finished with a glossy transparent glaze, and every single one carries a tiny hidden ladybird, my personal signature.

The range includes vases, plant pots, candle holders, wall plaques, and holy water fonts, colourful, tactile pieces that bring a bit of the Irish countryside into people's homes. I've been making and selling Creative Clay since 2015, and each piece is still made by hand, one at a time, in my own studio.
Each piece is unique in its own way, and I think that's what makes it a proper gift rather than just an object, it carries something of the time, care and intention that went into making it, which is really the whole point of giving someone something special at Christmas.

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