Laurie Milligan of Sweetest Song Pottery
When Laurie Milligan was a child, she didn’t have visions of being an artist when she grew up. “I wanted to be Snow White,” she told us. “I had black hair, and I wanted a prince to kiss me. Joe eventually did.” That Joe is her husband, fellow creative and watercolor artist Joe Milligan. Although both have a corporate background, they now devote their time fully to their respective crafts, and Laurie’s Sweetest Song Pottery was born in 2017.
The shift was kickstarted by a pottery class date night back in 2016. “We took a wheel -throwing class and fell in love with mud,” Laurie said. “I moved to hand building pottery and am primarily self-taught.” Today, Sweetest Song produces and sells one-of-a-kind wheel-thrown or hand-built (sometimes both) pieces. They run the gamut from jewelry to figurines to more practical pieces like bowls, mugs, and plates. Laurie said she never thought the venture would become successful, “because anyone who knows me would never picture me playing in dirt and mud.”
Another facet of the work that she loves is the creative outlet she never knew she needed. “I never thought I had a creative bone in my body until I found pottery,” Laurie said. “So, I really enjoy that part of it. Clean up, though, is the worst, and sometimes it’s even messier than working!”
A visit to the website showcases a wide variety of pieces, some whimsical, like the basket pictured here, or a ruffled roof “gnome home,” to the practical, like kitchenware in the form of their “Cape May” dinner plates, a chicken-festooned butter dish, or a striking red pitcher. We love the gorgeous set of speckled, graduated platters, but maybe the holiday décor pieces are more your speed. Most of the glazes on these pieces are lead-free and food appropriate, and the decorations add to the originality of every piece.
“My favorite piece I’ve ever done is a female figurine, dressed in her winter coat and hat,” Laurie told us. My husband wouldn’t let me sell it because I love it, so he actually paid me for it!” A princely act indeed. That piece is now displayed in their own home.
Laurie offers open houses at their Cape May home a couple of times a year, and the pair always participate in the Cape May Open Studio Tour in October, via the Artists Guild of the Cape. “I also take private appointments at my Cape May home,” she added.
In her downtime, Laurie is a beach girl at heart. “I love the beach—any day, any time, all year long!” She also spends time with “a lot” of close nieces and nephews.
Despite her success, “I would still love to be Snow White, but reality set in,” Laurie said. “And if I wasn’t doing this, I’d be baking all kinds of sweet treats, especially cupcakes.”
You can find your favorite Sweetest Song pottery piece on their website, sweetestsongpottery.com, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram at sweetestsongpottery.
