Vermont

Made in Vermont: Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics

Published

2 years ago

July 22, 2024

Made in Vermont: Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics

ISLE LA MOTTE, Vt. (WCAX) – Nestled in Isle La Motte, you’ll find The Bohemian Cat House. Inside, the downstairs is decked floor to ceiling in cat-themed wares, and many of them are handmade by residents Chris Hudson and Shelly Hail.

“It’s got the Cat Commandments on it,” says Hudson, referencing a tall sculpture of a cat. “Like, thou shall always have thy lap ready for me to curl up in.”

In addition to Hudson and Hail, The Bohemian Cat House is home to their three feline friends: Monkey, Shalom and Baby Jesus. Upstairs, you can find the workspace for their business, Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics.

“We always say it’s not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle,” laughs Hudson. The couple makes handmade pottery of all kinds, like mugs, art and even urns. Mugs make up the majority of their work, and many of them, but not all, are cat-themed.

“We look at the mug or whatever pottery piece that we make as a canvas and the surface actually tells a story,” says Hail.

Both Hudson and Hail have fascinating stories, far beyond what can fit into this Made in Vermont. But, Hudson has created with ceramics for 25 years, and Hail got into it about 10 years ago after hiking the Appalachian Trail. Life led them both here, making pottery with something called surface decoration, which blends modern-day laser printing with an age-old craft.

”We like the idea that the image goes around the mug so that you have something different from each side that you see,” explains Hudson.

The duo works together to create each piece. They get kiln-fired about five times each and take three or four weeks to make.

“We throw everything on the potter’s wheel, we put the handles on, we make our glazes, the decals,” says Hail.

Over the years, their work has seen major recognition. They’ve made mugs for some of their favorite artists, like Melissa Ethridge. Some of their mugs have wound up on auction for the Ethridge Foundation.

“We would listen for 12 hours a day,” says Hail. “On repeat. Only to Melissa Ethridge.”

They also make for Modern Prairie, which is owned by Melissa Gilbert from Little House on the Prairie… of which Hail is a huge fan. They say they’ve also made mugs for Willie Nelson, Kevin Bacon, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, among many others. Their next goal is to break into a new era of ceramics made for celebrities like Taylor Swift.

Even if you’re not Taylor Swift, it’s easy to get your hands on these cat-themed crafty creations. You can find them on Etsy or at Common Deer in Burlington. If you’re looking for mugs with mega personality, these might be purr-fect.

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Related Topics:art bohemian Business CAT ceramics crazy Featured isle LA lady made motte mugs news themed vermont WCAX

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Vermont

Unemployment claims in Vermont increased last week

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Unemployment claims in Vermont increased last week

Staff reports
| USA TODAY Network

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Vermont rose last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 375 in the week ending February 21, up from 357 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 212,000 last week, up 4,000 claims from 208,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Rhode Island saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 132.0%. Michigan, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 49.9%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

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Vermont

Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Thursday, Feb. 26

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Thursday, Feb. 26

The 2025-2026 Vermont high school winter season has begun. See below for scores, schedules and game details (statistical leaders, game notes) from basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, Nordic/Alpine skiing and other winter sports.

TO REPORT SCORES

Coaches or team representatives are asked to report results ASAP after games by emailing sports@burlingtonfreepress.com. Please submit with a name/contact number.

▶ Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

▶ Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

THURSDAY’S H.S. GAMES (REGULAR SEASON)

Boys basketball

Games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Peoples at North Country, 6:30 p.m.

Northfield at Stowe

Hazen at U-32

Oxbow at BFA-Fairfax

Winooski at Middlebury

Watch Vermont high school games on NFHS Network

Mount Mansfield at South Burlington

Essex at St. Johnsbury

BFA-St. Albans at Colchester

Lamoille at Spaulding

Lyndon at Harwood

Williamstown at Twinfield/Cabot

Rice at Champlain Valley

Randolph at Montpelier

Lake Region at Thetford

(Subject to change)

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Vermont

Vermont seasonal snowfall ranks high despite missing out on the Blizzard of 2026

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Vermont seasonal snowfall ranks high despite missing out on the Blizzard of 2026

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The historic ‘Blizzard of 2026′ brought a winter’s worth of snowfall to Southern New England, especially Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts area. Both states including New Jersey had snowfall totals that surpassed each respective state’s 24-hour snowfall record. Vermont on the other hand, too far north of the storm only received a fraction of the amount of snow.

HIGHEST SNOWFALL REPORTS BY STATE FROM BLIZZARD 2026:

RHODE ISLAND 37.9″ (Warwick)
MASSACHUSETTS 37.0″ (Bliss Corner)
NEW YORK 31.0″ (Central Islip)
CONNECTICUT 30.8″ (North Stonington)
NEW JERSEY 30.7″ (Lyndhurst)
PENNSYLVANIA 22.1″ (Langhorne)
DELAWARE 21″ (Long Neck)
MARYLAND 16″ (Bishopville)
VIRGINIA 15″ (Wintergreen)
MAINE 12″ (Trescott)
NEW HAMPSHIRE 9.8″ (Barrington)
VERMONT 6.8″ (Readsboro)

In northern Vermont, Burlington only received a few flakes from this historic nor’easter. Despite that, Burlington’s seasonal snowfall to date still ranks in the top ten across the eastern United States.

Current seasonal snowfall total rankings in the Eastern United States as of February 24th, 2026: