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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