Briarpatch Farm

12/12/2024

I’ve been on a roller coaster with Saturday’s Facebook hacking, which resulted in people giving money to these scam artists and their taking over my family photos and account. They also attempted to take over other accounts associated with that email. I have since taken steps to monitor and block further hacking in the future.

After speaking with Lifelock today, a service I am now using to protect our accounts, I learned the following that I’m sharing with anyone who reach out to me in concern or to buy something from this account.

I will never regain control over that profile (Jennifer J Buckner, currently with a picture of my family and the girls at a young age in front of a shed). I will also untether my Instagram account, which is safe, from the Briarpatch Farm page. I cannot delete the farm page on Facebook, but this acct will likely go dormant. It is vulnerable too.

How can you help?

1. Please, report the profile as being an impersonation/scam. The more times the profile is reported, Facebook will remove it. Click the … next to the profile on the right and report it.
2. Do NOT message or engage with that profile.
3. Do NOT give money to those hackers. They are redirecting your money to a credit card in Nigeria.
4. If you haven’t done so lately, change your password and set up 2-factor authentication on Facebook and other account pages. And NEVER click a link in a message as it gives them access to your account even without your password.
5. Finally, unfriend and block that account.

I have created a new account on Facebook for now, just to access work related pages and a health community I have joined. Otherwise, I’m taking a break there. Once I’m ready to reach out, I will send a message that’s personal, so you know it is me.

Stay safe and I hope you have a Merry Christmas!��(the real) Jennifer

12/08/2024

12/07/2024

Sunrise caught me headed into the shed to load a kiln this morning. After 5wks of making your orders, I am firing and glazing this week! So excited to get these into your hands soon. I will email those who ordered as your package is ready for pick up or shipment. Thank you for being patient as pottery and I take time.

11/04/2024

My dear friends: WE DID IT!!! In less than 48 hours, you helped raise $1075 for RAD and CERF+! In my wildest dreams, we'd get close, and you exceeded the goal!!! I was out working in the shed attaching handles to mugs and making ornaments when the final ornaments were sold.

It's a beautiful thing to see this community come together behind a vision; I am so grateful for your trust. And now, I will escape to my shed evenings and weekends to get your orders completed.

Peace be with you,

Jennifer

11/03/2024

YOU DID IT! I am awash in gratitude that you joined this journey with me to help artists in Western NC!!!!

In 74mins, 57 mugs SOLD OUT!
As of right now, 70-100 Preorder ornaments are sold!

We are only 15 ornaments from reaching my wild audacious goal of $1000 donation to RAD and CERF+. There are still 30 ornaments up for grabs. If you haven't placed an order but want to be part of this incredible movement, there is still time.

If you placed an order, you should have received an email confirmation. I will be in touch as soon as orders are ready.

Peace be with you, friends,
Jennifer

https://briarpatch-farm.square.site

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11/02/2024

It's PREORDER TIME! My site is live and taking orders for Artists' Relief Mugs and Ornaments. $10 of each mug + $5 of each ornament will be divided between the River Arts District Emergency Fund and Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) as a donation. You will also find a few test mugs there for those who are interested.

If you are not local to Shelby, NC for pick up, indicate that you want your item shipped at the time of your order. Mugs and ornaments will be made in the order they were placed. I will contact you once your order is ready. Please, be patient. Depending on the quantity of orders and where yours falls, it may be later in November or December before yours is ready. Orders are limited to ensure the I'm able to finish them just in time for pick-up or shipping prior to Christmas.

Thank you for supporting this campaign and peace be with you, friends,

https://briarpatch-farm.square.site

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11/01/2024

Saturday, Nov 2nd at 10am, our site will go "live" with an opportunity to preorder this limited series mug and ornament design. $10 of each mug + $5 of each ornament will be divided between the River Arts District Emergency Fund and Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) as a donation.

If you are not local to Shelby, NC for pick up, indicate that you want your item shipped at the time of your order. Mugs and ornaments will be made in the order they were placed. I will contact you once your order is ready. Please, be patient. Depending on the quantity of orders and where yours falls, it may be later in November or December before yours is ready. Orders are limited to ensure the I'm able to finish them just in time for pick-up or shipping prior to Christmas.

Thank you for supporting this campaign, and peace be with you, friends,

Jennifer

https://briarpatch-farm.square.site/artists-relief

10/30/2024

I've read for the past month about artists whose entire livelihoods were washed away by Helene's floods, inventory destroyed, kilns and wheels ruined, and studios filled with mud...the cruel irony of a potter's studio covered in mud. We've entered a new phase of helping our neighbors here in Western NC, that of relief. In art, relief is a sculptural method where objects are still connected to their background material. Relief is a word whose Latin origins of relevare mean "to lighten," "to ease," "to raise." Artists' Relief is a campaign I dreamed of as a way we can help those artists rebuild their studios in the background of the NC mountains, where their craft is rooted.

This campaign will offer you an opportunity to purchase this limited series 2024 mug or ornament, inspired by a backdrop that brings us peace here in the foothills. Hidden on the mug bottom or ornament back of this design is a small dove flying over the waters. This dove brings hope, relief and promise to artists whose work inspires us all to see the beauty in this world and its humanity.

Artists' Relief will work as a pre-order campaign. At 10am on Saturday, my website will go "live" with a page where you can place orders for mugs and/or ornaments. Pre-orders will be limited. I am a one-woman studio whose full-time job is in higher education, so orders will be limited to those that I can make in evenings and weekends to meet pick up and Christmas shipping deadlines.

Donations will be split evenly between two organizations, the River Arts District (RAD) Emergency Fund in Asheville, NC and the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+), both providing grants and relief funds for artists who need help getting their businesses back on their feet. Since my first pottery class in 2014, I've used Highwater Clay, a beloved pottery supplier for many of us in this region, and a River Arts District business that was devastated on Sept 27th. Now, potters are unable to purchase their clay due to the loss of their facility. In honor of RAD, I will use the last of my Highwater clay for this campaign, using their clay to help give back to their community. Your purchase of a mug at $45 donates $10 to this campaign; your purchase of an ornament at $18 donates $5 to these organizations. My wild audacious goal is that we raise $1000 with this campaign.

Look for more information Friday morning about the pre-orders that will go live Saturday at 10am. Site: https://briarpatch-farm.square.site/artists-relief

10/29/2024

Second time’s a charm!!!! I was over the moon when I opened my kiln last night to find these gems! I mean: that color, the marriage of bright and rustic; this textured mug bottom; these ornaments (I see you dove of hope in 2024). 🥰👏I hope you’re still invested in helping me raise money for western N.C. artists. I will provide more info about the how and where later this week. For now, mark your calendars for this Saturday (2nd) at 10am for preorders. Quantities will be limited!

10/15/2024

Welp, second firing complete, and I am not happy with the outcome. My glazes ran into the negative space and I’m not digging some of my finished palette. Pottery is as much an art as a science. Glazes, clays, and heat ALL behave differently, which is why any piece you purchase from a potter is the result of much time, testing, and failed attempts until they get the clay planets aligned for artistic eclipse. Artists in Western NC will be rebuilding for a long time, and our support in a few weeks will still be welcome. So, if you’ll bear with me, I have a few design tweaks in mind. Donations and relief efforts start to falter several weeks following a crisis; we can be a second wave of support!

10/12/2024

First firing complete & I am 😍! I will glaze these and fire again. This clay gets darker in the 2nd firing (think gingerbread).🤞 I am overwhelmed by your outpouring of support for these, esp the western NC artists they will support! I really did only make four this time (potters test, test, test), but have a plan for pre-orders. There will be a limited number. I also tested an ornament, which I hope to offer as well. So, stay tuned!