Lolly Lolly Ceramics

The only emojis I used this week 🥥🇯🇲☀️🧉🍹🦜

Soft Petal Table Lamp ✨appreciation✨ post. Designed by me for

More hosting in 2025 ✨

Thank you all for the birthday love. If you’re looking for chef to host your next gathering, call . He made the dreamiest, coziest birthday menu that I didn’t even get a photo of. Next time!

I’ll never get over the fact that my job is turning the ideas twirling in my head into reality 🥹

The Noor Table Lamp is one of those ideas that felt so unconventional, yet practical. I envisioned it hanging off a table, taking up space but also enhancing the space with its unique curves and conjoined shapes. Easily one of my faves from the collection.

The Soft Petal Pendant is having a momennnnttt. Y’all really love her 🥹

I’m grateful that all of my followers are attractive. Love that for us.

(I’ve never hosted a Thanksgiving yet in my life but I imagine this is how I’d look waiting for my guests to walk through the door.)

Blithe Bookends for

One of my favorite things about these bookends—aside from the stunning purple breccia marble—is that they’re not just functional, but also works of art. You can display them upright on their base or turn one upside down so they nest together. The beauty is in the versatility—style them however you like.

Should I share more of my design process?

One of my favorite aspects of design is challenging the boundaries of everyday household items we often take for granted. A clear example of this is my 100 Mug Project from 2019, where I crafted 100 unique mugs, each with a distinct handle, over the course of 100 days. Each handle with a unique interpretation of the traditional mug design.

The Dew Drop Plates I dreamed up for are another prime example of pushing the limits of conventional design. After all, how many playful, wavy nesting plates do you have at home?

Thank you all so much for the wave of support for my Lulu & Georgia launch this week! I feel so loved and supported, always, but this one takes the cake. This collection is a true labor of love and such a perfect extension of the Lolly brand that you have all come to love over the years.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be showcasing the collection in exciting new ways—from sharing how I style my pieces to offering a behind-the-scenes look at the design process. Prepare to be sick of me!

I keep getting asked if I have a studio in New York yet or if I plan on getting one, and the answer is yes—but I’m not in a hurry. Right now, I’m heavily enjoying life without a studio. My last one was 2,500 sq. ft., and from 2021 to 2023, I had 12 employees working alongside me in that studio. That era taught me so much about running a business, but it also burned me out and pulled me away from my first love: creating. I became more of a manager—managing people, managing a space, and it was the focus of all of my energy.

Over a year ago I started going to therapy, thanks to Mohammad noticing I wasn’t quite myself. I’m so thankful he could see what I couldn’t. I was unhappy, just going through the motions. Therapy gave me the tools to understand what was happening beneath the surface and helped me realize that I’d been living based on what I thought others expected of me.

Hence the move to New York. I’ve always dreamed of living here. I’ve visited so many times, but I never took the leap—until Mohammad and I decided it would be the reset we both needed in our careers. At the end of last year, I gave my team a few months to plan their next moves, and I made the decision to pivot myself.

Lolly Lolly Ceramics is still here, but it’s evolving. You’ll see more furniture design, more interior design, and a lot more of me working from my cozy New York apartment office—sketching instead of always producing. I’m rediscovering the joy of clay, without the pressure of profit behind every piece. We’re also giving the brand a little facelift to reflect this new direction—something more sophisticated, more aligned with the new direction. And there are some exciting collaborations in the works, the kind I’ve only dreamed of until now.

I didn’t plan on writing such a long caption this morning. I just wanted to share these beautiful photos taken in my old studio by Mahdi, just a few weeks before I moved out in May. I’ll always cherish them as a reminder of how it felt to come into work and slipcast for the day, the smell of clay in the space, all of the cute meetings we had around the big table — how this era was just one stepping stone in the evolution of my dream brand.

Whoever invented moving can kindly go to hell 🥵

I moved out of my sunny studio space 3 weeks ago and am now in the midst of packing up my apartment, hence the reason I’ve been so MIA.

In just 2 short weeks, I’ll be headed for NYC. This is an ode to my beautiful studio where I spent countless hours creating and dreaming, but now it’s time to move on to new adventures. (Lord knows I’ll never be able to find anything as inexpensive in NYC 🥲)

“We regret to inform you”: words that have become all too familiar lately. While I often share the wins, it’s equally important to share the losses too. Leaving these here to remind us all to keep pushing forward even if it feels a little uncomfy sometimes.

To kick off this August, we'd like to share our highs and lows as a Black Business. Since 2020, we've been incredibly grateful for the recognition and countless opportunities that came our way. However, it hasn't been without its challenges. We've faced overwhelming demand that sometimes exceeded our capacity and fear of missing out on opportunities. We've learned a lot along the way, but even now, we still have days when we feel overwhelmed—wondering if we're producing enough product, creating sufficient content, and if people still care.

And of course, the money. At the time, Lolly Lolly was a side hustle with Lalese and one part-time assistant. “Black business owners start with 50% of the capital of White business owners. […] This funding plays a part in why Black businesses fail more often, even though they’re starting up at higher rates than White businesses*” - . Thanks to your unwavering support and patience over the years, we've not only kept this business open but also thrived and grown. Your contributions through social media shares, fundraisers, mug drops, and market visits have been invaluable. We love you.

So it’s with our immense honor and pride that we share that we’ve been selected as Semi-Finalists to the founded by . During this round, we’ve been participating in a 12-week program where entrepreneurs are connected with qualified mentors & business leaders through a curriculum on building a team, fundraising, partnerships, + more. Included is $10,000 in AWS credits, a suite of technology resources for startups from Amazon’s Startup team!! We recently submitted our application for the next round and hope we’ll have more good news soon 🤞🏾🤞🏾

Link in bio to read more. (*source: The Association for Enterprise Opportunity)

“Sometimes I like to envision what I might be if I weren't a ceramicist and Stephanie helped bring my cowgirl dreams to life... only this cowgirl is wrangling mugs instead."- Lalese, Founder of Lolly Lolly Ceramics.⁠
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One of our first merch collabs was with back in December 2021 and it's still our favorite design!
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Available on our website as a tee in three colors and a tote. Plus as an added bonus: they're all 25% off (already marked down, no code needed) YEEEHAW! 🤠

✨JUNE 2023 MUG DROP✨⁠
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Historically, our mugs have been known for their unique and ever-changing shapes. Since we throw every mug on the wheel, it means our pieces naturally change dimensions and proportions over time. (Blame me, I don't write down the dimensions 😜) Nevertheless, we've heard your feedback and decided it's high time to standardize our Lolly mugs. 🔄 ⁠
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Mark your calendars for this Sunday, June 25th at 7pm EST/ 6pm CST. We're adding a fresh batch of Speckle Mugs to our site. These cuties are slightly smaller, holding 10 oz compared to our usual 15-20 oz. 🫢 They are a limited edition 'Lolly Study' style, making them even more special. We're adding 100 to the site, so don't wait too long to snag yours before they're gone! ⚡️💫

As a longtime fan of , I’m BEYOND excited and honored to be featured in ’s Head Turners series! I spoke with about the origin of Lolly Lolly Ceramics, the ups and downs of being an “accidental” entrepreneur, and how I’m breaking (or at least trying to!) barriers in the creative and business world.

https://www.shondaland.com/live/money/a43968189/head-turners-ceramist-lalese-stamps/

It’s National Entrepreneur Day. Some days I find myself hesitating when I use this word ‘entrepreneur’ to describe myself because I never really chose this path. I didn’t go to business school or dream of owning my business as a kid. Entrepreneurialism often times feels like it chose me. But that’s the beauty of it all. Sometimes the universe pushes you in a direction you didn’t know you needed to be in.

Despite feeling as if I’m on a constant rollercoaster ride that doesn’t stop, I am so happy to be here. Following this curious dream of entrepreneurialism has been so fulfilling and marvelous and scary and confusing and fun ….all wrapped up in one little bow. I don’t always feel very successful and there are definitely mistakes that I’ve made along the way, but I do continue to feel authentic to who I am. I’m so so proud of my journey and I can’t wait to keep going!!!

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