Meet Courtney Tartaglia | Ed Tech Professional & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Tartaglia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was able to start Contour Clay Designs early on in 2020. A lot of free time due to the COVID-19 lockdowns allowed for me to spend the time and energy on formulating a plan and legally starting a business. I took my first pottery class in 2017 and after a few failed attempts at learning the wheel, I started building mugs, bowls, spoon rests and other trinkets by hand. This eventually led to me creating pendants and other tiny porcelain pieces to be used for earrings and necklaces. People loved my early earring prototypes that I was gifting them, and eventually I started selling those to friends and family back in November 2019. I was in shock that people wanted to buy my creations and was encouraged by friends to create an Etsy account. Creating the Etsy account was the first step towards creating my own business. With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was refreshing and motivating to have something 100% in my control. I love being able to share what brings me joy with others and it makes my heart so happy when I see people wearing my creations. This little business definitely keeps my cup full in more ways than one.

What should our readers know about your business?
The name Contour Clay Designs was inspired by the contour lines on a topographic map. Contour lines show the elevation and shape of the terrain on the map and are useful when you are reading a map and trying to figure out the elevation of a certain area. You will see the topo print frequently in my designs and a lot of my creations are heavily influenced by nature and the outdoors.

One thing that is unique about my business is the use of porcelain to make clay earrings. When most people think of clay earrings, they think of polymer clay which is a plastic based product. I have a lot of artist friends that use polymer clay as their medium and they can truly make amazing things with it, but working with porcelain is a whole different ballgame and there are not too many of us out there in the world that do it. Porcelain is a sustainable product meant to last a lifetime if handled with care. I use sustainable practices in my home studio and save all clay scraps to be reused as well. There has been a lot of growth and trail and error over the years when working with porcelain. I have a big box of pieces that just did not turn out or were not up to my standards. One of these days, I will find something creative to do with all of those misfits ;).

I am most proud of the amount of patience and dedication that each pair of earrings takes. Including time spent in the kiln, each pair takes about 55-60 hours from start to finish. I would not be where I am at today without that patience and dedication. I have learned that I need to put my heart and soul into this business if it is going to continue to be something that I am proud of. I have grown so much over the years and so has this business. In the past year alone, my products are now in 5 local shops in Colorado, and I have even partnered with a couple of local establishments to host our own Maker’s Markets. My goal is to continue to gain more exposure for my business and to build connections with more shops as well! My biggest challenge right now is time– I have a full time job working at an Educational Technology company, so Contour Clay Designs is truly a side hustle. The time I am able to spend on creating is cherished and I do not take that for granted!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

This is such a tough question because I have so many interests!! I am big into outdoor activities and love to hike, fly fish, climb and ski. I also love visiting local art markets, farmers markets and festivals, enjoy live music and the front range area food and drink scene. Here is a little sample itinerary (this includes eating out all week so you can get an idea of some of my favorite restaurants) for things to do around the front range. This would be for the fall since it is upon us!

Monday- Golden Day
Breakfast burritos from Bonfire Burritos in Golden
Hike at South Table Mountain in Golden
Walk around the shops in Golden
Grab a sandwich from D-Deli
Beer at New Terrain
Fly Fishing along clear creek
Pizza from Pizzeria Leopold

Tuesday- Denver
Bagel from Leroy’s
Go to Meow Wolf
Walk around the shops on South Broadway and go thrifting. Must stop into Fern and Skye and check in on the Contour Clay Designs stock.
Rooftop drink at Avanti
Dinner at Hop Alley

Wednesday- Boulder Day
Grab coffee at Boxcar
Hike Green Mountain West Ridge Trail
Burgers and Beers at Upslope
Beer flight at Beyond the Mountain Brewery
Walk around Boulder Farmers Market in the late afternoon (open until Oct. 4th)
Dinner at Bohemian Biergarden

Thursday- mostly Arvada
Coffee from the Bluegrass Lounge
Pastry from Rheinlander Bakery
Take Pup to the West Arvada Dog Park
Show friend Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Museum
Stop in Morrison to visit the little shops—including The Moxi Poppy
Grab a Beer at Denver Beer Co in Olde Town Arvada
Dinner at Teocalli
Ice cream at Scrumptious
Cocktails at Talnua Distillery

Friday- Denver
Breakfast at Get Rights- the Jambon Beurre is life changing
Denver Botanic Gardens
Lunch at Spinelli’s
Beers at Prost
Dinner at Cart Driver
Night art market in RiNo
Cocktails at Death & Co

Saturday-
Head out for an all day excursion (RMNP, Garden of the Gods, Hiking around Red Rocks or Mount Evans depending on what is open and weather)
Dinner at King of Wings

Sunday- Denver
South Pearl Street Farmers Market
Brunch at Top Tenn Lounge on Tennyson Street
Watch the Eagles play at Larimer Beer Hall
Grab ice cream from High Point Creamery on the way home!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to Shoutout Judy Vassar of the Funky Olive Clay Studio. Judy was my pottery teacher back when I took my first class through Denver Parks and Recreation in 2017. I kept signing up for every session after that and would always choose Judy as my instructor. After some time, I started going to Judy’s studio for classes. Judy is one of the most upbeat and friendly people that you will ever meet. She has been a great support, mentor, and friend throughout the years and I was so lucky to have her to bounce ideas off when I was starting my business. The first time I participated in an Art sale market was at Judy’s studio!

Website: www.contourclaydesigns.com

Instagram: contourclaydesigns

Facebook: Contour Clay Designs