Topeka woman brings handmade pottery homeware to Top City

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT)-- A Topeka woman is bringing her passion for art to the city by hand-making homeware with a message.

Diane Horn and her family moved to Topeka almost 10 years ago from Florida. Horn always had a passion for art, specifically pottery. She put it to the side for a couple of years while she and her husband started their family. Then in 2018, she was asked to bring her work to the Cider Days event, giving her the chance to get back to her passion.

"Topeka has been a really wonderful place to start a small business," Horn said. "So many people have supported me and encouraged me, and given me bits of advice along the way."

Now, she's the owner behind the brand Made Maker, a hand-made pottery business. Horn said while it's great to get back to the art, it's the appreciation from customers that keeps her going.

"Somebody comes up and tells me, 'your mug that you made is my very, very favorite and I use it every day,'" Horn said. "And that just brings me so much joy. There's an interaction that I'm having with that person who has some of my pottery in their home. And they use it and cherish it. And that's special to me. And I hope that it inspires them to think about their own worth."

The name Made Maker came from the help of her husband, Bill Horn. She didn't want the business to be just about her, she wanted it to have meaning. Her relationship with God was a big part of the brand being more than just pottery. Made Maker is in reference to how God is considered the "maker."

"I really was always inspired by the thought that God made me," Horn said. "And when I am making, it's like I'm emulating him and his creativity."

If the name and the products look familiar, that's because you might have seen them at another local store. Made Maker products are also sold at Ash Boutique in Downtown Topeka.

Horn is also donating 50% of all December sales to the Trash Mountain Project. It's a non-profit started in Topeka that helps people in trash dump communities around the world.

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