gleenashop: fresh, fun china

{ "joy" dessert plate }

i saw this little plate in an etsy finds email and followed it to the shop -- such delicate, lovely things! wonderful to register for, or as gifts... or a beach wedding... or just because.

(i must note that i posted this *even though* there is a typo in the listing title, which i mark as a bit of progress in my typo-OCD. baby steps! the other listings are too sweet not to post.)




more at gleenashop.etsy.com

claylabdetroit: custom photo platter

{ your photos personalized platter }

claylabdetroit makes *really* cool ceramics. check out this great gift idea: send in your photo; clay lab works the magic and your 8 lbs. of clay are "thrown and screened while the clay is still wet, resulting in a Warhol-style print permanently fired into the porcelain." you can have multiple platters made with the same screen at a discount rate (one-stop gifts for parents, step-parents, grandparents, godparents, dogparents, etc. etc.) the results are dishwasher and microwave safe and the image won't fade over time. instant heirloom, or go kitsch with the happy couple above.

such a fun shop!



more at claylabdetroit.etsy.com

whitneysmith: gorgeous handmade ceramics

{ pair of cake stands }

this find courtesy of angel at lifeseventful.com -- who i probably shouldn't be quite so grateful to, since i'm about to purchase a grillion dollars worth of ceramics. visa thanks you, angel! ;)

i *love* this shop! the amazing art-nouveau and organic shapes... the gorgeous glazes... whimsical yet practical...

i gave up math in 1994, but here's my attempt at an equation for why these are amazing: color + shape + simplicity + uniqueness + can-actually- be-used-and-aren't-just-decorative-dustcatchers = monster etsy crush.
plus whitney talks in her profile about her love and obsession with her craft, and it absolutely shows. bravo! check these out:





more at whitneysmith.etsy.com

{april 1: update! see her featured seller interview on etsy :) }

trixiedelicious: alternative china

{ seven deadly sins ornate set }

have i really not mentioned trixiedelicious? her shop was one of the first i 'hearted' when i joined the crack den etsy community... hey, everyone needs a vice. or seven.

her work truly speaks for itself -- perfect visual irony, not for the dainty or blushing. wicked gifts! more hand-painted kiwi insouciance at trixiedelicious.etsy.com

update! palomasnest: ring bearer bowl

caroline of palomasnest wrote to say she'd been inspired by all the bridal attention to put together something new since her feature -- check it out!
top left, a ring-bearer bowl, with your customized text. after the ceremony you could use the string to hang the bowl on the wall as a sweet little reminder... worth an update in my book.

(not a bad thought -- from time to time, to revisit sellers from a while back and see what new ideas they're cooking up.)

that's it. i'm getting a teeny bowl. but what should i have written in mine? what would you write in yours?

palomasnest: ceramics

custom tiny white ceramic text bowl

paloma means 'dove' in spanish, and i love the white on white simplicity of caroline's etsy shop -- the handstamped, customizable teensy (3") bowls with your saying of choice would be sweet, quirky wedding favors or bridal party gifts. suggested use: on a dresser or desk, "to catch jewelry and all of life's little treasures." or, my stepmom used to have a little bowl by the kitchen sink where she put her rings when she washed up.

(you may have noticed by now that i *love* hand stamped, customizable things, whether jewelry or gifts -- partly because it enables you to give such a personal message writ permanent. and i like the imperfect, jumbled aesthetic, the distinct signs of human manufacture, more than the 'things-remembered' professionally engraved look. just me!)

the shop's lovely 'craft peace' theme is in keeping with the dove motif, which makes a frequent appearance on the ceramics themselves. there are larger bowls, plus an intriguing set of balsa-wood invitation/thank you cards (noted on the UK's bridalwave), and you can customize/order in multiples. final plug: made with heart in austin, texas -- one of my hometowns. more at palomasnest.etsy.com

lorena barrezueta: fine porcelain

"dine" plates in turquoise, green, or chartreuse

yes, she's been featured lots of places, but i didn't know that when i saw her work at renegade brooklyn last year and it was just *so* cool. and here, for your etsy pleasure, is lorena barrezueta's "samples, seconds, and surprises" shop, with some of her irregular and test-glazed pieces at (one would suppose) a friendlier rate than the extensive collection at her website (worth checking out for the sheer range of cheeky dish!).

let's backtrack: lorena barrezueta is a parsons-educated designer who in her own words "reintroduces the ubiquitous food container in fine porcelain as a way of addressing our perceptions of quality, value, and high-end design." pie tins, leftover containers, throwaways reconstituted as fine china -- and in irresistible colors, natch. they may not be to everyone's taste, but there is something so tactile and fascinating about each piece -- spent far too much time debating which dish to get (and *not* getting one)... le sigh.

but *you*, fair maidens, can register for a set. or get your friends something nice for the new loft.




more at lorenabarrezueta.etsy.com