Vintage Holidays

My Etsy shop has been neglected as of late, but I'm looking forward to going on a few buying runs soon. In the meantime, I've gathered up some of my existing inventory that would be a lovely addition to a holiday table.

 First up, serving bowls.

Let's look a little closer...

On the left we have a Vernon Kilns Raffia bowl. Next to that is a Santa Anita Ware Covered Casserole, which is large enough that it could easily serve as a soup tureen.

 That Franciscan Autumn Leaf bowl is huge - perfect for a big fall salad (I've also got salad plates to match). Next to that is a sweet little American Ironstone dish for nuts or olives or what have you. And next to that is a gorgeous aqua serving bowl in the Granada Matador pattern by Taylor Smith and Taylor. How awesome would that look with some whipped sweet potatoes?

Save yourself some dishwashing with oven-to-table bakeware. Lots of Pyrex goodness.

And plenty of platters and plates for sides and cakes.

A little vintage stemware, and you're good to go!

let's take a walk

This has nothing to do with ceramics or vintage anything, but I thought I'd share a little bit of my neighborhood with you. We are lucky to live just a few blocks from a greenbelt and small natural open space, preserved by the city. We call it the lookout.

On the way to the lookout, we pass a greenbelt. It's like a little rainforest in there.

The lookout is just around the bend here.

That's Bellevue - across Lake Washington

In the distance you can just make out the Cascade Mountains

Down to the woods.

Let's stop to admire the stone mosaic.

new growth

spring green

hello there!

hope you enjoyed our little walk!

napkin rings

Today's post at Soule Mama has me on the hunt for napkin rings. Keeping track of whose napkin is whose is a big problem at our house, and I don't know why this never occurred to me. I like the idea of accumulating a collection over time at thrift stores and garage sales, finding just the right one for each member of the family. For the impatient among us, Etsy = instant collection.

This vintage Lillan Vernon pair would fit in with a Hollywood Regency Aesthetic.

And on the complete other end of the design spectrum, I'm rather fond of these folksy painted alpine flower ones. 

These orange and red lacquer ones are cheerful.

You can never go wrong with simple teak.

For all you Vera collectors out there...

Or go custom and commission your own.

 like these from raedunn.

or these from BROOKLYN Rehab.

on hiatus

With a new job and another baby on the way, it appears I'm not able to keep this site updated anymore. I promised you a post on weaving, and while I never really did get that pulled together, the whole idea came about from my admiration of Avalanche Loom's products and studio. So before I go, I'll share a few photos with you here - I'm sure they will inspire you as much as they did me.

Wouldn't you love going to work every day if this was where you worked?

And look at what she makes there...this gorgeously nubby winter rug:

And this sassy scarf (who even knew you could weave a scarf? I didn't):

Her products are available online or from her shop in Avalanche, WI.

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I may have one more post in the next week or so to let you know about a BIG sale at Peacock Modern. I'm closing down the shop at the end of summer for maternity leave, and will be listing some new things and putting everything on sale in the coming weeks. Stay tuned...

white bike ceramics

Just discovered white bike ceramics via the April 2009 Food and Wine magazine (p.149). Great stuff. Here's some of her work:

loops and hoops

Well, so much for posting more frequently. I've actually been working on a post about hand weaving of all things, but it's taking a while to come together, so instead I'll share a little Friday jewelry fun.

I love that Etsy has added the ability to subscribe to an rss feed of your favorite shops, but it's a dangerous thing. Now that I can see all of my favorite shop's new listings right along with all of my blog subscriptions, it's hard to resist the temptation to buy everything. I've noticed that I've faved a lot of jewelry designers who make simple, everyday pieces, and apparently I'm drawn to loops and hoops. Here's just a few...

I'd like one of everything in Kusu's shop, but I particularly like her not-quite-round hoop earrings:



From Dreams and Jewelry, a simple gold circle on a chain:
Set of 6 slender bangles from Kira Ferrer.
And finally another simple circle on a chain, this time in silver, from Kenton Beadworks:

New Year, New Focus

I started this blog with a very narrow focus - ceramics design. And while I'm still quite inspired by ceramics design, it hasn't exactly resulted in frequent blog posts. So I've decided to broaden my focus in 2009 to cover more of what inspires me - fiber crafts, jewelry design, food, nature...

A real post is coming soon....stay tuned.

mix and match

I've accumulated so many dinnerware patterns, both at home and in the shop, that I thought it would be fun to play around with some groupings. So I hauled everything out of the basement and kitchen and spread it all out on my living room floor. If anybody had unexpectedly stopped by, I'm sure I would have looked like a huge weirdo ("Why is her floor covered in plates?") But I had fun, and it gave me some ideas for possible mix and match options in the shop.

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vintage ceramic reindeer

I recently came across this little guy, and I'm looking to find him some friends.

I thought Ebay and Etsy would be filled with white ceramic reindeer this time of year, but so far all I've found is this charming duo from Etsy seller Jolly Time One.

whirl ornaments

Check out these fabulous hand-thrown porcelain ornaments by Kim Westad:




$16 each with your choice of a gold or red cord for hanging. Lovely!