Beetle & Flor, Porcelain Skulls

One of the highlights of being a shopkeeper has got to be receiving a shipment of new products. No matter how many times we do it, pulling open the lid of each box brings back much of the excitement of that first present on Christmas morning. While we may not be in our pajamas and there is rarely hot cocoa in attendance, the feeling is much the same as we brush away the packing peanuts to discover anew what goodies have arrived. I know, I know - yes, we ordered it and already have a good idea of what we'll be getting, but the excitement of Christmas morning was never subdued just because we had peeked in our parent's closets a few weeks before the happy day... and we're operating on the same principle here.



As far as these packages go, we have to say that one of the recent highlights has been receiving a new line of products from Beetle & Flor. You're probably already aware of our predilection for porcelain objet, so when pulling these carefully wrapped porcelain items out of their protection we were in absolute heaven. Cast from life by Christine Facella (a freelance illustrator for the American Museum of Natural History), the porcelain skulls are lovingly handmade and exquisitely finished, each with its own character and attributes.




We haven't coveted anything this intensely since that tantalizingly tentacled pewter octopus from Swallow! While there's no question that one will be taking up permanent residence in our home, there is the question of choice: do we choose the deer skull with antlers that can just as easily grace our wall as our table, or the beaver that rocks gold teeth harder and better than any wannabe "grill" wearer? See our current collection in our webshop or at our shop on the Leliegracht. Female deer and gold-toothed male deer coming soon!

ADAM&EVE - Aleksandra Wisniewska

Collecting and pressing plant specimens has always been a great way to preserve snippets of nature's beauty. Swiss designer Aleksandra Wisniewska has taken this age-old activity one step further, not just preserving the leaves, but transforming them into subtly intricate pendants that evince nature while transforming it into something wholly different.

Aleksandra's technique preserves each leaf creating a distinct filigree effect in which the veins of each leaf are revealed to accentuate the delicate structure. Each sterling silver pendant is as unique as nature can make it, each leaf donated by a generous oak, magnanimous olive tree, or bountiful rose bush. See available pieces in our webshop or drop by the Leliegracht and see them in person!