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!

Alexa Lixfeld - Metamorphose

My parents were true believers in the theory that hard work builds character and integrity. At least that's what they said... but often I wondered if it was just an easy way for them to to say; "We had to work, so you do, too". Childhood grudges aside, every summer I was sent to work with my father laying concrete foundations (I had switched from Captain Caveman to a G.I.Joe thermos for lunch, while he had the incomparable Stanley vacuum bottle), hauling concrete forms and generally 'helping out' - which I later realized meant 'not getting paid'. (Oh, sorry, grudges aside.) While I can't speak as to whether or not 'helping out' assisted my parents with the monumental task of instilling any staunch moral fiber or tireless work ethic in me, there were other things that I took from those dusty, dirty, drawn-out summer days. One of them was an appreciation for the unsung beauty of concrete. Back then concrete was for driveways and basements, to be utilized only as a foundation, not an aesthetic. Nowadays it's all around us, and there are a multitude of designers and architects who have embraced industrial chic. Pottery pioneer Alexa Lixfield is one of these, and has captured the essence of this aesthetic in her Metamorphose collection, a series of colored porcelain vessels that artfully combine the roughness of concrete with the sophistication of modern form and color.


The interesting seam-work and play between the matte exterior and glazed interior highlight this contrast, transforming a simple shape into a textural triumph that is just as satisfying to hold and feel as it is to gaze upon. And unlike my formative years, appreciating this concrete-inspired crockery won't require any back-breaking labor on your part. See available models in the webshop.

Undergrowth Design - Blaue Blume Tea Set

Blaue Blume, the blue flower, is a central symbol of Romanticism, representing desire, love, and the metaphysical striving for the infinite and unreachable. We can't think of anything more romantic than Undergrowth Design's Blaue Blume Tea set - delicate porcelain with a white lace pattern and a hot pair of legs with dainty gold shoes for the handle? Here at last is a tea set even the men in your life can appreciate!

Our favorite is the 'sugar bath' - a claw foot bathtub where the legs are the spoon. Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Wonderland - Élise Lefebvre

Élise Lefebvre's "Wonderland" collection evokes in porcelain what Aesop and other great storytellers did with words; the sly inquisitiveness of the fox, the innocent naivete of the fawn, or the sweet intelligence of the piglet. These perfectly formed woodland creatures seem to have partaken of Alice's infamous shrinking "Drink Me" elixir, and are equally at home foraging on your dresser or decorating your decolletage. The only question is which one you think is cutest.

Other pieces in the Wonderland collection include the Bambi Box and no less cute, the Hedgehog Plate. Check out our assortment in the webshop.

Theo - feeling piggy?

The venerable pig has been forced to weather some bed press throughout the years, despite a long list of valuable attributes. Smarter than dogs and oft times just as affectionate, they make great pets, as evidenced by George Clooney's 18-year relationship with Max, the pot-bellied pig credited with saving George's life in 1994 (and Max even took a flight in John Travolta's private jet, although not in a life-saving capacity). But there's one attribute we feel has been overlooked these last few years: that of being the hallowed guardian of our loose change! Well overlook no more, with THEOsaurus! (We know, the '-saurus' makes it seem of the dino- variety, but according to its creator the name has more to do with the Latin definition of the word 'thesaurus': treasure.) Available for all you purists in plain white as well as a Blau Dresner pattern for those who enjoy the classics, THEO is available standing on fat little legs with feet made of actual cork or seated featuring a quality metal lock. You have to spend a little to save a little!

Casalinga

Another maker of porcelain treasures from Denmark comes to egg mercantile: Casalinga. Created by Trine Weng and Susan Liebe, new items in the shop include: brooches, rings, salt & pepper shakers, a sugar bowl, and decorative birds for your walls. Available now in the webshop.

new scherning jewelry

Yesterday we received our new order of Scherning porcelain & sterling silver jewelry. In addition to receiving replenishment on the styles we already had, we have 2 new pieces: the bracelet and the double earrings.


Mette Scherning's jewelry is all made by hand -- no 2 pieces are the same. She creates porcelain disks which are hand decorated and then paired with sterling silver hardware... the final product is very delicate in appearance and quite unique.