House Things

This handmade ceramic vase with sgraffito drawing from Luster Wear caught my eye while trolling through Etsy‘s fabulousness to find goodies for you for Top Three Thursdays. I love its subtle color — I’ve been having kind of a purple and lavender thing recently — and the glaze, all of which is apparently created through multiple firings in the kiln. Food safe, although this seems more usable for flowers and arrangements in my view. Price is $250.

Up next is something that might be kind of fun. Are you a monogram person? People either fall into one category or the other I think. I’m personally not into, but if you are, you might like these lights from Amy Perch. Each ceramic light is a 5″ diameter white ceramic ball with perforated holes in any letter you like. They can also be ordered with a 15′ long cord with a plug and switch, or hardwired with a white ceramic canopy. They should be used with a 25, 40 or 60 watt candelabra bulb. Price is $120/

After realizing I had chosen two ceramic pieces, I decided to keep the motif in tact, choosing this lovely Walijenga ceramic serving bowl set from Sibbotery.  Walijenga is Swahili for painted, which certainly fits this uniquely patterned set. It includes one wide, shallow centerpiece dish and four smaller serving bowls. The glaze is off-white with a greyish/cornflower pattern on the outer rim. The large bowl measures 11 inches wide by 3.25 inches tall. The four (4) smaller serving bowls measure 8.25 inches wide by 2 inches tall. They’re all dishwasher and microwave safe. Price is $110.

Memorial Day is this coming weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer and summer living. If you like to eat outdoors, having trays to haul the food outside is important, and having cute trays like these from Huset just make the schlepping more fun, don’t you think? Here is a sample of what’s available.

Lotta Kulhorn Martas Tray, $24

Rice dk Melamine Tray, $15

Isak Blossom and Bill Tray, $45

Marla Dahlgren Form Futura Tray, $28

If you’re a fan of sustainable living and design, you’ll want to check out Branch Home‘s sale. Here are just a few of the many goodies with deep discounts! Which one do you like?

Deep Dish Lacquerware Bowls made from organically grown bamboo, 20% off

Dharti Felt Cushion with hand embroidery, 40% off

Cork Trivet

Teardrop Vessel, felted wool made by homeless women being trained in this art in Portland, Oregon

What do you think? Yes? No? Interesting conversation piece or just strange? These whirl bowls  at Uncommon Goods are made by Kim Westad, who hand throws them, altering their form by using porcelain. They are safe for food. Each is $58.

I discovered this great decor deal of the day website, Wuslu, and am passing on the good news to you. Here’s how it works: The owners of the site post a deal a day, thanks to their extensive database of manufacturers and suppliers. They offer it up to you, one at a time, a day at a time. Once it’s sold it’s gone (or if the time hits 10 a.m. EST). How great is that! You can also sign up for alerts on their website, which seems like a no-brainer to me. Anyway here’s a sample deal from last week to let you see the possibilities: Buy two pillar holders and get four free pillars. Total price: $21. It’s like Christmas every day at Wuslu.

I fell in love with this dot pottery by New Hampshire potter Boyan Moskov, who I found on Artstream. The inside of the bowl, whcih also comes in a smaller size, is a fabulous orange, the hint of which you can see here on the rim. EAch bowl can be frozen, baked and microwaved, and is dishwasher-safe. This one is about 9″ wide and 4″ high, and is $65. The smaller one, pictured at right, is about 5″ wide and 2″ high, and is $15.

Apartment Therapy turned me on today to a website I’d never discovered: Rice, a Danish company that is ALL ABOUT COLOR! Not sure I could live with all this color, but boy it’s fun to look at! Just check out the vibe on these group photos for, from left to right, baskets, blankets and cushions, home decor, and flooring. We are talking serious color. Might be just the thing for the cool weather coming to the Northeast.

Leave it to the folks at Delight to come up with a brilliant kitchen idea. I don’t know about you, but I have recipes stuck all over the place — pages I’ve printed from online, recipes friends have given me, etc. I stick them all in these little notebooks, which they promptly fall out of. This stand would be perfect and also make it easier to read the recipes in my on-the-small-side kitchen. And when you’re not using it, it folds like a binder so you can store it easily. It comes with 26 clear plastic sheets and one set of refill sheets. All for only $36.50!