This whimsical Girl with Ladybug Necklace vase goes very very very high on my shopping list (the one I keep for when I win a lottery) and already decorates the house of my imagination…

Just look at her, flaunting a pair of fishy earrings and a wild ‘do’ of whatever bright flowers you’ve got in bloom… Terra cotta, about twelve inches high (before you fill the vase), it’s made by one of my favourite indie ceramics artists, Natalya Sots.

Natalya’s wildly distinctive colourful ceramics are found at arts-and-craft festivals in the Chicago area, online at Etsy), and in her fascinating Flickr photostream where you can also catch a glimpse of her works in progress.

And speaking of good taste… finally, here’s the egg separator of my dreams.

I usually go one of two ways with the task of separating eggs: either avoid egg-separating recipes as much as possible, or do a little finger-dance routine with a wooden spoon and two measuring cups. The latter method takes great skill and dexterity, neither of which are guaranteed on any given day. And you’ve got to do one egg at a time, that way, so an accidentally broken yolk won’t spoil the whole batch of whites.

So for years I’ve been meaning to pick up a conventional egg separator gadget, to make that cooking task easier. But, well, you know how that goes…

And now — here’s a truly crave-worthy egg separator, cunningly handcrafted as a big-nosed pottery person. What a perfectly useful gadget, and a great fit for my own whimsical kitchen decor, hint hint! Or maybe pick one up to keep on hand for a hostess gift, or for the next time someone invites you to a kitchen-themed bridal shower?

Just break the eggs into the ceramic container, tilt it forward, and voila! Your egg whites will stream, oh so elegantly, out of those pottery nostrils — whites all nicely separated from the yolks — no fuss, no mess, if perhaps a few giggles from your kitchen crew.

(And, why might we want to be able to separate the yolk from the egg white? Don’t all answer at once — but hands up, everyone whose first thought was of light-as-air meringues to impress your mother-in-law? Okay, now, and who says souffle? Omelet? Sponge cake? Waffles? Well, you get the idea.)

Peter Petrie Egg Separator is $12.99 at Stupid.com
(Hat tip to Tal Siach)

Michael McDowell creates some truly elegant white-glazed ceramics — simple handbuilt vases that fit with any decor and small sculptural pieces, in the main. Living and working in Denver, Colorado, with two gorgeous dogs who serve as his ‘studio assistants’ (and inspiration for his Etsy shop, Mudpuppy, perhaps?), McDowell also makes collages and paints on reclaimed china. Oh, and this set of irresistably naughty bears (naughty because they say bad things –

These adorable but naughty porcelain bears are glazed in my exquisite naturally creamy white handmade glaze with 22 karat gold luster. You’ll receive the full set so you can spell out this special word.

An “awesome divorce anniversary present,” the artist suggests… Find the bears playing about among Michael McDowell’s more, er, restrained ceramic creations at mudpuppy.etsy.com — oh, yeah, I know you have to go look!

When I first discovered Natalya Sots’ lush ceramics work — and specifically Mad Hatter Tea Pot (sadly long ago sold to someone else) — I literally yelled out loud with delight. So I promptly dashed off a mash note to Natalya, asking for permission to share her exciting work with you.

She was good enough to say yes, and to give me permission to show you her photos of a few choice pieces — a sampling of some of the most wonderfully whimsical ceramics creations you’d ever hope to see…

But first, here’s what you need to know about the artist: Natalya Sots, a native of Kazakhstan, moved to the United States in 2002 and has been dazzling OOAK fans with her wildly distinctive colourful ceramics at Chicago-area art festivals (and at her online Etsy shop) ever since.

A day-brightener?
Trust me, this could brighten your whole week!

Don’t miss Natalya Sots on Flickr, for more of that wonderful mad imagination and her photos of works-in-progress.

Browsing around VivaTerra, just now… I seem to have been swept away by a pair of wild ceramic lace horses.

Look at those stocky strong figures — don’t they remind you of cave drawings, somehow? And then the dainty lace decoration on the surface of the sculptures is such a striking contrast to the primitive figures of the horses.

“In the Thai zodiac,” says the VivaTerra blurb, “horses represent independence, confidence, and inquisitiveness — engaging qualities that these animals also express along with a mythical beauty all their own.” Oh yes.

These horses are ceramic figurines, and I can’t tell how the lace is applied… but now I’m thinking, is there a papier mache project here? Papier mache horses, dark colours and solid forms, with a final layer of gently smoothed-on vintage lace (old tablecloth in the bottom drawer, maybe?), all delicate and surprising.