Cool Stuff: Heath Ceramics Winter Collection

Currently drooling over: Heath Ceramics' new Winter Collection in rich shades of red, burgundy, and plum.

The handmade pieces in the limited-edition collection range from $25 to $101, and are available right here.

Cool Stuff: Brooklyn Tableware from Fishs Eddy

My husband and I are both California natives, and have spent most of our lives here. But although Oakland is home now, Brooklyn will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our daughter born there, for one -- that's her below on the stoop of the apartment building where she entered the world. (Yes, she was born at home -- by accident. It's a long story.) And building snowmen in the schoolyard across the street and climbing onto the bus for the ride to playgroup in Park Slope are some of our son's very first memories. We also made several amazing and, I hope, lifelong friends during our stint in the brownstone-filled borough.

So when a pal reminded me yesterday of Fishs Eddy, the incredible New York dishware outlet that we used to frequent in our NYC days, I popped over to the company's website to see what was on offer, and was delighted to discover this line of whimsical Brooklyn-themed items.

Clockwise from top left: Glass, Square Plate, Tote, Mug, Small Tray, Cereal Bowl. Prices range from just $4 to about $14 per piece. Check out the entire collection right here.

P.S. If you find yourself in New York, don't pass up a chance to visit the flagship Fishs Eddy on Broadway at 19th. In addition to the company's own signature wares, you'll find a mindblowing collection of unique table- and servingware salvaged from hotels and restaurants across the country.

Cool Stuff: Ceramic Pedestal Bowls

So pretty ... so versatile ... so totally mine.

The set of three ceramic tripod bowls is $79 from VivaTerra.

Bonus eBay Find of the Day: Dansk Enamel Pitcher

I can't decide how I'd best enjoy this: Filled with lemonade out on the patio, with fresh flowers on the table, or with wooden spoons and other cooking utensils in the kitchen.

I guess that's the beauty of it: The vintage Kobenstyle pitcher from Dansk can be used any number of ways, or simply displayed on its own, its cheerful color and retro charm perking up its surroundings -- and its lucky owner.

Current bid: $16

Cool Stuff: Pia Baastrup Porcelain Paperboats

Gorgeous, gorgeous handmade tableware from Copenhagen's Pia Baastrup. Her Paperboat Collection mimics the folded bamboo dishes common in Asia, but is rendered in delicate porcelain. I'm officially in love ...

The collection is available from Craft2Eu, and ranges from 32 to 130 euros (about $50 to $202) apiece. Check it out right here.

Cool Stuff: Månses Design Bone China Collection

Perfect for summer salads: Månses Design of Sweden's simple and graphic salad serving bowl. (And come fall, you could also use it for pasta, soup, and other hearty fare.) Made from bone china, it's $50 from the Scandinavian Design Center.

Some of the other lovely pieces in Månses' bone china collection:

Breakfast Bowl, $20

Small Bowls, $33 for four

Flower Pot, $20

Cups and Saucers, $21 a pair

Egg Cup, $20

See the entire collection right here.

eBay Find of the Day: Teak Salad Set

What could be more perfect for serving all those fresh salads you'll be tucking into this summer? (Though it's not like you actually need such a good-looking incentive to eat healthy. Right?)

This teak salad set was manufactured by Dansk and comes with a large serving bowl plus four individual bowls and two salad servers. Trust me, it'll look smashing on your patio table on a balmy summer evening.

Current bid: $15

Objects of Lust: BD Ceramics

I wouldn't actually serve anything in these delicate earthenware bowls from the UK's BD -- I'd just stare at them and, you know, maybe give them the occasional, furtive tongue bath.

Handmade in London and available in 28 subtle hues, the bowls are $60 to $222 apiece at CLIO.

(Via This is Glamorous.)

Cool Stuff: MENU Thermal Mugs and Jug

I don't know about you, but my coffee always gets cold too fast. I swear, I spend half my day trudging upstairs from my office to nuke it over and over again.

These new cups and jug from Denmark's Pernille Vea for Danish housewares company MENU solve the problem with style: Each has a thermal design that holds heat (and cold) much longer than traditional coffee or tea servers. The cups feature two layers of porcelain with an insulating hollow between them (which means no more scalded fingers when your beverage is piping hot), while the jug has a double-walled stainless steel insert and an airtight lid that opens with the touch of a button.

And it goes without saying that I love the cups' tree branch motif and the organic simplicity of the jug.

Vea's Forest Thermos Cups are $15.64 for a set of two from Scandinavian Design Center, and the designer's Black Thermal Jug is $89 from Scandihoovians.

Cool Stuff: Crate & Barrel Channels the Past

Housewares giant Crate & Barrel is looking to the past for some of its new tableware and accessory designs.

The company's new line of Classic Century Dinnerware (above, $10 to $268) is a resurrection of Eva Zeisel's highly collectible circa-1952 tableware designs, one of which I blogged here yesterday. (If you prefer the originals, there are plenty to be found on eBay and from retailers specializing in vintage goods.)

And the Rimini Vase, $60, and Decorative Bowl, $80, are two more reproduction midcentury offerings from Crate & Barrel. The pieces, first introduced in 1953, were designed by Italian icon Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche Artistiche and are still sought after by aficionados of midcentury pottery.

(Again, vintage versions abound in high-end secondhand stores and on eBay. Clockwise below is a sampling of Bitossi originals currently available on the auction site: Pitcher, horse, vase, bird, vase, raised bowl.)

eBay Find of the Day: Eva Zeisel Gravy Boat

OK, so most of us probably only serve gravy on Thanksgiving. But there's no reason that this lovely elliptical gravy boat by midcentury ceramics icon Eva Zeisel (still designing today at 101!) needs to stay shut up in the china cabinet the other 364 days of the year.

I'd enjoy it every day as a key- and loose change-catcher on an entry table, or as a place to hold jewelry on a dresser top or hair accessories in a bathroom. What would you use it for?

Current bid: $15. (Note: Crate & Barrel has just rolled out a reproduction of this classic serving piece that retails for $48.)