Cool Stuff: Stain Cups

British designer Bethan Laura Wood's clever Stain Cups are designed to become more beautiful with each use. Wood treats the inside of each porcelain teacup so that, over time, certain areas pick up more stain than others. "The more the cups are used, the more the pattern is revealed," she explains.

The cups are £35 (about $50) each. Contact Wood directly to order, and check out more of the young designer's innovative wares right here.

(Via CribCandy.)

Cool Stuff: ISAK Leaf Cups

Be still my heart.

These ISAK Leaf Cups from Swedish graphic designer and illustrator Sandra Isaksson have oak lids to keep your drinks warm, or so they can be used as petite storage jars. And when they're not covering your tea or coffee, the lids become handy coasters.

They're £9.90 (about $14) each from UK retailer Cloudberry Living.

The coordinating Bread Board (which I also have to have) is £24 ($34).

(Via Design is Mine.)

Cool Stuff: Coffee and Tea Time at Eden and Eden

What's your poison? Mine is coffee, big time -- but maybe you're more of a tea person.

Whatever bevvy gets you through the day, you'll savor it all the more in one of these lovely handmade porcelain beakers from Swedish ceramist Karin Eriksson. The vessels are subtly printed with the names of various java and tea blends, and made to fit perfectly in your hand. They're $42 to $52 each, depending on size, at San Francisco's Eden and Eden.

Tea time would be even more special with a few extra accouterments hand-selected by the shop's British proprietress, Rachel Eden. Above: Brown Betty Teapot with Handknit Wool Cosy, $70

Lasercut Felt Coasters from Donna Wilson, $38 for four


Donna Wilson Lasercut Felt Doily, $38

Check out the rest of Eden and Eden's British-flavored housewares right here.

Etsy Find of the Day: Jezze Screenprinted Mugs

Yesterday was the first reasonably cool, overcast day we've had around here in months -- and after last week's blistering heatwave, I was more than happy to usher in a bit of fall weather.

And what better way to herald the cozy season than with a set of new mugs, adorned with graphic fall foliage and just waiting to be filled with a steaming cup of tea or rich coffee?

These pretty cups (like Skinny Leaves, above) from Cape Town, South Africa illustrator and textile-maker Jezze are handmade with screenprinted illustrations that are transferred onto the mugs and then fired to fuse them with the porcelain.

Skeleton Leaves Mug

Yellow Flowers Mug

Red Flowers Mug

Lino Leaves Mug

The mugs are $17.50 apiece right here.

eBay Find of the Day: Heath Ceramics Tea Set

The organic tableware created by Edith Heath beginning in the 1940s is a modern American classic. Each piece is handcrafted by skilled artisans in Heath Ceramics' small pottery in Sausalito, California, and has an elegant earthiness and a streamlined simplicity that's all about material and form. Many Heath pieces are in the permanent collection of New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

Heath items are relatively scarce on eBay -- I suspect because people tend to hang onto theirs forever and pass them down to family members. This vintage stoneware tea set, purchased from the Heath Ceramics Factory Store, includes a teapot with a cord-wrapped copper handle, six teacups, a creamer, and a lidded sugar bowl -- all made from Heath's signature brown clay finished with a creamy ivory glaze.

Current bid: $10

(P.S. Click here to see the absolutely breathtaking Sausalito home of current Heath owners Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic, who were kind enough to let me feature it in an Apartment Therapy writeup awhile back.)