Simple as ABC

Life has been crazy busy - which is a good thing. The not-so-good-thing is that I'm struggling to find the time I'd like to devote to writing creative posts. Therefore once in awhile, I'll be doing a post where I'll be throwing out to you some stuff that is just plain cool.

So,...Catch!

The Butterfly Alphabet

I first saw this poster years ago in a friend's home. Love at first sight! Not only do these folks honor Mother Nature through their project, but the images are the most astounding I've ever seen.

They also accommodate customized orders. 

Here's the Nature Alphabet:

Check them out here.

I know what I am asking for this Mother's Day  ;)!

A Very Cool Place

This morning, I stumbled across this site for Heath Ceramics. 

Wow. Beautiful, beautiful ware. Their pieces speak to form and function in a way that is so simple yet so seductive. ( And the design of their website is pretty amazing, as well.)




In my perusal, I also became incredibly sentimental. Now, I have never been to the actual facility or their cool, new retail store in San Francisco. So I wasn't remembering back to a specific time  or trip.

But a myriad of memories, sensations and emotions were nonetheless re-awoken. 


See, many moons ago I majored in ceramic art at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, in Alfred, NY.  So maybe I was drawn into their site for a few reasons that differ with some other folks. But when you check it out (and I hope you do) , I think you'll be as inspired as I was. 

If I were to have a second chance at a ceramics-based life, I would be knocking on Heath Ceramics door to do whatever it took to be part of their operation. 

With each click of my mouse, I grew more and more impressed with who they are, what they do, how they do it and why they do it. Here's just a snippet from their History and Values page.....

"HISTORY  
Edith Heath (1911-2005) founded Heath Ceramics in the mid-forties when, following her one-woman show at San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor, her pieces were picked up for sale at Gump’s of San Francisco. For the past half-century, Edith's life was dedicated to the craft of ceramics and the skill of the artisan. This passion, along with the legacy of her work in stoneware clay body and glaze development, gives Heath its unique place in ceramics today. As a result of Edith’s timeless and unique design sense - many of her pieces live in the permanent collections of museums such as the MOMA in New York City.

VALUES 
Edith Heath founded Heath Ceramics with a strong social point of view about the products her company made - simple, good things for good people. Today we are faced with new economic and environmental issues, business challenges and politics. We remain a small local manufacturer in order to be able to stay true to our values and the products we produce. As a privately owned company, our goal is to make responsible and holistic decisions for the long-term benefit of our customers and our employees, led by a focus on supporting great design and craft. ..."

Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey 

It was such a pleasure to visit Heath Ceramics today, albeit virtually. Hats off to new owners, as of 2003, Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey for keeping Edith's legacy alive and strong. In my opinion,  it is so refreshing and inspiring to learn about operations such as theirs whose success is built and continues to thrive on talent, integrity and a vision that is both local and global.


I hope you enjoy it as well!

Home Sweet Home

source

What defines the word "home" for you?