The Beautiful Vases, Dogs and Cats of Gary Steinborn and his Venice Clay Studio.

The Venice Clay Studio features the talented ceramic crafts of Los Angeles born artist Gary Steinborn. Inspired by the work of arts and craft factories such as Grueby, Pewabic, Teco and Rookwood, his sculpted animals and artful vases are sensual, modern and appealing. The figurines and tabletop objects combine a zen sensibility with arts and crafts design. Very reasonably priced, any of these pieces make wonderful gifts for others or yourself.




Artfully sculpted Buddha Cats, Buddha Dogs, Polar Bears, Elephants, Pet Urns, Dog and Puppies, Cat and Kittens, incense burners and more come in various sizes and your choice of 24 matte glazes. The sizes range from little puppies and kittens a few inches high up to sculptures and vases thirteen inches tall.

The Dogs:





Buddha Dogs:

The Cats:





Buddha Cats and Incense Burners:



Polar Bears and Elephants:


Dog and Cat Vases:


Dog and Cat Urns:



The Bella Vase ceramics are colorful vases with elegant silhouettes that would be a stunning complement to any interior. Venice Clay studio has several different styles and sizes, all of which are beautiful and some of which are shown below.

Vases:







The Glazes:
All of the artwork is available in 24 matt glaze colors. In addition, the figurines are available in celadon and white crackle finishes:



About the artist:


About Gary Steinborn, in his own words:
"I had my first studio over thirty years ago on the front porch of my family's California bungalow home. Working there on a homemade potter's wheel and sculpting clay by hand when I was a teenager started the journey that led me to a Masters Degree in Art from UCLA.



Growing up in Los Angeles I was exposed multi-cultural influences and all kinds of art. In my work I try to synthesize influences ranging from the heritage of the American crafts movement to funk and pop art. All the pieces I offer at Venice Clay are my original designs. My goal is to produce ceramics that is immaculately crafted, intelligent and humorous - suitable for anything from a modernist to craftsman style homes or personal Zen retreat. "

The Venice Clay Web Site features Venice Clay figurines and Bella Vase ceramics and allows collectors and distributors of Gary Steinborn's artwork to view the entire collection of items and colors available for purchase.

All the figurines and artworks you see in this post are copyrighted designs by Gary and Venice Clay Studio an the images have been used with their permission.

Modern Custom Handcrafted Wood Dog Feeders and Food Storage By Eastvold.

Eastvold Furniture is a small company based in Minnesota that uses ethically harvested lumber in the construction of their furniture. In addition to their beautifully designed and constructed credenzas, tables, coffee tables, dressers, end tables, consoles and beds, they have three modern dog feeders that incorporate storage for the food.

The Buster Pet Feeder:


Named after designer Matt Eastvold's first Yellow Lab, who was a tough but gentle farm dog, the Buster pet feeder stores the food in the center column so it is right where you need it for your dog's mealtime. Two stainless steel bowls are great for water and food. The tops of the bowl holders are gray laminate for extra durability and sloppiness.



dimensions: 18.0 H x 10.0 W x 10.0 D. Side bowl holders 10"x10" 2 qt. bowls. Bowl height 8 1/2" from floor
woods available: maple, walnut or white oak
price: $260

The Jesse Pet Feeder:


Named after Ben's Border Collie, a warm-hearted old dog, the Jesse pet feeder stores the food in the center column, so it is right where you need it for your dog or cat's mealtime. Two stainless steel bowls are great for water and food. The top of the bowl holder is gray laminate for extra durability and sloppiness. The Jesse is excellent for small dogs or cats.


dimensions: 18.0 H x 10.0 W x 10.0 D. Side bowl holders 10"x13", 1 qt. bowls.
woods available: maple, walnut or white oak
price: $260

The Willie Pet Feeder:



Named after Ben's younger, very energetic Boarder Collie, the sleek and modern Willie dog station has a built in storage drawer for food. There are 2 quart stainless bowls with ring seals so water doesn't get into the food drawer.




dimensions: 11.5 H x 24.5 W x 12.0 D
woods available: maple, walnut or white oak
price: $340.

You won't find these beautifully made wood dog feeders on their site because they are designed exclusively for Design Public.

Eastvold Furniture
12980 Dennison Blvd.,
Dennison, MN 55018. (651) 210-2294
info@eastvoldfurniture.com

How About A Green House For Your Dog or Cat? Modern Indoor Kennels / Planters.

The Kokon Kennel and the K-Bannette Kennel are indoor homes for small pets that are modern, ecologically friendly and double as decorative planters for flowers and greens. Created by Sebastian Haquet and Thomas Lanthier of Pousse Creative, the small pet homes can function as stylish modern hideways for dogs and cats or as litter boxes hidden from view. They come with flower pots or planters in the top and a comfy pillow. A plastic tub can easily be inserted to hold kitty litter.

How To Turn Your Dog Into a Live Chia Pet This Halloween.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of dressing up dogs. However, The Flirty Guide (Stacie Tamaki) shares with us a way to make this terrific "Howl"ween costume, turning your dog into a live Chia Pet. All you need are some plastic aquarium plants, muslin, fabric, elastic straps, felt and a willing participant. (Note: a "green" version of this costume is possible by using organic materials and eco-friendly felt as shown in the photo at the beginning of this post, courtesy of Inhabitat).



Needed elements for the Terracotta legs:
•An inner liner made of muslin
• An outer layer using terra cotta colored fabric
• Two straps and a cross strap connecting the first two together. The first straps are attached at the top of each leg, suspender style, to hold them up once you slip all four legs onto your dog.



The Steps:
1. Sew an inner leg liner using muslin or another fabric that is thin enough to bend if your dog wants to sit or lie down.
2. Sew and outer terra cotta leg with appropriately colored fabric that is also thin enough to fold and bend for your dog's comfort.
3. Make sure they are both the same width at the bottom. Drop the liner inside the terra cotta layer and fold the terra cotta layer under allowing you to sew them together with a single pass of your sewing machine.
4. Now stitch the two layers together at the top in only two places where the strap will fasten along the outer side of your dog's leg and directly across from it on the other side. This holds the two layers together without binding them completely and eliminates the need to make the pant legs fit your dog's leg perfectly. This way the pant legs can loosely fit, be comfortable and look great!
5. Once you've stitched the top of the legs together sew the felt strap along the outer side of the pant leg.
6. Do one leg first, then slip the other pant leg on your dog's other leg and pin it into place along the strap you're attaching them to. Make sure you can slip it off, bending your dog's leg to do so, and you've got the perfect length to trim the strap to.
7. Attach the other pant leg same as the first.

Elements for the covering and foliage:
• Felt to make a blanket or body cover and fabric for lining so the plastic plants do not irritate your dog.
• Plastic aquarium plants that come attached to grids (available at Petco) or organic plants for the green version:


To attach the plastic foliage, pull all of the foliage off the mats. Then make a horse blanket out of green felt and strategically cut holes in the felt using an x-acto knife. Push the prongs of the grid through the holes and reattach the foliage alternating the two different types of leaves. Then line the entire costume on the underside so that none of the plastic will poke through and make your pet uncomfortable.

And Voila! Ch Ch Ch Chia.... Chia Dog!


Images and instructions courtesy of the Flirty Guide Blog.