grab a snack with this cat

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

Carol Ross of St. Louis, MO creates ceramics that are formed to be useful, and decorated to be delightful. Here's a bowl from her Etsy shop,The Clay Bungalow, with a bold, jolly cat and his intended menu (and birds and flowers thrown in for good measure). Look at his little feet and hands! Ross says of this piece, "There's that sly cat in the center of a stoneware, sgraffito carved bowl and he's ready to pounce on the scrambling mouse who's trying to make his getaway. Funny little birds and flowers encircle the cat. Mexican pottery influenced the design."
Look at the powerful raven on this mug.  Or this one, with a rabbit sketched in delicate strokes.  How about these lucky elephants?  Ross has a wonderful feel for different folkways in art.  Do visit and enjoy.

coziest tea

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/263603; commissioned 1997
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Who is Marjorie Fox?  The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa commissioned this supremely adorable woolen tea cozy from her in 1997.  I wanted to see if she had created more fiber artwork, but not a fiber more can I find.  At least this one exists for our admiration:  a sheep bearing a washing-line full of clothing.  Ah, yes, you say to yourself as you pour a hot cuppa, a fleecy fellow creature makes the wool that keeps me and my tea warm.  Remember to say thank you.