Young House Love

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Collecting Ceramic Animals

I took home another ceramic animal.

Is there a support group for this? (Hi my name is Sherry and I hoard porcelain mammals)

I totally understand that they’re not everyone’s cup of tea – not even close – but for some reason they’re like catnip to me. I can’t stay away. And I’ve realized that I’m attracted to certain characteristics when it comes to these fake friends of mine. I don’t like them too cutesy and sweet. In fact I usually like them very hard and prickly looking. For example, my beloved rhino is ruff and tough and armed with horns.

Rhino From Zgallerie Cerami

Kind of like my no-nonsense iron bull.

Ceramic Iron Bull White

And my muscular bite-your-face-off ceramic pooch. And my harsh and haunting concrete greyhound (decked out with a bow for Christmas in this pic). Ok, so he’s not ceramic, but he’s close…

Img 9812

And my serious and angular horse bust (there’s nothing my-little-pony about him).

Denhorsedetailshottarget

Sure I have a few cute-ish porcelain pig hooks (gotta get Clara on the ceramic animal bandwagon early)…

Reveal Paint Deck DIY Pig

… and even some sweet ceramic birds. Sidenote: You know that scene in Cinderella where birds fly through her window and try to dress her? In my dream version they’d be ceramic and instead of dressing me they’d land on all available surfaces and live there permanently.

Desk Phase 2 3

But more often than not I fall hopelessly in love with tough- even sinister- objects that make up for their malice with glossy and chic white exteriors. Maybe it’s that balance of rough and smooth or angular and light that I love.

So when I saw this nasty wart-riddled ceramic frog for $1.99 at Goodwill I had to take him home and add a crisp white coating of high gloss spray paint…

Ceramic Frog Before

There, so much more charming! Almost kissable I’d say. How many points do I get for working two random Disney movie references into one post?

Ceramic Frog After Spraypai

Or is it just me who finds glossy white ceramic frog friends to be approachable and endearing?

It’s probably just me.

But the lesson here is that: something you like from Goodwill (not necessarily the color, but the shape) + spray paint = your own personal state of Nirvana. And it doesn’t have to be white paint either. We think a hot pink or a turquoise frog (or even an antique bronze or hammered platinum one) would look quite posh indeed. Just go with whatever color you’re feeling at the moment. Remember our buddy Lumiere who we recently spruced up? Bam, there it is: a third Disney reference.

What have you guys been collecting or spray painting lately? Is there anything in particular that you’re always on the lookout for? Or any specific animal that you’d like to add to your own personal menagerie?

Comments

  2. melissa says

    You may have a ceramic animal craze, but I have an armoire addiction. My husband is not sure where one more can possibly fit in our house! I can definitely relate! Love the blog!

    Reply

  3. angela says

    i also loved white ceramic animals and bought the cutest white owl this weekend at tj maxx…only 7.99! totally worth it and very fallish!!

    Reply

  4. Alicia says

    I’ve wanted to have some ceramic birds for the house for quite some time, but never have gotten them. This just makes me want them even more! Thanks for all the inspiration.

    Reply

  5. Krystal says

    I love the white ceramic animals, but maybe in moderation? haha.

    On another note, I went thrifting at Goodwill yesterday and found two ceramic vases with a fun circle design etched in them. They were burgandy and green (not really my taste) but I plan on spray painting them black and using them in my kitchen to hold dishtowels.

    Reply

  6. Lindsay @ Aisle to Aloha says

    Hi Sherry!

    You know, I kind of like your ceramic animal obsession. I’m totally all about spraypainting the heck out of things. Usually I decide to paint something before I even buy it.

    This summer, my hubby and I grabbed a bench from the side of the road during bulk trash week. We completely refinished it and it looks brand new now! Here’s my post about it on my blog, Aisle to Aloha.

    http://aisletoaloha.blogspot.com/2010/09/you-wont-recognize-my-bulk-trash-bench.html

    Reply

  7. Patti says

    I can’t believe what a little spray paint did for that fugly frog, luvs it! And very perceptive analysis of your addiction, I enjoyed that.

    Reply

  9. Jessica says

    Hi Sherry – I have the same affliction! My husband has banned me from buying more animals. I collect owls but have several other species populating our house

    Reply

  10. Shannon says

    I’m major into birds, leaves/feathers or branches/antlers. Real ones are nice but I much prefer metal, wood or ceramic versions of these. I, thankfully, can avoid buying everything with these themes. I think the place it’s most obvious that I am in love with these themes is in my jewelery as I have necklace after necklace with these motifs. Luckily I have a boyfriend who knows of this addiction and buys me jewelery with these themes :)

    Reply

  11. Ashli M says

    LOVE white ceramic anything but lately I’ve been on a white ceramic fruit thing! But I also love white ceramic animals :)
    Great idea to spray them, I saw a couple at good will the last time I was there but the color or colors were terrible! I think next time I’ll spray one! My husbands going to be so mad at you for giving me that idea :) hehe
    ~Ashli
    http://www.maillardvillemanor.com

    Reply

  12. kate says

    There is definitely something latent here. Personally, I like rabbits. Not sweet little fluffy things, but something anthropomorphized, or sinister. Something not quite right. My friends refer to my island of misfit toys, but I think it might be a covert Alice in Wonderland thing.

    Reply

  14. gina says

    It’s okay, I collect all things green and birds. Speaking of birds and ceramic animals, Pier1 has awesome salt & pepper shakers. I bought birdies for my wedding and they are only $3 a set!

    Reply

  15. Diana Schneider says

    Awww! So fun! Your new addition reminds me of the new Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog”. :)
    I have a question that isn’t animal painting related, but goes along with the “painting” theme. :) What do you suggest when it comes to having small return vents on walls – do you leave the return vents white or do you paint the vents the same color as the wall? Say for example the wall that the vent is on is taupe, should I leave it white or camouflage it in by painting it the taupe wall color? What are your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, etc.? :)
    Thanks so much!! I love your blog!!!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Diana,

      That’s totally a personal preference thing- some people love them painted so they blend and some people like them crisp and white. Ours were already painted when we moved in so we paint them again whenever we change the wall color. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  18. Jessica McKenney says

    I absolutely Looooooooooove White Ceramic Animals but I have yet to start my collection :(
    I really want an elephant for starters. I do however had some bronzy ceramic monkies “see, hear or speak no evil”

    Reply

  19. Kim says

    Us too! We got a large mouth bass at Pier 1. Originally meant to be a planter for the outside, we put it on our kitchen bar and use it as a dog treat holder. When the hand goes inside the mouth, our pup knows she’s in for a treat. And…it was only $9.99 due to a tiny crack on the lip.

    Reply

  20. Kathryn says

    I love love love ceramic animals! I frequently have to stop myself from bringing them home. The best I have found have come from antique stores, consignment shops and thrift stores. I haven’t tried any spray painting yet, but now that I know how easy it is I’m afraid I might have a few more animals wandering around here! Thanks for the tip.

    Reply

  21. Claire says

    Um, yeah, I totally understand the whole white-ceramic-animal-obession thing. I have a trio of grey-ish white quail on my armoire that never cease to make me giddy when I walk by. :-)

    Reply

  22. Julia says

    I LOVE him! Although I might be biased because I have a thing for frogs. I never saw a frog I didn’t like. When I was younger my room was overrun with frogs. Now I am down to a couple. I have a cute green guy on my front step. My great aunt painted him for me in a ceramics class. I will keep the white spray paint in mind if I come across any of my long lost friends!

    Reply

  24. shereen says

    Ooo nice! I have a bit of the same problem. One of my faves is a white ceramic looking camel shaped teapot! And recently I was at this cute bathroom accessories shop out in Victoria British Columbia that had these white porcelain looking animal shaped toilet brush holders! So charming! They had a sleek cat, a bumpy seahorse, a dog…a few others. I can’t find a pic anywhere on the web, but the brand name of these were Faria & Bento. :)

    Reply

  26. Suni says

    OMG! THANK YOU! Everyone makes fun of my inanimate animal collection! Mine are not all the same color, and in most instances they are not real animals, but I love them! One is a giraffe – or so it would appear! What I love about him is that he’s painted like a zebra! A Ziraffe, if you will! Another is my beloved flying pig. He’s concrete, but he’s perfect in my eyes. I also have a garden fairy (at second glance you’ll see she’s nekid), and a little blue dog who is a perfect carving of my dog, Blue! I’m just glad to see that someone who knows a thing or two about decor has reinforced that it’s okay to love whimsical little creatures in your home,too!

    Reply

  32. Brooke - The New Dorothy says

    This is kind of freaky. (The coincidence not the ceramic animal fetish!) I just spray painted an animal matte white, too! I haven’t posted the picture of it yet because it turned out a little ugly (I was trying to save the Kansas reference that was inscribed on it). It may be a lost cause…but aside from my botched attempt at creativity, the white spray paint made it look much better.

    Reply

  34. Laura J says

    I love the frog! DH and I are attracted to weird animal decor, as well. Our first decor item we bought after we got married was a solid mahogany flying pig. LOL There is also a big, black toad that lives on our porch.

    Reply

  35. Rebecca says

    I walk by a Jonathan Adler store almost every day, and I eagerly await the SALE sign in the window so I can add another piece (aka Tchochke) to my office menagerie. I have a matte white bull, and shiny silver dove and elephant. If you find a support group, please let me know.

    Reply

  37. Laura says

    I have loved owls since I was a kid when my mom would make macrame hanging owls. Anyway, if I find a good one, ceramic of course, I’ll take them home and give it a nice coat of high gloss white spray paint. My last one was a vintage owl light and the color is just too cool so I let him stay original. But other than that, I liven them up with paint.

    Reply

  38. cheann says

    Hi Sherry! I’ve been reading and following your blog for quite some time now and I just want to tell you what a nice job you and John are doing with your home. It inspires me to do some DIY. Anyway, in Chinese culture, it’s lucky to have a frog decoration at home (especially when the frog has three legs with a coin or money in its mouth and has two other friends). They say it will bring money in. Just wanted you to know just in case you’re interested. ;) Hope to read more entries.

    Reply

  39. NatalieJean says

    So this might sound crazy, but I think that frog belonged to my brother-in-law. He passed away suddenly this summer and we donated his frog identical to that to goodwill. We had the same thoughts as you, to spray paint it and display it, but it made us too sad so we donated it. I am more than thrilled it has found a good home!

    Reply

  40. Candice says

    I love white ceramics as well – so much that I used them as the jumping off point for our son’s nursery! I found a random hedgehog somewhere, an elephant lamp at PBK, then a lion and giraffe from Jonathan Adler – you should check out his menagerie collection…love everything about it except the splurge factor. Because all of the pieces are white, I can use the pieces in the rest of our home as well. Your rhino is my favorite :)

    Reply

  42. Tanya says

    Okay, this may be a dumb question, but I’ve never spray painted anything before. What is the technique to spray painting? Do you do the bottom first and let it dry upside down, and then the top? I would really like to try doing this to some stuff around the house, but I feel like I would mess it up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Good question! It really depends what you’re spraying, but if you can place it on an old cup or some sort of box so that it’s raised up a bit, you can lightly spray all around it and get the top, sides, and even as much of the underside as you’ll ever see (since the part that doesn’t get paint is the part that rests on a table or counter anyway). Of course you can also just wait for it to dry after doing the top and sides and as much of the underside as you can and then a few hours later flip it over and give it a coat of paint on the bottom (thin and even coats dry quickly so they won’t get marked up once you turn it over if you give it ample drying time according to the can’s instructions). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  44. Mary says

    More than one coat? I’m terrified of spray painting – drips and runs are in my background. However, I do have a white collection, didn’t realize it til last weekend when I pondered whether or not to paint the inherited antique corner cabinet white (it’s currently the dark mahogany my mother painted every piece of furniture in our house during what must have been mahogany’s hayday.) Not wanting to disturb what she had done, I decided to lighten things up in that dark corner by gathering all my white stuff onto those shelves – and I had exactly enough things: cake stand, small pitcher, rabbit, tulip bowl. Now people walk into the room and say, “Wow, that looks good.” Ah, sweet collections… but what about those drips and runs?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Just keep the nozzle 8-12″ away from the piece and always keep your hand moving (try to mist the item with paint, not coat it heavily). Three or four thin and even coats are far better than one drippy one. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  45. Megan Elizabeth says

    I have the same problem!
    I picked up two ceramic owls at the dollarstore. They’re dark hunter green, one of them is a girl with big doe eyes and a cute little nose (aka me) and the other is a guy with a big honker (aka my boyfriend Steve). They were actually the very first things I bought for our apartment.
    I also picked up these brownish beige ceramic elephants at Village de Valeurs and I spray painted them a glossy white.
    I can’t wait to get my hands on some other ceramic lovlies (Like your “Cinderella” birds).

    Reply

  46. - Sarah :-) says

    You just reminded me of a blog I forgot to post. Oops! I jsut put it up, but I’m addicted to re-claiming housewares at goodwill with a can of spray-paint and some elbow grease. (it even earns me a husband-enforced goodwill time out form time to time!)

    I LOVE how the frog turned out!!

    Reply

  47. MelissaG says

    I’m pretty sure I got the idea from this site but for me it was/is frames. I wanted to do a grouping of all white picture frames. So I found quite a few UGLY and cheap even ones around my house (stored away). I LOVE how it turned out. I still have a little fine tuning to do on them and I’m having a really hard time figuring out what to do with this fantastic big oval one though. I was hoping it would be simple to get matting for it but seems that’s not the case! It’s hanging on my wall empty, no glass, no picture. Next to all of the filled frames. I totally love spray paint. I’ve been keeping my eye on CL to find a great round frame to paint. Also….I’m off to attempt my no sew curtains in a few minutes. I ordered from fabric.com these two
    http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-linen-fabric-richloom-cornwall-garden.aspx?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b for my kitchen

    http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=3cb53bf7-11b0-48d6-aad9-b81b14b8401e for my kids playroom

    wish me luck!

    Reply

  48. Rachel L. says

    What a great post! And I love your ceramic menagerie. It’s Very Sherry. Full of personality and fun. The idea of paining things to give them new life is fantastic. Once again, you found a way to make great art with very little money. Love, love, love it!

    Reply

  50. Tanya says

    Thank you for the tips, Sherry! I’ll get over my fears and try it out. By the way, my husband and I painted our bedroom this past weekend, and we used your painting guide to help us. It took us about seven hours (!), but hey we’re beginners, right? So worth it though!

    Reply

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