I am so very excited! i went to a pre-party a few weekends ago at 3 Fish Studios for the San Francisco edition of the Renegade Craft Fair (coming July 18 & 19), and I came away with some beautiful new pieces from ceramicist Diana Fayt. Diana has a studio here in San Francisco, and we’ll be doing a little pictorial tour of it soon, but in the meantime, look at the gorgeous teacups, petite bowl and a small saucer I picked up at the party. I can’t wait to serve some oolong tea in these pretty cups! These teacups are a special order, but for a limited time (offer ends Saturday, July 11) just enter the code sfgirl when you make your order to receive a special a 15% reader discount on anything in diana’s etsy shop, including these beautiful cups. For more of Diana’s beautiful ceramics, visit her etsy shop, one black bird.

I love the tiny vertical dotted lines on the pretty teacups.

the better to see my pretty new bowl with.

caution — it’s a delicate little dish!

beautiful, special order teacups.

What neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Duboce Triangle; A small neighborhood nestled between, The Castro District, The Lower Haight and Market Street. It is a lovely area, with tree lined streets, great views and is smack dab in the center of San Francisco.

What don’t you leave home without?
A handkerchief.

What are your favorite local shops?
Rare Device, Alemany Farmers Market, and Ceramic Craft and Supply.

What’s on your wish list?
A potters wheel and a camera.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
Chinese paint brushes. I have been using them for my work forever and I have lots of them. I often use up to fifteen at a time.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Closets. I can never seem to get mine in order and the one in my apartment was never meant to be one so it makes for difficulty in organizing it.

Who is your favorite artist? And why?
Gosh I love so many Artists but if I were to pick a favorite it would be Louise Bourgeois. She demystified art making for me, she is herself, and she has never stopped making work.

Where do you find inspiration?
Traveling, gardening, running, romance, meeting people, looking at photos, walking down the street (not in any particular order).

Who do you admire and why?
My mother. She has survived an immense amount of adversity in her life. She has done more work than anyone I know to right her wrongs and is a truly happy person. She is my hero.

Do you collect anything?
Well, I was just saying to my buddy Lisa Congdon, that the only reason I might need to move to a larger place is to house my growing collection of ceramics and pottery. I am also currently collecting red drawings and prints. I also collect pine cones and weird old tools. I used to collect kitty whiskers when I had cats.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
That I have a garden out my back door and that it is very quiet even though I live in a city.

If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
Eva Zeisel and Nelson Mandela.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
All of you.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Hmmmm, I suppose it might be buying plants and flowers for my garden. That’s not very good is it…I’ll have to think about it some more. I am certain I have a guilty pleasure that is more juicy than buying plants. Ahhh, yes, driving my car long distances while listening to music. Not very kosher these days. I also like cookies, a lot!

What is your most treasured belonging?
A basket that was my grandmother’s. She carried it with her when she escaped from Hungary in 1956.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
A black,white and gray crochet blanket, a carved wooden bowl and a ceramic bowl with a luscious brown glaze.

If you could be any other nationality, which would it be?
I love being Hungarian…wouldn’t want it any other way.

What’s your greatest indulgence?
Maribelle Hot Chocolate. The stuff is the price of gold and I really can’t afford it. Though when I am a little flush with dosh, I’ll splash out on a tin. It is so delicious!

What is your idea of living hell?
Being stuck in a plane with a bunch of people cracking their gum and clipping their fingernails. (Both sounds make my skin crawl.)

Diana explains her beautiful collection of images: “I tend to favorite images I like on first impulse and really don’t think too much about why I like something. It was interesting to look through my collection of favorites and see that there were three running themes that dictated my choices. Drawings and images in red and black, portraits of people, and funny or cute animal pictures. I decided on sharing some of my favorite red and black drawings with you all. I have always loved drawings and line (it’s the frustrated illustrator in me). Thick, thin, squiggly, straight, bold, subtle…A line can communicate so much in the way it’s drawn and I really think it reveals a lot about the Artist. And for the red, well I haven’t figured out what it is with me and red, I just love it…to the point that it makes my heart skip a beat when I see it.”

Photo credits (to see any of these images larger, click on each link): 1. Beautymist 2. tielsk 3. lauren nassef 4. skinnylaminx 5. lillykeeper 6. Denise Ann Simon 7. Camilla Engman 8. Boz Schurr 9. Art and Ghosts 10. lauren nassef 11. lauren nassef 12. tielsk 13. Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch 14. irana 15. alex itin 16. danny espinoza 17. : jules : 18. sandra juto 19. misteradamstoves 20. Elsita (Elsa Mora) 21. danske 22. Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch 23. Michael James Maxwell 24. Denise Ann Simon 25. penelope! 26. Rootytootoot 27. RetroPanda 28. TRACCIAMENTI07 29. Bascom Hoguea> 30. alex itin 31. kalien68 32. _bobi + bobi illustration © 33. Denise Ann Simon 34. rui sousa drawings 35. kirstyhall 36. cindy jaswal.