Karen Donleavy Designs Inc. sometimes referred to as KD Designs or just KD from the signature on the bottom of each piece, offering pet pottery and custom pet gifts (cats, dogs, farm animals and an assortment of wild animals).

My mug is the popular pet gift item in my line, a comfortable 16 oz. hand thrown mug. I offer a wide variety of pieces such as plates, bowls, honey pots, salt and pepper shakers, mixing bowls as well as cat feeders and cookie/biscuit jars.

All of my porcelain pottery is hand thrown on the potters wheel and hand painted. For a small fee you can send me a picture of your pet and I will create a custom pet gift on any of the ceramic items I offer in my line.

Throwing a Pot

Dwight Crossley our expert pot thrower.

CLICK HERE to watch how expertly Dwight throws a vase.

Testamonials

Lauren Hutton - "I love my mug."

I just received the urn, and it is beautiful. Thank you so much for such a good job. The urn is just the right size and it is on the mantel next to her favorite place by the piano.
Bev
March 2012

Worth every penny. It arrived this morning safe and sound. Thanks again.
Georgia and Poppet
May 2012

Just received my mugs!! They are wonderful!!! I will definitely keep you in mind for b-day and holiday gifts!!
Marla
February 2012

I received the mug you made for us with our two Pugs on it. It is absolutely beautiful and better than I had even imagined it would be. My wife will fall in love with it. She currently uses a generic Pug mug of yours and picks it out of our cupboard every morning for her coffee. This new mug will become her favorite. She has come to really love your pieces after I began introducing her to your work several years back.
Don and Laurie
December 2011

Karen they are lovely! And the size is right too. Thanks so much!
Jane
November 2011

Just got the mugs you created of the Labradoodle and they are FANTASTIC!!! Thank you so much. I know my friend will just LOVE them!!
Lucinda
May 2011

Just wanted to let you know that I received my order today.........and I just love them. They are so pug precious. Thank You so much.
Trudy
September 2009

The little plates arrived yesterday.....they are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! We love them! Thank you for doing the special order.....you are SO TALENTED and are very much appreciated!
Melinda
July 2009

Received the package this afternoon. Thank you soooo much - the pieces are just wonderful and are guaranteed to make anyone who sees them smile.
Valorie
August 2009

Our Policy

If not satisfied with your purchase Karen Donleavy Designs will exchange items or refund your money as long as it has not been damaged or used. Returns Must be received by us within 30 days of our ship date invoice date to you. If items are damaged during shipping report damages as soon as possible.

About Karen Donleavy

Karen Donleavy was born in London, raised on the Isle of Man and lived in Ireland before coming to Los Angeles in 1979 to produce her whimsical, highly decorative animal designs in high-fired porcelain.

She studied at Dartington Hall School in Devon, England, the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and London's Harrow School of Art, where her teachers included world-renowned potters David Leach, Michael Casson and Walter Keeler. While she tried working in other media--etchings and drawings--she always returned to her first love, ceramics, to express her fondness for animals.

Since beginning her line of hand-painted dinner ware, she has expanded her porcelain menagerie to over 100 designs which are available in a variety of hand-thrown tableware, ranging from pitchers and platters to mugs. They are desired for both their functional use and increasingly, as collectibles.

Her work has attracted the attention of such diverse personalities as Julie Andrews, Lauren Bacall, Charles Bronson, Shari Lewis, Malcolm McDowell, Luciano Pavarotti, Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson, Mary Steenburgen, Jennifer Tilly, Tracey Ullman, Cindy Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Altman, and Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Doctorow, who have either purchased or requested special orders of her line.

Karen Donleavy Designs have been featured in over 100 of the country's most distinctive stores and galleries, including Henri Bendel, The New Morning Gallery (Asheville, North Carolina), Forrest Jones (San Francisco), Freehand (Los Angeles), The Museum of Folk Art in Manhattan, Barney's Japan and Saks Fifth Avenue.

She also created an exclusive line of ceramic opera singers for the Metropolitan Opera Guild at Lincoln Center.

Her work was an instant sell-out at the Anna-Mei Chadwick Gallery in London, in which her pottery was presented in a joint exhibition with the drawings of her father, the noted Irish author and playwright J. P. Donleavy as well as a 2007 joint exhibition with her father at the National Arts Club in New York.

Karen Donleavy now maintains her studio in Caldwell, Idaho.