Wifey Wednesday

We've had a few 70s/sunny kind of days and I've been inspired to spruce up for spring. Of course, my favorite way to do this is with my china.

You know I love mixing, matching and collecting china, so here's a little peak at some of my current mixes - you'll see that pretty much anything goes! 

Talavera (Mexico) and Herend (Hungary):

 My everyday is all white, so basically any of my favorite accent pieces can be easily mixed in for a different look. This time, I used my Twist Anna from Villeroy and Boch (coincidentally the same manufacturer as my everyday, Cellini). It is a pattern my mother collected for me while I was growing up. This is why I love an all-white base pattern. It's a nice clean palette to play with when you need a little change.

V&B and... V&B:

My all-time favorite pattern is Blue Willow (graciously borrowed from my Grandmother's museum-worthy collection). I have a few odds and ends from the collection so I have them scattered around our place. A few saucers make a nice statement on a side-table, and they look fab as wine coasters when we have company. Here, I've paired some saucers with a little teacup Mom collected for me as part of a dainty demitasse collection:

 Even my pinecones got a breath of fresh air. I added some rose sprigs from Hobby Lobby to transition them from winter to spring. I just couldn't put them away!

My main motivation for remixing my china was to use what we already have to make an impact. Take inventory at your house and then head to some of your favorite stores for inspiration and to see what new looks you love. You'll find that you can replicate a lot of them by re-working pieces hiding in your closet, or packed away in the cupboard.

Have a happy Wednesday!

Talavera Tutelage

I cannot even think of where to begin, and I hate to be one of those constantly-apologizing-for-lack-of-recent-post bloggers, but...that said...my apologies.

I've been here on the Farm in Pittsburg,


and here on the beach in Cabo,


and here in the West Valley of El Paso (well, actually this is technically in New Mexico),


having a ball, yes, and taking many many photos to share on LAW (I'm not certain I love the acronym...sounds a little...serious), but finding myself without much time to sit down and hammer out some new reads.

So, without further ado, let's talk Talavera.


You might be familiar with the authentic Mexican pottery traditionally (and officially) from the town of Puebla. If not, I think I might be about to introduce you to some of the most fun, cheerful and beautiful tableware I've seen (I feel I've seen a lot, but that could be naive).

My Talavera affair first began when I was a child, visiting my mother's family in El Paso. My mother and grandmother both also love the plates, so I think it was basically in my genes.

In San Jose del Cabo, we came across the famous Necri store, an authentic Talavera dealer:



Inside, I was like a kid in a candy store (insert dreamy music here):







Finally, after literally three trips back to the store (I take FOREVER to shop... I am terribly afraid of buyer's remorse), I decided on this pretty little creamer and covered sugar and two matching mugs:



and I couldn't be more thrilled with the decision! I decided the blue and white was a good jumping off point for beginning my new collection. I'd eventually like to add the service tray, more mugs, and, well, the entire 12-person setting plus service pieces, to be honest :) Heck, it's dishwasher safe! Though I'm still afraid to test that out... :)

The real truth is, I love a good blue and white china pattern. Since I started off with a traditional all-white pattern for our everyday, now I'm free and easy to mix and match as I please. It was inevitable that I'd grow my collection quickly.

For any brides who love the stuff, NECRI has online registry! They'll even ship for free in handy custom crates :)