I have traveled to the Mexican Riviera on numerous occasions and have often ogled over the colorful pottery for sale. With usually only a carry on, and no extra space to transport these beautiful treasures safely, I always told myself I will bring a bigger suitcase when I return again to start my collection. I’m sure you know how the rest goes. Needless to say, it took a post on this very blog — The Talavera Mugs That Never Ever Run Dry — to convince me that I needed some of this gorgeous Mexican pottery in my life, ASAP.
While browsing the Talavera selection on NOVICA, I decided to start my collection with a large Talavera bowl. The Mexican Talavera Floral Ceramic Oval Serving Bowl would be displayed in the center of my small dining room table. The vivid colors of the dish were unlike any that I had currently had in my home, so I did a little more shopping and selected a set of 4 handcrafted placements from Guatemala to brighten up the space.
Unlike my last Novica purchase, a thin cuff bracelet originating in Thailand, I placed an order for two items, coming from two different countries: Mexico & Guatemala.
My cotton striped placemats and napkins in “Blue Fantasy” were the first to arrive. The packing and gift wrap was just about the cutest that I’ve ever received, being tied with a bow attached to a Guatemalan worry doll. She was so adorable I almost didn’t want to open the packaging.
A day or two later my Talavera bowl arrived from Mexico. Once again, the package was beautifully wrapped— this time with a paper bow and a small ornamental pitcher attached. I really can’t say enough amazing things about Novica’s complimentary gift wrap!
When I opened the package, I was in awe with my first Talavera purchase. The serving dish was as beautiful as I’d hoped it would be, with a floral design that brought out the bold hues of blue, red, orange, green and yellow. I could tell how much work went into this piece, which was signed “Alba Hecho En Mexico” on the bottom.
The placemats turned out to be a perfect match for the colors in the pottery piece— I honestly couldn’t have selected a more perfect pairing!
The women part of the organization of Komon Utzil create these beautiful table linens on a traditional pedal loom. The quality is beyond anything I have seen locally and the colors are vivid and bright. Now, my tabletop has some serious color pop … and I love it!
I know that this is just the beginning of my Talavera collection obsession … which piece(s) should I purchase next?
