Garden Backyard designs? Patio ideas? Garden planning?

How many of us are looking out onto frosty gardens right now and longing for the day we can get back out there and start preparing for the spring and summer planting and designing? For all those who are in hotter climates, enjoy the heat for the rest of us and join us in designing fabulous gardens and barbq havens!

Here’s 4 inspiring ideas for creating the garden of your dreams…

1. Design your garden ~ how do you want to feel when you walk into your garden

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon...

Have fun designing your garden, draw your ideal garden space, research fabulous gardens on line, play with children and see what colors, shapes and hideaways they might enjoy, meditate in the space and see what images and sensations come to you, put pictures of flowers or magazine garden designs around the garden where they intuitively feel gorgeous.

Go away and come back with fresh eyes and see what jumps out at you and feels just right.

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A very warm “thank you” to our customers who sent in their photographs of their brand new fireplace design, showing us all exactly how it can be done!

Contrast colors

This elegant design has been created by contrasting the striking yellow-gold Talavera tiles with a rich dark green Talavera tile to bring about a truly gorgeous fireplace surround design.

Strong contrasting colors for rich tile design

Play with symmetry

Traditional hand painted Mexican Talavera is making a real mark in modern home design and this is a great example of using different sized tiles to create a stunning effect.

Take a look below at how it looks in the whole room.

Beautiful Mexican Talavera tile symmetry

See the whole picture

Our creative customers have integrated this painted Mexican tile design into the centrepiece of their living area and found a beautiful contrast with the striking white mantle-piece. 

They have also picked up the green and gold of the tiles in the soft golden lighting and blue ornaments…including the tortoise with the best seat in the house!

 Stand back and design the whole wall

3 easy steps to creating a gorgeous fireplace

Contrast colors

Play with symmetry

See the whole picture

Thank you to our customers and George the Tortoise (is he called George?!)

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Mexican handicrafts have many qualities. A rich historical heritage, deep cultural meaning, a role in beautifying and pleasing us and a place in the never-ending growth of artistic uniqueness. Delve deeper into these 4 great reasons why to fall in love with Mexican handicrafts.

History making the past come alive ~ Talavera Pottery

Talavera pottery and all the beautiful designs that come with it were one of the gifts brought over to Mexico by the Spaniards in the 16th Century.

Mexican artisans were quick to integrate the colorful patterns into their own long tradition of pottery and quickly merged their skills with the delicate hand painted designs of Talavera richness.

Such gorgeous patterns remind us of the healthy historical union of Spanish and Mexican communities ~ long live the union of communities.

Culture enriching our lives ~ The Aztec Calender

The Aztec Calendar is not just a pretty face. By all means enjoy it for it’s symmetry, hand crafted technique and natural wood but the calendar has far reaching cultural meaning.

The Aztecs used two different calendars. One measured time and was used to help farmers plan when they would plant their crops so they would harvest the best crop.

The other calendar illustrated religious festivals and advised people when to consult their Gods.

Full of cultural wisdom and practical guidance.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ~ Handcrafted Mirrors

Mexican handcrafted mirrors have a certain allure about them. This is one of my favourites with it’s blue flowers and green leaves shaped into an ornamental design above and below. A mirror, but more than a mirror, a proper piece of art too!

Beauty really does open the eye…I’ve mentioned this before and it strikes me again. Think about a lush mountain scene or a beautiful sunny day, a well-dressed woman or a piece of art…I just love the way it makes me stop, look and smile.

“Mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest of them all?” We’ll never agree on the answer and how boring it would be if we did. But some things we can agree on. Mountains, sunshine, lovely ladies and men and fabulous art.

Uniqueness reinforcing our individuality ~ Woodcarver Ruelas

There’s nothing quite like a hand made, hand carved craft to express a feeling of individuality and uniqueness.

Miguel Ruelas is a wonderful wood carver who puts all his creative passion into designing and carving these magnificent horse sculptures.

I love the poise and elegance of this horse, decorated with a sweet rose, maybe it’s a bridal horse or simply out for a Sunday stroll. It would stand on my mantle-piece to represent my love of movement and nature, but that’s just me.

Thought for the day ~ On a day just after one of the most important elections in the world, Terra Artesana wishes everyone all of the qualities that we speak of here and people across the globe have been talking about

integrating history for all our benefit

celebrating cultural similarities and differences

embracing beauty in every way

supporting uniqueness

4 Good Reasons To Fall In Love With Mexican Handicrafts

4 Good Reasons To Celebrate The Life We Have

Decorating our homes is such a privilege and a pleasure. Here are 3 easy and quick ways to turn that pleasure into beauty.

Culture

What culture gives us ~ beautiful, inspiring and informative crafts

According to the Aztec calendar, 2nd November is a day for creating, for play, for celebrating! What a great day to read the Aztec calendar.

Having moved house just last night, I’m creating a new home, I’m playing with where to put things and I’ll celebrate by dancing tango this evening. I wonder how are you creating, playing and celebrating today?

The calendar says today is the day of monkey who is governed by the Flower Prince as it’s provider of life energy. Apparently, it’s good day for lightheartedness and a bad day for seriousness. Beauty and wisdom? Enough already!

Color

What colors mean ~ surround yourself in the color of the mood you want to feel

Yellow

Yellow is vibrant and uplifting, as in the invigorating energy found in the midday rays of sunshine. It relates to the energetic, youthful phase of our lives.

Orange

Orange is warming and inspiring, as in the softer energy found in the last rays of sunset. It relates to the gentle phase of our lives. This orange also has the rusty tones of the feminine Mother Earth.

Green

Green represents the freshness and newness of life itself. Some say it’s the most calming of the colors, others say it’s a color full of fun and stimulation.

Blue

Blue represents our vital needs, the air we breathe from the blue sky, the water we drink from mountain streams. It’s as calming as the lapping of waves and as enlivening as a rushing waterfall.

Curves

What curves give us ~

* comfort, safety, familiarity, relaxation

* they remind us of the curves of the human body and have a pleasing, sensual quality

* create movement, texture, and depth

* convey mood and emotion

* represent shapes found in nature such as a leaves, rocks, and clouds

* curvaceous, organic shapes add interest and reinforce themes of nature and peace.

Have a beautiful day of at least three of the things in this ‘beautifying your home’ blog, whether that’s culture, color and curves or nature, freshness and relaxation.

Christina x

All you need to know about Day of the Dead!

The History

* When the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, 500 years ago, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death

*  In fact, the Day of the Dead ritual honors deceased relatives through dance, feasting and vibrant costume

* Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life and have been practicing this ritual for at least 3,000 years

* To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day

How it’s celebrated

* Rural Mexicans visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, decorating graves with marigold flowers and candles.

* Toys are brought for dead children and bottles of tequila for the adults.

* Families picnic on blankets next to the graves and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.

* In the United States and in Mexico’s larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead.

* Altars are surrounded by flowers, food and pictures of the deceased, decorated with candles and place them next to the altar.

* Many people offer incense and flowers and play their relative’s favorite music.

* Homage is also paid to the Mexicans killed in traffic accidents or perishing whist being smuggled across the border.

Getting together

* Day of the Dead is a time to come together, remember special folk and celebrate life by dancing into the small hours, feasting on gorgeous food, dressing up wildly and having a fantastic night!

Beautiful memories and happy celebrations!