slightly obsessed with pottery from Mexico

Confession time. We are slightly obsessed with pottery from Mexico. OK, truth bomb...we are totally smitten.

large burnished plate with bird and foliage, Tonala - available on Etsy

Five burnished figurines, mostly birds and one rabbit first piqued our interest in the regional wares originating in Mexico. My maternal grandparents used to travel to Tucson, Arizona in the winter, and they brought back souvenirs. The quirky tchotchkes sat on my shelf starting some time in the middle to late 1990s, and have been with me ever since.

Tlaquepaque horse bank - SOLD!

The greater Portland metro area has a large Mexican population, and people vacation in Mexico, bringing back trinkets for themselves and gifts for friends. As a result, Linda and I see a lot of pottery from Mexico at thrift shops. We're not sad about it. 

We have our own personal collection, which includes the five original figurines and others in the same style. We also have several pieces for sale in our Etsy shop. 

black pottery pitcher made by Dona Rosa, Oaxaca - now available on Etsy

The adorable owl salt & pepper shakers featured in this post are now available. We discovered them yesterday in the wild, hidden in a mess of knickknacks at a thrift shop. We had to get low to see them, but there they were, peeking out innocently. "Bring us home!" they chirped.

some favorites from our personal collection

Since we mostly collect the earthy, burnished wares from the 50s and 60s, we put the little owls up for sale...but we also added them to one of our displays so we could enjoy them before they leave the nest. To visit our Etsy shop, click here. To go directly to the owl salt & pepper shakers, click here.