When the chocolate theme was announced the first thing I thought of was our wonderful trip, last February, to
Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is famous for chocolate and the aroma of chocolate pours out of doorways on the street where all the chocolate shops are located. Inside the shops cacao beans are dumped into hoppers that grind them into raw chocolate that is made into mole sauces, bars of chocolate, and whipped into hot milk, garnished with a cinnamon stick. Cacao y canela (chocolate and cinnamon) was the drink of the Aztecs and Mayans and is the sweet perfume of Oaxaca.
The "chocolate" theme gave me an excuse to indulge my love of Mexican
Talavera pottery, as the chocolate must be served in something fitting! The mug is my own design, using elements of several different Talavera pieces that I own. And the background tile is based on the tile we just had laid in our new house. It was great fun to put this piece all together!
10 comments:
Terry! I'd guessed we'd see Mexican pottery but was thinking Mole somehow...not this utterly delicious and somehow whimsical cup of hot chocolate! (I think it's the angle that adds the whimsy...) The mug is stunning and the tile is beautiful (will this hang in your new kitchen?) but most of all I love love LOVE ths swirly cocoa.
I love that besides looking at your beautiful and colorful quilt, we also get to learn about another culture. All things I did not know. I'd love to walk by those doorways and take in all the chocolate smells and yummy-ness.
I have seen this in person and it is as lovely as you imagine. Terry's work is always impeccable.
What to say?! My goodness, I just want to slurp the froth off the top!
I was going to say exactly what Diane did. Even expecting the Mexican influence, this is a lovely surprise. It's a beautiful distillation of so many of your loves.
Mmm, I do not like hot chocolate... but I like your quilt, the mug and the background tiles.
Wonderful treat! I love the mug and the swirlling hot chocolate. A wonderful way to relax.
So real - I could just reach out and pick it up! I have to add that place to the lits of travel destinations. How are the delicate lines between the tiles formed?
I've been to Mexico several times, but never Oaxaca. It's on my list (I love dia de los muertos images), and this is just what I picture when I think about going there.
WOW! This is wonderful. Delightful perspective. The cinnamon sticks are just right. And I am going to have to go to Oaxaca for the olfactory tour!
joan
Post a Comment