The "Sun-ny" Side of the House!

Living in the desert, you get used to drab colors.  Except for short periods in the spring when wildflowers or cacti are in bloom or some greens during our rainy season, it is boring earth tones seemingly all the time.  Perhaps that is why we've both become fans of Talavera tile and pottery.  Their bright colors and designs just bring smiles to our faces!  When it was time to redo our guest bathroom, we did it around Talavera colors and tiles, and searched out a sink with the pattern as well.  We love it, and most all of our visitors do too.

True Talavera is supposed to be from the state of
Puebla, Mexico, and made only by certified workshops.  It is very popular along the Arizona/Mexico border where tourist trade flourishes, and while you can get everything from knickknacks to Talavera pigs, lizards and pots with the distinctive patterns, we've taken to collecting sun faces shapes.  Pretty much every time we cross the border and visit our friend Margie in Puerto Peñasco , we head down to one of the stores that specialize in such things and pick out a new one as souvenir.  I don't know or can't tell if they really all come from Puebla, but we love the shapes, designs, colors and patterns.  While the painted glazes are one of a kind, hand applied, even the mass-produced identical pottery faces all come out differently.  Fortunately, new designs come out more often than we go to Mexico for a visit, so there are always new shapes to choose from, and we've never had to get a similarly-shaped one with a different pattern.  We've taken them to hanging them from the south-facing wall of our house and can enjoy their combined glory as we hang out in the back yard.  The one shown at upper left is our largest at over 2 feet (60cm) in diameter, the others a more normal 12 inches or so.

And while we usually go shopping ourselves to chose a design and verify we don't have the pattern, the ones at lower right of the wide view above are special.  We got the pair of them from Margie herself as Christmas presents.  Shown at close-up here, you can see some of the fine details of each, and even though their casting shape is identical, their individuality comes from the hand-painted glazes, as they are quite different.  We love them and you will note we are leaving room for future additions to the family!