Ettorina's China

When you're in college, there is nothing less appealing than relatives trying to pawn off their housewares onto you, especially when they're family heirlooms from aging relatives. It's not that I didn't appreciate my Uncle Clarence thinking of me. It was more of a what does a 19-year-old girl need her great-aunt's wedding china for? A hope chest? A dowry?

Plus, the design was flowery and finished with silver edges. This was at the millenium, you know, when plates needed to white and from Ikea. Or chipped and from Goodwill, like any proper college house.

Needless to say, the china sat in a box in my father's garage for the next decade.

Two weeks ago, I worked at a catered wedding full of Etsy inspired touches. The couple had been collecting old china from thrift stores for years and the mismatched, flowery plates on the tables with vintage books and mason jars was exactly my style.

I am only now, at 31, just discovering my style with a recent move into my own studio. For the first time in my life, I'm putting pictures up on walls, unpacking boxes completely, and buying flowers for the coffee table. I've never been much of a nester, so it's been a fun new exploration into the world of design and creating a comforting space.

And it also means this lonely china finally has a home! Thank you, Ettorina and Clarence. I promise I will put it to use.