For my birthday, my mother-in-law frequently asks me to figure out something that I love but would not splurge for myself. Although I've been dreaming about beautiful small salad bowls recently, the mass-made ones did not call my name--and the handturned ones seemed a bit out of my price range. What a perfect time for birthdays!
Through Etsy, I found many beautiful bowls, including this one from One of a Kind 2. When we got home from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, the box was waiting for me and I eagerly opened it to see if the bowl was as beautiful in person as it was on the website. And it absolutely is.
I suppose this style of natural-edged bowl made from a fallen tree could be called Wabi Sabi--or Imperfect Beauty,
as it is sometimes translated.My own style tends toward the natural, the authentic, the homemade--and of course, stacks of books and papers, and the odd ball of yarn with a pair of needles...
I can't wait to fill this beautiful bowl tonight with arugula, amaranth leaves, parsley, and sorrel from our garden! Finding the beauty in the things naturally around us--be it wooden bowls and pottery plates, or our homegrown food-- adds so much to my sense of peace and joy while sitting around the table.
Do you have a personal connection to your tableware? Do you eat off your Grandmother's china, or use a clay bowl for salt that your toddler made, or serve homemade bread in a basket bought on the side of the road near Charleston, or cook in clay pots bought in South America, or off of handwoven placemats? I'd love to hear about it.
