My mother was going through her pin collection the other day and I happen to be over there while she was sorting through them all. Growing up, it was tradition for my brother and I to give my mother a pin at Christmas. Some of them were cute, some of them were extremely flashy, but mostly they were fun. Over the years, her collection has grown: gifts from my dad, from her friends and those she bought herself.
 
As I was looking at them, my mind was thinking of all the possibilities that one (namely me) could do with them. Some of them would make awesome pendants for necklaces. Some would probably end up in the donate pile, but 1 in particular was destined to be worn in hair. It was a little bit old, a lot a bit classy with a hint of modern. So next time your mother, grandmother or sister is going through her old jewelry, think outside the box and you might end up with a pretty neat piece to wear, for, say, a wedding.
 

Many people I know do not like china, my own mother included. I have many brides that think it is stuffy, old fashioned and ugly. Well, let me put in a few good words about china, and if you still feel that it isn’t for you, well, fair enough.
 
When many people think about registering for china or china in general, they think of their grandmothers or maybe the random china plates sitting in the local thrift store. Well, first off, that china sitting in your grandmother’s cupboards is vintage, perhaps very rare and valuable, and stunning i am sure. However, these days, china comes in every style you can imagine. And since my words of love for china can only go so far, I’ve posted some pictures of china that perhaps will convince you it’s not so old fashioned after all.
 
For the Designer (Vera Wang)

For the Elegant (Waterford)

For the Socially Conscious (facts about food consumption around the world)

For the Garden Lover (Maryse Boxer)

For the Artist (Mikasa)

For the Modernist (Noritake)

For the Eclectic (Martha Stewart)

For the Playful (Noritake)

For the Minimalist (Mikasa)

And my favorite… (Richard Ginori)