Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Lenox Spice Village Comparison

In the 1980s my parents were farmers and money was scarce as there was also years of drought in our area and recession to the entire country, but my maternal grandmother was thriving financially and her tastes were becoming rather grand. She began collecting a china set called Happy Holidays by Nikko. I remember going to the mall enough years in a row that it began to be a beloved tradition to select one piece (we could only afford to get one thing) of this dinnerware set to add to Nana's collection. I admit that even then, I could see the value in such a collection because it truly made that Christmas day dinner table a feast for the eyes. My cousins and I carefully handled each piece as we made whispered declarations to each other that one day we too would set such a grand table. The end of the 20th century also saw the end of the Christmas dinner set as this trend went out of style and Nikko officially retired the collection in 2014.

The other set of dishes I coveted growing up was the Royal Albert Old Country Rose set. I pressed my little face and hands against the case each time we passed the display at the mall and declared to those very same cousins (we did everything together) that those would be the dishes I would use one day when I grew up. They pointed out the sets that they would have and I nodded in support of their dreams while secretly feeling that my choice was the loveliest of all. For most people, a part of growing up is forgetting childish dreams. For me, growing up has been all about fulfilling them, or at least as many as haven't changed over the years. I say all of this to se the stage, so that you can see that even as a child I loved all these dishes and pretty things and have kept my personal vows to achieve ownership of them.

The Lenox company was founded in 1889 by Walter Scott Lenox as a ceramic art studio creating handpainted pieces and exactly 100 years later, they popped up on my radar when the Spice Village was first released by Lenox in 1989. It consisted of 24 spice jars about 3" in height that were delicately handpainted porcelain. They were offered as part of subscription service sending one per month on a two year plan. Lenox later added other pieces to the village such as canisters, napkin holders, spoon rests and the like. I vaguely recall seeing an ad for this sometime in the early 90s as at that time I was part of a similar subscription service through the Danbury Mint for Barbie figurines. I also recall the carousel horse spice jars and absolutely loved them all, but all of my allowance was going to pay for those dolls each month, so I tucked it away in my mind.

Flash forward to the 2020s and to my surprise I saw a TikTok of someone finding a complete set at a GoodWill for about $10. I, like evidentally so many people out there, had a fire (re)kindled to make this beautiful set a part of my china collection. I searched and scoured for years, but sadly, as it turned out, these pieces had not gone down in value since they were discontinued only a few years later in the early 90s. In fact, with the added viral internet craze the prices soared even more. Determined that I would not pay $1200 to $2500 for a set of little jars that look like houses, I decided to watch and wait. I kept an eye out for two years at thrift shops and flea markets and one day managed to score the cream and sugar set for only $16!! (They are currently listed at around $200-$400)

I suppose Lenox finally got the news that their pieces were causing a panic because they decided to bring them back in 2024. I missed out on the first round, but signed up to be notified upon the second release in 2025. I don't normally check my email at work, but on this day I thankfully did and fairly leapt from my chair to grab my credit card and buy my complete set before they sold out again. Unfortunately, when I signed up to Lenox I never got my first order promo code. It arrived after I placed my order, so that 20% off came a little too late. I wrote to Lenox to ask if it could be applied, but they said that no promo codes were being accepted on the Spice Village. Oh, well. Can't hurt to ask. The good news is that my order shipped within about 3 days and arrived within just one week of ordering. Another slice of good news is that the complete set is currently selling for $285 for all 24, $72 for sets of six, or $15 for individual pieces. So far it is only the spice jars that have restocked, not the canisters, tea set, etc. However, purchasing the 24 piece set saves you 20% off the price of purchasing individually.

Since I have a couple of the original pieces, I can do a side by side comparison in photos, but I'll also post my YouTube review below. Originally this set came with a spice rack in the shape of a house, and while there is one on the Lenox site that looks much cuter than the original in my opinion, it is currently sold out. However, I found a blogpost with instructions on how to make your own and I'll leave the link for that at the bottom as well.

This set shipped within days of ordering and arrived within a week! No promo codes are accepted for this set and there is a limit of one per customer. It was minimally packaged and yet arrived without a single chip in any of the pieces. The photo below was taken after I removed the paper from each house.

Just a quick side by side comparison of the vintage piece in the middle and the new spice jars at the sides. I don't see any variance in the quality. There is a lot of texture and details and the paint job is fantastic. Check out my video review below for more info.

Sources:

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Outfit Collection: Lilacs

I recently posted about the importance of flowers in my late grandmother's life. She had such an amazing variety of flowers, but perhaps my favorite of all were the lilac bushes. The scent of lilacs reminds me of so many sweet childhood springs and summers and of my own early years as a mother when I was raising my children in my grandmother's old house. The people who occupied the home after us did not take care of those beautiful flowers and now they have nearly died out.

However, seven years ago, when we moved out to our current home, my mom dug up a shoot from my grandmother's lilacs and gave it to me to plant. I did, uncertain at times if it were going to survive out here. This year, for the first time, my lilacs have bloomed! To be fair, my grandmother always said that it takes seven years for lilacs to bloom, but I just wasn't sure they were going to make it. I guess that means they're decided to stick around after all.

To celebrate this occasion, I thought it would be fun to revisit my Lilac posts along with a few pics of this years blooms!

Monday, March 31, 2025

Someone To Tend the Light

*Post and photos will have nothing to do with each other today.

Graduation day is almost here and it will be time for the last little bird to leave the nest. Looking back, I feel almost dizzy seeing how quickly the years have passed. The days were long, but the years were short as the saying goes, and it's when the days are so long that it becomes easy to take it all for granted. Standing on the other side now I regret all the time I spent, "just getting through it," and have become more grateful than ever for the times when I forced myself to slow down and savor the moments.

We all take things for granted. We forget to be grateful for even the smallest of gestures until... one day they're gone. As a teenager, it never once occurred to me to thank my parents for the little things they did, things as simple as leaving the light on for me when they went to bed while I was still out with friends. It never occurred to me that they didn't have to do that, that something so small took time and effort that they didn't have to take. Something so small meant that they cared. It never occurred to me until I was living on my own. I remember well that chilly feeling of coming home late night after night to a dark empty house. It's a light. One single light, one single flip of one single switch, and yet when it was gone, it suddenly meant more than I could ever express.

In the evenings now, I get ready for bed in a too quiet house. A house that used to be filled with the sounds of bathtime splashing, and noisy happy singing, with the clunking of toys being tossed into cubbies, with blankets being ruffled, and stories being read. Now I wash off my makeup and brush my teeth in the still darkness. My children are grown; they have their own lives and soon they'll have their own homes. They don't realize yet how much care I take, before I pull back my blanket and crawl exhausted into bed, to make sure to cross those creaky floors, and flip that single switch, and leave the light on. They don't know it just now, but it means that they are loved.

Outfit Info: Teuta Matoshi Dress

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Life with Flowers

The daffodils are blooming in the woods. Daffodils are quite dear to me; they remind me of so many sweet childhood moments: of Easter eggs hunts, a pretty new dress each year and a floral hat, of the first bouquet of flowers which my grandmother always brought to me, and of the very special spring two decades ago when I looked out my car window at all the rows of blooming daffodils, while I was on my way to the hospital to become a mother myself. But, beyond the special memories, I admire the simple daffodil because they're also so hardy that they push their way through all the dead leaves, and weather the spring frosts just to be the first golden tokens of springtime. They're determined to bloom where ever they are planted. It's a life lesson for us all.

Flowers are a frivolous thing to some and a necessity to others. Growing up, my dear sweet little grandmother surrounded herself and her home with flowers. She planted them in every possible sunny spot or had them potted and sitting in every sunny window. My dad recently complained how hard it was for him to mow around all her flower beds and how he tried to convince her that it was stupid and pointless to have so many flowers to take care of, "they were nothing but a nuissance," he remarked. I love my father very much, but I'm afraid he missed the point entirely.

My grandmother's life was so very sad, I can't imagine her life without flowers; I can't imagine her without flowers. How much more bleak and lonely her life would have been without her flowers to care for and bring beauty into her world in return. I can't image how bland, how dreary her home would have been without all her flowers, and how very mundane her days would have rolled past without her flowers to care for, without the anticipation that there was one place in her life where she knew her hardwork would pay off.

And as I get older and my life changes, I find that I am in a season now, where I can't imagine my life without flowers. We don't always get the lives we want, there's no guarantee we'll even get the lives we work for or deserve. The best we can do is make the most of what we're given. If life gives you a barren land, plant some seeds and care for them until they grow; make the desert bloom. If life gives you a cage, make it so gilded and comfortable that you forget about the bars and all the wild birds look on in envy. An empty life can be filled with meaningful work, even if it's only meaningful to you, and joy and contentment will inevitably blossom from it.

Outfit Info: Elena Dress in Pink Toile from Worth Collective, shoes from VIVAIA, necklace is handmade by me.

Monday, March 24, 2025

When Will You Be Worthy?

A friend recently commented that she would like to wear dresses, like I do, but she just couldn't bring herself to spend any money on anything nice until she "lost this weight." So, instead, and only if she absolutely has to, she buys cheap clothes that fit very poorly and then hates her body even worse. She feels frustrated and hopeless, and less motivated than ever to reach her goals. I wish this were an isolated incident, but I've heard this same scenario so many times, and it breaks my heart, mostly because I've been there and I remember how awful it feels. My simple question to myself when I walked in those shoes and now to this dear lady and every single other woman like her is: When will you be worthy?

It seems like so many people are waiting until they think they look perfect before they will dress themselves in a way that says they value their body and their own self. As though being stylish is only for people in a certain size range. I understand that in the past, there weren't a lot of size options, but now there are. The fashion gates are truly open now for those willing to walk through them, the trouble is, you have to think highly enough of yourself (in the very best sense of that word) to be able to do that.

Perfection is an unachieveable goal. Even with all the filler and plastic surgery out there, no one is perfect. Rather than waiting for that magical "one day" when everything is perfect, I would encourage you to do something that feels very counterintuitive to someone with low self esteem: Value yourself first and peace will follow. There's something to be said for being realistic, in looking in the mirror and saying, "I'm not perfect, but I have value. I. Am. Worthy. Right now, right here. In this body, in this moment, in this life." In other words Dress the body you have right now, and dress it well. Dress for the life you want. Dress the way you've always wanted to. It's not just spending money; it's investing in yourself. And you're worth it. You are worthy; so, act like it by dressing like it.

Outfit Info: The Rosebud Dress from JessaKae, Shoes from VIVAIA

Thursday, March 20, 2025

All the Little Things of Spring

Since I've already given you the run-down of what to expect from Worth Collective, I'll devote this post to talking about all the things I'm excited about this spring. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was doing my fall bulb planting of daffodils, hyacinth, and allum. This is my second autumn to plant these flowers; the first year was a trial run to see if they would even grow here, and since it was successful, I plan to make it an annual thing.

The flu has passed through our home and it was rough. Seems like we always get sick in that home stretch right before spring. We're still coughing a bit, but otherwise we're getting through it as we always do. There's really nothing like a little time sick in bed to make me appreciate my good health and the good weather.

I've cleared out the garden and flower beds for the new growth and got my peas and turnips planted too. I've also spent a couple of very exhausting Saturdays raking up all the fall leaves and strategically burning them in areas that need the stubborn and resilient undergrowth to be tamed. I'm desperately trying to make this little hilltop home a verdant paradise, but oy, is it hard work.

I have been planning a little springtime tea party for a few family members and thanks to all those snow days, my house is decluttered. So, I have spent the last few windy days doing a little decorating indoors. I am so pleased with how things have turned out, I'm even more excited to have company.

Our baby chicks are thriving and soon we'll be building a new chicken house with an improved ranging area. This one will be mobile so that my girls always get fresh scratching ground. And it's nearly time to move all the indoor plants out to the greenhouse or onto the front porch so that they too can enjoy fresh air and a little more sunshine.

Spring is here and this year I have so many projects cooking, I cannot wait to get started.