Pillow | Bear | Tea Set

Today I am taking over the MacKenzie-Childs Instagram account for a little Q&A!  I wanted to share my answers here as well so you can reference back if you have to scroll quickly. Plus, I’ll take any excuse to give a little snippet as to how I’m decorating for Christmas. I love hearing the intentions behind people’s decorating styles and themes for the year.

Interviewing Rebecca Proctor, MacKenzie- Childs’ Creative Director {I remember being pregnant with M here!}

How long have you collected MC?

It’s such a treat to the story of when people started to collect a brand or specific print. I always want to know who introduced you? What drew you in? Do the purchases symbolize moments and situations in time? I started to collect MacKenzie-Childs when I graduated college. I graduated in December, and we went to New York for Christmas that year. I remember popping in the MC store then with my family, and I purchased a strainer. My mom would always purchase MC on New York family trips and ship the pieces back home, I was giddy to be able to do the same for my little apartment. I think I purchased the Courtly Check strainer then because I remember it sitting on my apartment’s stove. I filled it with lemons and was so proud of that piece! My style has naturally evolved over the years, but my love of MC prints never wavers.

My first apartment!

Our first home

How long has your mom collected MC?

For as long as I can remember! I do remember my mom asking my dad always to gift her something she collects for Christmas. As she sat in the formal living each Christmas, she’d open something Courtly Check. Those memories have always been so vivid to me. It’s like each piece would mark the year and what made it special. Hosting pieces she used the year I got married, outdoor pieces when they added their pool, picture frames when her grandchildren were born…

Why do you love MC?

After collecting something for years, I think you tend to love it for numerous reasons. First and foremost, the brand embodies everything the women in my family taught me about home. I want those in my home to leave with more warmth than they entered. Maybe it’s the charm, but there’s just something about the whimsical pieces that add a bit of joy to ordinary routines. The team also lives out the importance of family. I’ll never forget Rebecca telling me that she has designed and produced everything her son would draw out when he was little. He’d draw something and tell her that they should create it…and they would! Plus, I think it’s a line that can blend with a variety of styles. I touched on that in this post here.

How was your experience at Camp MC?

It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken with my mom. If you are new here, my mom and I went to their headquarters in Aurora, New York for Camp MacKenzie-Childs. It was a press trip with some other bloggers and their moms. We toured, we painted, and we learned from the artisans. I was filled with such appreciation for their craft and given the confidence to mix anything that made our home feel like “us.”

What are your mom’s favorite timeless pieces?

She’d tell you how much she loves the clock and canisters, but I have to brag on how she uses MC in her home for Christmas. I’m going to share snippets on stories today, so be sure to check that. I went over in the evening last weekend when the tree lights were on to film some. My dad kept asking what I was doing, and I said, “I have to share this!!“

What are my all-time favorite items?

I have to answer this in two parts. If I had to start my collection over, I’m immediately thinking of the Three-Tier Sweet Stand, my canisters, and my nativity. The Three-Tier Sweet Stand is used each time I host. It’s the consistent guest in every celebration- both big and small! The canisters are used each time I bake with my children and remind me of slow days at home with my kids- my favorite kind. And the nativity is a stunning addition to our Christmas celebrations. But if I have to rank them based on what I use the most, here is how I would collect them!

I lied! One more part. If I had to say my favorite space I’ve loved collecting MC pieces, it would be Maxi’s bathroom. I mimicked it after touring the farmhouse in Aurora.

To finish it out, let’s chat about how I’m decorating for Christmas. What inspires you for the holidays? Do you love natural tones and creams for a Winter Wonderland setting? Traditional red and green? Perhaps, pops of Tartan? I’m dreaming of a jewel-toned Christmas! Think Estelle Colored Glass as jewelry for the tree with Patience Brewster and Courtly Check spun throughout.

Throughout the month, you can use my code KATEY20 for all your orders at MacKenzie-Childs!