I have restarted writing this blog post a few dozen times because how do you even articulate your excitement in a launch like this?! With almost a year of design and launch work and years of dreaming in the making- I am thrilled September 12, 2023, is here. It’s a date I’ve dreamt of for quite some time.

I am thrilled to share with you the MacKenzie-Childs x Katey McFarlan Ceramic Capsule Collection. This is the first time they have launched a collection designed by someone outside of their design team, and it is truly the honor of a lifetime. And while it has felt like a little secret I’ve been creating content for in the background of this blog, I can assure you Maxi told all of her friends at tennis camp this year, “My mommy paints pottery with MacKenzie-Childs. Do you want some? I think she can bring some back for you!” HA.

We have created three pieces with some new-to-MC design elements that their talented team brought to life. I had a few main goals with this launch for you, with price point at the forefront of my decisions. Each item is handmade with love in Aurora, New York. Nothing is glued together, and everything is made through molds and clay.

Back in 2018, after Camp MacKenzie-Childs, I was on the phone with my agency. I had turned down a work opportunity for something and mentioned that, instead, my dream was centered around a collaboration with MacKenzie-Childs. At the time, Maxi was 18 months, and I told her that, more than ever, I realized the importance of home. As my favorite author Sally Clarkson says, it’s the lighthouse that recharges those you love most. I wanted to create something that people used in their own lighthouses because what could be greater than that? We started to toss around the idea with the MC team, and here we are in 2023!

This collection is centered around three pieces, and as I share the heart behind the design, think in “3’s.” Three is my favorite number, I was born on March 3rd, and always like to keep three in mind with things. It’s also all centered around family. Rebecca Proctor, MacKenzie-Child’s Creative Director, has influenced my life in countless ways, including the way I think about launch elements within my blog. She would take pieces her son would draw for MC when he was young, and she’d create them. This collection is dedicated to the three women who taught me how to mother and are fully inspired by my children and the color they bring to my life. I designed this collection alongside my best friend, my sister. She is a graphic designer, and what a gift to be able to sketch and mock these pieces up with her. I couldn’t have done this without her.

This collection is dedicated to the three most important women in my life: my mom, my meme, and my nana. When selecting each silhouette of an item, I kept one of them in mind. And while there is crossover for all of them in each item, there are many distinctions as well. There are three main design elements that you won’t find on other pieces: lattice, sponge paint, and butterfly molds. My children inspired the design every step of the way. The lattice is symbolic of their garden outside and all the countless hours we spend there. The sponge painting is the first time MC has incorporated that, and I am so grateful! This is underneath the berry bowl and spoon rest as a little surprise element and is a nod to my son and our afternoons painting with popsicles. We will go outside on warm Texas afternoons to eat popsicles and paint with do-a-dot art or watercolors. As he paints with his dot markers and licks his melting popsicle, little dots end up all over the pages, and I wanted that element as a nod to him. I have butterflies all over my daughter’s room and her MacKenzie-Child’s-inspired bathroom to remind myself of the belief that children are to spread their wings one day, and my job is to equip them. Whatever the butterfly may represent to you, I wanted this bud vase to have that mold on it so that it served as a reminder and not just a placeholder of decor. The three colors in this collection were the ones you all voted on! Since 2018, I have dreamed of something soft, a la the Honeymoon Collection. The pink was a must in my mind. Maxi and I share a love of it, and I desperately wanted to include green. Harry loves green, as do I. I polled you all back in January of this year, and green and blue were the winners for home decor hues. I was thrilled because the original Honeymoon Collection had that dusty French blue, but green felt like the perfect addition. Designing this collection has instilled my love of green this year. For my girls who grew up with a Laura Ashley bedroom and now live in homes filled with ginger jars, this collection feels like our childhood all grown up.

And I want you to keep three at the forefront of your mind as you find ways to purpose these pieces and gift them throughout the holidays. I hinted at this in my Southern Living interview here, but follow the PSS model. Purposeful, Sentimental, and Splurge. I kept that in mind while creating and hope it is organic in your gifting approach. There is a purposeful, sentimental, and splurge-worthy aspect of each piece- which I will share below!

Berry Bowl

The berry bowl is a nod to my mother! She is the queen of sentimental saving. She kept everything and while I poked fun growing up, I am eating my words and so very thankful. My kids read my childhood books, play with my childhood toys, and Maxi wears my childhood dresses. The best part is, she knows exactly where it all is! The morning of Maxi’s dance recital she woke up saying, “How exciting, we all get trophies today!” In my mind, I thought, “Where on earth did she get this idea? And do I burst her bubble before or after she goes on stage?” Gigi to the rescue. She had a small little dance trophy to grab that I had won in elementary school. Gigi brought it along with roses in hand, and each time Maxi sees her trophy she says, “Mommy, isn’t is to exciting we all got trophies for recital?!” Proof- I am thankful Gigi kept it all…and then some! That’s where the berry bowl comes in. It holds all your bits, bobs, sentimental bracelets your kids make you, and then some. 😉

• Purposeful: The Berry Bowl is originally designed for, you guessed it- holding small foods like berries. It’s honestly the perfect snack and ice cream size, which we have loved using in our home. But it also looks beautiful on top of a dinner plate on a table setting. I think of it as a dessert bowl with hosting. It’s also a must for hosting- jams, nuts, crackers, and more.
• Sentimental: The sentimental design element is there with the sponge painting technique underneath. But I also find this to be a sweet, sentimental gift for a bride or mother-to-be. When you’re engaged, everyone gives you a ring dish, but they aren’t all that large. I find a berry bowl to be better on your bedside table, so you can toss your ring or your earrings in before you fall asleep. And for the mother-to-be, the berry bowl holds pacifiers, tiny bows, or all those sweet moments {hospital bracelets and more} you want to hold on to! I keep a berry bowl in my jewelry drawer, and Maxi always puts little bracelets or art pieces she makes for me there.
• Splurge-Worthy: If you love to gift neighbors baked goods, but are tired of the traditional tin container- here is your solution. It’s a beautiful option for a Christmas gift, while adding in a few cookies, puppy chow, or a seasonal jam. Wrap in cellophane and you have a splurge-worthy presentation with a heartfelt treat.

Bud Vase

The bud vase is a nod to my Meme. She owned a flower shop when I was around Maxi’s age and she has always been an entrepreneur. I think that is where I got the bug from! I remember Saturday mornings in Oklahoma, she’d wake me up, and we’d go get donut holes, then head to her flower shop. I had my own little cash register set up and I’d play store with the customers. I still vividly remember sitting on the table in the back watching the florists make arrangements. To this day, I can smell flowers and still think of donut holes. Both of my grandmothers gave me a love of flowers, as my Nana was the garden club president of Atlanta- so a bud vase was a no-brainer.

• Purposeful: Bud vases are the perfect way to add texture and color throughout a dining table. If you’re hosting a shower, I also like to mix these where you’re serving food to carry your florals. This bud vase with the lattice design and a purple and pink butterfly adds shape without being overpowering to styled shelves or a side table.
• Sentimental: With the butterfly symbolizing your children spreading their wings one day, this makes a sweet shower gift. The height of this bud vase means it isn’t too large for a side table. I picture a rocking chair next to a little wooden table that has this bud vase, a newborn photo, and a berry bowl filled with pacifiers.
• Splurge-Worthy: Don’t just gift flowers; gift a bud vase they will always have, too. I had a girlfriend once gift me flowers from her garden in the sweetest bud vase. It meant so much more to me than a florist delivery, and it’s something I still cherish to this day. I wanted you to be able to mimic that for a friend that needs to be uplifted in a harder season.

Spoon Rest

The spoon rest is for my Nana. If you have seen a recipe I’ve shared, chances are it’s from my Nana. She gifted me a spoon rest when I got married, along with all of her recipes she typed up in a book for me. She shared stories of when I would have remembered the dish and how it came to be in our family, and it is the most cherished gift I have ever been given. I like to think I got my love of cooking and baking from her. She was a nurse, a mother of three, and was known to sleep by her oven a time or two to make sure her family and coworkers always had freshly-baked goodies.

• Purposeful: I think a spoon rest to be one of the most reached-for kitchen items while cooking on your stovetop. But it also works as a pop of color on your kitchen counters without adding clutter.
• Sentimental: Rebecca recommends their spoon rests for having out while you serve tea. It’s the spot to place tea bags, but also can serve bite-sized biscuits or cookies.
• Splurge-Worthy: I envision this spoon rest gifted at bridal showers, along with the hostesses’ favorite cookbooks and recipes.

I am so grateful to share this project with you all as it has been such a passion to bring to life. Designing with their team, photographing the collection at the MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse, and planning out how we will launch this has been the highlight of a lifetime. I look forward to sharing with you my gifting suite, dozens of uses, and how to incorporate these into a romantic fall decor style! Stay tuned for lots of MC content coming your way. For now, you can shop each item individually, or we have a few limited-edition sets of three at a discount.