Clean Slate

Finally we have caught our breath two weeks before our big weekend. In addition to reworking the studio, we have unloaded and photographed two large shipments from Italy and tidied up the warehouse area. We are doing two events September 5^th and 6^th , one in the studio of course and one hosted at the Kansas City Culinary Center in downtown Overland Park. More about that soon. We are so excited for both events particularly because we will be sharing them with our Italian partner visiting for the first time. With two weeks to go, we have a clean slate to create and a long to do list!

TREASURES

In Kansas City we have an area called the West Bottoms that houses floors and floors of “treasures” in old warehouses. You have to focus on your absolute needs and screen out the rest. You can cover 5-10 miles in a three block radius going up and down stairs and scouring each floor for deals. For me it was a huge adventure and so much fun especially to share with my daughter as we found her dresser there to take back to college as a bonus! After several weekends and loads, here is the last of  the big stuff! Stay tuned.19 days to go!

                                            WHAT A MESS!

My friend Chase, the aspiring architect, was a good sport to help out in the warehouse as we start our adventure to transform it into a wonderful studio to showcase our unique pieces in a relaxed setting. It will be a place for guests to come and share lively events and remarkable shopping experiences always with a surprise of something new to see! Our first event is September 5^th so we are working hard to finish! We’ll keep you posted on our progress!

                                           MEET ARTIE

Artie loves our Frutta Laccata pattern. His parents think they need more of these pieces. Who can deny Artie?

A Message from Italy

From time to time, Stefano, the Owner of Modigliani Italia, will provide us news from Italy.

Summer… this is a magic word here in Italy. It means sun, seaside, vacations… and everybody is taking their vacation during August.

Therefore July is with no doubt the hardest working month of the year - but also the most thrilling for me and my staff here in Italy. Before the end of the month we must be ready with all our exciting projects for the fall and have ended all the works for the summer. During July we run and run to finish everything in time. We want to be sure that all the seeds that we planted during these months produce the fruits that we wish.

And so… at the end, here we are! Ready for our vacations and very, very happy with our new lines designed for Autumn 2014.

Ciao,

Stefano

Summer Serving

Creating beautiful ceramics isn’t the only tradition in the family of the owners of Modigliani. This wonderful summer tabbouleh was created by Silvia, a member of the third generation, in our Sogno Toscano pattern decorated only with the earth and sky. Check out her website at www.cookingforthesoul.com for more wonderful recipes and stay tuned for more of our favorites.

This Middle Eastern salad is a classic and great summer dish, a perfect accompaniment to a BBQ. It often has more parsley than the version proposed here, but I prefer it more delicate and I add instead a few more tomatoes.  You can also be creative and add celery, spring onions and/or cucumber.

 Prep time: 20 min.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):

1 cup boiling water

1 cup fine Bulgur wheat

1 teaspoon...

Finally!

Yay! Our first shipment in a container on the sea has finally arrived! Just two days late, I couldn’t wait to unpack every single box so I did it all today. It is like Christmas for me to see the final product planned so long ago. Despite the sparsely air conditioned and dusty warehouse, I enjoyed every minute, crooning country music and digging deep into each pallet box. I can only hope those who receive these beautiful pieces will have a similar sense of joy.

Wedding Resource

Coming to the stands soon and available online this incredible and unique resource will provide some inspiring thoughts and tempt your imagination with fabulous photographs and relevant content. And don’t think if you aren’t involved at some level in a wedding currently that you shouldn’t pick one up. I am way past my wedding and my kids aren’t there yet but I found some wonderful floral and table decorating ideas, food presentation thoughts and interesting articles.  

Opera in Verona

My first visit to Verona was in the summer when opera is frequent in the amphitheater. I was taking a few days to sightsee before picking up my daughter and her friend from an organic farming adventure in Bolzano. There happened to be an opera the night I was there and I can remember sitting outside near the arena and hearing the beautiful voices soaring and the thunderous applause. I couldn’t help but think about what it was like in 30AD. The contrast of cars, lights and sound in this ancient Roman ruin was striking and fascinating. Be sure to check it out if traveling in the area.