A while back I was having one of the most inspiring conversations with a dear friend. We discussed my book Blissful Living and were having fun with playing around with different columns for the blog. The art of living is so much more than just decorating, its about creating a beautiful life so one day we came up with Living C.H.I.C: Curating Happiness, Inspiring Confidence. It was so important to me not just to decorate for beauty but for bliss, happiness, power and confidence. So, today I am thrilled to introduce another fabulous contributor to you!

Hello, Darlings! I'm Caitlin Sauer, lifestyle blogger at Lost Luxe and I'm so excited to be contributing to The Decorista! I'm a long time fan and follower of Ashlina's so needless to say I was squealing when I got the opportunity to guest post. Living C.H.I.C is all about creating an authentically beautiful life that doesn't just look good but FEELS good, part of the Blissful Living philosophy. In my column, I'll be sharing easy ways to bring more abundance, presence and joy into your life through living well.

Yes, the title of this post is accurate, my cat does actually eat off China; the tea saucers from my wedding China to be exact! But before you go thinking I'm living in some Hilton/Kardashian fantasy land let me explain...

It all started when my husband and I were on our Honeymoon. We were staying with our friends in Germany and my favorite part of each day was: breakfast. Each morning meal was a celebration! Not only did we have a delightful spread of fruit, cheese, fresh bread and hot tea, but the table was adorned with STUNNING China. It made every day feel like a special occasion and immediately put us into an abundant and joyful state. The beautiful setting made us linger longer and enjoy meaningful conversations in the ripe morning light.

When we came home to California and sat down for our first meal on our dreadfully boring white Costco plate set, I knew we had to make a change. Our wedding china was actually in boxes up in the highest shelf of our kitchen, only seeing the light of day on rare occasions- and by rare occasions I mean NEVER. Our place isn't big enough yet to host holiday gatherings or even throw a proper dinner party, which was the only thing I felt our fine china worth of previously.

We decided to swap out the sad Costco set for the gorgeous plates we had so carefully chosen and loved for our wedding and it was seriously life-changing.

It elevates each meal to something special, brings more abundance into your life through its beauty and associations and makes it easier to eat well because you naturally want your food to feel special too. Plus, it doesn't have to be expensive! Our German friends had mismatched china from a local flea market and it was possibly even more exciting than our wedding china because you never knew which dish you would get; each meal was a surprise. I always see random pieces of china at thrift stores!

You can curate your own collection and mix and match thrift finds with designer pieces if you so choose. Also, stores like Anthropologie or West Elm have such pretty pieces for only around $10-25 dollars a plate. Just buy one or two! (This means less dishes to do, also! Win-win!) I love these gold speckled plates, very Luxe.

It feels like such a shame to only enjoy our most beautiful pieces a few times a year, take them out so they can bring joy year round. It makes SUCH a difference to eat on something every day that makes your soul do a little happy dance!