sis2two I'm so glad you asked this! My husband and I are so stuck on what to do for our backsplash. White subway tile is our favorite but we both agree it would be too stark for our kitchen. We had been toying with the idea of doing something with glass or stone but I keep going back to subway tile :) It's been hard to find photos of subway tiles that aren't plain white so I am glad you asked to see something more creamy with a crackle in a real kitchen because I've been trying to find photos on my own and haven't had much luck. I love both photos that have been posted so far! Nice kitchens!

I used the Sonoma Tantrum Rhomboid with an Estate Metal Valence liner and limestone 12x12's on the wall of our powder room. The powder room is only 1/2 completed, but I get lots of compliments on the tile. I installed it and it was a breeze. I'm thankful I get it wholesale, otherwise I could never afford it. Sorry about the cruddy photo quality. LOVE Sonoma Tilemakers!

ggjk - my tiler used Polyblend non-sanded grout in antique white. Another GW teaching moment, unfortunately learned after my tile was installed. With hand glazed tiles, sanded grout is recommended with a 3/16" grout line. The larger grout line prevents lippage. Non-sanded grout is for up to 1/8". I can see a little lippage when I have the range hood lights on. Redalley- Encore silver crackle is available in the Bravo line, somewhere in the mid $20 range. The Bravo line is Encore's "in stock, quicker ship" line. The color choices & sizes are limited but Silver is one of them. If you choose a size or color that is not in the Bravo line, it's in the low to mid $30 range.

We just put in the Sonoma crackle a couple of months ago. We sealed before we tiled, sealed cut edges as we went along, and sealed everything after it was grouted as per instructions. We put a large plastic drape over the island and used that as a work surface. I've been canning tomatoes recently, which is a bit of a mess. I tend not to notice incidental tomato splashes on the tile until "later" and have not had any problem at all with wiping them off. We may someday seal it again, but I'm not worried about it. Sonoma Creamy Crackle: 3" x 9" approx. $16/sf (it comes listed as $3.28 per piece) We live just a few miles from Sonoma County which is where I presume they make it. Stellar Stone Blue Crackle 2" x 4": $1.51 per piece, so approx $27/sf. (this is special order)