English Ironstone

English Ironstone

I wanted to update you on the ironware pitcher I purchased at Leftovers recently.  Click here to see post.  I bought the pitcher that is the second one down on the right in the photo below.

I am really beginning to love English ironstone as much as my friend Caroline does.  Here is what Martha Stewart has to say about it.  Click here.  When I got it home, I couldn’t wait to add it to a shelf at the ranch.  Here is what the shelf looked like before.

When I added the pitcher, I decided to start over, and try the all white look like I had seen in Leftovers and in Caroline’s house, see photo below.

English Ironstone at Caroline’s house

I wanted to see first what I could do with what I had on hand  at the time at the ranch.  You can see what I did below.

I have already caught some flack for admitting that the top bowl was once used to feed the dog.  Well, I was desperate people, get over it.  We didn’t eat on it, I just displayed it.

I really liked the all white look, so I decided to try to find some more ironstone.  I wanted English vintage and antique ironstone, and found a good selection on eBay.  I won 11 pieces, but sadly not all of the pieces fared so well in the mail.

I did buy from a seller who has excellent feedback, so I wasn’t worried when it arrived like this.  I contacted her and she refunded my money.
Since we are discussing items that were broken in the mail, I think it appropriate to spend some time explaining how the postal system works.  First you drop your package off at the post office.  The smiling postal employee picks up your package and appears to adore your it, caressing it lovingly in your presence.  Once gone, however, things change.  They have a large basketball hoop in the back of the building, and after you have left,  the postal employee tosses your box into the hoop.  If it makes it in, the employees high five each other,  if not, well, too bad.  This is also used to test the packaging of your box.  It is what we engineers like to call “destructive testing.”  Not sure what the point is since they do not appear to write anything down, but I am not the expert here, and hey, it adds some levity to an otherwise monotonous job.

Then the boxes are taken from the basketball hoop area to an outdoor area. Here is where they get the date stamped on them.  The way they do that is to place all of the packages evenly over a field, where they have a herd of cattle.  The cows have date stamps affixed to the bottom of their hooves.  The cattle then stampede across the boxes and when they have stepped on all of them, the process is complete.  This explains why some boxes have been stamped more than once, and also why your box may be a tad crushed.  Your box is now ready for delivery.  Hope you ensured it.

I have not seen any of this first-hand, but this is the way the postal process was explained to me by my older brother.  I did call the post office to confirm this information, but they hung up on me.

One time, the mail carrier arrived at my house and rang the doorbell to get me to sign for a package of dishes.  It looked like it had fallen from an 8 story building.  The mail carrier told me that the box was not sturdy enough for mailing and that it was probably full of broken stuff.  (I think he knew something.)  I looked closely and I could swear I saw hoof marks on it.  I questioned him about the marks, but he gave me a weird look and walked off, like he was in a hurry to get away.  I will say one thing for him, he was right… it was full of broken dishes.

So any way, the point is – use bubble wrap and a sturdy box.  Below is a picture of the new ironstone which is all vintage and antique English ironstone.  The thistle I used for the Coke Crate arrangement is gone, so I cut some more yesterday for this photo.

English Ironstone on the Back Porch

All I need now is a new shelf.  I wonder if Caroline is tired of hers yet (the pine shelf shown earlier.)  You can see more pictures of her home here.)

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