I was trying to decide how to word the title of this post – How to keep from re-cluttering after decluttering, Surprise I bought more dishes (said sarcastically), or even Antique Dishes and how to display them. In the end, I chose the direct approach. If you saw my blog post last week about my decluttering, CLICK HERE, then you know I got rid of 2 sets of dishes. Yes I was decluttering. But what I didn’t tell you was that I was decluttering to make room for more clutter.
When we arrived at the farm last Friday, we found that the refrigerator was warm inside. There’s no telling how long that went on. Then when we got home Sunday night we realized that our city house refrigerator also had an issue, but was still
I walked past these dishes several times on recent visits to my thrift store. I’m not collecting Chintzware and it wasn’t English, so I passed. Although, they did draw me in, I resisted on several occasions. It’s almost a complete set. They were made in Czechoslovakia, which isn’t easy to spell by the way. As I placed the dishes by the cash register, a man walked up and fondled the teapot. (I am not making this up.) I asked if he loved dishes. He said, “No, but I love chintzware!” He mistakenly thought this was English, then I mentioned that it was from Czechoslovakia. He said, “Even better! That country isn’t even around any more, and they are known for their high quality china.” he said. He seemed so happy and handled several of the pieces with care. I understood his appreciation for a thing of beauty. His smile was ear to ear. I began to feel like an intruder as he spent time admiring each dish. A volunteer at the store came over to admire them also. She wanted to know they were going to a good home. I understood. It’s like when a puppy get adopted. You want to know the puppy will be cared for, loved and appreciated. It’s a teapot, 5 plates, 5 cups and saucers, a creamer, and a dish with a scoop.
According to Kovels, these dishes were made for import to the US, made after 1920. This shallow dish and scoop are so unique.
Everything is small, almost child-sized. I already had a few pieces of Royal Winton Welbeck, so this is a nice addition. The plates are heavy.
In another European country, I found a set of French dessert plates. These are from faience plates from France and they celebrate the French revolution. They were made to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the French revolution in 1989.
These are all hand-painted and shipped to me from France. They have so much personality!
Here are a few more of the plates.
The colors are so pretty!
I figure I’ll make enough money from my old dishes to pay for these (or at least pay for some of them.) But the way I figure it, it’s okay so long as I’m also giving things away and selling things. I actually love to have a revolving door of dishes. I buy them, enjoy them, then move them on to a new home, (RINSE, WASH, REPEAT.) I know I’m not the only one! I heard from a lot of dishaholics since my last post!
I’ve got a few more goodies to show you. And I’m pondering what else I’ll get rid of. I started to stack up my mother-in-law’s Lenox gold and cream wheat dishes to take to the consignment store. Something stopped me. We don’t actually use the dishes, and I’m not that crazy about them. But I wasn’t quite ready to let them go. I’m going to ponder that for a bit longer. I have a set of English dishes that will make it’s way to the Bespoke Decor store in the next month, and probably my Limoges dishes will make their way there soon.
I also have several hand-painted Limoges dishes that will probably move onto other homes as well. They are gorgeous, but I’m not displaying them right now. I feel like I don’t really own any of these pieces. It feels more like I’m caring for them in-between owners. It’s my job to keep them safe while they are in my care. I love them, then re-home many of my pieces. Even my new dishes may move onto new owners soon, but not this weekend. This weekend, Evie and I are having a tea party!
HI Anita, I am a dish whore! But, your dishes are gorgeous. I pick up dishes at HomeGoods and clearance at target. I love your finds! laura in CO
Have a scone for me!
Regards Cath
http://anaussieintheworld.blogspot.com.au
What happened to your fridges?
For one the compressor is out and the other one, it’s some other issue.
I love Chintz dishes. I use only 8 inch plates now . Larger ones are packed away. I am downsizing but it is very hard to pass up a beauty like these. Great find.
So how did you end up with the teapot that is in your picture?
I love your new set of dishes! They do remind me of my little tea set I had when I was young. Very pretty. I, too, tend to collect dishes, and have had to recycle many to make room for new ones.
I love to collect china too, your set is beautiful! You’re lucky the cups were included, so many times the cups get broken between owners and then you never find replacements.
II love your affection for dishes. I too have an addiction for dishes and have been collecting for years. I have odds and ends and also full sets. I love English transfere ware, but over the last few years have been going to ebay and finding some lovely china in Minton, andCoalport and Wedgewood and otherwonderful producers. I use all of them; change out for seasons and also for holidays. I love mixing and matching them also— as you did with your fiesta and various plates. I am 72 and don’t know what all my kids and grandkids will do with all of them when I catch the big dish bus to the sky, but I don’t worry about it. I just keep on adding to my collection. Pretty harmless vice. Love your blog.
Mary Lynnl
You are too funny Mary! But with so many gorgeous dishes, how can we possibly choose just one?
You make me laugh! I am also a hoarder of dishes & all things glass. It is a sickness!
It is not possible to have too many dishes!!!!!!!!!! A person can always find a spot for something more, and then it will turn out to be the perfect item for the next table setting! Your dishes are beautiful!
thatsmystoryandi’mstickingtoit!
Blessings,
J
Ha, ha, ha J!!!
Anita, I’m right there with you!
Ginger
Love the dishes , can’t decide which are my favorites, chintz or plates. It doesn’t matter, we appreciate their beauty and uniqueness. The designs on the plates and the various different colors are striking AND who doesn’t love something covered in flowers? We just appreciate and are grateful for BEAUTY!
Hello Anita,
Where can I find the blue chair cover like the one in the photo above?
Laurie
Laurie, I made that one. I guess I need to see if we can have them made for our shop bespokedecor.store. We do carry a similar one in a neutral color. https://bespokedecor.store/products/ruffled-seat-cover
Oh, geez. I also so. love. teapots. I commented on your last post about my own paring down of my dishware and you congratulated me, making me feel what I had done is so right. Then, you show me this beautiful little chintz teapot and get my teapot hormones all a-flutter again. What’s a dishware lover to do????
Pat, oh my. Well I was bored with my old dishes and you probably were too. And now I can enjoy some new ones for now. Then move these along to someone else later!
Kindred spirit here Anita!! I love that you are telling on yourself 🙂
I have so many sets of china -its obscene….but i love the beauty and the feelings that get evoked when I set my places and I’m fueled by the sheer loveliness of it all! Keep on inspiring us!!
Nancy, glad to know it’s not just me.
Nancy, glad to know it’s not just me.
Anita, Are you sure the man was just admiring the dishes. LOL.
Hi Anita. These are wonderful, and I love the little dish-and-scoop. If it’s ok to ask, where do you keep all the dishes you collect? I would love to have more variety myself, but I don’t know where I’d put them all! If you’ve already written about your storage, I apologize–please link me if you can. Thanks!
Good for you, Anita! Those antique dishes are so pretty! I also love dishes! With dishes, “more is better”! I just can’t help myself when I visit an antique shop or thrift store. Enjoy!
Ive always loved your dish selections theyre all so beautiful!! Searching the thrift stores and antique shops periodically for beautiful dishes is still a small obsession if mine. Hope you keep searching those beauties out!
Ida, I can’t stop myself. Thanks for your encouragement!
Anita,
I am so~o~o glad you shared that after editing. . .you purchased more dishes!
I cleaned out, re~arranged and took dishes by the droves to our local Thrift Shop. . .
now. . .I have room for more dishes!
There is a method to my organizing!
Pat
Hi, Your dishes are beautiful, i collect what i call the workers china white ironstone dish ware. lots of cream colored pitchers, bowls and pottery. I agree with you, I too am a hoarder of dishes.
Oh I love, love, love white ironstone!!!
I have a Lenox gold and cream set. The plates on mine are really flat, and I usually use smaller plates at the table. So, I use them as chargers.
I absolutely love that Tea set! Its so pretty!
Absolutely gorgeous dishes! What a great find. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Sorry I didn’t see this post when you sent it out, but I was out buying 3 crates of vintage china. I live in an old college town. There are several retirement communities just down the street. One is like a mini town. Twice a year they hold a vintage market of sorts. Every street has a different theme, books, plants, handmade and then…I found a whole warehouse full of dishes. I checked it all out on the first day then went back the last day. The lady running the space gave me a great bundle price then…50% off that!! Now I have to inventory & wrap almost 160 pieces of vintage china!! I Love It!!
Great blog and story line! There are many of us who are equally addicted to dish purchases. (I personally sell some of mine on Etsy!) But I have to tell you that I loved how well (and cute) Mary Lewis said it!
Too funny, Anita! I am just coming over after seeing your pin at Home and Lifestyle on Pinterest and yes, I must be a dishaholic. I truly have thought about selling some online but the sentimentality gets in there and no, I couldn’t sell the dishes my SIL gave me. They were shipped directly from England from the Potteries at Stoke-on-Trent, although they are no longer really a favorite. Not the Limoge as the collection is growing. What’s a dishaholic to do?? 😉
Fun post and I hope you are happy with this set of chintzware. Very pretty and if it is as small as you mentioned, it probably was a tea set for a child. I know many potteries used the same transferware prints. The blanks, too.
Happy hunting,
Barb 🙂
Dear Anita, I collect dishes like some women collect shoes. I turned (my husband) a closet into shelving for extra dishes. I just can’t part with them. I don’t even use them all but I love them. Right now I am into Blue Flow or is it Flow Blue? I just love it and it works perfectly with my white and cream decor!! I love reading your blog and enjoy the pictures you post!! Take care, Patti
Love dishes! It started with an inheritance of my grandmothers wedding limoge which is 110 years old. Her grandmother had given it to her and it has her initial on it. I am her namesake so was left to me. They are a beautiful white with gold trim and initial and on the back in gold they say from grandmother. Then I have my wedding china lenox windsong, my mother- law’s set that has too many pieces to count with square plates, round plates,,2 handled soup bowls,tureens, platters etc. It is Crown Dacal Gainsborough England and is numbered. It is over 90 years old. Add to these 9 other sets and many odds and end antique hand painted pieces I have picked up in over 50 years of marriage. I love them all and have no daughters or daughters in laws to leave them to. I love to keep the dining room table set up all the time and keep changing it. It is an addiction! Ruth
Dear Anita, I, like so many of your followers, also love to collect dishes, ironstone and anything from England. I have my mother’s set of Noritake, pattern cyclamen, which a friend of hers who was visiting Japan in the 1950’s, had sent to her. It is a set of twelve with platters, gravy bowl and tureen. I wonder what will happen to them when I pass. Both my daughter and daughter-in-law have their own sets of special dishes. Maybe one of my five grandchildren will wan them. I hope so
I hope so Kathryn. I love old dishes, but I know my daughter probably won’t want all of mine. Hugs!!!
Love, love those dishes!! I also gravitate to any antique store’s dishes. Just something about dishes that a woman loves!!
I’m trying to log into the store website to see about the chair covers but can’t seem to get in…HELP!!
Hi, where is the link to the store? I need to remove that, but I couldn’t find it. I am so sorry, we closed the store last year.
It seems that someone hijacked your store website and that’s why it’s not available…any other suggestions for the chair covers? Do you have a pattern?
Hi, the store was closed last year, I am so sorry we still have a link to it. I tried to remove them, but they are so many places, it’s hard to catch them all. I don’t have a pattern for the chair covers because they should be custom cut for your chairs. I have made these in several different fabrics, but I don’t think I have a tutorial on them. I guess I need to create one!
Re the collection of dishes…it’s like collecting art!! Fortunately, when we moved into a small (adorable) apartment in a retirement community and I had no extra storage room, I was able to give all of the “art” to my daughter. But if I had the room, it’s one of the first delicious pleasures I’d start collecting again and rather than keeping a few different sets in a china cabinet I’d dedicate a whole room to keep all of that amazing (and useful) art work displayed because the beauty of it gives so much pleasure!!
I love your plan, declutter to buy more. It’s very logical to me. You are saving and buying the cream on top and selling the rest. Good plan.
Since you wrote this and I commented I have joined a group called BTS Beautiful Table Settings. It is for people like you and the others who commented. People share their table settings with others. Some are very elaborate and some are not as much, but all are beautiful. All, on there, are addicted to dishes and unfortunately this feeds their and my addictions. Oh, well, it could be worse!
Whenever I want to change my dinner I gave the old ones to someone really needy… that’s the way I declutter the things.