Let's Dish...

I have always loved dishes. When Derek and I married, I already had two complete sets of dishes (and I still lived at home with my parents!). These weren't dishes we'd registered for; I'd had purchased them before Derek and I had even met. I knew that sooner or later I'd get married or move out on my own and need them. After we got engaged, we didn't even register for china since I already had a set of my favorite pattern, Blue Willow. We did, however, register for Corellware to use for everyday dishes. If I had my wish, I'd have a room in my house full of place settings and china cabinets!

I especially love old dishes. I've had these since I was a little girl. My mom found them at yard sales and I've had them on display ever since.

This cup and saucer was a gift from my cousin Lori. She got it on a trip she took with her mom (my aunt JoAnn) and my mom when they went to New York a few years ago to visit our other aunt, Frances. Everyone came back with a set and she brought me this one. It reminds me of another one of my favorite patterns, Old Country Roses by Royal Daulton. So when I started noticing plates on the walls of bedrooms on some of my favorite blogs (Nester, Shannon at Bless Our Nest), the wheels started turning. This would look great in my master bedroom, the one with the toile. All I had to do was find some solid white dishes (or some I could paint, a la Kimba). I took off to my newest favorite store, Goodwill. I'm fortunate to have two nearby, plus a couple other thrift stores as well. And after checking at two thrift stores and a Big Lots, here's what I got, all for the whopping price of $4.25:

That one is my favorite one. It was only 50 cents! They'll go up with a couple of larger plates that I already had. I do want a pretty tray for the center, but I haven't found one yet. I'm going yard sale-ing in the morning. Maybe I'll find one then.

The funny thing is, the plate hangers cost me more than the dishes did! I had Derek get them from the hardware store where he works, so we did get a discount. I could have gotten cheaper ones at the dollar store, but Derek's store has white hangers, so they won't show up as much. The only bad thing is that his store doesn't carry the white ones in stock; they had to be ordered, so I'll have to wait until the Tuesday truck comes in a few days. I'll post a picture as soon as I get them all up!