Blue Bird by Mikasa – Vintage Favorite

My dishie antennae perk up when I see pieces of Mikasa’s Mediterrania line in my shopping travels. The patterns are so retro. Many of them show the best of modern style from the 1970s. The shapes are simple and sleek. The colors and motifs just work for me. I think Blue Bird is probably my […]

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Heart-decorated dishes to serve a Valentine treat

A Special Treat for Valentine’s Day

Specialty dishes can pop up almost anywhere, and find their way into your collection. These charming salad or dessert plates from Crate & Barrel came to me just like that. Someone may have used them for Valentine’s Day, or maybe a birthday treat, and then they moved on before I found them. These are the […]

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Dishie blog 10th birthday cake

Happy Birthday No. 10 – Diary of a Dishie!

February is birthday month for Diary of a Dishie, and this year, it’s No. 10. Happy birthday! That’s ten years of posting about vintage dishes, along with some glassware, flatware and recipes thrown into the mix. Because it’s fun and satisfying to use those beautiful plates, platters, cups and saucers to serve special dinners, or […]

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Back to school dishes

Best Vintage Dishes for Back to School

What vintage dishes would work well for a student going off to school? I was poking around a thrift store recently, in company of some folks who were looking to outfit a grandson for his first college apartment. They were shopping for cookware. Someone else had the dinnerware checklist. A lot of people are looking […]

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Country Diary Edwardian Lady Noritake china

Noritake China Inspired By a Diary

Even if you know of the book, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, you might not know that this classic inspired a dinnerware set, made by Noritake in the 1980s. The book was a publishing hit, when it came out in 1977, in a facsimile edition of the naturalist diary of Edith Blackwell Holden […]

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Florenteen Fantasia – One Sweet China Pattern

One of the sweetest vintage china patterns we find in our travels is Fantasia by Florenteen. This dinnerware was made in Japan and is typical of 1960s patterns and products. Especially look at the swoop shapes of pieces such as the creamer, sugar bowl and gravy boat. This china features dainty sprays of flowers in […]

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Restaurant ware collection

Restaurant ware – a retro classic to collect

  You know the kind of local restaurant I’m talking about. Mom and Pop. Everybody knows your name. Not a cookie cutter, nor a cliché. A neighborhood one-of-a-kind. The orders are called out loud to the short order cooks, and the clatter of china is common. A waitress carrying three, four, or more full meals […]

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Wedding table settings – vintage china makes memories

Weddings – in June or any other time – celebrate traditions important to family and friends. Vintage china, carefully selected to complement a wedding theme, can add meaning and beauty to your engagement party, rehearsal dinner or a wedding banquet. If the wedding will feature a big dinner, consider using vintage dinnerware on the head […]

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Blue and white china – set a summer table light

Blue and white china. Crisp and clean, great for summer table settings. Around our house, you can have any color, especially blue. It’s easy to mix and match with other blue and white wares, especially those with simple bands of color. Blue and white reminds me of the salty sea shore or a breezy summer […]

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