Lenox china vintage sugar bowl popcorn

Vintage Dinnerware Repurposed for Earth Day

Earth Day is every day when you continue using your vintage china and glassware! Most dinnerware is not recyclable, nor is broken glass or Pyrex. Yet you can keep using those old dishes and glasses in different ways to jazz up your table setting, made up eclectic place settings, or just enjoy the style of […]

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Vintage dinnerware Franciscan Maytime

How Much is Vintage Dinnerware Worth?

I get this question a lot: What is the value of a certain pattern of vintage china. The short answer is the same as for other antiques and collectibles: whatever someone will pay you for it. There are places to research the prices others have used when listing these dishes for sale. Sites like Replacements, […]

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Noritake china mark

Vintage Dinnerware Look Alikes

A question from a reader, Beck, prompts this post. Do you ever see dishes in the marketplace that look a lot like your favorite pattern?   And, when you flip, you see a frilly scroll mark with “made in China” under it. Probably not the match to grandma’s china. I’ve seen this kind of mark […]

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vintage china Franciscan 1960s

Vintage China in Pastels – Bring Spring

I just cannot resist those trays of Danish sweet rolls at Costco. And what better way to serve them in sweet, small bites than some vintage dessert plates?   In this case, the plates are in the Maytime pattern by Franciscan. This is an uncommon pattern, from the 1960s, during the period when Gladding McBean […]

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Pfaltzgraff Village vintage dinnerware

Vintage Pfaltzgraff Dinnerware New Old Friends

Old friends come in the form of vintage dinnerware, as well as people. They are the china and dishes that you remember from childhood, from grandma’s house, or those pieces and patterns that connect to happy memories from days gone by. Pfaltzgraff makes a number of patterns that have been made for more than 40 […]

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Vintage dinnerware for holiday table setting

Vintage China Goes Blue, Silver and Gold for Christmas

Two of my favorite vintage china patterns are based on calm and classic color palettes that work well for a holiday table setting. Why? Because blue, silver and gold – on a white background – work so well with the monochromatic color palettes that are popular for the holiday season. If you like to base […]

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white dinnerware examples

Timeless White Dinnerware

The simple beauty of white dinnerware is classic. You cannot go wrong with a table setting based on this elegant color. Some tones are creamy, some are bright, but no matter the specific white shade, the impression is understated and refined. The differences in the white tones give texture to your table setting, when you […]

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fall dinnerware vintage new

Warm Dinnerware for Cool Entertaining

Vintage dinnerware mixes with new china just fine, when it comes to setting your table for the fall season. Homecoming by Noritake is one of my favorite vintage patterns, and the new pumpkin plate by Better Homes & Gardens works so well with it. I could bring in some colorful leaves, to add to a […]

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Mount Vernon coffee pot Harmony House Sears

A Classy Vintage Coffee Pot

Ever uncover a vintage find and say, “That’s mine” out loud? An outstanding china coffee pot did it for me. Mount Vernon, Harmony House by Hall. This piece is not like my usual thrift store finds. It must have just been put on the shelf when I saw it. Fluted and scroll details, gold rims […]

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Salad dessert plate American as Apple Pie

Patriotic Dinnerware – Festive Summer Table Setting

Designer Warren Kimble has drawn on folk themes and Americana to create charming dinnerware patterns. They’re timeless when it comes to a table setting focused on red, white and blue. Solid color plates and glasses are easy to use when putting together a 4th of July, Labor Day or other holiday party table. But I […]

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Garden theme dishes

Garden Dinnerware | Green for Earth Day

Itchy for green outdoors? Start indoors, with a table setting of garden theme dishes! Earth Day is on Monday this year. That makes this weekend an ideal time to bring out the summer-y garden and floral dishes, to satisfy your need to enjoy growing things. Start with any green dishes or glassware you might already […]

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