Once you start looking, there are lots of charming vintage bread servers to delight your guests in secondary marketplaces. I went shopping and found three in short order. When you go out, be sure to look at the bottom shelves at the secondhand store, where platters, chop plates and trays tend to collect. (If you’re […]
Vintage shopping for Christmas in July? No problem! I had a great time visiting just three of my favorite thrift stores to see what I could find to add to my collection of holiday dinnerware. Why should new goods shoppers have Christmas in July all to themselves? I have noticed that some thrift stores create […]
Another year older: Happy Birthday, Diary of a Dishie! I found these pretty dessert plates with violets on them, February’s birthday flower. Looks like a few white primroses, too, on a white background with gold rims. This pattern is called Beverly and was made by Aichi China in Japan. I’m not familiar with this maker, […]
It’s time to plan for holiday dinnerware, especially if you’re using vintage patterns. The special pieces you want to use for your menu, and to enhance your table setting, can take time to find. These candle holders in the Noel pattern by Salem (made in Japan) are the kind of sweet little addition to […]
My permanent shopping list makes shopping for vintage dishes easy. Shopping for vintage at the holiday season? Get organized to better enjoy the thrill of the hunt! I have favorite vintage dishes and glass items I’m always searching for. And I keep a small notebook that’s my “permanent shopping list” to keep track of […]
Bohemian style features your collections and almost anything that you have an eye for. If you like it, and especially if you like to use it, just about any tableware or kitchen accessory, in many different kinds of materials, can be part of your eclectic stash for setting a bohemian style table. Some vintage tableware […]
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 […]
I’ve been in the grocery store a lot lately, and seen ladies with their lists, checking off the items they need for their holiday party menus. (Sorry guys. I know some of you plan, too.) They are planning for the food they’ll serve for special days coming soon: Thanksgiving and Christmas among them. I wonder […]
When I see a glass pickle dish on the shelf, in a thrift store or perhaps at a sale, I have to look at it. I’m three-quarters of the way to buying it before I even pick it up. I love these things, because I love to use them to serve pickles – for holiday […]
August is high time for fruits we love, and dinnerware patterns that feature these fall fruits are in season all year round. On my list of favorite fruits: apples, peaches, pears, grapes and plums. Dishes that feature these motifs catch my eye when I’m out scouting for dinnerware and glassware, just as their inspirations are […]
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 […]
Finding special vintage dishes is fun! See what I brought home with me in recent weeks, including some extra special items.
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 […]