Other ideas for titles of this post:

1.  My obsession with salad/bread/dessert plates continues

2.  Why I stay out of stores

If you don’t go to the store, you never see what’s there.  If you never see what’s there, you don’t know what you’re missing.  If you don’t know what you’re missing, you’ll never know you wanted it.  Generally I do a pretty good job of this.

If you go to the store, you might see it, and really really like it.  And buy it.

The only thing that could make these plates better would be to have the numbers go higher than four.  I’d like them to ten.

It was that hunt for one last back to school item that sent me into Target.  Now that it’s taken care of, I’m done shopping for a long, long time.  This time of year always makes me sick of spending money.

Does it help that I had a gift card in my wallet?

Hopeful Homemaker

P.S.  In my local store they were sold individually, but they also sell them online in a set.

On a solid white background, this cloth features four large flower bouquets in the corners and smaller bouquets at the center of each side.  A ribbon, decorated with coordinating flowers, dances around the entire cloth, pulling it all together.

Measuring 47 by 53 inches, this cloth has no tag or markings of any kind.  It has a few faint stains, none of which detract from the beauty of the piece.  I love the rich green leaves and the happy flowers.

Printed on a bright spring green background, it features huge flowers.

Two corners are huge daisies, two have large poppies.  The largest flowers are approximately 9 inches across.

The tablecloth measures 52 by 64 inches and has some stains.  I don’t know the maker.  It’s so bright and cheerful that it never fails to put a smile on my face.  What makes it even better is the fact that I have two of them!

A perfect match.  They weren’t purchased as a pair; I just happened upon two of them in quick succession.

Shortly after purchasing the two green cloths, imagine my delight to stumble upon the same pattern with a blue background!  (If you learn anything about me on this blog, you’ll know that I have a weakness for the color blue.)

Honestly, the blue is my favorite of the three.  Vibrant and pretty, with just a couple of faint stains, I really love this tablecloth.  While the pattern is exactly the same, the blue background makes the daisies seem much more white.  Against the green the yellow detail in them stands out more.

While I use them in my kitchen often, I picture all three used together on closely grouped tables for a backyard luncheon.  Someday soon, I hope.

Until then, they brighten my kitchen and put a smile on my face.

Hopeful Homemaker

I haven’t added to my tablecloth collection for several years.  I manage my collections like this:  I decide what I’ll use it for, and a place to keep it in.  When the space is full, my collection is complete.  I started this 10 years ago when I fell in love with a teacup.  I built myself a display rack that would hold ten teacups and saucers, and collected until it was full.  Done.   I like having limits like that.

When we built our house, I found a couple of awesome cupboards at Costco that fit my kitchen perfectly.   I store my table linens in them.  It’s a perfect arrangement, right next to the table where I use them with glass sliding doors that make for beautiful display and easy access.  They’re just about full, so I quit collecting a few years ago.

Until I saw this one.

It’s just me.  The bright blue is my blue.  Combined with the deep red roses, the white background, and the beautiful blue scroll design, it’s perfect.  So I made an exception.

It’s in beautiful condition with only a couple of faint yellow spots.  It measures 47 by 50 inches, with no tag or manufacturer’s markings of any kind.

It’s also my new favorite.

Taking these pictures also reminded me that I got busy last spring and never finished posting my collection.  Time to work on that again!  Look for more gorgeous vintage linens soon.  Until then, I think a backyard lunch is in order, complete with the tablecloth.

Have a great day!

Hopeful Homemaker

I found these plates at a yard sale in Colorado.  Something about the pattern really appealed to me, so I picked them up to get a closer look.  I turned one of the plates over and saw this:

1945!  My heart started beating a little bit faster.   I should have known.  I seem to have an innate ability to pick out and love things dating to the 40′s.  The other plates read 1945, 1947, and this one had a different stamp on the back, dating to 1940.  Seventy years old.  So cool.

I approached the woman selling them and when she saw what I held she said, “Oh, I love those.”  I asked where she got them, and she said that her friend’s mother had given them to her.  I purchased four dinner plates and a butter pat dish from her for $3.00 and walked away giddy.

I’ve since done some research on this china.  It was restaurant china, and the Adam pattern was produced in green, blue and black.  Warwick China went out of business in 1951.

Typically I’m not drawn to dark greens, but I think these plates are fabulous.  I love the simple elegance of the pattern. I think they would be beautiful to use for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas.   In my online research, I found only three pieces of this china for sale, and a plate is selling for around $10.   It appears that I just fell in love with dishes that are hard to find!

Can I ask a favor?  If you ever see some of these plates at thrift stores, yard sales, etc. will you snatch them up for me?  I’ll pay you for them.  I would love to collect enough of them to serve dinner on, which at my house means 10 plates.

Warwick China, Adam pattern.  My new favorite dishes.  Do you have a vintage china pattern that you love?

Hopeful Homemaker

Any time you spend 7 hours checking out yard sales, a flea market, and a store that sells the leftovers from yard sales, chances are good that you’ll find something fun.

This is exactly what happened to my parents, sisters and me last weekend.  The above picture is a sampling of some things I picked up.  Don’t worry, the painting is NOT becoming part of my decor.  The frame, however, is.

It’s seen better days, but I only paid $5 for it.  I’ll give it new life with a fresh coat of paint.  It’s going to be beautiful.

This vintage set of eight silver plated goblets will be right at home with my collection of vintage silver.  Later in the day I added a 9th to the mix for less than a dollar.  The size is a bit off, but it fits right in.  If  I can find one more, I have enough for my whole family!  I love the patina of old silver.  So beautiful.

I scored the mirror for only $1.00.  Again, paint will give it a whole new life.  Please don’t ask me to explain why I can’t seem to leave mirrors behind.   They just call my name, I guess.

I found a silver bread plate, a gravy boat, 4 napkin holders, 6 china butter pat dishes (for my little girls’ toy kitchen)  and a couple more silver pieces for a total of $4.00.  The card games were 10 cents each.

I am not a collector of vintage tin canisters, but every once in a while one gets my attention.  I liked the green illustrations of different herbs along the bottom of this one.  I paid 50 cents for it.

I also found a US flag on a nice wooden pole for $2, a pair of crutches for $1 (which my children haven’t stopped playing with yet), and a Littlest Pet Shop set for $2.    I’d say that the best deal of the day went to my sister who found an awesome little dresser for $3.  My favorite find of the day was also $3, but it deserves a post all its own.  I’m excited to share.

It was a fun day full of surprises, good memories, and some fun finds.  I’ll take shopping like this over the mall any day!

Hopeful Homemaker

I did, however, stop at a yard sale with my daughter for about 3 minutes the other day, and these little beauties were too sweet to leave behind.

It’s a set of four little bread plates, 6 inches in diameter, and I scored them for 25 cents each.

They all have the same markings on the bottom, but I like the variation in the patterns from plate to plate, like the different widths of the brown stripe around the edges (seen above).  Two of them have strawberries and leaves that are deeper in color, and two are lighter in hue, as if they’ve faded with time.  I like them both.

The marking on the bottom indicates they were made in Japan but there is no manufacturer listed.  Research shows an almost identical looking pattern made by Sheffied, also in Japan, but the marking on them is printed inside a strawberry shape.  It appears that they’re probably from the 80′s.

This is the kind of thrifting I can still feel good about.  I spent only $1.00 and with so many young children in our home, small plates are constantly in use.  I like having mis-matched salad and bread plates to use with my all-white dinner plates.  It’s a pretty way to mix things up.

Now all we need is strawberries and cream!

Hopeful Homemaker

I scored this awesome mirror for $5.00.  I plan to paint it.  I bought another oval mirror recently and think I may use them together.  We’ll see.

This wood cutout was only $1.00, and I think it will look really neat with a coat of paint, and perhaps a mirror behind it.  And yes, I really like mirrors.  We have many of them in our home, and I love them.  I love the way they reflect light around the room.

I picked up a couple of old hardback books for $1 each.  One is a collection of  Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories, and one is a copy of Tales from Shakespeare by Mary and Charles Lamb.  The Tales from Shakespeare is over 100 years old.   Not bad for a dollar!  I love that the cover says it’s “profusely illustrated.”

Lastly, I also picked up a really cute pair of leather boots for $1.00 which pleased my five year old.  She’s already worn them.

In all, it was a lot of fun.  The garage sales in Colorado are amazing.  My parents and sister have decorated their homes with beautiful pieces of furniture they’ve found for very little money.   I was half hoping to find an incredible piece while I was there, but was also relieved when I didn’t.  What I picked up was all we had room for in the car.  Anything bigger would be an adventure to haul home.  I took my parents to an upscale home decor store when they were in Utah a month or two ago, and after walking them around the entire shop I took them to the last corner and showed them my favorite piece, a huge wreath made with antlers.  It was painted a flat white, and I’m smitten with it.  I don’t even think it’s for sale.  They had it custom made.  I showed it to my Dad and he said, “Oh, we bought one like that at a garage sale the other day, but there are more antlers and they’re smaller.  The circle is a little smaller too.   Maybe I should paint it white.”  Man!  I wish I’d been with them that day!  I’m pretty sure my Dad can find anything at a garage sale.  In fact, the car my husband and I drove when we were first married was a $100 garage sale purchase.  We drove it for 4 years.

Too bad we can’t just spend all of our Friday and Saturday mornings in Denver.  It would be a lot of fun.  And thanks, Dad, for the memory.

Jennifer

White, with all its subtle shades and textures.

I conclude, again, that there is no color as magnificent as white.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Hopeful Homemaker

shared at The Inspired Room

This set of six silver plate goblets stand 2 1/2 inches tall and are about the cutest things ever!  They were still in their original box.  I paid less than $1 each.

They’ll never be used for brandy at our house, but I’m excited to fill them with some tiny flowers or little mints and put them at place settings for a luncheon or breakfast.

I love the patina, the shape and the size of them.  They make me smile when I see them.  I’d like to think of a fun way to use them in everyday life.  Any suggestions?

Hopeful Homemaker

Linked to Reluctant Entertainer