Easter Cards and Controversial Subjects

I love old stuff. You’ve probably guessed that. I’ve loved collecting old ephemera for years and have bits of paper coming out of every drawer and closet. But one fact has always made me a little sad. When I look at vintage ephemera, if I see people who look like me, they are more likely…

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All The Stuff: Tazza, Compote and Comport Pt. 2 – Using your Pedestal Dishes

So your Grandma Beatrice left you her fancy Tazza and Great Aunt Sally has gifted you a stunning compote, what are you to do with them? Use them darn it! Look, if we were talking about a sixteenth century priceless porcelain dish, I’d tell you to be careful and leave it in the cabinet, (or…

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Television shows with Stunning Tablescapes

These are all set during the Victorian, Edwardian, and 1910s periods. This is what most tableware lovers think of, when they’re looking for spectacular tableware and its placement. 1.  Upstairs / Downstairs – Old To be honest this series hasn’t aged as gracefully as one would hope. The china is pretty wonderful though every now an…

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All The Stuff: Breakfast Sets

I touched on this briefly when I discussed the breakfast tray and the tray cloth, but I love breakfast accoutrements and I can’t stop posting about this topic. Sorry, not sorry. Breakfast sets were china sets made specifically for both tray service and/or for your morning table service. Breakfast sets made for trays generally contained…

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All The Stuff: The Napkin

Hello, I’m Cheri and I am a linen addict. I’ve been trying to get better, but it’s so hard. I Marie Kondo’d my linens and gave away a bunch of stuff, but there still seem to be lace, damask and cotton pouring out of the cupboards and closets. If you read my post on doilies,…

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All the Stuff: Butter Pats

File under things we never see any more; tiny little plates, usually about 3 inches in Diameter set in the upper left corner of the place setting.   Prior to the 1800’s with the exception of Royal tables, butter was likely served from a communal dish, either in small scoops or in a great mound. This…

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All The Stuff: Chocolate Spoons

Victorian’s liked to have a tool for every purpose.  Chocolate spoons were used with drinking chocolate or what we would now call hot chocolate.  Victorian’s loved drinking chocolate so much there are reports of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and even white chocolate being melted and served warm. Chocolate sets also contained a muddler spoon. This was a…

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