Morning, sweet friends! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Unfortunately, I spent most of mine, here.
Only, it wasn’t remotely pretty.
Or voluntary.
You see, I was a total dummy, and ate an undercooked hamburger. Very Jr. High of me, I know. It was undercooked {Jamin had prepared them, on his new grill-he’s still adjusting to charcoal} and by the time I cut mine open it was too late. I was starving and not really paying attention…Like I said, very-instant-gratification-I’m-still-a-13-year-old-nothing-can-hurt-me-duh-kinda-moment, I know. Needless to say, I was paying dearly for it at 4 in the a.m. Saturday morning. I don’t know if the poison was still in my system or what, but It took until late Sunday afternoon to start to feel somewhat normal again.
Gross.
Aside from the occasional, curious, snuggly child, I had some halfhearted pinterest moments on my iphone to keep me company {Only there’s way too much food randomly popping up on pinterest, so I had to put it away, as well…wompitywomp.}
So, today, all things gastrointestinal distress aside, I thought I would keep it short and sweet, and share one of my latest flea market finds.
Remember this post? After I wrote it, I was perusing one of our local flea markets, and came across some beautiful platters. They were what I didn’t know I’d wanted for our dining room. Have you ever had that happen to you while thrifting? They were a bit pricey, and I had all three kids with me, pulling and tugging…but something about those three platters were calling my name. It had the label “Staffordshire” on them, as well as “sold as a set” and the price {firm} (boo.)
I didn’t think I wanted a set, so I put them down and walked away. Reluctantly.
Oh. So. Reluctantly.
See, I’m kind of a newbie in the plate lovers/china department, so I thought I could find the same things on the internet, for a cheaper price. The price wasn’t horrible, it was just more than I wanted to shell out for them.
No matter how right-on the color, and beautiful the pattern…amazing the plates…after circling twice like a vulture I wiped away my drool and went home.
Apparently, antique Staffordshire is an entire subculture of plate lovers. A cult-like subculture, actually. Transferware dating anywhere from around the mid to late 1800’s…to vintage versions of the same ideal…which are now collector’s items, today.
As I mentioned before, I don’t really go by name brands, so much as if I love it or not. So once home, I pondered. And searched. And searched, and pondered, and pictured exactly what it was I would do with said platters…and went treasure hunting at a few more local spots… and nowhere could I find a set of platters, let alone one, that were the perfect color, size, and, everything else…for a price so great.
I mean, here they are. Can ya blame me?
I did a little homework, and apparently this particular pottery {antique arcadia} was discontinued in 1907. Four short days later, I swallowed my pride, and made the drive back to that flea market, under the hopeful guise that if it was meant to be…they would still be there. Because after all that pondering, and attempts to talk myself out of it…I still wanted them. Bad.
A loud chorus of cheers resounded in my happy place, as I once again lugged all three children thirty minutes in the car, and threw french fries at them from a Mickey-Dee’s drive thru all so I could scoop up the hopefully-still-there-plates.
And up they were scooped, ever so triumphantly. I brought them home with me.
And that’s the confession story of how I came across my insta-collection. Some things, you just shouldn’t pass up. One day, these forever pieces will be Emerson’s.
{She probably won’t care, resent me for something she complains about to her therapist, and throw them at my head (at the drama-queen rate she’s going at now) so whatevs. At least they were pretty in my home, right?}
What’s something you’ve seen before that you later changed your mind and just HAD to have? Anything you went back for, ever so triumphantly? What kind of pieces do you consider an investment? Do you have any Staffordshire? {Probably everyone but me??}
Do tell!
Lisa@http://www.lminteriorsllc.blogspot.com says
I have a growing collection of anything blue-and-white – from Hong Kong, Macau, Portugal, English Spode,and so on. Also a very small collection of milk glass. It is so much fun!
ashley @ the handmade home says
That IS fun!
Jessie says
I waited a week but had to go back for a chair. Back to the curb, where I was sure someone would have picked it up by then… but it was there! All mine! It’s more of a it-has-potential thing rather than instant-collection thing, but I’m so happy I went back for it!
The chair: http://mommysmiddleground.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-free-chair-awesome.html
ashley @ the handmade home says
Oooooooooooooooo want to see that one finished! 😉
Debbie~refreshrestyle says
Glad they were still there…love your stories as much as your style!
Debbie
ashley @ the handmade home says
Haha thanks Debbie! Me too 😉
Ellen says
They sure are sweet. I have a problem with silver plated anything. If I don’t buy it when I see it, I just head right back to the store and get it. I always regret not buying it, sometimes its just crazy.
Pat says
Lovely! I’m so sorry you were sick ~ that is just terrible.
Stop by and register for my giveaway! Treasures I think you would love ~
Pat
Dorothy says
The platters are fabu! I’ve discovered a love for whiteware and realized recently how much I gravitate to anything galvanized. It’s funny how something will just grab you.
Kim says
We lived in London for a few years and this exact thing happened to me numerous times! We used to frequent a market in Greenwich and there was a set of brass swallows that I eyed for about a month and finally caved in and bought them! They were just too stinkin’ cool to pass up! We also purchased some really cool old key holes that I used in some art projects! SCORE! 🙂
Meredith says
I’m guilty. =) I LOVE Staffordshire plates! I have a set of dishes from when I got married over 16 years ago. It’s called “Blue Calico”. I also have Johnson Bros. and Spode in my collection of plates, too. It will be something I pass down to my kids. I have packed most of them away after redoing our kitchen and living room recently, but kept a couple of them out. =) Glad you are feeling better… no fun.
ashley @ the handmade home says
haha so glad I am not the only one! 😉
jami says
totes gorge. LOL. ok, i’ll stop shortening words…
Catherine says
Beautiful! I’m just finishing a curio and will need to fill it with something other than plastic beer glasses…so I will be in the same boat as you!
Shaundra says
Oooooohhhh, yes! I even blogged about it. I had this knot in my stomach until I could get back to the store with ma’ man and get permission to buy my crown lamp! http://loolabee.blogspot.com/2010/07/amazing-crown-lamp.html
p.S. Im so glad the plates were still there! 🙂
Katharine says
My auntie in Sweden has my Grandmother’s Blue Transferware. I want it so bad when she is ready to give it up. It would go to my mom and my sister first. Sigh! My mom has gorgeous Brass stuff. Every year she polishes it for Christmas. I remember, as a kid, to help her with that. My sister and I joke about who will inherit it cause it’s a lot of work. Of course I’d want a piece or two, but not 10 pieces. Doesn’t that sound bratty? My mom said she is giving the nicest pieces to my brother cause she remembers him helping her polish. I piped up and said, I helped too. Why is it when boys or men help with something domestic everyone makes a big deal? lol
amanda says
A gorgeous antique chair, I saw it at a yard sale and thought about how it was to expensive. I sat on the chair, tested it out (beautiful upholstery, absolutely awesome green floral fabric (not a yucky green – I promise) and decided I didn’t need. Strolled around the yard sale a bit more and told the lady if no one bought it to call me at the end of the sale. I left, and thought about how much I wanted that chair. I went to work and started thinking that someone else was going to buy MY chair. An hour later I was almost hypervelating as I called the lady to tell her i wanted the chair (while I hoped and prayed it had not been sold) Thankfully she still had the chair. I was in heaven, and everytime I sit in my green antique chair I am sooooo thrilled that it’s mine! So that’s my little story!
Love your blog!!!
Rachel says
So sorry you were sick. Maybe it was just a virus, not the undercooked hamburger. One thing I’ve learned with thrifting, if I pick it up, I better buy it. Can’t tell you how many times, I would pick something up, put it down, circle, come back, only to find it GONE. No more! If I like it enough to pick it up and look at it, it’s going home with me. Great job on the platters. Worth the money.
Tina says
are these platters hanging on your wall? I have recently started a vintage plate collection – and want to display in my kitchen. the husband says that I can just glue them to the wall – and I don’t really want plate holders. thoughts?
ashley @ the handmade home says
hey girl! yep. see em here! and purchase your own platter hangers, here.
Delores Sheppard says
My mother, who recently passed away, had two Royal Staffordshire Arcadia blue china pieces in her collection. One is an oval bowl, the other looks like a tureen. She had two complete china sets. I’ve decided to keep them. I did give away several incomplete sets, but think I will hold onto the Royal Staffordshire pieces. My mom had a beautiful china cabinet which displays the pieces very nicely.
ashley @ the handmade home says
How beautiful!