First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.
We are empty nesters, and I've been blessed with numerous hidey-holes in which to store my "Collection with a Purpose." Decorator Showcase House Tour it's definitely NOT...but here we go...the tour is leaving the station. Just remember...at certain stops, you may think that you are looking at one thing...but Look Again!...you may be looking at something totally different! WARNING!!! This is a very long post. I am not blessed with a wonderful basement like our generous hostess, The Tablescaper, so my collections are tucked away all over my house. Enter at your own risk!
We'll start here because I receive the most requests from blogworld for information about these crystal cabinets...
Top shelf: My wedding crystal...Lalique "Treve"; Lalique "Angel Flutes"; Rosenthal, "Iris"; and AJKA, "Arabella". Second shelf: Our precious Nana's hand blown, antique French cut crystal and Nana's Lalique, "Palm Fronds" tumblers. I don't really know the name of the tumblers; that just what I call them. Third shelf: Nana's French crystal "Chillers" and Waterford "Simply Blue". Fourth shelf: Waterford, "Simply" goblets...all bought over time on eBay. Bottom Shelf: Barker-Ellis, "Mint Juleps" and Baccarat, "Harmony" tumblers, both wedding gifts. The antique Imari chargers belonged to my beloved Aunt Ida. I only have six of them, and I use them for smaller occasions.
The second crystal cabinet is pretty much a duplicate of the first, with the exception of the bottom shelf. The bottom shelf stores the Lalique "Plate of the Year" collection; the plates that match Nana's French crystal; and the set of silver goblets that were a wedding gift.
The Fitz and Floyd chicken ramekins live on top of the kitchen cabinets. Inside, from left to right...
Longer cloths for the dining table...
...With the old mobile server?...Look Again...
The antique butcher's table holds cake pedestals...
Top shelf: Hunter green Colony goblets, Middle shelf: Pearlized Pink Pier One goblets, and Bottom shelf: Fenton "Empress" goblets in cobalt blue and red...
Top shelf: Godinger, "Sutton Place", Middle shelf: Dollar Tree, $1.00 each, cobalt goblets, random giant mugs with cherries, and Bottom shelf: Blue Quilted low stem goblets. They are not Fostoria, and I can't remember who made them...
Top Shelf: Green Dollar Tree, $1.00 each green goblets and Black amethyst goblets, unknown maker, Middle Shelf: Blue Willow serving pieces, and Bottom shelf: Burleigh "Blue Willow", our most frequently used everyday dinnerware...
Top and Middle shelves: Mikasa, "French Countryside", and Bottom shelf: Nell Hill's oversized tumblers.
The underneath cabinets hold assorted serving pieces, including the Dansk "Teak" bowls...and our Heller dinnerware.
I can often be found right here, perched on a stool, catching up on television news, or checking email on my iPad. But..."Look Again"...behind these closed doors, you'll find...
...Top and Middle Shelves: Furnival, "Blue Quail", and Bottom Shelf: Copeland Spode, "Tower Pink".
The back hallway contains assorted coat closets and linen closets...I've found several spots for additional storage...this and that.
You probably think that you are looking at my little office/creative space...but Look Again!...
On the left, you can see some of the zippered storage boxes that I use for addition crystal. I label each box to make it easier to access different patterns when I'm ready to entertain. The shelves have always been in this closet, and do they ever come in handy! Top shelf: Fire King, "Jadeite Alice"; Copeland Spode, "Luneville"; Copeland Spode, "Peacock"; Coalport, "Z3137 Exotic Bird Pink; and WalMart Libby Glass plates. Second Shelf: Coalport, "Z3137 Exotic Bird Green"; Royal Doulton, "The Beaufort"; Haviland, "Saxon Flowers"; and Luneville, "Louis XV. Third Shelf: Copeland Spode, "Jewel", and its companion, Copeland Spode, "Jewel Heath & Rose." Fourth shelf: Royal Doulton, "RD199" luncheon plates; Ruby Flash Glass plates; and Coalport, "Sevres Group. Fifth shelf: Silver charger plates, which aren't supposed to be there; Ridgways, "Lynton"; Royal Crown Sutton, "Gold Encrusted" (Nana's); Schumann, "Empress-Dresden Flowers"; Wedgwood, "Albion"; and Royal Worcester, "Regency/Ruby". Bottom level: Grandmama's Yamaka, "Magnolia" (Occupied Japan); Copeland Spode, "Wildflower"; Copeland Spode, "Ermine"; Royal Doulton, "Old Chelsea"; Royal Doulton, "Lowestoft"; Coalport, "Spearpoint"; Tiffin, crystal plates; and Caspari, "Rattan Chargers.
The second closet in my workroom, was fitted for hanging clothes. I bought an old file cabinet, that had shelves instead of file drawers, in a warehouse sale and set it in the closet. Voila! Storage for dishes.
Top Shelf: an assortment of blue and white import pieces. Second Shelf: Wedgwood, "Countryware"; Royal Doulton, "Old Chelsea" cups; Bernardaud Limoges, "Artois" serving pieces; and Coalport, "Athlone Brown."
The third shelf: Bernardaud Limoges, "Artois"; Coalport, "Z3137 Exotic Bird/Green" (my favorite pattern); and Schumann, "Empress Dresden Flowers" serving pieces. A stack of additional crystal storage boxes reside along side the file cabinet.
Fourth shelf: Antique Rose Medallion Rimmed Soups; Val St. Lambert Crystal Bowls; Minton, Cobalt & Gold Encrusted dinner plates; Haviland, "Ranson" ramekins and underplates; Ruby Flash bowls by an unknown maker; and Fenton, "Pink Coin Dot Double Ruffle" bowls.
Fifth shelf: Royal Cauldon, square embossed plates; Miessen, "Blue Onion"; Bordallo Pinheiro, "Leaf Plates; and footed crystal bowls by an unknown maker.
At one time this was a custom-made stereo cabinet for my son's room. It now houses the Walmart, rattan chargers and red "star" bowls. I wonder where I stuck the blue "star" bowls?
You probably thought that this was a guest room...Look Again!...
Assorted charger plates...
...and special Christmas collections that I want to keep in a climate controlled environment. I think that they visit with each other when no one is looking!
The hall bath, formerly my daughter's bathroom, now houses assorted candlesticks and silver charger plates...and a little Valentine music box given to me by a long forgotten high school boyfriend.
In the 1920's, this was my mother-in-love's childhood desk...can you imagine? It now lives in the hall to the bedroom wing and holds an assortment of colored napkins.
You probably think that this is just another guest room. The bed belonged to my daughter's great-great-great grandmother. It was an old, dark brown, double bed. I had it expanded to turn it into a queen-sized bed, and then I had an artist paint it. The same artist designed the small bedside table...
The old bureau used to match the bed...just an old dresser?...Look Again! This is where I stage a lot of tablescape designs. The drawers hold gobs of Nana's wonderful antique napkins and place mats. That blue quilt on the bed...I use it more as a tablecloth than as a blanket for guests.
Both closets are packed with tablecloths and accessories...
...And assorted round cloths for when I'm entertaining small groups, or adding extra tables for large groups.
You would immediately identify this as the powder bath...
...with what is called a "head knocker" in our neck of the woods. Do you all call it a "head knocker"? But, Look Again...
It's actually a storage cabinet for the Haviland, "Ranson", and Spode, "Christmas Tree" glassware.
Just a utility room?...
The server holds a good portion of my mother-in-love's Castleton, "Laurel", and some special serving plates that belonged to Nana.
When Sweet Mister brough this little dry bar home years ago, he thought that it would hold assorted liquor bottles...Ha! Look Again!
Top shelf: My mother's Royal Doulton, "Harlow". Bottom shelf: The rest of the Castleton, "Laurel" and my collection of Castleton, "Empire" plates.
The etagere is a revolving display of assorted tureens...
and the Welsh Dresser is home to the rest of the Copeland Spode, "Tower Pink".
The Spode, "Christmas Tree" lives underneath the Welsh Dresser with assorted serving pieces...
...and the Lenox, "Christmas Wreath" collection; my Oxford Bone China, "Filagree" wedding china; the handmade set of heart shaped dinnerware; and the Royal Doulton, "Ventura".
Even the garage gets called into duty. I keep inexpensive bullet wines and the hand painted champagne flutes on hand for when we entertain large groups.
Another storage room in the garage is progressively used more and more for dishes, etc. Second shelf: Bordallo Pinheiro, "Cabbage Leaf" charger plates; assorted colored glass salad plates; a set of Haviland luncheon plates; Pottery Barn, "Outdoor Collection" enamelware plates and charger plates; and Mackenzie-Childs, "Courtly Check" charger plates. Third shelf: Haviland, "Orange Poppies" (my name for them); Haviland, "Rani"; CF Haviland, "Schleiger 3628" Exotic Birds; and Wedgwood "Edme" tureens. Fourth Shelf: Johnson Brothers, White dinner plates with gold rims; Haviland, plain white luncheon plates; more of the CF Haviland, "Schleiger 3628; and Century, "Blueberry Hill" (my grandmama's).
A closed, lower cabinet holds the individual dessert pedestals and the frog jars...
and a metal shelf stores assorted majolica pitchers and carafes. Bottom shelves house assorted containers for flowers.
I can't believe that I just showed you so much of my collection. I'm at the point where I pretty much give something away before I bring anything else into the house. Last year I gave away four sets of Haviland to friends. I'm incredibly blessed that my girls, my daughter and my daughter-in-love, both appreciate and enjoy entertaining with lovely dishes. I know that they will be good stewards of our family treasures. I'm looking forward to seeing where you store your things. I bet that I'll pick up some good ideas from you. Thanks for stopping by!
A special thanks to The Tablescaper for hosting "Where Do You Store It All?"...and a Happy 2nd Blogiversary! Click HERE to link to the blog party and explore all the different storage ideas found there.
You can check out KC's music at www.kcclifford.com, on iTunes, and on YouTube. I hope that you'll take a few minutes and give her a listen. You'll also enjoy reading back through her blog on this site. The girl can really write! Her latest CD is called "Orchid." It is available on iTunes or through her website. I hope that you'll give her music a chance. I know that I have zero objectivity where she is concerned, but I think that you'll fall in love with her music and her!
Oh my goodness - you are organised! I won't be showing my storage any time soon. Our garage holds all the boxes that contain the thousand and one parts of a 1957 TR3 and things go downhill from there. I manage to house six china services in the kitchen and dining room, but linens are jammed into a large dresser - I love the idea of hanging the cloths. Thanks for the inspiring tour!
ReplyDeleteWow ! Amazing.. This is going to be so much fun watching all the posting.. I guess I'll do mine today as well.. It's not pretty but it works !!! Love how you have things organized.. YOU GO !!! Jules ♥
ReplyDeleteThis was all like a fantasy land for me....I loved every single picture/every single object...just wonderful, truly wonderful!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to write you a loooong email in a day or so!!!!
Now I have to go get ready to go to the cherry festival in little Forchia, Italy even though it's raining! I'm so excited to go to my first Italian festival in a tiny town!!!!
Hugs/blessings/you are amazing,
Lana
The entertainment factor of this post is over the top! I have spent way too much time pouring over every image looking at your wealth of gorgeous dishes, crystal and tableware! You are so organized to have so much "hidden" all over your home.
ReplyDeleteI just would not know where to begin to comment on all your lovely things! I was very infatuated by the Limoges Exotic Bird Green china! It if fabulous (but all of your china is)! You are right, you are very blessed to have such a meaningful collection.
I only have a few sets of very good china, so I am in awe of your collection!
Thanks for taking us on your tour... it was a marvelous trip!
Yvonne
Yvonne
Wow, every inch is full-how willl you buy more!LOL!I love looking at all this, but am glad I got over my dish addiction though I still have way more than I need.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your post so much, Cherry Kay. I have to admit, it made me feel good about being a dishaholic. I am not the only one, lol.I love all your collection. You have the prettiest china and crystals. I have more stroage room in the bedrooms but I try not to penetrate them...Christine
ReplyDeleteWow! First let me say thank you! Now, I don't feel so bad about turning a closet in a bathroom into a linen closest anymore. LOL! Seriously, you have some gorgeous pieces and I love how you have used places around the house to store them. I find myself already taking over closets as the sons move out. I am totally in love with all your glassware and how you have stored them. I would love to add more of this but storage is a big concern for these for me. Thanks so much for sharing all your storage solutions! I love it!
ReplyDeleteHi lovely lady.Iam in love with your Welsh Dresser this is to die for sweet lady. All your Glasses and dishes are so Beautiful !!! I would like to thank you so much for your comments on my [ Where do I keep my Stuff ] I hope you have a Great Weekend.
ReplyDeleteXXOO Diane
Oh wow, I could have a ball shopping at your house. You do have such a wonderful selection and they all look fabulous. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of lovely things and have been very creative as to storage! Perhaps, thankfully, my bulging storage places keep me from adding to most of my collections!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Sherry Kay, I shoul've tour your where to keep it all and maybe I would have decided to take pics of my stuff! I'm very impressed at how organized you are with all your inmense collection of gorgeous treasures!! I enjoyed your post very much, thank you for sharing it with us. Hugs. FABBY
ReplyDeleteOMG. I am over taken. You need the White House China room, or maybe the whole White House. It is just un-real. You could open your own china matching service. I do love you're colored stems. I am not much for clear stems. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for dropping by, My Old Historic House, and becoming my latest follower. I am you's in return. Now, think about it before you buy more.I bet you won't. I love it.
ReplyDeleteDropping in from The Tablescaper and I'm spell-bound! I love it how you used the rooms in your house to organize and enjoy your collection as well! Love love love all your pretty collection and your crystal collection is so amazing! Thank you so much for stopping by the other day and for your sweet comment on my Patriotic tablescape.Have a lovely weekend!~Poppy
ReplyDeletehttp://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/
You do win the organization award! I love how neat and tidy it all looks. I could learn a thing from you. Cherry Kay, after seeing this, I am wasting space.. I have so much more room - like behind books and in the bathrooms. You are very blessed to have so many beautiful things and so many wonderful places to store your pretties. Have a blessed week! Marlis
ReplyDeleteCherry Kay,
ReplyDeleteYou have such an incredibly impressive collection of dishes. And your crystal is just amazing!!! I'm so happy that you felt comfortable enough to share it all with us. While I have my basement, it is my children's space as well - and my stuff is bulging over into theirs. You make me rethink the common area space. YOu're very inspiring!
- The Tablescaper
Absolutely amazing array! I have lost count of your sets of china, crystal, and serving pieces. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you entertain each and every week!!
Be sure to enter my awesome $250 Giveaway from Tracy Porter!!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Oh my goodness! Your collection is amazing!! And you've definitely found lots of places to keep everything, and keep it so nicely organized. I'm so impressed that you can remember every single maker and pattern of your dishes and glassware too. I LOVE the chicken ramekins in your kitchen.... they are SO darling!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I began reading this....my jaw just dropped. I am done reading it and my jaw is still in the same position WOW!
ReplyDeleteHi Cherry Kay, it is very nice to meet you! Thanks for visiting my blog and for your nice comment. You have an unbelievably impressive collection of dishes and glasses. And incredibly organized. But what I loved the best, and what touched me the most, was the opening paragraph about those less fortunate, and the food bank. Your daughter is a very talented composer. xo,
ReplyDeleteCherry Kay, I've been having so much fun working my way through The Tablescaper's Part 2 party, but I must admit that when I looked -- and looked again...and again! -- at your post, I was speechless; and I already KNEW how much china you have! To see it, though, is another thing altogether. You've done an absolutely amazing job organizing everything. What I love the most is that you truly USE your china - sharing it with others on a regular basis. What wonderful stewardship of your possessions! I love your colored glassware ... and am still wondering how much time it must have taken you to write that post with all of its wonderful detail for each pattern! That, in itself, is a BIG gift to us. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWow Cherry Kay! I want to go "shopping" at your house! What a wonderful assortment of fantastic dishery. Wish I could be as organized.
ReplyDeleteCherry Kay, You have done an amazing job of organizing everything and keeping your like things together. I am so impressed with you creative storage solutions. Thanks for sharing. Dianne
ReplyDeleteHi Cherry Kay,
ReplyDeleteYour china collection is just INCREDIBLE! You truly have some lovely things. It sounds like you inherited some family heirlooms, and aren't they our most treasured? Your linens are lovely too. I'm really impressed with how you've made the most of available space and converted it to organized storage areas. I have some things tucked in here and there wherever I can find spaces, but I wasn't quite ready to show those yet:-) You certainly have some fine furniture pieces to display your collections in. I love your bedrooms with the precious antiques (especially the painted bed). They look so cozy -- just my style. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog. Your sweet comments are always appreciated.
Denise
Wow, what beautiful and organized space you have for your amazing collections! Everything looks so stunning. thank you for inviting us in for this wonderful tour!
ReplyDeleteWow!Wow!Wow! I admire your organization skills! You've given me an idea for my table linens, a seldom used small walk in closet in one of the guests rooms. If I can get the linens stored away there it will end some of the clutter of the "dish closet", in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely wonderful post!
Wow! I enjoyed the tour so much! I love all of your glassware & china.....beautiful! I'm especially impressed with how many you have of each type. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWell that was just fun, fun, fun! Wow! I really enjoyed walking through your home and peeking at your many lovely glassware and dishes. You have everything tucked neatly in its own special place. I have definitely gotten some storage ideas from reading this. I think there will be a purging of many things currently stored around my house to make room for my dish collection.
ReplyDeleteI think your blue "quilted" dishes are Indiana glass in the Whitehall design. I have some of these in other colors...looking to add the blue to my collection. :)
Tammy
YeeHaw! You go Cherry Kay! That is fabulous! What a wonderful collection, beautiful! My dh was walking by as I scrolled through and he just muttered, you are all sick! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, we are, LOL
I love seeing this post!
I thought the blue glasses you didn't know the name of looked like a pattern by Villeroy and Boch???
ReplyDeleteAmazing! You have so many sets of dishes, I'm wondering if you have any favorites. I fell in love with all of your blue and white... they would look lovely in my home..lol... hope you all are staying cool over that way. hugs ~lynne~
ReplyDeleteDear Cherry,
ReplyDeleteI was in Cherry's wonderland, and I dont wont to be woken-up, just fell in love with everything and you such lovely stuff, you can leave me in your x-max and blue chine cabinets and pick me up a year later as I will be playing with them.
I enjoyed every part of it.
Thank you for sharing and doing a post on your lovely stuff.
I did a similar post for Tablescape Thursday for Susans but mine was on cleaning,I hope you have a chance to visit.
Lots of love,
Karin Şen Cankan
karinsfairytale.blogspot.com
Wonderful collection. I need to bookmark this to show to my children - I get comments from the people in my house about my collection, I usually only collect miscellaneous pieces. (OK, and the occasional set... ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://jeanneselep.blogspot.com/2011/06/easter-hutch.html
i have found my match...someone who actually might have more dishes and plates than i do.... it could be.... my next house will have a butlers pantry to store ALL my dishes in one room (next to the kitchen) with an extra dishwasher so I can use them all more easily..... wishes can come true.... glad to see someone loves pretty table settings as much as I do..... YEEHAA!...we better not go shopping together...as my daughter says .... "Step away from the dishes!" :)
ReplyDeleteSo, my sweet Miss Cherry Kay........I'm sitting here waiting for my husband to get off work in this podunk Kansas town where he's filling in for another doctor today, and I start cleaning out my email Inbox. I get just about all the way to the end, and what do I see but an email alert from Marlis at Creative Journeys re: her blog post that I just so happened to save. It was from June 4, 2011 which was the day after all that horrible stuff happened to us in Savannah. I was depressed and nowhere close to a computer for a month or more after that, still reeling and trying to make sense of things. But, geez...now I find out that The Tablescaper had a party on that day entitled "Where do you keep it all?" I come over to her blog, look at HER 6-4-11 post, then swing by this one to peek in at your tremendous collection. THEN I go back to my post from last week to see your comment on MY post. Bottom line: NO YOU DIDN'T!!!! :-) :-) :-) It is so interesting that you, The Tablescaper, Marlis and I have such a similar method of storage & display!!! AND you guys have just as much stuff as I do!!! Now I am the one who doesn't feel quite so bad! Tee hee hee!!!!!!!! Hope your weekend is going well!
ReplyDeleteGod is so good!
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog and "Oh my" - what beautiful dishes! I have a pretty hefty collection - but it does not compare to yours. Thanks for the organizational ideas - I have added you to my faves. You are awesome! Hugs and Blessings - Vanessa from Fort Mill