Still working on the cane back chair.  Sanding the frame has revealed patchy spots of old stain and paint.  Underneath it all is a not too spectacular looking grain, so I’ve been experimenting with color and glaze to come up with the right fit for this chair.  As we wait for the glue to cure on the bit of repairs needed for this week’s chair project, I thought I’d do a show and tell of my obsession, all things high-fired and beautiful.

Gordon Segal, founder of Crate & Barrel, once envisioned Americans living the tradition of the European table with separate dishware for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  As a C&B worker bee once upon a time, I drank the Koolaid and acquired a few discounted sets on my watch there.

Barcelona, which we call the Charlie Brown dishes and usually use for Thanksgiving.  When it went to the outlet store marked down to $1.50 a plate, I pounced.

This is an everyday set named Lodge.  The mugs and bowls from the mix and match set are long gone but were good for cereal.

My obsession started early.  I admired my mom’s  violet patterned china since I could remember it.  As a bride, I chose a plain white  by Fitz and Floyd and paired it with these dessert plates from the Horchow catalog.

Lunch: Square plates from a restaurant close-out with a random hotel plate.

Blue and white:  C&B buffet plates and Bistro dishes, which I won in a schtickle auction.  Schtickle is the stuff that’s chipped, damaged or discontinued, good enough to be used but not to sell.  The Bistro set was disco.

I’m happy to have this set of Booth’s Real Old Blue Willow.  My mother-in-law bought them in London and they carry memories of family dinners at the holidays.  I remember she purchased them in the year of the queen’s silver jubilee.

Okay, last blue and white dishes and last on the tour today.  I found these a few weeks ago at a Ravenswood yard sale and bought the set of eight plates for one of the offspring.  They’re from a German factory and have a vintage Scandinavian Design look.