If you're just joining me today, you may want to back track to yesterday's post where I geek out about my dishes.
This next set is somewhat controversial in the 2000s so I want to hear what you think about this topic in general. I know a lot of people are choosing not to register for formal china, and I understand why, but I'm nothing if not a traditionalist. And honestly, I'm sad that we've lost a bit of formality in today's culture, but that is entirely another topic for another day. {See also: wearing hats in church. Or church dress, in general, now that I think about it.}
My formal china is plain but leaves me many options to mix and match. The pattern is Lenox Solitaire which is an ivory china with a platinum band. My Grannie might not approve of this, but I run these through the dish washer after I use them. After the dry cycle, I just run a dry cloth around the platinum to polish up the edges, and they are none the worse for it.
I received service for 12 when we married, with most of the place settings coming from Brad's and my grandmothers and aunts. We use them when we celebrate major holidays (we designate a time to celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving as just our small immediate family) and celebrations like our anniversary or another special occasion. I most recently pulled them out on New Year's Eve. There were children present, and they ate off of them too. The only piece I'm missing in this set is the coffee pot and some of the accent luncheon plates.
This last set is Spode Christmas Tree which is a ubiquitous pattern, but I love it. It's clearly seasonal, but we absolutely give them a workout during the stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have Christmas plates coming out of my ears (something like 25-30 dinner and that many more salad) because I like to use them for parties during that time. My secret to owning that many? I loaded up the day after Christmas on Dillards.com when they were something like 50-75% off. I probably did that the year we married because I was especially addicted to stockpiling dishes then.
I chose mugs over teacups because those get a bit more use at my house during that time of year. For the past few years, I've added one serving piece per year as a little sussy to myself during the Christmas season.
I also counted and have 6 casserole dishes, so either I have some hoarding tendencies that I need to deal with or I intend on having a very large family. Obviously, there is no point to having this many dishes unless you're going to use them, so you won't be surprised to hear that I don't pull out paper plates unless we're going to be eating outside or something.
My favorite thing, without a doubt, is cooking up a meal to serve my friends and family on pretty plates. My dishes are nothing without memories to go with them.
{Tell me what you think about formal china in the comments!}
This next set is somewhat controversial in the 2000s so I want to hear what you think about this topic in general. I know a lot of people are choosing not to register for formal china, and I understand why, but I'm nothing if not a traditionalist. And honestly, I'm sad that we've lost a bit of formality in today's culture, but that is entirely another topic for another day. {See also: wearing hats in church. Or church dress, in general, now that I think about it.}
My formal china is plain but leaves me many options to mix and match. The pattern is Lenox Solitaire which is an ivory china with a platinum band. My Grannie might not approve of this, but I run these through the dish washer after I use them. After the dry cycle, I just run a dry cloth around the platinum to polish up the edges, and they are none the worse for it.
I received service for 12 when we married, with most of the place settings coming from Brad's and my grandmothers and aunts. We use them when we celebrate major holidays (we designate a time to celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving as just our small immediate family) and celebrations like our anniversary or another special occasion. I most recently pulled them out on New Year's Eve. There were children present, and they ate off of them too. The only piece I'm missing in this set is the coffee pot and some of the accent luncheon plates.
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This last set is Spode Christmas Tree which is a ubiquitous pattern, but I love it. It's clearly seasonal, but we absolutely give them a workout during the stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have Christmas plates coming out of my ears (something like 25-30 dinner and that many more salad) because I like to use them for parties during that time. My secret to owning that many? I loaded up the day after Christmas on Dillards.com when they were something like 50-75% off. I probably did that the year we married because I was especially addicted to stockpiling dishes then.
I chose mugs over teacups because those get a bit more use at my house during that time of year. For the past few years, I've added one serving piece per year as a little sussy to myself during the Christmas season.
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I also counted and have 6 casserole dishes, so either I have some hoarding tendencies that I need to deal with or I intend on having a very large family. Obviously, there is no point to having this many dishes unless you're going to use them, so you won't be surprised to hear that I don't pull out paper plates unless we're going to be eating outside or something.
My favorite thing, without a doubt, is cooking up a meal to serve my friends and family on pretty plates. My dishes are nothing without memories to go with them.
{Tell me what you think about formal china in the comments!}
LOVE all four sets of your china! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brittany!
DeleteOh I do love me some china! In fact, ours has been packed away since our wedding since we haven't stayed put anywhere ... so we can now break it out!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! Break them out in the new kitchen!
DeleteWe use our formal china often. In fact, we use it any time we have dinner guests, for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries and holidays. I am of the mindset that if it just sits in a china cabinet or hutch and never gets used it is useless.
ReplyDeleteI love that, Gloria! It's so true. What's the point of having it if you're not going to use it.
DeleteMy sister-in-law has those two patterns. They are lovely!
ReplyDeleteSometimes my traditional side competes with my practical side, and the practical side won in the decision to not register for a formal pattern (since we would only use them a few times each year and would have the Christmas dishes for that holiday). So we just try to dress up the everyday for special occasions.
I understand! If you have it and don't use it, then it's just collecting dust.
DeleteI am sad that people have gotten away from things! I didn't registrar for china because I couldn't make up my mind on what I wanted and didn't want for people to get something I wasn't going to like. I have since started collecting and love it! I also run my set through the dishwasher and have never had an issue.
ReplyDeleteI love the pink set you have. Makes me sad it was discontinued! I LOVE pink as well!
Thank you! How fun that you are collecting a set now!
DeleteI love china too! I inherited my grandmother's fine china and all of her serving pieces. It looks almost exactly like yours with the platinum band, but it has an engraved white floral pattern on the rims as well...it's on display in our glass front kitchen cabinets. I also collect Spode Blue Italian and MacKenzie Child's Courtly Check. For our wedding, we registered for Wedgwood Jasper Conran for 16 in cream, these are our everyday dishes. SO, I have the same hoarding tendencies when it comes to dishes and serving pieces :} We use them too, not the fine china as often, but we do use the Spode and Wedgwood all the time. I don't have Christmas china yet, but that's on my wish list! I LOVE all of your patterns! Especially the pink Spode :}
ReplyDeleteIt's probably obvious, but I'm a sucker for Spode. I love Blue Italian!
DeleteI love these last two posts because I have a love of dishes as well! When I registered I registered for 2 sets of everyday and 1 set of china. That was kind of weird to do 8 years ago (it might still be-I don't know) but I wanted a fun/colorful everyday set, a traditional more formal everyday set and a china set. I didn't get any serving piece in the china (Lennox Opal Innocence) but I can grab some at the outlets in Florida when we go. My fun everyday is from Pier One and my formal everyday is Butler's Pantry which I think is also Lenox.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your sets! Transferware is so timeless and classic.
I love that you registered for 3 sets. Why not?!? Butler's Pantry is perfect for everyday. The one thing I don't have is an all white set!
DeleteI love dishes too, but I have had to tell myself not to buy anymore b/c I don't have room to store them!!! Where/how do you store all of your sets??
ReplyDeleteI have a ton of cabinet space in my kitchen. The space above and below where my mixer is stores three sets, plus crystal serving pieces I was given when I got married.
DeleteOkay, I love this post and the previous one for lots of reasons! Love dishes--we registered for fun everyday (that we truly use everyday) and surprisingly, Hudson picked out our formal china--it has a little bit of a masculine feel to it, but still pretty (Nikko's Moonstone) and can be run through the dishwasher. :) I would love to get an all white set at some point when I have more cabinet space. We were also gifted (at our wedding) with an 4 piece place setting of Christmas everyday dishes and we have 8 total settings, so we use that at the holidays. But what made me really smile was that you used the word "sussy" and I knew exactly what you were talking about...though my family always called it a "searcy." Hope you are well!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you love dishes too! Yes, all white is the one thing I'm lacking. Can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.
DeleteEvery lady needs to know what a sussy is. It is my therapy!
I feel like we are kindred dish spirits! I absolutely love dishes and looking at china patterns. We have a mix of Fiesta colors for our everyday and Lenox Federal Platinum (similar to your Solitare, but with double lines) for our fine china. We are collecting Lenox Autumn now, which my husband and I have both fallen in love with. I would love to start collecting the Spode Christmas Tree pattern as well, but we're putting that one off for now!
ReplyDelete