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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A Peek At My Three Favorite Platters

I love dishes, and I love to serve food to friends and family.

I especially love to serve food on pretty dishes!


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Welcome to my Three Or More Tuesday post, for the blog party hosted by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner.
Click here for more!
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When my in-laws still lived in Massachusetts, there was a small antiques shop in their village, and I was the lucky recipient of many of the treasures my mother-in-law spotted there. Probably my favorite is this platter:


I use it all the time, for just about everything. (Well, not for soup.)

I think it is ironstone, as it is very heavy. What I love is that it is very deep.
You can put the pasta and the sauce on this.

I love the soft pink and lavender flowers, and the worn touches of gilt:

You can see the depth in this shot; this big platter is at bottom right:


It is marked underneath with a shield, with "Weimar"
diagonally across it, and "Germany" beneath.

I always assumed that meant it was made during the Weimar Republic years, 1919 to 1933, but I did a little quick research this morning, and there was a porcelain company of that name, using that stamped shield. So -- I have no idea how old this platter is after all!


If you ever find a big, pretty platter with a deep, deep well -- buy it!
Your tablecloth will thank you, because nothing will slop over the sides when people are helping themselves (not a problem if you have a butler, but we've let ours go -- the economy, you know).
Plus it is just the perfect showcase for your food.


My other two platters are twins, almost. Same platters, different sizes.
And I love them because they are just so durned purty.


Plus I got them both for $5.00, when I bought some matching
dinner plates on Ebay. They are Limoges:


I have about 15 dinner plates, and perhaps 6 luncheon plates in the same pattern, and 6 bouillon cups, all bought piecemeal on Ebay, for cheap. But what I use the most are these two hardworking beauties.

They don't match the big ol' German gal, but they look great working right alongside her.

I love the delicate flowers --

and the gilded touches --
They are perfect sizes for so many things -- asparagus, couscous, roasted root veggies, and of course -- cookies for tea! These three platters get more use than any other serving pieces, even though they do require hand washing. It's well worth it.

And that's my Three Or More! I think next week I'll rummage through
my Grandma's china cabinet and find some neat things.

Do you see the chair to the right, below? It is wicker and metal, with great patina. Anne brought 3 of them home from college; these I like having around!
We found them at the side of the road last fall.


Someone commented on my post yesterday, that I was keeping it real by showing my upstairs hallway completely filled with my daughter Anne's home-from-college stuff.

I liked that comment; That Old House and its insides and its outsides are very real, creaks and cracks and all. Plus, I had to laugh when I looked again at yesterday's post -- talk about real --

I should have noticed the lovely coating of dust on the newel post
in that last hallway picture, before I published it for all to see!

Oh well.
I blame Annie; surely plopping all that stuff down in the hallway raised a big ol' cloud of dust.

Speaking of Anne, she was supposed to get home yesterday afternoon from her singing gig on Guam, but her flight from Tokyo was canceled because of a volcano (yikes!). She had a 30-hour "layover" and hopefully is on her way home by now. I'll pick her up late tonight at Kennedy Airport.

A "real" picture, taken to test my camera batteries: my morning coffee, a plate stand from Dollar Tree lying on its side on our dining room table, and the three platters waiting for their closeups by Mrs. DeMille.
There's probably some dust there somewhere, if you look closely enough!

Real life is like that . . . there's always some dust, somewhere.

Thanks, Tam, for hosting one of my favorite blog parties! -- Cass

27 comments:

  1. Hello Cass!

    Thank you so much for your visit and sweet comment! I love when someone new stops by to say hello.:o) What a beautiful place you have here, and your border is absolutely lovely!

    Your platters are beautiful! I too love the delicate flowers on each of them. It sure makes dinner time special being served in these lovely pieces. I am so glad when met, an surely will be back here again and again. You and your family enjoy a lovely week.

    Smiles...

    Beverly

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  2. Wasn't it you who told me in the beginning of my blogging days that dust is a coating to protect our antiques?
    If not consider yourself told that very thing, it protects your Old House.

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  3. Yes, Lori, it indeed WAS me who told you that dust is a protective coating on antiques!

    I used to make my mother NUTS telling her that when she'd ask me to dust.

    Hmm... I wonder how long before I'll just stand myself in a corner near a radiator and let MYSELF get covered with that protective coating? Hey, if it helps save old things....
    :-)
    Cass

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  4. Cass,

    I love your pieces! I will have to remember to look for deep platters, it sure makes sense. And every time I read about or see something that someone got on Ebay~I kick myself because I really need to check it out. I am so afraid I will become an addict, and I spend far too much time on my laptop already!! But you can't beat the prices and I guess as long as I am going to "be on the hunt" for the things I love, I should hightail it over there.

    I like the chairs. I am a chair freak. I would have put the chair right where you have it too. I like old chairs to put plants on, something pretty.

    Great dishes. Hmm....Limoges!!!

    I am going to scroll back to see your messy hall. Clutter and dust is something I can identify with!!

    I wish Anne a safe trip home. You sound so calm. A volcano (shiver).

    xoxo
    Jane

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  5. Love, Love, Love....Cass those are just beautiful, would go nicely in my home too!!! So delicate and dainty!, xoxo~Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...

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  6. Well, listen to my dust excuse. I've got a bank being built across the street. LOADS of dust while they do the ever endless dirt work. Sometimes I think construction men just like to run those big machines back and forth across dirt because they're like little boys and don't know when enough is enough. Speaking of which, I haven't even said a word about your pretty dishes you got for a song! They're beautiful! I love a platter that has some depth to it, and you rarely find that. This was fun!
    Brenda

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  7. Your china is very pretty. My home is VERY real right now, but instead of staying home and doing something about it, I hit the streets and went to play. :-)
    Thanks for stopping by.
    Glenda

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  8. loved your post...and your china.
    those are great pieces...what a deal!
    i love that you are REAL
    and i love even more that you admit there is always some dust somewhere
    :)
    i work at the dust and can't ever get it all either
    enjoyed your pics so much
    thx 4 sharing

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  9. I loved your post & the fact that you are real. I love, love, love the platters. And I too had to let the butler go and the maid & the gardener. But I kept the handy man (I kind of had too as we are married). lol. Thanks for keeping it real & for the laughs.

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  10. Hey, you like serving your friends and family good food on pretty platters, and I like my friends and family serving me good food on pretty platters!!!! I do love your platters. And the college daughter's piles of stuff hits home too - I have a college daughter with piles of stuff. I think maybe we were separated at birth. Rhonda

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  11. I call dust the "etching of living"! Your platters are such lovely pieces. It makes it even better when there are memories attached. Your blog is so enjoyable.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Charla

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  12. Hello there Cass! Love those platters for sure. So delicate and such a sweet design. I also couldn't help but notice the comments about dust being a coating to protect antiques. I'll have to remember that one :0)

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  13. When I saw your photos of the platters I instantly loved them! Then I read where they are from and no wonder I was drawn to their delicate detail and coloring. They are German like I am, hehe.
    Thank you for participating in 'Three Or More' and have a wonderful evening,
    Tam

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  14. I collect china, too. I have so much already displayed and have run out of room! I just can't pass up up a pretty piece of china. LOL
    What a long layover your daughter had! UGH! Wishing her a safe trip, and a good night's sleep for you!
    Misha

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  15. Evening, Cass! Oh, what lovelies you have! These platters are so pretty! If your tire of them, call me! ;)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  16. Your platters are so pretty! I'll have to keep an eye out for a deep platter now, makes perfect sense. Hope your daughter gets home safe!
    Valerie

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  17. What do you mean by they need hand washing? They look real pretty all clean and shiny in the dishwasher. Did I do something wrong :)

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  18. Good morning Cass :)

    You always make me giggle... Mrs. DeMille LOL

    Your platters are beautiful, I love that chair, but the cabinet... that made me swoon! You wouldn't notice it missing would you? ;)

    rue

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  19. What pretty platters. I love china prints in those colors.

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  20. Hi Cass...

    Thanks for coming by and taking a peek at my cloches and apothecary jar vignettes...and for your sweet comments!!! Girl, I just giggled when I read what you wrote about using a pepsi bottle...hehe!!! Honey, if anyone could make that old Pepsi bottle look good...it would be you!!!

    What a lovely post! Of course, you have probably figured out by now how much I love dishes...so I really enjoyed looking through this collection of yours!!! The platters are just gorgeous!!! I love the pretty pink flower pattern...just beautiful!!! Loved looking through your hallway transformation post too! Girl, ya'll have done such beautiful work to this home!!! I've really loved seeing all the transformations!!! Thanks for sharing them and your beautiful home with all of us!!!

    Have a wonderful day, my friend!
    Chari

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  21. I love those platters. It is amazing, but I like gilt being worn better than if it were perfect on most things!!! Those flowers are so delicate and they all look so good together.

    I will now how to find your home from college stuff to make me feel better! We have a stash also! :D Jewel

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  22. Ooooooo, green with jealousy here!

    Oh wait, maybe it's just mildew from all this rain.

    No, seriously, LOVE those dishes!!! ;)

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  23. Hi Cass, You can be sure I wouldn't perform a white glove test on anyone's house!! Aren't we suppose to take care of our dust before we tell others to clean up their's?? LOL!!

    I say you can write in my dust just don't date it!! ;o)

    Your platters are so pretty. I just love having those favorite things that just make me smile, and it seems that these are some that bring you great pleasure.

    Hope you have a joyful Friday, and a lovely weekend!!
    Blessings,
    Becky

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  24. Love the platters and yes, the deep ones are the best. I have a set of hand painted dishes that my Great Aunt Belle painted back when that was a ladies' hobby. Each plate has a different flower.
    Winnie, Frances Rose and Sophie The Noisy send their regards to Dion.

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  25. Oh Cass, those platters are gorgeous! I thought they were all the same pattern. I don't have a deep platter, and since you've said something about how handy they are, I'm going to have to look for one. I'm sure I won't find anything as pretty as yours though. I want to have a plaque made with your words on it-"real life is like that, there's always dust somewhere". I loved that. laurie

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