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alicegunther
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| Posted: Jan 11 2007 at 10:35pm | IP Logged
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I love china and tea sets, and the hope chest thread left me thinking about all the pretty sets out there. I thought it might be fun to ooohh and ahhhhh over each other's china patterns ( I was fortunate enough to get a lovely set for my wedding--back in the days when I thought I would be giving formal dinner parties for fancy company). If you chose or registered for your pattern, please tell us what you liked about it, and include a link, if possible. It would also be fun to hear about any sets you might have inherited or picked up at tag sales.
I registered for Old Country Roses by Royal Doulton before my bridal shower. I liked it because it was old-fashioned, so old-fashioned, in fact, that I thought it was unusual. Little did I know, it is the most popular china pattern in the world! Still, I have often had friends assume it is a set inherited from my grandmother.
When we married, we had 16 teacups, but with our frequent teas, there are now only three left! Truly, it was well worth it for all the fun we've had with that set! 
Do you have any china you love?
By the way, in spite of the subject heading, I have never owned a china cabinet! Put that on the list for someday!
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Love, Alice
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Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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humanaevitae
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My grandmother has the same set!
Growing up, I love my mother's china set. When I got married I was so happy to receive the same pattern from her. Turns out the local grocery store was running a promotion on it and she bought me every piece!
It has a white background with dusty blue roses around it. Now my dd has told me that I must give it to her when she gets married!
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Nicole-Zane 10, Elizabeth 7, Xavier 4, and John Patrick 2
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LisaD
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For our wedding, we received 12 place-settings of Noritake Halls of Ivy. I chose it because I didn't want to be locked into specific colors. I still love the pattern-I think it's very elegant. I also have my grandmother's Franciscan Desert Rose, which she bought in CA at the old Fransican factory...I have about 16 place-settings of that. It is the china I remember at every holiday gathering while growing up. I was my grandmother's only grandaughter (she had four daugthers, and my mother is the only one who didn't have all boys!), so I inherited it. Several years ago my mother-in-law bought me my holiday dinnerware, which is Pfaltzgraff Holiday Spice. It is casual, and I use it from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day.
I don't have a china cabinet, either, but I sure could use one!
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Christine
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Oooh, I like this topic. When we were engaged, my husband and I registered for Noritake Landon with the teal band. I liked the dainty flowers and the teal band (it looks like a dark green) seemed Irish. I have had one teacup and saucer break at a tea, but I believe that china was made to be used.
My in-laws have given us their Lenox set (I can't remember what it is called) with a gold band.
We have my parents' Spode Christmas Tree dishes and glasses.
We also have three incomplete sets that belonged to my husband's grandparents.
Just in case you can't tell, I like china. The Noritake Landon is in a corner china cabinet (a birthday gift from my husband a couple of years ago).
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Christine
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MaryMary
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| Posted: Jan 12 2007 at 12:23am | IP Logged
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When I was newly engaged I casually mentioned to my mom that I liked the pattern for Mikasa's Antique Lace (D'oh! Can't make a link!) I had seen a teacup on display in one of the Home Depot display kitchens (Ha!) I also loved that it looked so old-fashioned and delicate. As if she hadn't done enough for me (see thread on hope chests) she and my father purchased an entire set (12 place settings) in this pattern for an engagement gift for us. I was stunned. I never would have expected such a gift. I felt so blessed, and SOOOOOO guilty. I really struggled with having it. It was lovely, so lovely, but not at all practical. After all, would we really use it? There were many more practical, more simple things that we could have used. I envisioned myself and my dear spouse having nothing to fill our new nest but some linens (from that hope chest)and Antique Lace place settings. I envisioned all of the poor that could have been fed with that money. That bothered me the most. But my mother insisted that she wanted for me what she did not have. She told me that she would never buy a nice set of china for herself until I had one first. I love the set more today than I did that day at Home Depot, because it represents for me the deep, sacrificial love of a mother. And I suppose there is nothing in the world more practical than that.
Another lovely wedding gift we received from a dear friend was the Royal Albert Lavender Rose teapot and creamer and sugar bowl. We love this teapot and use it regularly along with our mismatched mugs. It's our version of "Shabby Chic"
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Mary
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Cheryl
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I didn't really want to register for China. I think paper plates are much more practical for parties, but my dh insisted. We chose Mikasa Wedding Band Gold and we received 13 place settings. The plates look a little bit like paper plates.
The China sat in its original boxes in the closet under our stairs for nine years. When we moved 7 months ago, we bought a hutch. The China is now displayed in our dining room. My dh was thrilled.
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Cheryl
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JodieLyn
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I have the distinction of falling in love with whatever pattern will go out of production within 10 yrs and be impossible to find used. 
My wedding china was Baum Brothers Bernadotte.. lovely raised pattern around the edge solid white.. very versatile.. quite lovely but not too delicate for every day.. and yet not too heavy for fancy. We got 8 settings.. lost some to breakage. I finally gave what was left to my MIL because she loved the style of bowls.. I believe I still have the teacups and small plates??
I use a mishmash for everyday.. with plans to get some of the enamel splatterware in either yellow or blue..
My ILs gave us dh's grandmother's china.. it's fairly old (the dinner plate size gives it away.. I've seen modern sets that the salad plates were almost the size of these dinner plates) They're edged in gold with a floral and scrollwork sort of design in many colors.. predominately a sort of burnt orange but with soft blues and pinks and greens.. they pretty much look very nice with just about any color you could think of.. though you wouldn't really believe it to first look at them. It's a set of 12 including some service dishes which I'd love to find more of (and some missing pieces). But no where does it say the pattern and I've had no luck finding any more.
I have an oval platter from my grammy's china.. it's a sorta ivory color (I think intended that way not aged) with a pink rose centered on it. Then there's all kinds of tea cups.. the ones from our wedding china, the ones from dh's grandmother's china, plus a set of 6 that's small blue flowers in a deep less scooped shape.. and another 6-8 in various shapes and colors and patterns
No china cabinet.. though I have a buffet that I can store a great deal in.
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St. Ann
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We also picked out nice dishes for Sunday and Feast day use. We received many pieces as wedding presents, but also purchased quite a lot ourselves. My mom told me back then that she thought it better for everyday use, but I didn't want anything else for my good china except for Evesham Vale from Royal Worcester.
I hope the link works.
For everyday we have a classic german china called Arzberg weiß.
I wouldn't mind a new finer china one day! 
Evesham Vale
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Stephanie
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amyable
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We have Regalia Court Teal by Gorham I think we just have the dishes, and not any other pieces like sugar bowls or cups/saucers. We may have a few soup bowls. Shows how often we use it that I have no idea, huh?
My 93 year old grandmother has a set still, I believe, that is very old fashioned and beautiful, much like the roses one that Alice linked but with smaller flowers. She promised it to me (the only granddaughter) a long time ago...but several moves later I don't know if she still owns it.
I too would love a china cabinet! or at least a buffet/hutch type thing. It would be nice to take our fine china out from under our bed.
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stefoodie
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we registered for pfaltzgraff trousseau and got a bunch of pieces, some of which have broken through the years. i then got a hardly used set of royal song simplicity at a thrift shop -- 8 place settings plus sugar, veggie dish, etc. but i have been in love for years with lomonosov cobalt net. every year i tell myself, i'll buy ONE piece this year, but then i can never justify the expense. so this year, my goal is the teapot. again.
my china cabinet was "inherited" from a house we bought -- the lady who owned it had moved to a nursing home. when we couldn't agree on the price, we asked if we could take it at the price the son was asking and could we please have the furniture that was still in the house. he agreed! he lived in NY and was eager to go back home and didn't want the trouble of having to get rid of the furniture, so we got the china cabinet, the dining set, and the buffet, plus a dresser and a few other pieces. i'd love to have pieces made to match the dining room set.
the cabinet is a small one though (half the size of the ones at furniture stores), and i keep buying china (for food blogging), cheap ones, mostly geometric -- so it's getting quite crowded in there. i also got a couple of quiche dishes and a souffle bowl on ebay. i *love* japanese tableware. especially their dipping sauce bowls and sake sets!
as you can tell, i have somewhat of a china fixation.
oh, and i *love* old country roses too! their tea set is on sale right now for $99!!! drool, drool, drool...
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Elizabeth
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I have my mother's china cabinet and a sideboard hutch from my aunt. My nice china is Wedgewood Osbourne. My everyday dishes are mixed colors of Henn Workshops Spongeware. Then there are lots of other "here and there" cups and saucers, dessert plates and serving pieces. I really like Tracy Porter. And someone I know just talked me into a set (or three) of miniature snowman mugs ! I have a weakness for pottery--just ask my dear husband.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Bridget
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We enjoy using our china too! My wedding china is Noritake Chadbourne.
I have one tea cup and saucer from each of my grandmother's china sets. I don't use those.
Several years ago before they retired it, Kevin got me a set of Longaberger's Holly Pottery. Lots of plates, mugs and serving pieces.
I can't even find a picture of it on ebay. A few times when we have been really tight I considered selling it. I'm guessing that it could be worth a lot since I can't find it for sale anywhere. But I like the set so much and it meant so much to him to get it for me, that I cannot part with it.
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guitarnan
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I love china! My mom has 3 sets and I have 1 1/2. This means that my children won't have to fight over the china when I'm gone. They can pick from their great-grandparents' sets or from mine or my mom's.
I actually mixed two china patterns when I selected mine...see, a renegade from the first...meant to homeschool...my salad plates are Chateaubriand and everything else is the sadly discontinued Baudelaire. Fortunately my parents gave us china for, well, every occasion, until we had 12 place settings. (See where I inherited my love of china!)
My holiday china (that's the half set) is Lenox's Holiday. Now I'm reading that they are in financial trouble...ack. What to do?
I just started using my new stainless flatware (for every day...the old set was down to 7 forks) and I'm in love with it! Maybe we need a flatware thread!
I am glad I am not the only wife in the USA who likes china. Sometimes I think I'm out of touch because people don't use good china any longer.
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Jen L.
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We registered for Mikasa Arabella for our wedding and got, I think, 8 places settings and some accessroies. Then, about a year later, my mom went to a neighbors garage sale and she got me 12 place settings for $90! It almost immediately became my "everyday dishes" and I'm so glad it did. So my kitchen cabinets and my china cabinet have the same dishes. (My sister-in-law liked it so much when she bought it for our wedding gift that she has it now too!)
I would love some dark/cobalt blue dishes to complement them (the dark leaves you see are blue) and I also love Polish Pottery of which I have none.
Fun thread!
(edited to fix link - i forgot to preview )
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KellyinPA
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Does Corellecount? Guess not Oh well. We married young (18 and 19) and china did seem to be at the top of my priority list. As the years went on I could have started a collection but we truly never had the space for it.
I have a set of the Spode Christmas Tree that we use from after Thanksgiving until Epiphany. It was my great-aunt's set and she gave it to me when she stopped having holiday gatherings at her home. She was at our home during the holidays and commented that she was glad it was being put to use, so that was nice.
I LOVE dishes and tea cups and all that goes with it. I will definitely encourage my dd to choose a china pattern when that time comes.
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Cindy Mac
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Ooh, I'm so excited. This is a topic I can add to. When I was in college, I was engaged to someone and I ended up picking out a floral pattern that I thought was very pretty. Of course I don't remember the name of the pattern - obviously I didn't marry that guy!
Fast forward 8 years. DH and I chose this pattern. As you can see, taste changed greatly from 1993 to 2001! Each year my dh and I host a Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner the weekend before Thanksgiving. My husband has done this for 12 years now. We break out the china that night. Otherwise with 3 little people, it doesn't get taken out that much.
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mary theresa
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I like seeing everybody's china! This is what I have:Mikasa Montpellier
When I got married, some of my family thought it was silly to ask for fine china, since I was gonna have tons of kids who would break them and when would I ever use it , etc. , etc. But I love my china, and even if it gets broken someday, the specialness of eating and drinking from such beautiful things makes me happy and I'm sure the kids will appreciate it too. So, I tried to ignore the nay-sayers and I have 10 place settings that I can't wait till I have enough kids to use it all. Now, since my only child (so far!) is too young, my husband and I use the china for Christmas and Easter and anniversaries, etc.
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Bridget
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This thread is so much fun! I love dishes and table linens. Everyone has such pretty things!
If we ever build a kitchen i want a dish and linen pantry.
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God Bless,
Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Elizabeth
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Bridget wrote:
This thread is so much fun! I love dishes and table linens. Everyone has such pretty things!
If we ever build a kitchen i want a dish and linen pantry. |
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Ooohhhh, I really like that idea...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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mellyrose
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We registered for and received 12 place settings of Wedgwood Cornucopia for our wedding. I also have the teapot and sugar / creamer set. DH visited the Wedgwood factory while in England once during a deployment and that interested him in the Wedgwood brand. I loved how unique the settings looked.
We also have a picture frame that I have our engagement picture in. It was signed by a representative from Wedgwood who happened to be in town one day near where I was working as a temp during our engagement.
I also have my great-grandmother's set of Franciscan Desert Rose.
And, I have never used either set!!! I know -- terrible! They both sit in cupboards of my kitchen but have never been used :(
Melanie
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: May I see inside your china cabinet?
