Removing Gold Detail From Ceramics With Bar Keeper's Friend

The pitcher on the coffee table in the living room was getting some fresh flowers. 

I looked at my white ironstone pitcher and thought it was perfect. 

It was perfect except for one detail. 

It had gold trim around the top, bottom, middle and on the handle.

I have had a "festivus" of copper cleaning around here and Bar Keeper's Friend is my "go to" copper cleaning product. It literally melts the tarnish away. 

Some of the gold was worn away on my pitcher. 

The bottom of the pitcher had a maker's mark but it also had a gold artist's mark which meant the gold was applied after the piece was fired.  

I decided to see if my beloved Bar Keeper's Friend would remove the gold. 

It did. If gold is applied before firing or glazing, removing it won't work. 

Some of you may think that this piece was better with the gold but the simple look of white ironstone appeals to me. We don't have a huge collection even though I've been collecting it for seven years.  

White ironstone is getting very difficult to find in my area. The prices for it are exorbitant. 

Yesterday, I saw a small square bowl with a chip. It was $15.00. Nope! 

I'm not paying that much for something with a chip. 

You know by now that I make weekly trips to the thrift store. 

My thrift store raises money for expectant mothers. A subject that is very important to me. 

I never feel bad about shopping at my thrift store. 

My "un-golding" project caused me to take a second look at a little cream pitcher that I saw. 

It was only $1.40 so it came home with me.  

The gold came off with the Bar Keeper's Friend and a scrubbing sponge. 

It was added to my collection of little white creamers.

There has been a lot of chatter lately about color. 

 It seems that home decor aficionados are ready for color instead of all the monochromatic tones of Farmhouse style.

I've always added a pop of color with my neutrals. The couch usually gets a new seasonal pillow. This spring, I picked up some very 90s looking pillows from IKEA.

 They had the LEIKNY cushion covers for only $6.99 each. They also had a couch in this pattern. 

It was darling! 

 I made the little blue and white pillow out of a ELLY dish towel. Those are $3.99 for four dish towels.  

This was our color scheme the year we moved into this house.  

A vintage Nippon dish coordinates with the pillows perfectly. 

I like it. 

I'm on the look out for more ironstone to "un-gold." 

The weather is beginning to warm up and some trees are budding out.
Yahoo. 

Katie