Hi, Friends,
How are you? I hope that you are doing well.
I've been collecting white pitchers for a long time. I found my first ironstone pitcher and wash bowl set at an estate sale in Lubbock, Texas. We lived there until 1993, so it was way before these became so popular.
When white interiors became popular, the hunt began for more white ironstone.
At first the selection was plentiful and the prices were cheap.
Not all of my finds were old ironstone. I didn't care if they were reproductions. I could pick up pieces for 99¢. I found platters, gravy boats, creamers and pitchers.
I wasn't picky. If it was something that would fit into my decor, it came home with me if the price was right.
It was a fun collection to build.
Ironstone is heavier than regular porcelain. It was also cheaper to make.
There is no iron in it, however. The pitchers and creamers are my favorite types of pieces to find.
The shapes are so beautiful.
During the last few years, the bounty has disappeared and the prices have risen. Finds were rare. I felt like people realized what they had. Folks were not getting rid of their white dishware.
White is such a great neutral for display and a "more is more" philosophy can apply.
I filled the niches in the kitchen. I added some pieces to the breakfront. When we got Starsky, The Hutch I resorted to eBay to add some great pieces to my collection because pickings had gotten slim.
Two weeks ago, I decided that I didn't want the green and white transferware in the dry sink out in East Texas. The green and white needed to be in the secretary in the guest room.
I thought that white would look really good against the aqua milk paint. I shopped the house and dotted the shelves so that I could photograph the dry sink for a Christmas home tour.
Additional pieces would be procured over time. I thought it would be a slow process.
The donation pile in our garage was growing. It had been a few months since we had taken a load to the thrift store. I'm still downsizing our possessions but it is a slow process.
There is a weird universal law of donation. If you give, you shall receive.
I dropped off the load and went around to the front of the store.
I found two pitchers.
Another thrift store is near the pharmacy so of course I had to check it out too.
I found two more pitchers and a little dish.
There is a dear little antique store in the next town. I hit pay dirt! They had some great things.
Finally, an estate sale yielded a few more wonderful finds.
These aren't prized in the sense that they are fabulous antiques. They are prized for the joy in finding them. Not all of my finds were ironstone. I think a few pieces are porcelain.
The most expensive pitcher was $15.00.
There are some great shapes.
This is the not the only time that this has happened.
I've had garage sales. I don't care how much stuff we have, our garage sales yield about only about 80 bucks. That never seems worth all of the work that a garage sale entails. I tried to sell on Facebook Marketplace. I never even got a hit on my Facebook Marketplace furniture.
I've found that giving our junk away is so worth it.
The charity benefits and I benefit, even if white pitchers don't miraculously appear.
Donating isn't just about clearing out space in our garage,
It's good to know that our old items will help someone else.
Hopefully, my old stuff brings people joy and they experience the thrill of the hunt.
I wonder who will find our Waterford cross?
I'll have to save why that was donated for another day.
That is all for now.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Katie
