Chic Collecting
by habituallychic
11 . 09 . 13While I was styling an early Thanksgiving table this week for a photo shoot, I was lamenting the fact that I don’t have a large collection of blue and white china like my friend Alice Ryan does above. I was also kicking myself for not buying up the boxes of china I’ve seen at the flea market until I realized that I could find everything I needed on eBay. You can create a collection in just one day or find the pieces you’re missing. Speaking of collections, you can check out my Blue Willow Collection and more on eBay right now. I’ve put together 24 collections of my favorite things from silver and Wedgewood to what’s in my beauty bag, my hair care routine, and my most treasured books. It’s also fun to look at all the other tastemaker collections for holiday gift ideas.
Bon weekend!
Blue Willow platter on eBay.
China I missed out on at the flea market in NYC.
Whole collection of Blue Willow on eBay.
A box of blue and white I passed up this summer.
Pretty blue and white pieces on eBay.
Blue and white china I didn’t buy at the Hanna’s Town flea market.
My collections were curated as part of my collaboration with eBay. All opinions are my own.
4 Comments
Here’s a collectors story for you, Heather. About 30 years ago I responded to an ad in the newspaper selling “blue & white china” from a home way out in the country on an Hawaiian Island. When I arrived I felt a little uneasy for the home was not well kept on the outside. The man who responded to my knock on the door said it was his mother’s china. I nearly had a heart attack when I found it was all old Flo Blue, from England, every piece had a beautiful mark on it, and a very large set – all matching pieces – spread all over the floor in a side room, with many pieces broken. He did not know what he had and did not take care to protect it. Because it was such a large set, I still had service for 8 using salad plates, 6 for dinner plates, with many serving pieces, including extras like petite bone dishes. Coffee cups/saucers, of all things, were unbroken. He wanted $35/cash. I enjoyed it in my china cabinet for 20 years; later, when downsizing to a condo, I sold the set to a dealer for $1,500! What are the odds…before Craigslist and eBay to happen upon such a find? My vote is to get less and go for Flo Blue, you will never regret it.
Heather I have kicked myself as well at times for passing up a great bargain; however I am slo scaling down and keeping only what I love!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Hi!
The paternal great-grandmother of my daughter has many complete collections of porcelain imported, one of them is very similar to your sample.
This collection is so beautiful and I’m sure the dinner table for Thanksgiving Day will be divine.
Cheers 🙂
Yes, pass on the 20th c. transfer pieces and go for old flow blue. The richness of the indigo and variations in the coloration never cease to give life to any setting. And the value will never go away. Glad to see that blue and white is making a come back.
Mary