~My Collection of Ironstone~

Many, many years ago a friend of mine was having a yard sale.  I spotted a stack of very simple, ironstone plates that I fell in love with and bought them for $1 a piece.

I knew nothing about ironstone.  I knew nothing about Homer Laughlin.  I just knew I loved those plates not knowing what I would do with them and so they were stored in a kitchen cabinet...never used...collecting a little dust...waiting for the day that I would learn about more about ironstone, more about Homer Laughlin and the day finally came when I knew that I wanted to start collecting it.

So I would slowly begin my search finding a piece here and finding a piece there.  Some would be found in antique stores and some on eBay.

I realized that this particular pattern was hard to find and so I started adding other pieces that had a similar scroll type design or just because I loved the piece.  I had and still don't have any rhyme or reason as to why I buy a piece.

Maybe it's because I know that our lives are imperfect and I find comfort with the imperfect pieces that I find. I especially love the cracked glazing and slightly tinged staining that occurs in some pieces.

This particular piece is from Johnson Brothers.  It's almost too perfect and too white but what I loved about this piece was the intricate scroll design.

 

Two totally different styles.  One is slightly yellowed and aged.  The other looks more pristine.  But that doesn't matter.  What matters is that I like them and that's okay.

I found serving bowls and I found a couple of plates though a bit smaller than my original four plates.

I then got on a kick and found a few pitchers....

a few creamers, a couple of sugar bowls that I have on my kitchen counter for sugar and sweetener....

and some platters.  This beautiful little oblong piece, I believe, is used for serving relishes, pickles, etc.  I could be wrong on that though.  I've only been able to find this one piece.

The very simple, clean design of this pitcher was one of those "had to have" pieces.  I can envision cold milk or buttermilk (yuk!) being served on a farm table a time or two.

After our house was built, I found this antique cabinet and knew that this is where my ironstone was meant to be stored.  It fit perfectly between the two windows in my dining room and I had my wonderful son-in-law hang it for me.

  

While on the hunt for my loved collection, I realized what drew me to this simple but delicate, off-white style of ironstone.  It reminded me of farmhouses.  Homes where practicality and simple, yet sturdy pieces determined what was used day to day.  My style would be what you would call shabby farmhouse style.  My new house is even built to resemble an old farmhouse...I'll have to show it to you sometime!

I have no idea how old these dishes are and I don't really care although my heart tells me that I hope that they are REALLY old!  I love the fact that I can use them and I do use mostly the serving bowls and platters.

When I had my bed and breakfast a few years ago, these were the dishes that I used to serve my guests.  Now that's a story (or probably many stories) that I'll have to share with you at another time.  For now, I hope you've enjoyed the little tour of my beloved collection of ironstone and why I have the pieces that I do.

I pray that you have a beautiful day ~