The Event ~ The China Trade Out!

Everyone has a hang-up, and mine is stuff with pictures on it.  Specifically, checks, dishes, t-shirts!

I do not like to eat off of plates with designs, flowers, picures, borders, etc.  I do not like to write on checks that have pictures on them, especially over the center of the check where I have to write on.  And I don't like to wear t-shirt with pictures.  Plain jane, simplicity.  That's me! 

When I was young and engaged to be married,  living and working in Denver, I succumbed to the ever popular door-to-door salesman pedaling his new-bride wares of silver, crystal, china, pots and pans, etc.  That was indeed the beginning of the end of the era of door-to-door salesmen.  I only bought china.  Good girl!  Even then, all the china had silly colored flowers or other such stuff on it.  But one set had only a few small white roses on white, and that is the set I bought.  White on white - the most plain set available.  For the first 35 years my china was carefully stored and displayed in a corner china cabinet that Grandpa Grabe built for me.  Only taken out two or three times a year for holidays or special company meals.

About five years ago, I put my "fine china" in the kitchen cupboard to be used nearly on a daily basis.  I did this because I discovered from the many auctions that we do, that china has no value,  nobody wants someone else's old china, and children definitely do not want to "inherit" it!  So why do we save nice dishes for special occasions??   So now I use it often.

HOWEVER, it has tiny little white roses on it, and whenever I use it, I am bothered by the roses when I set the plates on a patterned tablecloth - like a fall foliage tablecloth, or a red Christmas tablecloth with red poinsettias on it.  The roses don't go with fall leaves or Christmas poinsettias or spring bouquets, etc.  (By the way, I don't mind tablecloths with pictures or designs!)

From our auction activity and buying a houseful of personal property to feed into auctions, I ended up with a complete set of china that has been stored in my garage for two years, serving accessories and all.  It is almost identical to mine, except it is PLAIN white - no flowers, no design, no rim.  And it was just sitting in boxes in the garage.  I was going to give the set to Cash and Annie, but they got nice plain white dishes as a wedding gift.  So last week I got the brilliant idea to trade out dishes; put my "fine china"  with pretty (nasty) little roses on it in the garage, and bring in the plain white "fine china". 

I made the china trade-out with no regrets, no remorse over getting rid of "my" dishes.  Now I can feel good about setting a table with plain white dishes that go with anything!  How lovely!  Anybody want a nice, lovely set of beautiful white china with pretty little white roses on it? 

Now I can  enjoy using nice, unique tablecloths - simple or wild.  I seem to have a hang up with table cloths.  I like them.  A nice gift idea! A special event for sure - setting a nice table to share with family and friends.   Stay tuned for my next hang up!