My friend Ruthie commented on a post I did in April asking me where I keep all of the treasures that I collect from thrift stores and my parents' house. Here is her comment:
Love that pizza dish! How cute! Great finds, all around. But you need to do a post on WHERE you keep your treasures. Because I, uh, need help.
As I told Ruthie then, I'm not sure I'm much help, because our house is overflowing with dishes. But, although (like most women) I'm working hard to get organized, I do believe in making a place for the things you love. Many of my dishes are from my mom and dad and I wouldn't think of parting with them. The others I have no excuse for. But I'm keeping 'em anyway!
Sooo...here's what I've done with my dishes so far. These are our main kitchen cupboards, with everyday dishes in the larger cupboard.
The smaller cupboard on the right holds dessert dishes, espresso cups and a couple of random teapots. We also squeezed in the little dishes we use to hold soy sauce for sushi.
Believe me, I have looked everywhere for space. Sometimes that means looking up. So, I put larger dishes on top of the pantry cupboards. I chose colourful ones so it would look pretty.
Desperate for more space, I turned to the corner lazy Susan cupboard. In addition to all of the pieces of our Magic Bullet, it now holds teapots and these flower power dishes that Jill gave me. This cupboard is right under the Keurig coffee brewer, so it's easy to grab a cup.
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My wedding china, my grandmother's china and some other pieces I have collected are housed in the dining room armoire.
It doesn't end there. I asked my husband to pick up these two inexpensive cupboards at Canadian Tire one day. We put them in our (large) basement storage room. Note the picture of three American leaders propped on the top of one cupboard. I'm not sure why my (Canadian) parents owned this, but it was always in our basement growing up, and now it's in my basement. I always get teary-eyed when I'm reminded of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
The cupboard on the left holds glassware for entertaining (read drinking). Most of it is from my mom and dad, although I have added to the collection myself. We don't use these pieces often, so the basement is a suitable place for them.
The other unit holds basket ware and a few assorted pieces (like that lamp that I'll probably never get in working order). Of course, I just attended my favourite annual basket sale, so I have an additional pile of baskets sitting in my front hall as I write.
Because my collection keeps on growing, I dream of a giant china cabinet for the other side of my dining room. So far, the ones that I like are just too expensive.
What about you? How do you store your favourite collectables?
Linking up with these wonderful sites: Boogieboard Cottage and A Living Space and Remnant and Me and My Shadow and Sir Thrift A Lot and Hey What's for Dinner Mom? and Knick of Time and The Thrifty Groove and The Cottage Market and Free Pretty Things and Apron Thrift Girl
Holy dishes Batman!! I thought I had a lot of dishes ... I DO have a lot of dishes, and my house has finally told me there is no more space. My kitchen cupboards are FULL. My china cabinet ... ditto! Dry sink cupboard ... gone! And I just this past weekend bought a new display case which I pick up next weekend :) But that's it I swear! You've done an amazing job of making it look like you don't have a serious collection problem ;) Wendy
ReplyDeleteI think my house is telling me the same thing, Wendy!
DeleteI guess I haven't quite disguised the serious collection problem from you, huh? ;)
Love your collections.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that helped my storage issues. Add extra shelves to every existing cabinet I owned.
For example I would add three more shelves to the dining room cabinet. Reserve one shelf for your really tall items and then space the other shelves out evenly.
When I did this I gained more storage, it really cut down on breaking items ( I used to stack things like crazy) and I found I use pretty things more often because access is easier.
Thanks! What a great idea - I will have to get my husband working on it. ;)
DeleteYou are so right. Stacking isn't good for the dishes, and sometimes I don't feel like taking them out to use because it's a pain to move them all around.
You can even pick up the individual extra shelves at tag sales.
DeleteOften times people dismantle cabinets and have the shelves for sale or even better in a free pile.
Thanks! I will look out for them.
DeleteWhoa! Love those two colorful decanters in the entertainment cabinet! I have really tried to hold off on some of my collecting-which hasn't been too hard because finding Pyrex around here is impossible AND I don't have anymore room for my vintage art glass vases! (most of them are packed up which makes me sad)
ReplyDeleteI love the colourful decanters too. I am restricting my collecting now - for obvious reasons. ;)
DeleteJoann: Remember the floor to ceiling bookcase your dad built at the inside end of your large clothes closet You were only little but it sure came in handy.
ReplyDeleteI remember my "hidden" bookcase Mom. I had to push clothes aside to get to it, but I loved it. I didn't know Dad built it though.
DeleteThanks for sharing; as a fellow collector, I find it fascinating to see where/how others store their collections. I like that basement cabinet idea! Your barware and decanter collection is, by the way, amazing!
ReplyDeleteI like to see how other people store things too.
DeleteThanks! I owe the collection to my parents. :)
Yes! I love this post, not really for the organizing, but for the peek at all your pretty dishes! You have a great collection, and I'm so glad you've found a way to store it all. Now I'm going to have to add a couple cabinets to my next shopping list, and I'm set!! Thanks, Jo :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruthie! I just have to find a way to use it all now. ;) Good luck finding some cabinets. :)
DeleteWow, that's a lot of dishes! You're very organized though, which is good. I'm sort if the opposite because I do like to purge everything including dishes... but James holds on. I can deal as long as there's a space for everything :) Beautiful collection.
ReplyDeleteI REALLY need to purge lots of stuff around here...not necessarily dishes, but papers, kids' clothes, papers, more papers... It's a summer project. ;)
DeleteI started reading this post and I didn't realize it was you with all these dishes!! Hah!! You do have a few!! I see some of the same beer glasses that we have, my husband has a whole shelf of them, why I don't know but I do know they cut down on my space!!
ReplyDeleteThe nerve of him! ;)
DeleteTechnically, you could have the hugest party imaginable and not run out of dishes. What clever ways and means you've found of storing them. Reminding me of my mother in law...sometimes, I just open cupboards and closets at her house and revel in the order and sense. A beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea (of a huge party)! Except I don't want to be the one to wash all of those dishes. ;)
DeleteNow I just have to organize all of the upstairs closets...and the basement!
I feel like everyones comment starts the same, but Im not sure what else to say but "wow!" Haha. despite your large collection you have managed to organize it all quite well! Speaking of collections, this past week I purged 30, yes 30 big black garbage bags of STUFF from our tiny one bedroom apartment. It feels amazing! It took 5 days, but it was so worth it! (I obviously had a stuff problem! Haha)
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of purging! Good for you. Must have been very satisfying. I should really do the same!
DeleteJust yesterday, I had to do some reorganizing to make room for the treasures I picked up over the weekend. My goal is to not get rid of anything I love and to make it all fit! Goal was accomplished:-)
ReplyDeleteErica
i love love love the Pictures <3 ,all looks so beautiful!
ReplyDeletebig Hugs .)
I sell them--I keep the ones I NEED the rest are funding my trips around the word ok ok just southwest america this year but STILL I can haz dreamz?
ReplyDeleteYay collecting!!! I need to go through and reorganize my dishes...again. How is that they always end up a tumbled mess? I totally need to pick up some cupboards for our mostly empty basement...
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, I have dishes and glassware stored everywhere! Now that I'm moving to a smaller space I have to downsize. Hard? Yes! Impossible? NO, sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Thanks for joining us at TTF this week.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Boy, you definitely have lots! I'm being sly by passing some things on to my son and daughter!! But that doesn't make much of a dent! I love your dishes on top of the cabinets!
ReplyDeleteLack of storage and space is always my enemy! You have some really fun pieces in your stash! Thank you for sharing at TTF this past week!
ReplyDeleteAmazing collection and WOW you are so much more organized than I am...kudos!!!! TFS...hugs
ReplyDelete