My China Cabinet

 

Meet my china cabinet.

 It is one of my most favorite parts of my house. When we got married, getting china was so important to me, but everything I saw in the store just didn't feel special enough. I have always love antique looking pieces, but wasn't sure exactly how to 'register' for antique china, so I opted to just skip it and decided I would just collect stuff over time. Then, one afternoon, my grandma, mom and aunts had a bridal luncheon and surprised me by each picking out their own place setting to gift. I love that nothing matches, and yet it all goes together. Plus the thought and specialness of each piece makes me happy every time I see it. I coudn't have created a better collection if I had picked it all out myself.

 My mother in law found this beautiful 1920s set at an antique store. And I got a place setting of my moms, which is really my great-great aunt's who helped raised my grandmother after her mother passed away.

 I received a place setting of my Great-Aunt Jean's who was a huge influence on my life growing up and quite possibly the reason why I love fine things so much. My mother in law also gave me a plate from her mother's collection. (Champagne Flutes: Waterford 'Celebration')

 My sisters-in-law found the pink and green flowered setting at an antique store. And one of my mother in law's friends gifted me a setting that was her grandmothers. She had it boxed up and never on display, so when she heard what I was doing, she insisted that I have it. (Wine glasses: Waterford)

 And one of my favorite stories: my 'divorce' china. Two of my aunts were previously married and gave me a setting from their first marriage. Although the marriage didn't last, the china itself represented a happy time.

 I love that I can use them in their individual settings, or mix and match.

 Also in my china cabinet in one of my most treasured items: a bowl from my Oma. My grandparents immigrated here from Germany in the 60s and before my Oma got on the boat to come over, her mother gave her this bowl, which was a wedding gift she had received in the late 1920s, and told her to 'promise to keep it in the family." You want to talk about the tears that followed that story? You better believe the Army does not touch this piece during our moves. (In fact, I have always packed and driven my china to our new homes. Not a single piece is replaceable!)

 You can also find:

Antique champagne glasses

 An old beer glass that belonged to Kev's grandpa, a small plate that was my maternal great-grandmother's, a lladro and a Moravian candle from Winston-Salem.

 Wine glasses from the many wineries we have visited.

 Kate Spade 'Larabee Dot' crystal (that's our last name!)

 And some antique silver and crystal.

I also own two sets of real silver, but that is a post for another day.

What's in your china cabinet?