Can You Ever Have Too Many Dishes?

I had never been much of a collector until I started buying dishes.   When Mike made my hutch, one reason I loved it so much is because it feels like I am playing when I decorate it.   Kind of like when you are little and you decorate a doll house.    Anyway...along the way, I have started buying dishes.   They don't necessarily have to be expensive, but just something that I like.   I started with some blue transferware that my sister had given me.  I think she had collected four plates from buying some detergent or something at Kroger, and gave them to me for my hope chest when I was in high school.Here is the pattern that belongs to someone else.  

I loved them, but when my kids were little and I was convinced that we would only ever eat on plastic plates, I gave them to a friend....and regretted it forever. :).  

I finally replaced the blue dishes in Germany with a great find in an antique store in Giessen.  I found a whole bunch of Enoch Wedgwood Royal Homes of Britain for only 39 euro!

I love the blue and white, but I saw some beautiful Christmas tablescapes done with the red and white transferware, and started wanting that too :).  

My friend, Pam, recently has been taking me with her to prowl around antique stores and she started buying red dishes which got me really wanting to feed my dish addiction once more!   I resisted for a while, but when I saw these great depression glass tumblers, I caved and bought them and since I was spending money....went to another booth and bought four beautiful bread plates.  

My mom and I went to the thrift store and I found a great coffee pot for only $13.75.  I can't be blamed for buying that great deal.  

But then I started prowling around ebay for dinner plates.  I was the highest bidder on four plates for like 6 days at $27...which would have been a steal....except for at the last minute these mean people started bidding against me.   I stopped at $37....and the bids went up to $103.50.   Crazy!  

So...I was still plateless...and chatting about dishes with Pam on facebook, and checking out the "buy it now" section of ebay 'cause ain't nobody got time to waste on all that bidding.  I found a lot of 8 of the Mason Vista Red pattern for $59....and before I knew it, my hand jerked and pushed the "buy it now" button!  Two business days later, today...they came in the mail and I just love them.    I have been playing all afternoon :).

What do you think?   I think I need a few more pieces to balance out that top shelf...maybe some serving pieces :).  

If you are thinking....that's only two sets of dishes....well there is only so much room in one blog.   The other sets will have to wait to be shown another day.