Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Replacing Dinner Plates

Beware of Cabella's dinnerware
I'm on a roll with rants about junk products.  You have to walk through a mine field when purchasing anything these days.  Three years ago my folks gave us a nice service of stoneware dishes, purchased no less at the high end outfitter store Cabellas. While the dishes themselves seem to perform well enough in the oven/microwave/dishwasher, the moose images have just about been scraped off from occasional use.  These were never used every day.  As you can see, the picture is from a salad plate.  Needless to say, I have stopped using them for fear we have been ingesting lead paint.  The plates were made in China.  Several wildlife themed coffee mugs purchased from Cabellas should have been marked 'for decoration purposes only' ... and who would buy them knowing that?  Seems the mugs were coated with a shellac type finish so the image wouldn't rub off.  These were marked 'not dishwasher safe' ... now I know why .. tell that to kids that don't read the fine print.



 

Of late I've been picking up vintage odds and end pieces of Homer Laughlin, Shenango, Syracuse and various other dish brands made in the USA that once graced diners and private homes.
Homer Laughlin & Shenango


I rather like the look of mix and match .. and at 25 & 50 cents to $1 a plate on days the thrift stores give a 50% discount, you can't beat the price.
Homer Laughlin


My favorite plates are the oval diner plates made of vitreous china (the same durable product sinks and toilets are made from;).  

Jackson China, hotel supply, Portland, Oregon

They are great to heat up before use to keep the food nice and warm.

I think it's time to pay Cabella's a visit to see about getting a refund.  Buyer beware! 

7 comments:

Rebecca said...

I like your idea of mixing vintage china. Personally, I find it interesting, charming and attractive...

Pat said...

I love the mixed china...show's you can march to a different drummer.
Let us know how you make out with that Cabella's refund, I'm really curious.

Sandy said...

I love to mix my china. I also have
a couple of sets left to me by my
dear mother that I mix with some of
mine. I think it makes for a stunning
table setting.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

We've bought mixed china for years. I bought 2 of this and that, and it is nice serving dinner on the different plates, according to what is being served.

I love your different patterns, and the prices can't be beat.

Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

Maria Stahl said...

Ohhhh, I'm with you - I love the old restaurant ware! I love that Shenango plate with the green in your 3rd picture.

Look for Blue Ridge China, too. It's so fun to mix and match.

meemsnyc said...

I love vintage china too. You can't get quality like that anymore!

Kathryn said...

I have 2 sets, one from the 20s & one from the 30s. The every day set (from the 30s) we use all the time. Love them. They were inherited, so i didn't have a lot of choice in color/pattern. (They are cream/gold/brown whereas i probably would have chosen blue/white.) But i love them.

The other set rarely get used & are NOT dishwasher safe. They are lovely, multi-colored flowers around the edge, but evidently these were added after firing, so they are not safe from the abrasive stuff in dishwasher detergent.

I love old dishes & patterns, but am not into collecting them. I don't have enough storage room, & no one to pass them on to, anyway.