In Ironstone Heaven

What?!

Is this ironstone that I see?

A whole box full of ironstone looking back at me?!

Talk about hitting the jackpot ... that's exactly how I felt!
The mother lode of ironstone.
Well, that's probably a bit of a stretch, but it is a nice haul of ironstone dishes!
And the best part about it:  almost all of it was FREE.
All because my friend, Aleisa & I had a random convo about ironstone.

Somehow or another, amidst my ramblings about this & that, I mentioned that my collection
of old creamy white dishes, pitchers, & platters is called ironstone ...
and how I've gotten all of it at Goodwill, flea markets, yard sales, & the like.

She proceeded to tell me that the dishes at the office she works at were ironstone ... a whole set.
She said they were nothing special, just plain white dishes that said Johnson Brothers Ironstone
on the bottom.

 

I shared with her that I had recently found some at GW, only 6 though, & how I was hoping 

to run across at least 2 more so I could have a complete set for our dining room table.

This would be my first set of plain white classic dishes.

Something great about plain white ... simple & goes with any decor.

Here's where the story gets all fun.
A few months pass & I get a call from Aleisa.
"Guess what," she says .... "My boss is throwing out all those plain white dishes & getting new!
I asked if I could have them for you ... & she said sure."

All because of random convo about ironstone.
{Did I mention how much I love my friend Aleisa?!}
Course, I give God credit for everything, so I see these as a 'desires of my heart' blessing.
All in all, I got an oval serving tray, an oval serving dish, a round serving bowl, 4 salad bowls,
9 saucers, & 7 plates!
What in the world?!
I am so happy about these!!

BUT, the story's not over.
2 days later, while the box of these freebie dishes were still in the back of my Suburban,
I stop in at Goodwill.

And for the grand ol' price of 49 cents, I find several pieces of Valley Forge Ironstone.

13 saucers, 9 little fruit bowls, & 1 soup bowl.

I couldn't believe how 'lucky' I was ;)
The only thing that would've sweetened the deal if they were half price that day
& I would've only paid a quarter.
Ha ... yes, I love a bargain.

Last but not least, only a couple days later, I stopped in at my fave flea market.
There I found this sweet little gravy bowl for one whole dollar.

It was almost as if the ironstone heavens opened up on me that week!

While I have several pitchers, this is my first gravy bowl.
I spotted one almost identical to this just a few booths over for $9.
Made me even happier about this one.

Where is my collection of ironstone displayed you ask?
Well, it's found a home on display in my china cabinet ... most of it anyway.
I've been collecting for a few years now & I've gotten enough pieces now that I am using them
here & there throughout the house.
There's a few pieces in the living room & the kitchen.

How 'bout this ... even though my china cabinet is in a difficult place to photograph
{and I'm admittedly not a very good photographer!}, I'll try & snap a few pics & show you
here in a day or two.
Will that work?

Until then, when you see a piece of ironstone, think of me, will ya?

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Happy Wednesday, y'all =)
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Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
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