Not just for special occasions

I might be obsessing just a bit about dishes this week, but while I was enjoying a few vacation days I made an effort to do a little re-organizing of some of my dinnerware. We have a built-in hutch on one wall of our late-50's dining room (it was probably pretty mod-looking when it was built, but I would love to find a way to shab it up a little) and previously, this unit was displaying some family keepsakes and my Depression Glass. Several of my most recent dishy finds were hiding in a cabinet in the Mom-cave, and I wanted to bring them out so they could be easily accessible. 
To accomplish this, I moved all the keepsakes to the top shelf of the hutch, moved the Depression Glass to the more un-accessible side behind the dining table, and used the two remaining half-shelves to make some pretty stacks. Here are some of the goodies now contained in the hutch, right next to the table where they might occasionally get used! 

In addition to my lone piece of Franciscan Apple (a beautiful serving platter, which was a wedding gift), there are lots of other lovelies in this small space - most of them thrifted or the result of disciplined eBay bidding. I don't certainly have a collection yet to rival those of my favorite Blogland tablescapers, but I'm working on it! Here are some of my favorites:  

Royal China Currier & Ives, here stacked with a plain white/gold-rimmed dessert plate from Pier 1. These were a gift from my grandmother - she gave me complete service for 8, which we had used at family celebrations in her home for more than 20 years as I was growing up. I had also collected a few serving pieces over the years, but after the flood in 2008 I actually down-sized this collection based on what I reasonably expected to use. I now have 8 dinner and 8 bread plates, an oval platter and two round platters, plus a small tab-handled underplate and a lidded casserole dish. 

Homer Laughlin Glenwood - four dinner plates, which look lovely stacked with the Homer Laughlin Empire dessert plates I recently acquired. 

Cunningham & Pickett Norway Rose - two oval platters. Notice how similar they are to the Glenwood! (I've noticed other similarities between various C&P and HL patterns. "Veddy inn-terr-esting," as Arte Johnson used to say.)

Johann Haviland Moss Rose - three dinner plates and four berry bowls. 

Set of four un-marked dessert plates. 

And my favorite among  favorites, Royal Albert Old Country Roses (again layered with the Pier 1 dessert plate). So far I have three dinner plates, three salad plates, two dessert plates, and one cup & saucer. I'm working on acquiring four of each of these pieces, but I'm determined that each and every acquisition will be a great bargain so it's slow-going. 
My attempt to re-organize was met with some gentle teasing by Mr. Piglet, who thinks that because we have a three-person family we only need three plates. He doesn't know I am dreaming of the day when I need a dedicated dish room!