Note: Nobody gets to call my "Steffy," unless you've known me since I was in grade school!
Inside this chest are treasures from my paternal grandmother. She collected sets of china and other glass and dishware for my sister and me. Here are some of the things the cedar chest has protected for years.
Notice the masking tape on the small creamer in front. It's my grandmother's handwriting, and I hesitate to remove the tape. This grandmother is no longer living.
This is the china set that grandma found for me at a yard sale. It's Haviland, from Germany.
Grandma also found a few pieces of this Eggshell Nautilus set for me.
I find myself feeling torn between packing up these treasures and storing them safely back in the hope chest, and hosting a tea party to celebrate them and the life of my grandmother. They are so precious, I don't want to break them. And yet, I am sure she wanted them to be used.
9 comments:
Oh, absolutely throw a party to celebrate your grandmother and these incredible gifts!
What you were given is such a treasure and many of us are starting from scratch for our children and grandchildren. What a treasure...
You could hold a yearly tea party with your loved ones and friends on your Grandmother's birthday.
Such lovely treasures! I know what you mean about the masking tape, for sure. I have my grandmother's china that, I discovered when I opened the box for the first time, was wrapped in newspapers from the 1950s. I didn't want to throw that away!
You should definitely have a tea party with Grandma's China!! She would love what you are doing with the tea parties and etiquette classes...and if I remember correctly, she liked to put her china to use!
Love ya,
Keri
Those really are treasures! And if you decide to go ahead and have that tea party, I preemptively volunteer to attempt to make a lemon saffron tea cake...
AWESOME post!!! Such wonderful treasures and memories!
Hope you are having a wonderful summah' Dear One!
you need to use with fond memories. Such a lovely gift she gave you. and I love the Hope Chest. Dang...Steffy...who would have thought :) Enjoy the tea and the memories!
A hope chest! I had one, too - this would have been in the early 1970's. It was a "Lane" and came "fully loaded" (figuratively speaking) with a sewing machine; a set of china, silverware, and pots and pans...I can't remember if there was anything else. I wish I knew how much my parents paid for it.
I was still in high school and *do* remember buying odds and ends for my "hope chest."
Today my Lane hope chest resides with my son at his house. Come to think of it, I don't believe he really even knows what it is. I should tell him.
Enjoy your wonderful treasures, "Steffi"!!!! :-)
Huggles,
Denise
P.S. I can relate to your not wanting to remove the masking tape with your grandmother's handwriting on it. I have a handful of handwritten recipe cards that belonged to my mother. I love just looking at them - when I do, images flash in my mind of her beautiful signature on a report card or note to my teacher.
I would definately save the masking tape on the creamer. Can you peel it off and use it in a scrapbook or photo album with her picture? That way you could feel free to use and enjoy the tea set.
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