Blue Willow

I have such a thing for dishes. They may be one of my love languages. I’ve written before about brown transferware and white dishes. I also have some green Bordallo Pinheiro plates that I love. 

Recently I saw some blue and white dishes paired with red and white linens on Pinterest, and the combination was perfect for summer. I began investigating and fell in love with Blue Willow, an English chinoiserie pattern, so I began a search on Etsy and eBay.  

One thing I do to keep my dish collection in check is to focus on plates, since they get used the most and are easy to store. In this case, I looked specifically for salad plates that I could pair with dishes I already had. When I discovered you could buy Blue Willow new, from Amazon, I took the easy way out and chose new over vintage.

Despite the fact that summer is coming to a close, I did get to use the new plates for a late summer dinner at our house last Saturday. I set the table with all of my other standbys: wicker chargers, white dishes, mismatched vintage silverware, white candles, white flowers, and blue hydrangeas. I also added red gingham napkins like the pictures I had seen.

I’m trying my very best to enjoy summer and not wish time away. I’m also thinking of the people of Texas, many of whom don’t have the luxury of focusing on new dishes right now. My prayer is that everyone is out of danger soon and the recovery process goes smoothly.