A Touch of Spring...and Hotel Silver

I love tulips.  I grabbed these at a farmers market.  They have the bulbs attached to them.  The vendor told me that they will last twice as long if I didn't cut them off.  Done!  I found the zinc pitcher at our flea market this past weekend.  Another item that I purchased in the pitch dark.  I know and trust this seller.  I asked him if I would love it in the light.  Knowing my taste he assured me that I would.  Of course I came back and fell in love with it, dents and all.

I don't collect many things.  That is one of the limitations of living in an apartment the size of a postage stamp.  There are two things that I manage to fit in though, enamelware (pitchers and lunch boxes) and hotel silver.  I love love love the latter.  About 20 years ago I fell in love with it and cheated because I didn't know anything about it.  I simply liked the look of it.  I bought a set at Pottery Barn.  And I still love that set. 

Since then I have begun to collect a piece here and a few there. In our home we don't own a set of stainless.  My feeling toward it is, if you love something why put it away and use it only on special occasions?  I don't understand that philosophy.  I do have to polish it once in a while but very rarely.   I consider that a small price to pay.  Most old San Francisco apartments don't have dishwashers, unless they have been updated.  And even if you wanted to put one in, there is not the space to do so.  Therefore I hand wash everything.  

 These Fairmont pieces are a recent find at a lovely shop in San Mateo called The Pickled Hutch.  Lisa has beautiful items.

 I am a fan of things not matching as a rule.  So the fact that one person at a table has pieces from the Fairmont and the neighboring person has a set from the Peralta, adds interest and a bit of charm, in my opinion.

 I bought the spoons below from a seller on Etsy called Tipple and Snack. Those are sailboats.

  

I found this piece at a french flea market in Sonoma last year.  She had a few. Wish I'd bought more than one.  I love how beat up it is.  (I like it in spite of the fact that the initials stand for the arch rival school to my college).  

"The visual appeal of hotel silver is undeniable, but the vintage wares are also intrinsically practical. "Silver that is used frequently doesn't need to be polished," she points out. Plus, she continues, "The more you use it, the better it looks."" 

Country Living

Have a great weekend.

Michele