Welcome, Everyone, to the next installment on clean-out and organization. I am a bit of a crystal nut and I really like the “good stuff” but like most of you out there I can’t afford to spend $50 or more per glass of good crystal so I thrift store shop for crystal. Pretty much everything you will see in the cabinets today was thrifted. I know that sounds impossible but it’s been over about 12 years and it takes time to find bargains. THEY ARE OUT THERE. More than you think.
This week I collected the crystal glasses from all over the house. The only ones I’m not showing today are my everyday crystal which is Park Lane by Mikasa. I have been collecting it for a long time and now have a service for 12 in all the pieces except the Martini glasses. They are quite lovely and I use them everyday.
Once I had collected all the crystal together, I went through and identified all the patterns and the relative price of each piece. I used Replacements, Inc. for most of the pricing but also used Amazon for a few. Then I separated the crystal into what I wanted to keep out and what I needed to store or sell. The glasses that didn’t make it into either the display and use glasses or the keep to sell glasses went back to the Thrift Store.
Sounds easy but it took Hubby and I about two days to do that. I’m in the process now of creating a Master List with Mfg., pattern name, number of pieces, type of pieces and price.
In this part of the cabinet I have Opal Innocence by Lenox. Most of this was found at Goodwill and then pieces were added over the years. it is so pretty and I now have champagnes, white and red wine and water goblets. The nice part about this one is they still sell it new so you can add any pieces you are missing.
On the third and fourth shelves are a mix of Waterford, Mikasa and some hand blown green Mexican crystal. You would be surprised at how many times I find Waterford crystal in the stores for $1 a glass.
In this part of the cabinet I have crystal by Goddinger, Mikasa, Waterford, Pairpoint (very rare) and some silver goblets. It’s probably a bit more on the traditional side but I love the elegance of these older pieces. The yellow and pink tags have the information about the glass waiting to be incorporated into the Master List.
This cabinet holds Vera Wang, Goddinger, Mikasa, Calvin Klein, Waterford, and Fitz & Floyd. The Calvin Klein sell for $110 per glass. Of course, I didn’t pay anywhere near that much but they are fun balloon glasses for red wine. I found the Vera Wang as a set of 8 red and 8 white wine glasses. The cost of the entire set was less than one glass. It was a very lucky find.
The final cabinet holds Franciscan, Rockport, and some unusual pieces and more modern shapes. I love to mx and match crystal in a table setting and now I can see what I have and it’s all in one place.
Here’s a look at the whole cabinet. I’m also going through the bottom part of the cabinet and organizing for trays, platters, etc. It’s great to feel so organized.
I imagine some of you are thinking, “What was she thinking to buy so much stuff?” I ask myself that question a lot. However, the things that I have and collect are used all the time. They are not stored away for best as I think every day should be best. We enjoy using beautiful pieces and knowing it did not cost much money. Seems like a Win, Win to me especially now that I am only keeping what I can accommodate in realstic storage.
Love your china cabinet display of glasses. I too have many wine and champagne glasses. I get them out all the time for family dinners. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure. It’s wonderful to use china and crystal everyday and not save it for infrequent special occasions. thanks for stopping by and sharing, Have a great week.
Lynne
Beautifully displayed and organized. With all in view, you can see what goes best with each table setting. Great idea to make a master list with all the pattern names and number of pieces. Do you include the price you paid or what it would cost if you hadn’t thrifted them or both?
Thanks, Jan, I hope to be able to keep up with the crystal now. I include both prices, if possible. the more information the better. I do love being able to see everything in one place. Thanks for visiting and sharing, Have a great week.’
Lynne
What an amazing collection! I love crystal too. I use our Bavarian crystal we bought in Germany decades ago fairly often. When I do, the youngest grands get their crystal glass to once they can drink from a regular glass.
What a lovely tradition, Linda, and a great way to continually use your crystal. It’s such a pleasure to see beautiful pieces on the table. the hand washing seems a small price to pay. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by,
Lynne
You’ve got such a beautiful collection, and I love the way you’ve got them organized and displayed. Lovely. Thank you for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments Linkup #11. Hope to see you again next week.
Thanks, Jennifer, always a pleasure to share on your Blog. Have a great week.
Lynne
I think it’s wonderful you are able to find things you love and use at bargain prices. You’re also keeping those things out of a landfill and giving them a second life. Congratulations on all the hard work!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thanks, Marsha, it’s a pleasure to see beautiful things on the table. They each have a story to tell. When you give older pieces new life it honors the past as well as the present. Thanks for visiting and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
Man, wish I had a ginormous cabinet like yours to house my collection. I will have to see if it’s possible to do something similar when we finally move. You did a terrific job, Lynne! Is your other ‘everyday ‘ glassware (like the Cirrus or your pottery) going into a different space? I remember the Cirrus because I see them piecemeal in random fashion around here (sometimes many months in between seeing 1 or 2). When I see them I think of you. Same with seeing pottery goblets.
Thanks, Robin. I’ve had the cabinet for ages. It came with a story and a bullet hole. Used to be in a country store. I keep the pottery and my everyday crystal in other spaces. Still clearing out though. Hope to be done before the holidays. Thanks for sharing and have a great week. Hope your move happens soon.
Lynne
Congratulations! This post was one of the two most-viewed posts from the Will Blog for Comments #11 linkup! It will be in the spotlight starting today and all next week. You’re welcome to save the “featured favorite at Will Blog for Comments” image and add it to your post if you like. Hope to see you again next week.
Thanks, Jennifer, I’m delighted that this post will be featured on your great Blog.
Lynne
Lynne, your collection is stunning! It’s showcased beautifully. Thank you for joining us at the Crazy Little Love Birds link party #10.
Thanks, Stephanie, It was nice to get it organized and all in one place. Appreciate you stopping by and have a great week.
Lynne
What a big collection of glasses, wow! It’s impressive. I have about 10 pieces, probably, but such an amount of service as yours is impressive, seriously hahaha. But I really like the way you organized it into groups. Everything would look good and in order. I think this is very convenient if there is some kind of dinner or event at your house, when a lot of people should gather and a lot of dishes will come in handy. For each occasion, you can choose certain glasses to suit the atmosphere of the meeting more. I think it’s very cool, and it really looks organized and easy to perceive.
Thanks, Tony. It took a lot of years to collect the pieces a few at a time and most are from Thrift Stores and Estate sales. It is fun to choose particular pieces to go with china or a special meal. Now that I have it organized it makes things much easier. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne