out of the cupboard

When my husband and I got married, we registered for wedding gifts at a local department store, like so many others do.  We were thinking about the life we would oneday lead and what we might need in the future; we registered and received cutlery, serving wear, table settings, linens, etc. etc. etc. Some of this stuff was practical and we were able to use it right away but some of it, well it just sat in the cupboard collecting dust and waiting to be forgotten about.  I mean when were we going to throw a dinner party worthy of bone china????

When we moved to our current house all that china came with us, still in the original packaging. It was then promptly marched down to the basement and put into storage. We must keep this stuff safe and well preserved for our fancy future... a time where we will throw lavish dinner parties, eat caviar and use very complicated words to say very simple things (all in the name of fanciness, of course).

At some point, not too long ago, I realized that these dishes might sit in storage for the rest of their fancy lives. when am I ever going to use these things that I absolutely HAD to have? Yep they sure are pretty, and no they will never go out of style, but we are pretty casual people. We throw pretty casual dinner parties (think beer/juice and pizza). We also have 2 toddlers which makes the thought of using these dishes almost comical. Our pizza sure would look elegant on these plates, if they survived a meal with the kids that is.

So I pulled out all of my beautiful china - 10 place settings worth - stared at it for a while (this is how I do some of my best thinking). I have always loved the idea of a plate wall but i don't really want to hang all this china on the wall - I still want the option of using them... So I continued to stare - I mean think - and then headed out to our local ikea (geese I love that place) and picked up some of these:

ribba picture ledge

And did this:

Now I have my prized dishes out to enjoy everyday. I will admit that we still don't use them and they are a little vulnerable in this spot, but its worth the risk to me. I get to enjoy my fancy dishes everyday.

Oh and by the way - I realize these fancy dishes are just plain white, but hey, I like what I like...

So what about you? What treasures do you have lurking in your closet?

Linking to:
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.ca
http://shabbynest.blogspot.ca
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.ca
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/
http://my1929charmer.com
http://diyshowoff.com
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.ca
http://www.primpjunktion.com/
www.itsoverflowing.com
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.ca/