Haviland, Fostoria and a sign from my mother!

Last week in Austin, Texas was amazing. I shopped for vintage items for a booth I may open at a nearby consignment shop. If you have ever done this before you know that it takes a person made of steel not to bring home a "little something" for yourself. A-hah!

Well, one of the best parts of this was enjoying my shopping adventure with an old and very dear friend... Nancy from Nancy's Notes  --http://nancyozema.blogspot.com/

While shopping in an antique mall we came upon a beautiful display of Haviland china .. Rosalinde pattern to be exact. My mother and my grandmother's china pattern they had selected... and was passed on to me. Eight complete place settings were beautifully set on a dark wood table. Fostoria - American crystal, one of my favorite patterns to collect as my mother and mother-in-law had each passed down pieces to me.

It took me a day to decide if I wanted to "rescue" the china. It truly called to me. The next day I returned to the antique mall. The price had already gone up on the china, but the seller honored the previous price.

It was mine!

While shopping at an antique store in downtown Austin, I found a Fostoria - American punch bowl. It was such a bargain I hesitate to say what I bought it for.. but the owner of the shop asked me if I knew what I was getting. I told her I thought I did. (Maybe it was a reproduction as is so common with this particular pattern.) "Fostoria" she said. I replied, softly.. "I thought so".

Feeling a little guilty for my indulgent purchases I returned home with huge boxes with my treasures.

Today as I started to unpack the china, there printed on the outside of the box someone had written "Meme's Room".

Surely it was a sign.. the name was not spelled as we spelled it, but

my mother had sent a sign... "Mimi", my mother, approved!

Thank you, Mother!