I mentioned I got a new haul of ironstone last week.  Well, here it is… Not only is it a lot of ironstone, but a lot of really great pieces including this four piece tureen set with platter, lid and ladle. The details on the handles are really pretty.  I love this piece, but I already have a few tureens, so I’ll be selling it. Another stunning piece is this large compote.  It’s chippy, but I’m cool with that. …some sugar jars… …lidded casseroles, a couple of butter dishes, butter pats, pitchers, small plates… …platters… …and a huge footed bowl (behind the pitcher.)  Lots of ironstone goodness.  I need to figure out what I want to keep and put a collection together to sell.  I will list some in my online shop, but let me know if there’s something you’re interested in.  I am a little nervous about shipping ironstone,

It’s one of those times in my life when I wish I could just stop the world for about a week, so I can catch up on things that have been put on the back burner for days, weeks, months and even years.   I am on a tear to get things done. I have been organizing my way through the house and am making some real progress, so that’s been encouraging.  I’ve also been getting caught up on e-mail, insurance stuff, paperwork, cleaning my kitchen floor and other not-at-all fun things like that.  It’s slow, but steady, but I’m really ready to have my computer back (the drive died and is being replaced) and get to working on furniture painting and upholstery and creating things. Before that can happen, we do need to be able to…you know…find stuff…and walk in the workshop without having to high-step around and watch out for

I often show off my ironstone collection and when I do, I almost always receive questions about how to remove stains.  I’ve never actually whitened my ironstone, because I love when a piece shows its age.  I understand that some people want their ironstone bright white or might want to remove a stain if it is unsightly.  So, I got some advice from Kim of Truffle Pig Treasures (she’s an avid ironstone collector) as well as tips from the WICA (White Ironstone China Association…my kind of people!) This advice from the WICA seems like the safest, easiest way… “The only relatively safe chemical that we know of to clean white ironstone china is hydrogen peroxide, and it is used frequently. Its chemical formula (H2O2) is very similar to water (H2O), but it has an extra oxygen atom. This gives hydrogen peroxide the ability to oxidize organic and inorganic materials, producing water as a