I love this thread and hearing about everyone's china! I love blue and white and have: several different brands of Asiatic Pheasant (all English) in different blues, Johnson Brothers Indies, and Masons Fruit Basket Blue (This is what I use for everyday -- these blues) I have scads of Spode plates as well (in both Blue Room and Blue Italian) and use some as everyday dishes and some as company dishes -- I do have platers and bowls and covered vegetable bowls to go with the Blue Room/Blue Italian as well as blue and white turkey plates by Wedgwood and Myott. My Christmas dishes are Royal Doulton Tartan and I hand carried them home from England -- 8 plates, cups and saucers for $12 -- what was I thinking -- why I didn't get 16 or 24 at that price I don't know! Over the years I have accumulated 12 plates, cups and saucers. I also bought some Lennox Holiday salad plates which look good with the Tartan and gives me Christmas dessert/salad plates. I have my grandmother's china -- Noritake marcasite and it's a cream with gold trim -- I really like it and feel like it sets an elegant table. I also have some Famille Rose patterns which I mix and match -- Spode Famille Rose, Wedgwood Cuckoo and Aynsley Pembroke -- not the new Pembroke but the old one from the turn of the century. I have enough for 8 in those patterns and also have a tea pot, sugar and creamer (in the new Pembroke) so I can use the set for tea. And then I have Noritake Duluth which is a 1920's pattern which is a really pretty delicate pattern with a blue band and pink roses. (I use that one the least and have moved it down to the basement -- I can access it but it isn't filling up my china cabinets LOL!) My "wedding china" was Wedgwood Runnymeade -- which I still adore but my daughter admired it and wanted it and so it was our gift to her for her wedding -- we had 4 place settings and when the three of us went to England we bought 4 more -- and hand carried it home! I adore china and am always being enticed by a new pattern. I use my dishes a lot for we like to have company and it's fun to use different dishes to set a table. I also have my mother's wedding silver-plate, my husband's grandmother's sterling, a set of sterling that we bought for $25 at an auction (everyone saw "stainless" on the knife blade and thought that was what it was!). My crystal was Waterford Kylemore and I still adore it

I like China cabinets - my parents had one and I don't remember it ever looking denuded when they used the good China. Probably because I doubt they ever used all the place settings. My brother got the cabinet when they downsized to an apartment - I didn't have the space. Just as well. Knowing me, I'd fill it... nature abhorring a vacuum and all. I do have a nice corner cabinet which could serve as a small variant of a China cabinet. It is currently in my dining nook (and will move to a corner in my future LR when I move). While I keep China in the bottom unseen half, I display keepsakes like a few Hummel figurines, a hand-painted plate I made years ago, and various other keepsakes behind the upper glass. In other words, no dining China is on display. Just momentos I like that I fear the cats might like - in the wrong way - too.

My3dogs, thank you, thank you, for all your help so far! The fabric's been ordered, corbels located and repainted, (I had some from another room that I took down last year), and paint samples went are on the walls waiting for daylight to show their true color! Everyone's advice gave me just the inspiration I needed, now all I need is the right color for the paint. Sadly, BM's Rich Cream didn't work, it came out too peachy cream in our light, so I'm struggling with other yellow tones to find something, because I do want a true yellow tint to really highlight the flo blue. BM Yellow Lotus may be too strong - but I did like it enough to try that, along with Butter. Your valence instructions look great, and just so simple - yet they have such a lovely effect on the windows! You're so clever! I can't wait for the fabric order to get here, I ordered the coordinating Waverly stripe to recover the chair cushions, too. This will be sew fun!!! Heidi

They are with the picnic/potluck/party stuff in a spare room closet. I like themed party ware for grand kids and my Red Hat group so I pick patterns that catch my eye on sale. I keep various insulated carriers and picnic totes there also. I have over sized plastic shoebox type bins dedicated to certain holidays I have labeled. Those hold holiday cookie cutters, cake toppers, cupcake liners/wrappers, treat bags etc. along with the plates,napkins etc. for that theme. They stack nicely on a shelf. We don't use everyday paper things other than paper towels and plain napkins. Not even for when we grill outdoors.