I heart oyster plates...

Last week I hopped in the Dolorean and gunned it to 88'.....well no actually it was the Volvo and the only place we gunned it was to Stamford but you gotta love a good Back to the Future reference...Any who, it had been two weeks since I had gone treasure hunting and I was getting restless. I had been wanting to visit this one particular shop St. Martins Antique Centre http://www.st-martins-antiques.co.uk/ and I was not disappointed. I was under a time crunch so I had to make quick work and I definitely left some great finds behind...tear. I especially have my eye on a great 19th century cabinet. It's a nice walnut and still has the original leaded glass doors and the inside had been painted a really lovely and very hip robin egg/almost turquoisey blue. It would be sooo happy in my house filled with all white dishes. Don't worry cabinet I felt what you felt...I'll make it happen.

Two of my favorite finds from that day were a pair of great 19th century English oyster plates and a pitcher that dates sometime around 1920's. I am still trying to dig up some information on the pitcher because it is very heavy, beautiful and in perfect condition but I just can make out the mark on the bottom. The oyster plates are one of my favorite finds ever. They bear an early mark of Mintons which from my research date these back to around the 1820's when this English company first started producing bone china.

I loved them even more because I had just run across this photo from Country Living of a dining room with walls covered in them.

{Bright Dining Room - The owners have spent 14 years amassing the oyster plates that line the walls of their Pennsylvania dining room. The table was built from old barn floorboards to fit the room's narrow proportions. The sofa cushions flaunt a funky, flea market fabric. Photo and Text Credit: Owners Gridley + Graves, Country Living}

14 years collecting oyster plates! Will I end up being that crazy? Who knows but I do love the finished look. I also like the flea market fabric on the sofa pillows and I myself have been picking up some great vintage fabric to do something with. I'm learning that collecting vintage is a very subjective hobby, so what catches your eye? What sort of collections are you always looking for pieces to add?