Studio Friday: Collections

This topic was hard for me. Not because I have no collections, but because I have too many. Which one to choose?

I hope this isn't cheating because I have these arranged on a dresser top just outside the door of my studio so technically not inside. But I get to look at them each time I pass through the hallway on my trips from my studio to the attic room where I store finished work and package orders. I've wanted to do a post about these little Chinese enamel dishes for a while, and will use this as the opportunity to do it.



I don't even know what they're called. They're very small so don't hold much and they're not flat enough to be coasters. Maybe they're for sauces or condiments? I have no idea how old they are. I do know that they were imported from China and have a distinctive handwritten signature on the back. They're made of enamel over metal (probably tin) so are not nearly as fragile as they look.



We started with a few square ones that my husband inherited when his parents downsized from their house to an apartment. Then we added a few round ones and lately some with more unusual shapes. This summer we found two larger, bowl-sized ones. The small ones cost just a couple of dollars so they're very affordable.

I love everything about them—their tiny size, the not-so-perfect hand-painted look, the jewel-like colors. Grouped together they're just so visually pleasing that I smile every time I walk past them. And isn't that what a collection should do?









See more wonderful collections here.