Mother of Pearl Flatware and Flowers

Hello there bloggylanders!



Time is no longer it seems! Just turn around and things are upon us, and one of those "things" is Christmas....wow. I remember clearly putting everything away.

This year I want a White Christmas. It will be my first ever...... light, elegant, bright and so very pretty. One nice green balsam tree out on the front porch for all passers by to see lit at night, some good cheer....nothing like a lit and decorated Christmas tree outside for all to see to make one feel something is right. Inside, I will have several wreaths, and lots of garland even if I have to make it myself which I probably will with all the cut greens they throw away from tree trimming. I used to make them as a florist and I could not get the sticky balsam resin off my hands for a week, but then in New York, we had all kinds of greens, not just Fir as they do here....here there are no choices in types of trees, only Fir. 

But right now I wanted to share something I've been in love with for a while.....the kind of love that makes your insides do a flip and a flop, you know? :D
Well I decided life is only getting shorter and I want these because to me they are so beautiful....and that is Mother of Pearl Flatware or cutlery. I have seen these always and loved them but it never really registered in my own head as to acquiring any.....until recently. Then I searched and searched online, etc, and found them sold only on ebay or in very very expensive auctions! I think they don't even make them anymore. And based on what I've seen on ebay, people are literally grabbing these all up to make them a "collectors item", a money thing. I have literally watched these sets of Mother of Pearl or MOP, being snatched up by aggressive buyers only to find them relisted again for twice the price! I've seen this! I compared pictures from what I had been "watching" and soon what was bought was rephotographed and auctions began at twice the price. I just checked today for the recent listings and they all begin in the hundreds of dollars!!! People are crazy greedy and I find this an ugly trait.

Yet I do believe I got a couple, or rather several sets at good prices before this happened.
But on to beauty.

What is very cool, is that my housemate also bought a couple of sets, and I bought three. What is NOT cool however, is that they don't tell you most of those sets are Fairy sized flatware!...and not human sized! I had received my first purchase in the mail and the forks were smaller than the average American fork. I thought I misread something but did not. The 2nd package I figured would definitely come in the "normal" size. But it did not....it was actually smaller! I began to panic now, because what on earth am I going to do with these tiny forks? I bought them to use, not just to collect and store! I'm not a collector, I use everything I have. Collecting seems a waste to me, and I don't have the space.
So surely the next package would be "normal".
Are you ready for this?
They were smaller yet again.....and I'm talking a steady graduating shrinkage in size, definitely shrinking people! What ever will I do with them? good thing I did not pay alot!
But by this third package I was distressed....so much time online, watching and bidding, and hoping and what have you, only for flatware I could not use because they were tiny.....if anyone knows what they make these for please tell me!

K, these are the sizes....Tiny person....Hobbit....Fairy......

 

Anyway, after a couple more tries on ebay and me asking for measurements etc and reading descriptions more carefully, I got a set that are basically normal size and useable and one set did come in "normal" sized too, and they are lovely and I keep them on the table.
The one on the far left is "normal"....yet still a bit smaller than average American forks.

 


I have 8 forks, and knives which are not fit to cut anything really, but more like butter knives,  I think they call a Fish Set....and if anyone can explain that one too I'd appreciate it very much.
It is the set on the left. You can see how tiny that little fork on the right is....barely enough to grab a strawberry! unless of course you are Hobbit or Fairy sized as mentioned. This tiny set came in a box of 6 forks and knives for $20.00. Some have Stirling Silver bands, but is it for strawberries or not?? Honestly do we need different forks for every fruit and food there is? What WAS the point? Pammie?? :D


 



Recently we had guests and sat at our tiny square table, and once I served the food, they asked for forks and I pointed to the container sitting there free to be grabbed and then napkins too, just casual.....free to grab and use and yet they were the most treasured and exquisite flatware one could use, Stirling Silver in some cases, and Mother of Pearl brilliance, and beautiful cotton Shabby Napkins......Silver and Pearl, free for everyday use, so casual and yet so luxurious.

But here are the pics and I have some very pretty flowers too. I do love the Mother of Pearl, they sit in places where the light and candlelight hit them and they  DO glow! If we're going to work with utensils they may as well be so beautiful we love handling them all the time. I leave them on the table on top of napkins or simply in a crystal or mercury jar.....to enhance reflections and sparkle.

 

 This was not a clever idea as much as it was necessity....I needed space, and both these cloche's were empty and I put one inside the other and they fit, and I added this time the white pumpkins. Love!

rehydrating my limes.......I added the leftover flowers.....tarragon and baby's breath.....and whatever else was left went in here too.....it looked nice! But I think almost anything in nature looks "nice"...lolol...

 do we ever get tired of pink roses???
I don't think so.

My room has one place I can "play" with in moving things around and changing things. This bureau top is the place. I like it because it is just low enough and just high enough and gets the morning light.

 still loving my gray pearl walls.....

daisies love mercury glass too :D

Thanks for visiting, I always love to blog my flowers and the changes. This helps me to remember all the beauty and bounty there is from Mother Nature, and how much I have to embrace.

sharing this with Shabbilicious Friday 

and with Home and Garden Thursday

and with Rose Vignettes: Fresh Cut Friday   

and with The Charm of Home