Sunday Dishes: Harlequin Romance

When I started buying/collecting/acquiring Fiesta a few years ago, it was out of necessity. We had been eating our meals off of these cheap blue melamine plates that I found on a Target clearance shelf. That was fine when the boys were small--nothing ever got broken.

I discovered Fiesta in mid-2004. Q had begun cooking healthy, gourmet-style meals (we didn't know he had Cushing's Syndrome back then...we thought he was just fat). And the melamine just didn't live up to these quality meals. It certainly didn't live up to our very colorful interior decor. Also, the boys were now old enough to handle the privilege of eating off of big people dishes.

Fast forward to now. I have acquired more Post-86 Fiesta than I could possibly use...unless we adopt every child in the neighborhood. And while I still buy the new stuff, I have moved on to collecting vintage ware as well...specifically the Harlequin line.

The yellow salad bowl is a souvenir from our recent vacation. I paid $9.50 for it in an antique shop in Waukon, Iowa. I could have gotten it for less on eBay, but not when shipping costs are factored in. Besides, this was my small way of contributing the local economy.

These double-egg cups are some of my very favorite pieces...the spruce one, in particular. Q bought me spruce and rose for Mother's Day. The blue one was a $2 eBay find.

Someday, Denise. Someday.....

My newest goodie--the rose novelty creamer--arrived on my front porch just yesterday.

The basketweave nut dishes (left) are another favorite. In fact, it was this item that originally got me interested in Harlequin. These little cups are similar in size to those soy sauce dipping bowls at sushi restaurants. I use my single egg cup (right) for holding toothpicks.