Villeroy and Boch

Submitted by Steve

So if you were going to go with Villeroy and Boch, where would you begin? New Wave and New Caffe add up to be the most popular pattern, but here in the States, we also love French Garden, a very interesting pattern with a colorful, classic look.

I can see people's appeal in the New Wave, but if you need something more traditional, French Garden would be a good start.

Villeroy & Boch Visits DD&M

Submitted by Steve

Villeroy & Boch stopped by today to give us a rundown of their product, as we've begun selling it recently. They explained the philosophy behind their design, and it actually made us like it a whole bunch more!

They go for a mix and match strategy that not only allows you to match all sorts of dishes, but also to use them for whatever you may need at the time. Villeroy & Boch china is meant to be versatile, as well as durable and stylish. You can use the party plates as saucers, but also as garnish plates or even sushi plates. (Yum!) They purposely name the plates vaguely so you don't have a predisposed idea as to what you are using. Use that vase as an ice bucket for your wine glass or that mug as a pencil holder.

Blown Glass

Submitted by Steve
My mother-in-law has been blowing glass as a hobby lately, and she's shown me some of the beautiful art you can make, and I must say, it is impressive. Since we have an actual glass guy that will be making some custom pieces for us, I thought I'd interview him. It's an interesting craft. I was holding off for a few more visitors to our little page here, but I guess I'll go ahead and get him on the phone and see what he has to say. Look for the interview here in a couple days (probably next Monday, actually).

Monday Woes

Work doesn't dissappear on the weekends, it just piles up to surprise us when we come into the office on Monday!

How Valuable is Your China?

Submitted by Steve

One question we receive often is along the lines of "How valuable is my china?" Many of these people are just curious, but others are actively interested in selling their antique porcelain. Our site sells primarily new lines, with the occasional discontinued piece that we just happen to have in stock, but we can often direct people to someplace that deals in hard to find dinnerware, and those sources can help find what your pieces are worth.

If you are interested in selling your antique dinnerware, here is a handy link from a seller on eBay with tips for doing so. Some points of note:

Be very conscious of the condition of your china. Fractures, wear, scratches, even very minor defects in the glaze can have a significant impact on the value.

Research everything you can. Collectors are often more interested in the history surrounding your antique than the antique itself, so the more you know, the more it is worth!

Contact us to see if we can help.

Submitted by Steve

Its Graduation Time! Planning to throw a huge get together to celebrate? About has a guide to help parents plan, but you can also try it the way we do in small towns. Have a DIY catering job down at the firehall.

Congrats, Graduates! Now its time to get working! (Or more schooling, I guess...)

Photo from crschmidt's Flickr photostream.

Flickr Pic: Norwegian wedding

Submitted by Steve
This picture didn't shrink very well, but it shows a very nice wedding dinner with a nice place setting. Over at Flickr, I've been browsing through some wedding photos, and there are some impressive pictures out there! The setting pictured at the left is Flickr User Ramon Arrellano's Norwegian wedding. Very nice! I like the stone!

What's Next? 777!

Submitted by Steve
Mother's Day has past! Did you get Mom anything good? There are some orders here that didn't make it for Mother's Day, but it is hard to ship something fast enough when you ordered the day before! Doh! In any case, if the above describes you, please let us know, so we can see what we can do for you.

In more exciting news, Wedding season is about ready, though I bet there are less June brides are more July brides this year with everyone jumping on the opportunity to have a 7/7/07 wedding. (I wonder how many weddings there were last year on June 6?)

Happy Mother's Day!

TGIF!

Submitted by Steve
Terribly Gleeful It's Friday.

Actually, I've never heard anyone ever spell TGIF out that way, but that is apparently one of the meanings... TGIF anyway!