A Collection has to start somewhere.

I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't love dishes. As a little girl, I had my own set of metal or tinware tea sets. For those of you who are Baby Boomers, you may remember those. They were pretty little handpainted pieces of tin. I set my little table and had tea parties with dolls, cousins, grandparents and anyone I could convince to play.

My mother loved pretty china. She wasn't able to indulge her addiction due to lack of space and lack of funds; however, she always managed to have some "pretties". Family was aware of this and she inherited some beautiful pieces of glass, china and other collectibles. The good news is I'm an only child! ;-)



As hubby and I were building a new home in 1980, we went to a small local antique shop. The recent purchase of a china cabinet had us interested in feathering our nest a little. We weren't antique shoppers at the time but were curious. What treasures we found! The little shop, no more than a small barn, was full of depression glass...CHEAP depression glass. We had no idea what good buys we were finding at the time and knew we loved it.



As we plundered through this gold mine, I found a beautiful set....yes, I said "set", of green Depression glass. The owner gave me a brief history of the pattern. Oh my, we had so much to learn back then but I knew I had to have it! Fortunately, anniversary #5 was just around the corner. We purchased the set of glass and headed home to our treasure.



What did we buy? It was a luncheon set of green Fruits Depression glass by Hazel Atlas from 1931 - 1935. We purchased luncheon plates, cups, saucers and sherbets. We were now on the hunt for other pieces. Keep in mind we are in the 80's. There is no eBay. There was a Depression Glass newsletter with items listed. The other way to locate Depression glass was good old fashioned shopping.




And shop we did! We antique shopped on vacations and weekends. We went to flea markets, Canton First Monday Weekend and every little shop in between. We were seeking a large fruit bowl, berry bowls and the coveted 7" pitcher. One year, returning from vacation in Branson, MO, we stopped at a small antique mall in Marshall, AR. As we roamed the small store, my heart actually stopped I believe. There was the Fruits pitcher! It was like Christmas time and we talked of the treasured pitcher most of the way home.



We later added more pieces including two 8" berry bowls along with the 5" bowls. And yes, I use it. I am a firm believer in enjoying those "pretties" you have as often as possible.

Over the years, we started many different collections. However, the green Fruits Depression glass will always be special to our heart. It's where the journey began.