Let’s Talk Silver and Silver Plate

Let’s Talk Silver and Silver Plate

First let me say I am not an expert, just a silver-plate collector.  I love looking for silver-plated pieces that have that beautiful patina.  The more patina the better in my book!  LOL  I wanted to have this discussion here, because for one thing, because it's a little longer than I usually make a post to my Facebook page.  Also, it has been a long time since I posted here, last summer!

There is a difference between silver and silver-plate.  One more has more value than the other.  Do you know which one has more value?  There are simple ways to tell the difference between the two also.  You can learn more here at this link:  https://antiquesilver.org/is-your-antique-silver-solid-or-plated/

Today I want to focus on how we can use silver plated items in our home.  I will include some visual ideas also in the form of photos and links.

So, what can we do with silver plated items?  There are a lot of ways to use it.  Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is using trays, bowls and flatware as serving pieces for family occasions and holidays.  However, it’s not limited to special occasions.

I have included 3 photos of how I use some silver-plated trays in my home.  In all three photos you will see I use the trays to anchor a vignette.  I have left the patina on each tray.  It is my opinion and preference that the patina adds more character to silver-plated pieces.  No two pieces will tarnish in exactly the same way.  Did you know there is a way to take a shiny piece of silver-plate and accelerate the tarnishing process?  YES!  Here are a couple of videos to show you how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3JEr6y4PY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ5zN6SiNTw

One photo is from my den where we use a trunk as a coffee table.  I love how the old trunk and the patina-bearing silver-plate is an amazing mix of textures and finishes.  It holds a painted metal cross, a compass and a candle.

Another photo is from my den.  The tray sits atop a wood cabinet that is painted dark.  I love the look of the painted wood and the silver-plated tray that is full of patina.  The tray holds a few things that add some texture and memories.  It holds a bag of cotton, a sea shell hand painted by a friend, a photo holder, and a decoupaged clay pot with a votive in it.

The last photo is from our living room and features a vintage wood side table that holds another silver-plated tray.  This tray holds a photo of our daughter from a few years ago, a genuine delft piece and a travertine coaster I made a few years ago.

You can group anything together on your trays.  If you use things you love and that hold good memories, it is certain to look good.  Decorating this way does not take an interior decorator’s degree.

You can take other pieces besides trays and do similar things.  I have a 4-tiered silver-plated display and storage piece that I will be using in my booth.  I will use it to display my dish scrubbies that are for sale.  In your home you could use a piece like this to display dish towels in your kitchen, soaps, and other grooming goodies in your bathroom, etc.

If you already are using silver-plated pieces in your home, post a photo and/or a comment to share your ideas with us.  I would love to see how you’re using it.

I have some silver-plated trays and a child’s cup in my booth at Joe’s Boots of Houma.  You may view them anytime during normal store hours.  I also have some pitchers and another child’s cup in my workshop, The Barn.  If you are interested in seeing the pitchers or the other cup, let me know.  You can text me at 985-381-3154 or DM me on Facebook at Cynthia Welch Designs (see link below).

I hope you'll like and follow my Facebook page found at the link below.  It is the best way to keep up with what is going on.

https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaWelchDesigns/

A New Era

Have you ever loved doing something then faced a situation where you could no longer do that fun thing?  I have been faced with that scenario the last few weeks and am hoping to resolve it one way or another.

When I first started my art business a few years ago I started with 4”x4” tumbled travertine coasters and 8”x8” tumbled travertine trivets.  I have many designs for each saved that I made over the years.  Some of the design themes are inspirational, sports, fleur de lis, holidays, monogram, and of course some that are hard to classify into one category.

For many years I obtained 4”x4” tiles from a local flooring store, Wrights.  They provided excellent customer service and quality products.  After being in business for about 30 years, Wright’s has closed their doors for the last time due to illness.  Just before they closed, I was able to place one last order for 2 cases of tiles.  They are such wonderful people it’s hard to see that “partnership” end.  I am hoping to see them around town.

I obtained the 8”x8” tiles from another local store until the tiles were no longer available, a few years ago.  Well, technically they are available but in sets with a variety of sizes in each set that I cannot use.  However, I recently found a stash at my home that I had put away for “safe keeping.”  They were put away so well that I had forgotten them for a long time!  I am so happy to have found them!  I have a couple of my trivets featured here and will be adding more to my website.

The situation now is that I am having difficulty finding even the 4”x4” at a price that keeps this line of products affordable.  My costs are tripled or almost tripled with the available locations from which I can purchase, or the tiles were not available for order from their warehouses.  I do not want to have to raise prices on my coasters nor face having to offer inferior products just to have this line of products in my offerings.

Considering what I have found I will offer my remaining coasters and when they are gone, they are gone, sadly.  My remaining coasters are first quality and something I would have in my own home.  If this were not the case, I would pull them from my website.  Rest assured, they make beautiful functional gifts for yourself, your family or your friends.

The upside to this situation is that it is moving me toward finding new and interesting handcrafted items to have in my shop.  Sometimes we face one door closing to find another door open.  So this is a new era at Cynthia Welch Designs.  I am proud of the coasters and trivets I have offered but look forward to new things to come!

This is where you, my friends, customers and subscribers come in.  I am looking for input from you!  See my questions for you below.

• What unique, upcycled, hard-to-find, handcrafted items are you looking for?  The unique items you’re looking for may be for decorating your own home.  The handcrafted gifts for family or friends may be for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, a housewarming or retirement, a wedding gift or other occasion.

• What is one thing you are looking for to complete a vignette in your home?  This “one thing” could be an accent piece or the main piece to get he vignette started.

• What do you usually look for when purchasing a gift for the person who has everything?  When someone seemingly has everything, they are a challenge when it comes to gift-giving.  Do you look for practical and functional gifts or something they love but would never purchase for themselves?

•  When you look gifts, what price range do you typically look for?  I ask this question no to be nosey!  vbg  I ask because I want to try to cover different price points in my online shop, if possible.

• What comes first when looking for décor or gifts … form (beauty and attractiveness) or function?

Now I have 3 things for you to do.  Choose one or more to do right now!  Please share one of the following...

1. This blog
2. My coasters and trivets .... Click here to see my coaster selections.
   Click here to see my trivet selections.
3. My business page and my group!  Click here to go to my Facebook business page.
   Click here to go to my Facebook group.

I hope you have a great day!

God bless,

Cindy