One part of my brain that I could be using for something useful, like understanding the financial crisis, or remembering when I last changed our AC filters, is instead busy following trends in melamine tableware. Melamine plates and bowls have the obvious benefit of being kid-friendly. Even better, they bring some bold and interesting patterns into the dish rotation, but they don't cost a lot and you don't have to fuss over them. For Things I Love Thursday, here's some of my favorite melamine, and some I'm still coveting.The name to know is Thomas Paul. He makes beautiful dishes and throw pillows (that's another TILT post waiting to happen). His website doesn't actually sell his stuff, but it's good for seeing what's out there and what the collection names are. Velocity sells all of these online, but there's no need to pay retail, is there? (I'll explain more below, but the best place to buy Thomas Paul is Ebay, and there are some great deals right now.) My favorite, favorite set is Folk:
The woodland motif on the dinner plates reminds me of Tord Boontje (remember the holiday collection he did for Target)? I love these plates. They're kind of Christmasy, though not exclusively so, and I use the large platter (up top) as a cake plate during the holidays.More Thomas Paul. Artifacts:
The big trays would be great propped up as decoration, if you're into that. Or these, in the Gothic pattern, on a wall. How adorable would that be?
And the one I totally covet, Sea Life:
I got all of my Thomas Paul plates (and pillows) on ebay. The most current collections (like Sea Life) won't be listed, but slightly older ones like Folk and Artifacts pop up, brand new in their packages. This guy is the biggest ebay seller of Thomas Paul, and I've bought a lot of stuff from him. Right now, he has a set of 8 plates (4 dinner and 4 dessert) for sale for $12.95. He has twenty of these sets, so check it out. With shipping, it's probably closer to $20, but that's still cheaper than Target's melamine. Also, he has a deal where you can get 6 of these platters, either the pink or the aqua, for $29.95. They retail elsewhere on the web for $18 apiece. Very inexpensive presents or hostess gifts:
Okay, I could go on, believe me, but I will stop now. Hope you liked this taste of Thomas Paul--I loved sharing. Thanks for stopping by. And if I seem obsessed, it's because I really, really am.Earlier Things I Love posts are here and here. And this I also love.
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12 comments:
Those plates are beautiful! I've never heard of him before- I'll have to check him out.
i love the woodland ones! very unqiue and pretty!
Those are gorgeous! The sea life ones are really pretty. I've always loved the Russian doll ones that you have--but I didn't know you were such an expert!
These are absolutely beautiful plates! Thanks for sharing. I actually gasped out loud at them. My husband didn't feel the same way, but, then again, he doesn't understand how a new lipgloss will totally change my whole outlook on the week.
Thanks for stopping by!
These are absolutely stunning. Thanks so much for sharing him with us. Going to track him down :)
OOohhh! I am LOVING some of those! :)
Love the sea life! Too bad melamine isn't microwavable - the only drawback.
Wow, that's amazing. I keep wondering about melamine, being that it's the "industrial poison" found in tainted milk and pet food. OK, I know you're not supposed to actually eat the plates, so it should be fine, right? Right?
Carrie, as far as I can tell from sifting through the interwebs, melamine plates are safe if you don't eat them. They combine the melamine resin with other stuff to make a hard plastic that's very stable. It doesn't release BPA's like the polycarbonate stuff. It's been made since the 1930's, so I think it's been vetted. Prolonged microwaving will melt it, though.
Really cool! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am sorry you don't have any good thrift stores there :( I actually lived in the Roswell area before I moved to Dallas. I bet Cali thrifting was awesome. My husband and I like to thrift as we travel, the location definitely has an impact on the findings.
You know what?(rhetorical) I love the stuff you love! Except I haven't tried Origins. Dare I say you have exceptional taste : ) Your posts are fun and you're funny. When are you going to parlay this into a Suburban Matron empire/franchise? T-shirts, coffee mugs, a magazine? While I'm asking all these questions, please explain the "manage" in your tag line. I know French/eat, but huh?
bamboo melamine tableware
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