You, Too, Can Have More Cabinet Space...

Okay, so I'm a practical person. I simply don't do fancy; I do not own a pair of heels -- or a pair of pantyhose; I never wear any more make-up than mascara and Carmex; and I never do an outfit more hoity-toity than Sunday best.

I've always been like this, so, fifteen years ago, when I recieved an inordinate number of crystal vases and bowls as wedding gifts, I was suprised. (I do apologize deeply if you were one of the givers of such a gift. Please, keep reading; maybe you'll like how this ends. Maybe.) It's true that I adore shiny things; at times, I am like a puppy just mesmerized by light reflecting from the bling, but, after an admiring "ooh" and a suprising "aah," I was at a loss for what to do with all this Czech -- or was it Yugoslavian? -- crystal.

For over a decade, these fine pieces lived in the cabinet beneath our kitchen bar. Every so often, I would take them out and hand wash them, but a single crystal would only get used occassionally for fruit salad at Christmas. I tried working some of the Mikasa pitchers and vases into shelves and end tables. Such attempts at interior design never worked; the Gorham always looked out of place with the handprinted-by-a-preschooler rocks and empty whiskey jugs. (Think the kind they used to blow across on Hee Haw!)

About a year ago, I finally discovered what to do with all these fine, but seemingly useless pieces: I just started being practical. I started using them. My first attempt was keeping my chap stick and pony-tail holders in a truffle bowl on the bathroom counter. It worked great, so I moved on to drinking straws in the pineapple-design vase:

Then, I moved on to snacks in the larger bowls, plastic flatware in the pitchers, and soda can tabs in the small bowls. In truth, I just started using what I had, realizing finally that the special occassion I was saving them for might never come.

I wonder now if all the Fostoria crystal my grandmother loved so much really got used and seen as much as she had hoped it would...

These days, I see my shiny, blingy crystal pieces everyday, and maybe they aren't filled with fancy flowers or decadent dishes. But, they are filled with bits and pieces of this life -- of my life, the life I have that is chocked full of practicality and utilitarianism. It's a life that works... and makes me smile because, now, it shines a bit more.