Salt and Pepper Collection

As many of you already know, I collect Salt & Pepper shakers. I had a few that I liked and when the collection grew out of reasonable cupboard space, I started placing them in a curio case. Friends would see them when they came over and after a while, they were giving me theirs. The other reason I started collecting them was that I'm the youngest of five kids. As anyone who knows me knows I have "particular taste," meaning: I like what I like. When Christmas presents were opened and I got things I didn't really need or not likely to use, I got the idea: In your travels and everyday life, keep an eye out for the ugliest Salt and Peppers you can find. As you will see in future blogs, there are some ugly ones, cute ones too. You decide.

OK, so the collection has grown. It outgrew the curio and we were planning the design of The Craftsman B&B. So I decided to add a shelf to the wainscoting in the Dining Room. It worked out perfectly as I unpacked the boxes of S&P's, they all fit on the shelves with no room to spare. So as the collection grew, new ones ended up on the window sill, then the sorting began. Christmas ones come out at Christmas. Bunnies and Easter S&P's are also seasonal. Poultry is next to be stored. The collection grows, but the shelf is limited.

Here is where it all started. I was planing on making dining room chairs about 15 years ago. I was thinking about Shaker chairs. So I did some research and found this place that is all Shaker. I got the catalog, pre-Internet, and saw these S&P's. They are Shaker, shakers.

OK, they are not ugly, but remember that wasn't the plan from the start. They were clever and I appreciate anyone that can be clever. So post your comments on the shakers you like. If you have some ugly ones hiding in a cupboard, send them to me where they are enjoyed by my guests and of course, me.