Picking daffodils for Thanksgiving

Some thrifting is better than others. This collection of silver plate is a recent find but represents a "longing of the heart" that I’ve had for many, many years.

This vintage sugar sifter spoon from Roger Bros. is one I found at a local thrift store for ninety-nine cents way back in 2010. I loved the daffodil design on it and soon learned that it was for sifting sugar, a piece that comes in handy when decorating cupcakes or anything else where you need to sprinkle just a wee bit of sugar on top.

Another time—and I don’t remember when or where—I came across the same pattern in a ballpoint pen! So I held on to these two daffodil-patterned pieces and have enjoyed using them.

In 2020, before the great lockdown, one of the last “normal” things I did that year was speak to the Marietta Daisies garden club, and I was smitten by their beautiful tables accented with mismatched vintage silver-plated flatware. “If I ever come across a bunch of that…” I thought, but alas, I never did, and shopping eBay or something like that would defeat the purpose. I like bargains. So imagine my delight when I hit up a new thrift store recently and saw a basket marked “Silverware — 50¢.” And inside that basket awaited thirty pieces of the Daffodil pattern I had first noted some fifteen years ago! Some of it was incredibly tarnished, but I bought all of it, figuring it was worth a shot, and the pieces cleaned up easily (and will get another swish of silver cream before Thanksgiving). Also, I’d been looking on eBay for some vintage gumbo spoons but didn’t see anything I just loved. I was so happy that in addition to plenty of forks and spoons (and even a butter knife and three spreaders), four Daffodil gumbo spoons were in this batch of silverware.

I was thrilled to get this whole slew of daffodil pieces for only $15. I needed some extra pieces for Thanksgiving anyway, and even though daffodils aren't exactly an autumnal flower, I will happily use these on my Thanksgiving table. So I guess my word to the wise is that if there's something you're looking for, vintage-wise, hang in there. It may just take a while!