Necessity is the mother of invention

Regarding the teacups in the drawer, I can clearly remember the decision to place them in there. I had already placed my "display" cups in the corner cabinet...

when I knew I had to find a place for the rest of my teacup collection... which is not easy to do when one lives in a small house.

The drawer came to mind and it has worked out great. It does keep them dust free and safe from two rather tall males with big feet (who are wonderful people but do not always mix well with dainty china).

My granddaughters think they are very pretty but it is my grandson, David, who kept asking for me to open the drawer so he could look at them. I think he has his mother's eye for good design, even if he is only four!

When I first began collecting tea cups about fifteen years ago, I would purchase any that were cheap and pretty. Now I only purchase those that are basically English very fine china or something quite unique... but still cheap.

I have a small collection of sturdy china cups from my early days of collecting, carefully wrapped and stored in a box, which can come out when little ones are here. They are also the cups I'll pull out and place in a gift basket since they are quite pretty but do not require careful handling. I let the little ones take one home with them if they like.

The hutch was in my mother-in-law's dining room/home office area (along with the corner china cabinet). She used that drawer as an extension of her desk. I believe it was originally intended for holding silver ware and linens. Whatever works! Teacups in drawers... as Martha would say... that is a good thing. :)

I'll have to try using salt to clean the teacups, Heather. One thing I found (quite by accident) that works great are the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers... they do work like magic!