You Are Special

When I was growing up, we had a red plate with "you are special" painted in white around the rim. The plate appeared on the table for almost any significant occasion (yes, on birthdays of course, but also on Valentine's Day, the first day of school, or after a tap recital, ). I guess I kind of thought everyone had plates like this, but the only person in my life who has ever heard me describe the red plate and responded, "Oh, I had one too!" is Miya. Maybe it was a Northern California thing in the mid-80s (although I kind of doubt that since I don't recall anyone from my childhood having one) or maybe we just both had parents who liked to make magic out of the marginally momentous events that punctuate childhood. In any case, we both get a warm fuzzy feeling when we recall sitting down to a meal with the red plate.

Now that we each have a daughter, we've had many conversations about how to make sure their childhoods are filled with those enchanted moments you can really only fully experience when you still believe anything is possible. I won't speak for Miya, but I know I feel a tension between wanting to create perfect moments, recorded in great detail for Claire to look back on as an adult (look how fun your first birthday was!) and wanting to put down the camera and turn off the mental note-taking of our experiences so that we can be fully immersed in whatever moment we're having. It's funny, I can't think of a single photo of the red plate and yet it's one of my fondest memories of my childhood. So in the spirit of contributing to a family's magical memories, I propose giving a special plate with the hope that it makes it easy to perk up days that might otherwise feel ordinary.

Although the sentiment of the red plate is certainly lovely, I think a more modern equivalent may be in order.

If you're committed to the real thing, it can be purchased at Waechtersbach USA.

These fetching plates by Aedriel Originals can be personalized with whatever word or saying you'd like. 

I bought this adorable "you are special" cupcake stand from Vessels and Wares for our daughter's first birthday. Although Jeanette doesn't have a specific listing for it right now, she happily accepts custom orders.

I almost didn't include this plate since Nina in Vorm is currently taking a little break from her etsy shop. However, we've been assured that she'll have some new pretties up there "soon," so request to be notified when her shop is up and running and you can get something fresh in the near future.

If you're feeling crafty, you can also use these paint markers to create your own design or wording on almost any kind of plate. Some people, including Martha, indicate that they are food safe, but the company itself recommends that they not come in direct contact with food. I think I'm going to tackle this project soon and my plan is just to paint the rim--the better to see your design once the food is plated anyway.

Comments

[miya]

elisabeth, you are the best! i was really hoping not to use the red plate for emi, since my most vivid memory of it is sitting down to my 13th birthday dinner with the last throes of what was a TERRIBLE chicken pox outbreak. i love all four of these ideas--maybe we can have a plate-making party? xo

[Pretty Mommy]

What great ideas...I'm going to have to snap up some of those pens asap...

[elisabeth]

Oh yes, let's have a plate painting party. Pretty Mommy, we wish you lived in New York, so you could join in the fun. If you paint something pretty, do share a photo.

[Aedriel]

Thanks so much for featuring my Love! plate. :) What a delightful blog.

[my name is lauren.]

oh my goodness! we totally have that red plate!

my husband had one growing up and loved it, so as a gift to him I made one at one of those ceramic painting places and we've used it on birthdays and special days since. BUT then my mom found the original red one for us while out thrifting, so now we have two :).

love this!