Metlox Handmade Calif Poppy Trail California Pottery 208:  The Destiny of Things, story 241 

When we were in college my bother used to say, "No chef can have too many bowls!"

 photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

And so we bought many bowls when we went thrifting.  He bought mostly Russel Wright Iroquois and I collected more Bauer, but leaned towards a more mix and match style.

Our lives revolved around cooking and eating food until I became allergic to most foods and the only thing I could survive on for two years was raw vegan organic meals.   If meals weren't gluten free, soy free, dairy free and organic I'd have an allergic reaction almost instantly!

Now I can incorporate some dairy if it's organic, but most of the time it's not worth the hassle of an allergic reaction.  Since my eating habits have changed so drastically, so has my kitchen!  I used to bake once or twice a week and now I bake about twice a year because I only have one chocolate gluten free recipe that tastes close to a cupcake!

So most of my kitchen which is vintage from thrifting has dwindled down to a couple salad and soup bowls!  Believe it or not, the gluten free chocolate cupcakes are made in a vitamix, so I don't need a bowl.  These cupcakes are so good, they get eaten in one sitting without frosting!

photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

On VintageToGoEasy, I counted over 30 bowls total and I counted 25 in the sold pile.  That's a lot of bowls!  And these are mainly bowl bowls, not little serving bowls.  I'm happy I tallied it all up and can see what progress I've made!  A quick pat on the back and round of applause for myself!

As a recovering hoarder, in the beginning letting go of things I no longer used was very difficult.   I'm still not sure why, but I'm almost over it and can list most things now stress free.  This bowl looked great piled high with tangerines or apricots in it.  Such nice contrasting colors really made it pop!  

An Etsy buyer emailed me and informed me this is already one of her most favorite pieces of  California Pottery.  Getting a note like this still brings me relief knowing it's going to be well loved in it's new home.

 photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here

I only had two bowls from Metlox Pottery and the other one had a crack in it, so I used it to catch water for an outdoor porch planter and it eventually broke in pieces.

Metlox Pottery company was in business for 62 years and I think this piece is from the 80s.  Here some history I from wiki about the company:

Metlox Pottery, strictly speaking Metlox Manufacturing Company, was a manufacturer of ceramic housewares, located at 1200 Morningside Drive, Manhattan Beach, California. It was founded in 1927 by T. C. Prouty and his son Willis Prouty, originally as a producer of outdoor ceramic signs.

 photo via wiki

After the death of T.C. in 1931, Willis renamed the company Metlox Pottery ("Metlox" is a combination of "metal" and "oxide," a reference to the glaze pigments), and began producing dinnerware. The Metlox Manufacturing Company was incorporated October 5, 1933.^[1] Evan K. Shaw, of American Pottery in Los Angeles, purchased Metlox from Willis Prouty in 1946.^[2]

After Shaw's death in 1980, Kenneth Avery became the president of Metlox.^[2] The first line of pottery produced, "Poppytrail," became well known for its brightly colored glazes derived from locally mined metallic oxides. Subsequent lines included "Nostalgia," "Red Rooster," "California Provincial," "Colonial Homestead," "Homestead Provincial," and "Colorstax."

In the 1950s Metlox introduced a line of moderist dinnerware featuring free form designs and squared plates using "blanks" that were then decorated with designs and colors. These were then marketed under the pattern names of "California Contempra", "California Modern" and "California Freeform" names.

Besides kitchenware, Metlox also produced a very popular line of large ceramic horses and carriages in the 1950s that is still very collectible. Carl Romanelli designed vases, figurines and miniatures for Metlox. A line of collectible ceramic people planters called "Poppets," designed by studio potter Helen Slater, were produced starting in 1970.

Metlox's incorporation was terminated on January 4, 1988 and the former site is now occupied by Shade Hotel and other businesses.^[3]

photo via VintageToGoEasy, more from my vintage kitchen here 

Saying Goodbye:  In the beginning it was very stressful and I would almost get grief stricken with a fearful anxious nervousness when something left, but it's been almost 2 years now and I can say that with practice it's become a lot easier to let go of most of my things!

And there's a whole lot more room in my kitchen!

What I Learned:

1.  Getting immersed over an over with the stressful fearfulness of letting each thing go, one by one has really helped me move forward with my Hoarder Rehab journey.  And even though my mind knows I can't use these things, my heart tells a different story.  So instead of being more mindful I am becoming more heartfelt and learning how they work together and separately.

2.  I also learned that I don't need 30 plus bowls to function in a kitchen!  I think I have one large salad bowl and one smaller one.  This chef only needs two bowls, however I do have my share of soup bowls and drinking glasses!

I'm learning to focus and conquer by taking one step at a time.

 This is my last and most favorite mixing bowl listed and is available here

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for your message because look at what it's brought me!  What a gift!  It's brought my past and present together for an evaluation of progress and success!  Yippee!  Kudos! Congrats! Another pat on the back and round of applause for myself!

And to you too for some how culminating all of this without knowing it!

Thank you Etsy for everything you've brought me too and taken away!  I have learned so much and  continue to learn daily!  Thank you!

Thank you US, China, Guatemala, Australia, Hong Kong, Saint Lucia,  Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, France, Malaysia, Serbia, Ukraine, South Africa and other for your visits over the weekend and taking part in my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things! 

My new goal is to list at least 200 items from my hoard on each shop by December for the Christmas season!  I've already met that goal at The Destiny of Things!  I'm going to try and list new hoard daily at each shop until I reach my new goal.

Click on the shop names to visit my new hoard listed daily: HoarderRehab with 192 items, The Destiny of Things- 201 items , VintageToGoEasy - 182 items and now JunkDrawerLoveEtsy - 175 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Related Stories:  Other bowl stories...

1.  Mikasa Flower Bowls:  The Destiny of Things, Story 173  

2.  Spice of Life Enamelware:  The Destiny of Things, Story 203 

3.  Vernonware Plaid Plaid Mix:  from collector to museum founder

4.  The Autry National Center, California Designing Women, Bill Stern:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story 4:  See more California Pottery Ware

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ---Another moment of silence for Maya Angelou, author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" the first book of hers I read in college.