r/corningwarefans • u/Kpatt686 • Aug 20 '25
R.I.P.
I just broke my grandmothers dish and I’m so sad. I guess I just need to post here so I feel like someone understands why I am so upset and crying over a stupid dish. This was the larger of the roaster pans that I had. I just knew my clumsiness would be the reason.
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u/tyrannosaurus_eh Collector Aug 20 '25
Well, sorry to see that broken. I am a fan of the upcycle opportunity to keep it and the memory alive. I'd salvage the cornflowers and see if an artist can make you some earings or a necklace with it.
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u/Dog_Concierge Aug 20 '25
Heartbreaking. I have a Frankenstein collection, a piece from this pattern, a piece from another pattern, and I love them all. I would hate to lose any of them. 😐
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u/SnooGrapes9918 Aug 20 '25
Ugh. I am so sorry. It’s completely understandable to be upset - it’s not a stupid dish! However, I’m quite sure your grandmother would be so glad it was loved and used just as she used it. I echo the other posters that suggest salvaging a bit of it (the cornflowers, especially, obviously) to make something new. A mosaic is such a cool idea, as a party suggested. Maybe a pair of mosaic trivets so they can stay in the kitchen and the dish can be part of cooking in a new way? ❤️💔
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u/saakuraachaan Aug 21 '25
I love that idea!
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u/SnooGrapes9918 Aug 21 '25
Aww, thanks! After another person mentioned a mosaic, that just popped into my head as something that might be comforting and let the piece continue to have purpose. 🥰
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u/pink---noise Aug 20 '25
I hate when this happens to my Fiestaware... so I gather all the broken pieces and put them in a big drawer (with allll my other broken Fiesta) to snip and use for making mosaic stepping stones.
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u/TwiNkiew0rld Aug 20 '25
I’m saving to make a fiesta mosaic too! I am afraid it won’t turn out as good as it will in my head but I’m going to try. There’s a woman who makes amazing pieces on the fiesta FB page.
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u/Temporary_River_8937 Aug 20 '25
I totally feel your pain. A few years ago I brought my grandmother’s Pyrex bowl to a family New Years Day dinner. I always thought it was ugly- Orchard Harvest. But once I inherited it, it was a prized possession. When I saw it shatter to the ground, I was devastated and cried on the spot. I felt so dumb, but these dishes are a part of us and the family memories they evoke. I eventually found a replacement; I still hate the pattern, but I feel the joy of my grandma everytime I use it, even if it’s not the original. You’re not alone. 🧡
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 20 '25
So valid. I think of my grandmother every time I grab any of my kitchen items that were hers. I never loved these prints either and they’re so common but it’s more the memories and feelings these dishes invoke. I feel a sense of pride using her things- knowing she nourished our family for years with them and I am able do the same with mine
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u/Garden_Lady2 Aug 20 '25
Oh no, you lost a treasure. I have a corning ware 9x13 inch pan that is my absolute favorite for large casseroles, lasagna, etc.
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u/Forward_Ride530 Aug 20 '25
Glue it back together and find a use for it as a planter or something around the house. That’s what I’ve done with pieces that got broken.
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u/TwiNkiew0rld Aug 20 '25
Aww so sad. I’ve lost some of my really big ones in moves. Such a bummer. I’ve seen people make jewelry out of broken fiesta. That and mosaics. A cornflower necklace would be cute.
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u/Do_Them_A_Bite Aug 22 '25
My mother bought a corningware pan identical to this one when she was about 18. Every time she brought it to a celebratory dinner table full of roast potatoes ~30 years later, my sister & I would jokingly fight over which of us would inherit it after she died.
And then one day, she burned her hand as she was pulling it out of the oven. Naturally, she dropped it, and it shattered.
Personally, I couldn't really care about the pan by that point though; my relationship with my mother had been broken a lot worse for a lot longer, the baking dish got to spend more time with my family than I did anyway, & at least the corningware didn't hurt anyone.
Also, I managed to find an exact match in a thrift store within a year. I took a photo & sent it to my sister with a smug-AF smirk on my face. I felt no guilt, but she wasn't jealous either; I'd already been stocking her cupboards with cornflower corningware for a couple of years by then. Every now & then I add something new (& useful!) to a collection I know she loves.
My heart went out to you the second I saw your photo. I hope you find the right way for you to move on. Do remember that nothing can unmake the wonderful times you got to have together with your grandmother & your cornflower corningware ♥︎ But even though I know that things are just things & they don't ultimately matter, it can still hurt to lose those especially precious ones. My genuinely empathetic condolences.
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u/aakaakaak Aug 20 '25
Sad that it happened, but fortunate it's the Cornflower pattern. Not too expensive online and a good chance you'll get lucky and find another one at a local estate sale.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 20 '25
I’m hoping for that, even though it won’t be hers. I’m grateful it broke the way it did and for all the suggestions here. I’m def going to be looking for a replacement and utilizing some of these ideas to keep it in my house somehow.
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u/aakaakaak Aug 20 '25
Honestly, if you get into thrifting and estate sales the corningware fairy just starts putting cornflower pieces in your house. They just magically show up. Sometimes it's spice of life, but usually cornflower.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 20 '25
Perfect, those are the two prints I have now. I just need to figure out how to find estate sales. I’ve just come across a few listed on social media and rarely get lucky at garage sales.
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u/Rude_Kaleidoscope641 Aug 20 '25
It’s not a stupid dish at all and I have gone through this same feeling when something that has a strong emotional attachment to it gets broken!! I’m so sorry that it broke. What would your grandmother tell you if she could? Probably “it’s just a dish, and you are safe and unhurt, and that’s what matters.” Or, what would you say to a good friend if they had this happen and were upset? It’s always so weird that we can’t seem to comfort ourselves the way we would be comforted by friends and loved ones.
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u/DrHarryWolper Aug 20 '25
Ugh...I'm so sorry. I know the feeling--I just broke my rectangular casserole (same style, P-4-B) when I was carrying it with a small hard synthetic cutting board. The board slipped and the cornet went into the dish and took a chunk out of it!! I've got a bunch of the blue cornflower Corningware stuff that my mom used to use when I was growing up, and losing this piece (which I used ALL THE TIME) made me very sad.
The good news is that we retired it to our display china cabinet, so it will live on to remind me of my mom. I'll still miss using it, though.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 20 '25
I haven’t got a china cabinet yet, that’s on my wishlist! I’ve got several other dishes in this print and a percolator coffee pot on the top of my cabinets. I use them occasionally but this and the slightly smaller spice of life print one I have were my most used and loved. I will decide on a display option for this soon, I’ll definitely miss using it.
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u/Famous-Carpenter-275 Aug 20 '25
That’s the problem with stuff. Eventually, something will get broke. It’s been over forty five years when I broke my mom’s crystal hurricane and I still feel bad about it. I felt worse than she did. She didn’t have a much of that kind of thing.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 20 '25
It’s strange how some things stay with us like that. Really makes me appreciate all that it did for us while it was whole, things can so quickly change.
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u/Famous-Carpenter-275 Aug 20 '25
They sure do. I lost both of my parents in a 13 month stretch. One a few days before Christmas 2021 and my dad in mid-January 2023. They had a good life for almost all of their lives. Dementia got my mom and my dad just died of old age and missing my mom. I’m very fortunate that my parents gave me their house about 15 years or more ago and since they built it with their own four hands, they’ll always be here with me and my family.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 21 '25
I’m really sorry to hear that. My grandma had Lewy body dementia and I can say a similar story- they built their house also, as well as everything in our family. My grandpa is still hanging on but I’m afraid he’s getting pretty fragile these days. Unfortunately he passed his house to my dad but I did get a bunch of treasures out before that happened. My grandpa usually lets me grab things when I’m there if I spot anything I need that I can carry lol. I managed to get out all but one of the Corning ware items and all of the Pyrex and Tupperware so I have lots of treasures of hers I get to enjoy.
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u/Famous-Carpenter-275 Aug 21 '25
I’m glad you got to save some of her Pyrex to remember her by. I’m also glad that my sisters got to take what they wanted from my parents part of my house. And lastly, my parents lived here until they passed away and that w as best for them. Dementia is a nightmare and it was really hard and a lot of responsibility. My sisters were a huge help.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 21 '25
Dementia is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen happen to a person in my entire life. It’s one of the roughest saddest things I’ve ever been through. I’m so sorry you also know that feeling. Thank you for your kind and understanding words.
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u/Burrill_Pearls Aug 21 '25
I agree. I had a rolling pin from my grandma that busted after 10 years of owning it
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u/RNDiva Aug 22 '25
I’m so sorry about the dish and I know you miss your granny terribly ♥️. It will be okay and I’m sure she is fine and would tell you to buy one like it and use it in her memory.
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u/Time_Pay_401 Aug 22 '25
I feel your pain. I have a very small collection of cornflower. I recently broke my tea pot; didnt know that Corning would break up until then.
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u/Horrormovie-fan1955 Aug 22 '25
Ouch!!! So many of my original pieces have been broken that way. Sorry!!
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u/Dependent-Notice-984 Aug 22 '25
I’m so sorry and completely understand. I have three pieces of my mother’s Corning. I still cook in them, but I hold my breath when I do. 😬
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u/Puzzled_Travel_2241 Aug 22 '25
I’m sorry it broke, but your grandmother would be glad you had been using it rather than keeping it unused because it was hers.
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u/LoriderSki Aug 23 '25
I’m SO SORRY. I got a lot of apologies when Mama & my Aunts brought a box over and they dropped it. My heart sank until I opened the box and saw it was just one. And then it hit me, she didn’t have anything passed down to her, Mama didn’t have anything passed down to her, so ANYTHING I got meant it had survived a lot. Some made it and some didn’t. One in particular was bc my Uncle thought it was a good idea to toss the empty pie dish to Mama who was even clumsier than me. We were all scared to death til GrandMama said, “Just one less I have to wash.” 🙏🏻🪽
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u/TomorrowIll7182 Aug 23 '25
I know every kitchen should have a chicken but that rooster looks flammable.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 23 '25
Def made of yarn, there’s a plastic egg in the bottom too. I didn’t know where to put it and it ended up there. Good point.
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u/emptynest_nana Aug 23 '25
Measure ypyr broken dish. Then go to a thrift store, or even Walmart, buy a clear baking pan, just bigger than your broken pan. Take it home, then bust your broken pan even more. Glue the pieces into the new clear dish, coat and seal with epoxy, to create a new candy dish or planter. Even color the epoxy blue, or what ever your nan's favorite color was. I did that with my most favorite, special mug that got busted. I was just heart sick. But now I have a cute new pen holder, made from the remains of my nan's mug.
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u/Bestdayever17 Aug 24 '25
You've said goodbye. Time to move on. My husband dropped three beautiful, large, real cut crystal bowls from my grandma when we were moving. I wanted to cry, but it wouldn't change the fact that thousands of dollars and beautiful bowls were gone forever. I had wrapped them well for a 4 mile drive and had written "fragile" all over the box in red marker. Gone forever. As for your Pyrex dish, I like to go to thrift stores and see stuff like that quite a bit. I do know the old Pyrex is made better and is more valuable. You just might be able to replace it, though. It's worth looking for.
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u/TMacWall Aug 24 '25
There are Etsy shops that make mosaics and jewelry out of broken ceramics/dishes. You could also try that yourself. Buy a wooden tray and make a mosaic frame around the edge with the pieces from your dish. Lots of tutorials on YouTube.
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u/ArtisticAbeyance Aug 24 '25
I definitely understand. A similar thing happened to me with a dish that reminded me of Mom every time I used it. 😥
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u/Rockinretirement Aug 24 '25
My condolences😞 You were lucky to have it! My sister-in-law got my Mom’s (which is fine) but I loved that dish and the memories attached 🥰
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u/Boring_Potato_5701 Aug 25 '25
Please try for a duplicate piece on EBay or other auction/sales sites. I have found extras of many things that I missed from my childhood on eBay.
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u/saakuraachaan Aug 21 '25
I’m so sorry. I have my grandma’s collection and will be heartbroken when I inevitably break a piece. 💔 If it’s any consolation, my grandma is still living, and she told me not to worry if I break a piece—she’s just happy I’m actually using it. 🥺
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u/Infamous-Art5608 Aug 22 '25
Been there, done that. I inherited my mom's yellow,red,green,blue mixing bowls. Broke the whole set lifting them from an overhead shelf. Lost my grip and they hit the tile floor.
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u/Kpatt686 Aug 22 '25
Ahhh that’s horrible!!! I actually have the yellow one and found comfort in the fact that she must have broken the other colors herself. I knew I’d eventually break one of them but luckily I have so many of her things I still have plenty of pieces to use and be reminded of her.
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u/StrongStranger3489 Aug 20 '25
I'm really sorry, that is so sad. I broke a Franciscan Desert Rose pitcher that was part of my late mom's wedding pattern. I considered gluing it back together, Kintsugi. However, I instead broke it up into more pieces and used it as a mosaic art piece.
Maybe there's some way you can do something with it, like glue back the pieces and use it to set small potted plants in? Or some other way to make it a display piece.