You already know about plantitos and plantitas—people who’ve become obsessed with growing and taking care of plants, many of whom began their exploration in gardening during the lockdown.

But have you heard of platitas? These are people who have developed a deep love for dinnerware.

There are different levels of platitas—there are longtime collectors, those on the hunt for expensive antiques, those looking for cute and colorful bargains, and even those who have turned their passion into a business.

We kick off our platita series with Macy Alcaraz, an editor, baker and pottery hobbyist who makes her own plates.

Alcaraz said her family has had the same plates for as long as she can remember. “Everyone I know has at least one set of Corelle or CorningWare dishes from childhood. That’s what we have at home, and I never really found a need to buy my own since we had a lot.”

Added to the mix are pieces from her mom’s clayware collection which they unearthed during a recent move. “The stamp at the bottom says Cardinal Philippines, but I don’t remember when she bought them. We use them a lot now.”

Handmade

But Alcaraz has always loved handmade plates. “No two are ever exactly alike! If I had my own house, I’d probably go with mismatched plates—probably just working with a color palette.”

She first started making her own plates in 2016. “I tried slab pottery back when we were prepping for a craft camp in 2016. I didn’t really get into it until 2018, when I started making pieces that I could use for eating and drinking.”

It was Alcaraz’s interest in everything handmade that led her to make plates.

“I’ve always been curious about handmade things, so whenever there’s a chance for me to try a new craft, I’ll do it. There was a time when I was joining all the workshops: calligraphy, watercolor, hand lettering and eventually pottery. I’m lucky I have a friend, Mansy Abesamis, who’s always game for a pottery session.”

Alcaraz and Abesamis, the woman behind Hey Kessy and an artist whose mediums include jewelry, pottery and papercutting, used to spend a lot of time at Abesamis’ studio to make pieces. “That was prepandemic, and when I still lived in Quezon City,” Alcaraz said.

“My favorites are the first two I made that were inspired by cupcake liners. For some reason, the glaze didn’t show up the way I imagined them to upon firing, but I love how they turned out.”

At first, she was just making pieces for herself, but then people kept messaging, asking her if she was selling. “So, I started making more pieces and sold them at Make Space Today, a comaking space that also has pop-ups at malls, and to family and friends who were interested in purchasing.”

Unique

She added, “At first, I tried so hard to make them uniform. But then I realized that what I liked about handmade plates is that each piece is unique. I really make each piece by hand down to the glazing, so I get really kilig when people say they want to buy them!”

Alcaraz sells only two kinds of plates right now: “The jewelry dish I patterned after a ginkgo leaf and the confetti platita, which I based on a paper plate. I’ve always wanted to make a jewelry dish that had a place where you could put rings as well as other accessories, so I liked how this turned out. The idea is the leaf base is for earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc, and the stem is where you put your rings. As for the confetti platita, I was just really happy with how it looked after glazing and firing, as it was just an idea I had after making my first few pieces.”

There’s a demand for her cupcake liner-inspired plates, too, but Alcaraz said, “I want to keep them to myself for now.”

She loves using her own plates. “I have a bunch from a workshop at Crescent Moon Café and Pottery Studio back in 2016 that I use for jewelry and other trinkets. And the platita prototypes I made at Hey Kessy Pottery in 2018 are what I use for snacking!”

Her confetti platita makes her happy whenever she uses it. “I recently made a triangle version of the plate, so you can use it for cake slices!”

Her favorite plates are the ones she made. “I like them because no one else has them.”

Those who want to buy Alcaraz’s pieces can visit macyalcaraz.com/shop. But she warns, “I have super limited stocks, since quarantine has made it a little difficult to visit the studio these days. I post on my Instagram @macysfields sometimes when I have new pieces available.”

Her reminder for other platitas? “Don’t hoard plates! I know we live in this ‘mine’ era where it’s always a race to buy something, but assess before you buy. Do you really need all the plates? What are you going to use them for? Let’s be more mindful when shopping!”