One of St. Louis' busiest acting couples, Kari Ely and husband Peter Mayer, just moved into their house in Richmond Heights. It's kind of chaotic, Ely admits; they're still living out of boxes. But she knows exactly where to find all her drinking glasses.

Ely doesn't have a lot of time to spare these days. She's starring at Stages St. Louis in "State Fair" (through Oct. 3), a warm-hearted Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about a farm family on its big annual pilgrimage. (Ely plays the mother, anxious to enter two competitions, pickles and mincemeat pies.) But after a long rehearsal, she finds nothing as relaxing as a cool drink from one of the beautiful old glasses she collects.

"I love beautiful stemware," said Ely, 50. "I get them everywhere — estate sales, thrift stores, gifts from friends. I don't care if I have a full set or just odds and ends."

Ely estimates that she has six or seven complete sets of wine glasses and cordials. Some date back to the 1930s; juice glasses from the 1950s are another treasure. One of her favorites, a gift, is a single stem etched with a thistle pattern. When she sets a pretty table, the glasses don't necessarily match, nor does she think that they need to.

"I like the way an old glass feels in my hand, and they are just beautiful to look at. They make something as ordinary as a glass of water seem extraordinary."