Vintage Rental China Hillsborough Archives - Page 2 of 3

Vintage Feature – We’re Back with Lots to Share!

Our July blog hiatus has ended and there’s so much we want share with you! With help from Jami and Priscilla, we’ve made much progress on our studio, inside and out, and we think it looks amazing. So, how did we do with our three July goals? We invite you to read on!

Goal one was to make a farm table top for the workbench so clients could experiment with different place settings and tablescapes. Instead of the top, though, we now have an actual table, set up in the back, that works even better.

This mother-daughter team came to our studio a few weeks ago and experimented with a variety of different looks. After admiring several possibilities, their lovely reception table plan emerged! So far we’ve had four clients use this design table to plan their reception tables and several more have appointments to visit us in the next few weeks. Yay!

The next item on our list was to finish and print our brochure. After my business mentor shared some key editing suggestions, we had a small batch printed. More editing was done, a reorder placed, and now we are waiting for them to arrive!

The third and final goal – finish moving our inventory. Whew – we are VERY pleased to declare “DONE!” After three months of steadily packing and unpacking, everything is in the studio and now we’re busily staging and organizing.

Our opening photo and the one below show vignettes in our studio created by Priscilla. We love them all but the second one down is crazy fun!! We took the glassware out of the crates, lined the shelves with white lights, and shazam – they sure do sparkle!

Three goals on our list all checked off! There’s one more thing we want you to see and it’s the final thing we brought to Studio 238. She happens to be the sassiest, baddest, smartest, wisest, and outright best character EVER created – ta da…

Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager!

“Ma’am is acceptable in a crunch but I prefer Captain.”

She’ll be here to greet you and keep us focused on providing the very best service to our clients. Yes, you can count on us, Captain!

Vintage Feature – Three Assignments for July

We are taking a blog break during the month of July but that doesn’t mean we won’t be hard at work! In fact, we have three assignments to have finished before the month’s end and here they are:

1 – Construct a farm table top.

When clients visit our studio, we want them to explore our vintage offerings and be able to set sample table place settings for their guests. We recently added this work table, as seen below, and we’ll be making a wooden farm table slab to place on top. Can’t wait to get the power tools out and start on this assignment!!

2 – Finalize and print our business brochure.

With all of the beautiful photos from the many talented professional photographers, it’s been so delightful to work on this project. We still need to add more text and the photo credits but it’s close – at least this draft.

3 – Finish moving our inventory.

Yep, we’ve got more to pack and move to the studio, including this heavy vintage store shelving unit. Although this is our least favorite assignment, it is the one we can’t wait to finish!

Check on us in August to see how we did on our assignments. ‘Till then, wishing ya’ll a fun, carefree July!

Vintage Feature – Move Update!

It’s almost been 2 months since Amy and I first got the keys to our studio and we are getting so, so close! The sign is on the window, more shelves filled, inventory shuffled, Amy’s shelves and flower cooler are in, and – the most exciting news for SVT – the commercial dish machine is being installed tomorrow! Whoop, whoop!

Here’s the day we got the keys….

… and here’s today!

We are working from our new space and meeting with clients as we continue to move in. Please let us know if you’d like to come by and we’ll schedule a time to meet!

The next update will be our last when everything is in place!

PS – Brainstorming with the Yayas is always fruitful. Thanks for the “Studio 238” combo name – we love it!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Tips – Pinterest Tip for Rearranging Pins

One of the key web tools for sharing inventory of my vintage china and accessories is Pinterest. I love this site! It’s easy to import, or pin photos, and organize them onto boards. Plus, the presentation is professional and, with great appreciation, free!

When I first started using Pinterest, I uploaded photos from my website, Southern Vintage Table, and from my computer. I wasn’t thinking of the order of my uploads because I thought I could later reorganize them on my board. As I added more photos and looked back at the board, I realized there were large clusters of the same type of photo and I wanted to mix them up a bit. When I looked up how to do this, I discovered you can’t rearrange pins within a board.

But, I found a semi-solution that helped break up the clusters. I chose a pin within the clusters and reassigned it to another board. (Click on the pencil/edit icon in the upper right of the photo. Next to the board field, scroll to find a board to temporarily pin the image.) Then I opened the new board with the moved pin at the top and re-reassigned it, pushing the pin to the top of the original board. With repinning to another board and then re-repinning to the original board, the end result is a better mix of photos and an overall more attractive board.

Using this technique, you change the order of an entire board. Just start a new empty board and repin your photos from the original board in the order you want them to appear for your viewers. Remember to think backwards with the pin you want to be seen first being the last one you move.

(FYI – Pinterest lets you easily change the order of boards. Just click on the board and drag it to the new position. Hopefully, they’ll make it just as easy to move pins!)

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Southern Vintage China Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Wisdom from Ronald Reagan

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
– Ronald Reagan (www.brainyquote.com)

Southern Vintage Table is ready to help you plan for your upcoming events this fall. Have a wedding, anniversary, birthday party, baby shower or a dinner party coming up? Let us help you set the table and get the conversation started!

Check out our inventory of vintage china and accessories on Pinterest!

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Vintage Tips – Three Cleaning Products for Thrift Store Vintage China (and other stuff, too!)

When I first started my vintage china collection for Southern Vintage Table, I labored over removing the stickers, tape and permanent marker prices. I would peel, scape and soak every dish to get that mark off! Now, I use three products that make cleaning thrift store vintage china a breeze!

1. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This product is fantastic – it will quickly remove the permanent ink some thrift stores use for pricing and easily takes care of sticker glue and tape residue. It also does a terrific job of cleaning the bottoms of plates and other china so that when you are finished, the plate looks almost brand new! Do be gentle with some china patterns, especially if they have gold layering. I also use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for other cleaning tasks. Today I cleaned the outside of two vintage suitcases and removed most of the scuff marks. They both look amazing all cleaned up and are now ready for my next event!

2. Eucalyptus Oil. This stuff will also remove sticky stuff on dishes. Sometimes the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser won’t get the mark off so I’ll dab some eucalyptus oil on a paper towel and wipe it off. It also smells nice and clean.

3. Very fIne sand paper. Some of the older china that’s crazed or china that’s unglazed on the bottom will soak in the permanent ink pricing. Using a very fine sand paper and lightly sanding can sometimes do the trick. Be gentle. I have also sanded down chips or sharp places on glass dishes and some china so that the imperfection is almost imperceivable.

Hope these tips work for you. If you have any other hints or advice for cleaning thrift store finds, please share!

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A Vintage Adventure – Sold to Number 268!

The seemingly small place was packed – with stuff, people and lots of chairs. I signed in and then made my way up to the front to take a look at the box lots. The items I came for were listed to go first so I wanted to make sure I was ready. I sat down, listened and absorbed all the sounds and sights of the auction house. A gentleman sat next to me in a chair that was marked with his name – definitely someone who knew what he was doing – and I would be quickly thankful he did.

My hats came up. I raised my card with the number 268 but the auctioneer didn’t see me at first. Some of the folks at the front got worried for me so they let him know I was there. The rest was a bit of a blur, but I did end up winning the bid. I wish I had a picture of my face when he said, “Sold to 268”. I bet it was hilarious! My friend then advised me to let them take the stuff to the side room so I could pick it up when I was ready to leave. Good advice.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental — Classic red and black with a little veil

He then showed me on the ticket where you could keep track of the items you won. He said it helped him keep from overspending his budget. Yep – more good advice. My hands were shaking as I wrote down my first auction win.

I was a quick learner and started bidding on the other items I had seen in the box lots. The pace is fast and you’ve got to have quick reactions. I was so quick that I ended up with something I didn’t mean to win – don’t know how that happened – but I was thankful it was only $7.50. I also learned that you don’t go back in the room to pick up your stuff but you have to wait outside the door – that lesson came a bit harshly but the lady brought my stuff to me with a somewhat apologetic face.

In addition to the hats, I also got a box lot of miscellaneous china and glassware – well worth my $5 bid, a chair – which I didn’t mean to win, and a $5 wrought iron aquarium stand that I’m going to turn into something cool.

I decided to leave before the big ticket items came up. Baby steps, I thought. It was my first auction, and undoubtedly, won’t be my last. As I was leaving with my arms full of hat boxes, another gentleman said to me, “I could see you were having a good time in there!” He must have seen my face…

These hats, plates, bowls and cups are available for your next tea party or family dinner at Southern Vintage Table!

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A Southern Vintage Table Event: A Family Dinner

The Riley’s celebrated Jamie’s life with his family at their home with his favorite meal.

Jamie was a dear friend of my sister’s husband. They had been best pals ever since they were toddlers and had remained friends through their teenage years and adulthood. They were at each other’s weddings, coached their sons’ baseball’s teams together and played golf on weekends. When Phil heard that Jamie had passed away one morning, it was a life changing moment.

In a flurry, Jamie’s boys were coming home with their families and arrangements had to be made. My sister wanted to pay tribute to her husband’s best friend and his family in a way only she could do – prepare her home styled meal she had made for Jamie every time he came for dinner. The menu was meatloaf, pinto beans, squash and biscuits. She asked me to set the table for her special guests which I really wanted to do, especially for Marie. You see, Marie, the mother of Jamie’s three boys, helped our family through our most challenging months when my twin brother passed away last year. As a masseuse, Reiki master and family friend, Marie’s healing methods helped all of us cope, including my brother, Mike. We will always be grateful for her calming guidance and spirituality.

Sharon prepared the meal, rented the tables and chairs and we set the table for her guests. This evening will be forever remembered by Jamie’s family as a time of deep sadness yet also of beauty and love, as their family begins their path to healing after losing someone they all dearly loved.

A Southern Vintage Table Event: RSVP Events’ Office Luncheon

RSVP Events invited Mary from CE Rental to meet with them at their country office in rural Orange County. Southern Vintage Table set the table and Saladelia Cafe provided the delicious assortment of salads and desserts. Many ideas were explored and discussed as the two businesses strengthened their connections.

A beautiful table can open up the table conversation!

Whether you are meeting a new client, celebrating a colleague’s accomplishment or brainstorming ideas for your next project, let Southern Vintage Table set your table for a productive working luncheon. Good food, a beautiful table and the shared experience will spawn positive synergy and build strong business relationships!

A Vintage Adventure – A Collection Builds One Piece at a Time

It was our annual beach trip to Louise’s condo and all the yayas (Jami, Louise, Mary, Pat and me) were coming except for Cis, who was caring for her mother. (Cis, we missed you!) This tradition is something we all look forward to each summer – hanging out with each other, cooking a seafood feast, talking school talk, watching a movie and sometimes even going on the beach. For this trip, Jami and I added another diversion – thrift store hopping – although a few of the stores were anything but thrift, but they did have some beautiful vintage things that inspired us.

Our first stop was incredible – it was like a huge, dusty museum of vintageness. Most things didn’t have a price and were covered by a thick coat of dust and grime. The aisles were tight, the shelves were high and the piles were deep. In other words, perfect – well, almost. The dust did get a bit obnoxious.

We were there for nearly 3 hours – looking mostly for china but marveling at all the cool stuff there, too. Jami was on the hunt for the perfect tureen for her succulent garden. We took our finds up to the front counter and quickly a pile was started. In our collection were plates, teacups, glasses, a hat and a tureen without a lid. (Oops – that’s what happens when your hands are full and you have to move 10 things before you can get to what you wanted to see. They weren’t going to make us pay for the lid but Jami got the bottom for $2 which was the best deal we got!)

In the end, I got a few things, including some pink rimmed luncheon plates and two glasses.

So, I started two collections (green thumbnail tumbler which goes perfectly with the amber ones I already had and the square luncheon plates) and added to my Big Top Peanut Butter goblet collection. A fruitful adventure, indeed!

These treasures are available at Southern Vintage Table for your next gathering!

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