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Southern Vintage Table Event – Linens, Lace, & Lingerie Bridal Shower for Melanie

A more beautiful day just wasn’t possible! The cosmic powers delivered a warm, spring green day for Melanie’s shower – the grass, trees and flowers were all freshly watered by the previous day’s rainstorm and the sun was sweetly gleaming on the lovely backyard of Louise’s country home. The stage was perfectly set for Southern Vintage Table and the Yayas to host this happy occasion!

We first set up our sawhorse table with cedar planks as our tabletop. My friends from Fernrock Farm, Carrie and Bill, helped me design this rustic look and I love it! With the pink bordered vintage tablecloth and bunting, it’s the main feature of our rustic Country Farmhouse decor theme. We used lots of vintage wooden items as food stands as well as a vintage radio and scale. With Jami’s stunning tiered floral centerpiece we achieved just the look we wanted – quaint, country, pink and sweet!

The other two main tables were then designed. The accessories’ and dessert tables featured a beautiful mix of vintage china, silver, napkins, serving pieces and decor. I especially love how the yellow flowers trellis up the vintage candelabra.

We covered our dining tables with vintage tablecloths and Jami created individual floral centerpieces for each. Louise’s rustic picnic table was treated with a beautiful double-ring vintage quilt! Perfectly lovely!

Our final two stations were the mimosa bar and gift stand. At the mimosa bar we arranged our juice-filled vintage decanters in an enameled pink tub and a pink vintage Coleman cooler chilled our champagne. A mix of vintage pink, green and clear glasses were selected for guests to make their own special drink. With the striking red rose bouquet and a mix of vintage decor, the final display was beautiful!

With stacked vintage trunk and suitcases along with vintage wooden boxes, the gift stand was created. We tucked in a few special vintage items such as the chicken and egg basket filled with the flowers, the copper sifter and sedum-filled vintage dishes. I especially love the vintage linen tree with the chalkboard sign!

With vintage teacups filled with petite arrangements, the bride and bridal party left with a sweet reminder of our wonderful occasion – a beautiful day with friends and family celebrating Melanie’s and James’ upcoming wedding. How sweet is that!

Invite Southern Vintage Table to help you celebrate someone’s special day! Whether a bridal shower or a birthday party, we can help make your occasion memorable and uniquely vintage!

PS – With just a few exceptions, these spectacular photos were taken by the talented Katherine Miles Jones. Check out her Facebook and website for more fantastic photos and ideas!

PPS – Loved hosting this bridal shower with my Yaya friends – Louise, Jami, Cis, Pat and Mary!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

Vintage Feature – Planning a Bridal Shower with Friends

It was Friday and I started to panic. Usually by now I had decided on my weekly post topic, taken all the photographs, edited and uploaded them and written the first draft. Well, with all the preparations for our Yaya bridal shower, I kept pushing blog stuff to the back burner. I know next week’s post will be about our lovely shower, but what about this Sunday? Then it came to me – I should set the stage for next week’s post by sharing a little about my friends and our shower planning. Won’t be as many photos but next week there should be a plethora of images, thanks to Katherine Jones Miles, who is coming to take photos!

My friendship with this wonderful group of women goes way back to when we were young teachers. Most of us worked at one school together for years and when the new school opened, we all followed our incredible principal, Charley. That was 1994 – 20 years ago – and as our working relationship strengthened, we also became very close friends. Somewhere in there we officially became the Yayas.

We love spending time together – whether we are lounging at Louise’s beach condo, eating dinner at Margaret’s Cantina or Dick & Jane’s Martini & Tapas Bar, savoring our Christmas feast at Mary’s home or planning one of new adventures, we love sharing our lives with each other. Now two of us have retired, two more will retire this year and in the next few years, the younger two will join the rest of us. We all look forward to spending more time together!

When Mary told us her daughter was engaged the rest of us were so excited for her and for us, too, because we knew we would be planning a bridal shower together! Cis got on her computer and our first email was entitled “Initial Delegation of Duties for Melanie’s Shower.” Classic Cis – getting us organized and ready! Knowing Mary, the quintessential Southern lady, we easily came up with the menu – country ham biscuits, pimento cheese and cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad, cheese straws, vegetable tray, fruit salad and deviled eggs. Our drink list included iced tea and a mimosa bar. Desserts featured Jami’s key lime tarts and Pat’s top-secret-recipe chocolate cake. Yummy!

Our duties were divvied out – Pat, Cis, Jami and Louise had the food covered, I would handle the tableware and decor, and Jami would design our flower arrangements. Louise offered hers and Pete’s beautiful country home as our venue and she and I would take care of the invitations. It may not take a village to host a bridal shower but it’s definitely more fun when you have good friends!

With help from Pete, Van, Carrie and Bill, we were ready for Saturday’s “Linens, Lace & Lingerie” bridal shower. Check in next week to see how our Country Farmhouse decor theme works out. As Louise would say, we are sooooooo excited! Right on, Louise!

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Southern Vintage Table Event – Mixing & Matching with Family Heirlooms

Recently Sarah called Southern Vintage Table to help set her table for her family’s traditional Passover feast. She also had an enchanting request – to include her grandmother’s china and her husband’s grandmother’s crystal in the eclectic place settings. I instantly loved her idea! Including Ann’s vintage china pattern and Thelma’s crystal from the 1930s was a wonderful tribute to their blended family at their Seder table.

After Sarah and I shared ideas, I borrowed pieces of Grandmother Anne’s beautiful china, Phyllis by Noritake. For this important family ritual, I wanted each guest to have one piece of Anne’s china so I designed the table settings in pairs. The first pair had Anne’s dinner plate, the second had the soup bowl and the salad plate was used in the third. Using this schema, I mixed and matched the place settings down the table.

To further accent with Sarah’s grandmother’s china, we tucked saucers under the sedum teacups provided by Southern Vintage Table and arranged them down the table. We also placed Grandmother Thelma’s delicate wine glasses at the adult place settings. With Sarah’s tulip centerpiece, the lovely Seder table was ready for her family and friends.

Sarah’s family dinner was filled with tradition, history, beauty and love. Invite Southern vintage Table to help you set your table for your next family occasion – we’d love to mix your family’s heirlooms with our vintage collection for a beautiful and personalized table!

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A Sweetly Vintage Wedding

It was a radiant April day at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens in Fayetteville. The lovely grounds were covered in colorful spring blooms, the sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing and two people were ready to share the rest of their lives together. What a joyful day for a wedding!

I first met Ashley via email last October when she told me she found Southern Vintage Table‘s website and wanted to know more about our vintage china. We corresponded through the months about her wedding and shared different ideas about the table setting. I knew she and I were planning something very special.

During this time I had discovered the charm of vintage postcards from my friend, Priscilla. We used them at her Christmas party and I fell in love with the look. I found a way to make a stand from vintage forks and started a collection of vintage cards. When I asked Ashley if she’d like to feature some on her table she was delighted because she also collected vintage postcards. It was a serendipitous moment!

With mixed and matched vintage patterns, we set the table with a dinner plate, salad plate, silverware, goblets and a trio of sweet vintage postcards. Ashley’s choice of flowers, wedding favors and linens completed a stunning table display for her guests.

The myriad of place settings featured soft hues of green, blue and pink. Vintage goblets of green, blue, pink and clear accented the vintage china. The vintage silver flatware also included different vintage patterns. As I gazed at the beautiful, cheerful tables I envisioned the many dinner tables these pieces had once graced. I believe their individual history brings eloquence to such a joyful day.

We also provided vintage dessert plates and forks to serve this gorgeous wedding cake. Love the flowers and the Precious Moments couple on top!

Thank you, Ashley and Jamie, for inviting Southern Vintage Table to be a part of your special day. Wishing you two endless happiness and sweet love!

PS – Here are the vintage salad plates I mentioned in last week’s blog – the pattern name is Cherry Blossoms by Diamond China. This week I happened upon a dinner plate in this same pattern!

PPS – Thanks, Alexandria, and happy birthday!

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A Vintage Adventure – Elegant to Retro Vintage Finds

Rainy Sunday afternoons are made for browsing antique malls so last Sunday I headed over to Grandaddy’s Antiques in Burlington. If you haven’t been to Grandaddy’s, it’s a treasure trove of anything vintage from teacups to linens to comic books to furniture. Different vendors have spaces or booths in this revamped department store and that means you can find different prices on the same stuff. But, like most antique stores, there’s some bargaining room if you talk to the right person. This time I didn’t try to negotiate because I bought things that were already marked down but the last time I was there, I bought a set of china at a substantial savings.

You could spend all day there but I was on a mission – to buy a few special salad plates for Ashley’s wedding. I found some plates and – you guessed it – a couple of other things that are now part of our inventory at Southern Vintage Table.

The two gorgeous teacups pictured above were one of my first finds. Not exactly salad plates, but they definitely caught my eye! There’s no mark on the bottom and they didn’t have saucers but I found some on our shelf that look perfect. Aren’t they beautiful? Update! Mary Jane Pearson Baker of Springbranch Landscapes just told me these are “Forget-Me-Not” flowers. I should have picked up on that since I wrote a blog post on a china pattern featuring this lovely, blue flower. I’ll not forget this next time!

I also found this Fire King planter – I had never seen anything like this and, maybe more importantly, it was in the half-price booth. As I was trying to arrange the camellia blooms in the planter I realized I needed something to anchor the stems. Guess what I used? Wine corks! They float to the top of the water and hold the stems in place. Pretty neat trick, I’d say.

The camellias look lovely in this vintage vase, too. I love the creamy color, the shape and the quaint flower bouquet. Sweet!

Picking blackberries when I was growing up is one of my favorite memories. There were bushes alongside the roadway and, if we picked enough, mom would make her delicious blackberry cobbler for us. We were lucky to make it home with a bowl full because we loved picking and eating. Washing them before popping them into our mouths never even crossed our minds. This artistic plate made by Homer Laughlin brings back those sweet, carefree memories.
The last treasure is an incredible retro casserole dish called Blue Diamonds by Iroquois. I didn’t get this at Grandaddy’s – it would have been priced too high. I found it at a nearby thrift store on the bottom shelf and immediately loved it. Produced from 1958-68, the blue color, squat shape and the handle on the lid are amazing. This pattern was part of a series called Informal and was created by industrial designer, Ben Siebel. Definitely dig this look!

What a terrific set of eclectic treasures if I must say so myself! From elegant to retro, Southern Vintage Table has the vintage style to fit your gathering!

So where are the salad plates I went to find? Well, I forgot to take a photo before packing them up for Ashley’s wedding. I’ll be sure to point them out In next week’s blog!

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Vintage Feature – A Medley of Vintage Pitchers and Teapots

Yes, they are utilitarian but they can also be delicate, bold, pretty, artistic and fun! I’m talking about pitchers and teapots, of course. Ceramic, glass and even metal – they span a variety colors and styles and are available at Southern Vintage Table.

Let’s start with our classic vintage amber and avocado green glass pitchers. Like vintage goblets and tumblers, the textures and shapes make them all so interesting!

The clear glass pitchers in our inventory are also varied and beautiful!

Teapots were first designed in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when leaf infusion became a popular way to drink tea. Typically made from porcelain, they can have many shapes, colors and designs. Here are some in our collection!

Serve up your iced and hot drinks with our vintage pitchers and teapots from Southern Vintage Table! Be sure to check out more of our lovely inventory on our new Pinterest Board!

Here are a few articles about pitchers and teapots!
Pitchers – Wikipedia
A History of Teapots
A Brief History of Teapots
Teapot – Wikipedia

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Vintage Feature – Happy Yellow Vintage China

If there is one color that embodies happiness it has to be yellow! It’s the color of daffodils, sunflowers and sunshine. Now that spring is officially here, it’s the perfect time to showcase our inventory of yellow at Southern Vintage Table!

Let’s start with vintage china patterns that feature yellow flowers. We’ve got Golden Button by Taylor Smith & Taylor, Starlight by Salem China, Summertime by Staffordshire and Forsythia by Knowles. Aren’t they all lovely?

I adore yellow roses and this vintage pattern is beautiful! I can’t find the pattern name but the mark on the back says American Ironstone.

Yellow also shows up in many bold, geometric vintage patterns. This collection comes from Royal China and Taylor Smith & Taylor.

Watch your guests smile when they see your table set with vintage yellow china patterns. Southern Vintage Table also has an amazing collection of vintage amber goblets and tumblers that are the beautiful compliment!

Vintage Feature: “Forget-Me-Not” Vintage Pattern is True to its Name

According to German legend, a delicate little blossom was almost forgotten when God was naming all the flowers. “Forget me not, O Lord,” cried the little flower. God decreed, “That shall be your name.” How charming!

Wikipedia describes another tale that explains the pretty shade of blue. As the Creator was assigning colors to the flowers, he heard a soft whisper, “Forget me not.” The only color left was a little bit of blue which was given to the small flower. As the story goes, the flower was delighted and so are we as we admire this lovely midcentury pattern created in its honor by Myott & Sons of England.

I first saw this pattern at Elma’s Copper Awning in Mebane. In a previous post, I mentioned that she and Scott bought this set of china for me at an auction as part of our bartering arrangement. I immediately fell in love with the creamy color, the swirl around the rim and the color of the delicate flowers. With these features, it’s perfect for mixing and matching with some of the other vintage patterns at Southern Vintage Table.

Let’s start with the dinner plate. Here are several different looks this charming pattern can create with other lovely vintage patterns!

Whether on the outside as the dinner plate, or inside as the salad, the “Forget-me-not” pattern is sweet!

Southern Vintage Table is also fortunate to have serving pieces in this lovely pattern. With such a beautiful color and pattern, Forget-Me-Not on your table will help make your gala affair unforgettable!

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Vintage Feature: Add Historical Charm with Vintage Sad Irons and Iron Trivets

Have you ever had a “a-ha” moment about a word you have used all of your life but didn’t really think about where it came from? Recently I did with the words “iron” and “ironing”.

Last week a set of vintage iron trivets was shared with Southern Vintage Table and as I was imagining how they could be used as vintage decor, I wanted first to learn about them. According to Collectors’ Weekly Sad and Flat Irons, it turns out vintage irons and iron trivets are a part of a long history of people wanting their clothes and linens to be smooth and unwrinkled, dating as far back as first century BC.

The word “iron” wasn’t used until the “de-wrinkling” instrument was made from the metal, iron. Before then, people used a variety of other things like stones, wood, glass and even bone. After the English traveled to China and saw that heat helped to de-wrinkle, they started using heated utensils. Along came “sad” irons, solid handled pieces of iron that when heated over a hot fire, could smooth fabrics. Moving this hot piece of iron over the cloth became known as “ironing.” A companion piece to the sad iron was an iron trivet, a metal stand to set the iron on when hot. By the way, “sad” doesn’t mean you were unhappy when ironing although it was a hard, hot and even dangerous task back then; it is the old English word for solid.

In our vintage decor collection at Southern Vintage Table we have this sad iron with “Jakes” on the handle and an early electric model with an indistinguishable label. Both are very heavy! Also below is a stack of vintage iron trivets.

A breakthrough in ironing was made when Mary Florence Potts invented the sad iron that was pointed on both ends. Then she introduced a model, which she patented, with a detachable handle. Sets of 3 irons with one handle hit the post-Civil War market. With two irons on the stove or fire, the person could quickly exchange the cooled iron for a hot one. In 1882 an “electric sadiron” was invented by Henry W. Seeley but since many rural homes did not have electricity for many decades following his invention and the many improvements thereafter, sad irons were commonly used in rural America up to the 1950s. My husband’s mother remembers her mother, Esther, using one which would be sometime in the 1940s to 50s.

After my research, I started playing around with the trivets, exploring different ways they could be used on the vintage table. With their flat sides, they are perfect for setting something on – like a plant, a bowl of fruit or a vignette of old bottles and flowers. Of course, it also can be used as a trivet for a hot dish. Notice how the trivet interestingly defines the space on the table.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage Decor Rental NC

Flat Iron Stand with Bowl Filled with Pears

Then I noticed they sat upright, too! Pointing up, the trivet can be a stand for a vintage card, a table number sign or even food signs on the buffet table. I love this look!

Once considered an essential skill for a young woman to have, ironing is now an occasional and simple task. Pay tribute to the many women, and even men, who labored with these irons and trivets by decorating with them on your vintage table. From vintage iron trivets to elegant china, Southern Vintage Table is ready to help make your event charming, memorable and even a bit historical!

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Assorted Vintage Milk Glass Vases with Flowers and Straws

Southern Vintage Table & RSVP Event – “Twice As Nice” Baby Shower for Lindsey

No doubt, we all love weddings, birthday bashes and anniversary parties. We get to spend time with friends and family, eat delicious food and celebrate an important life event with the people we love. But perhaps the sweetest and most special family celebration is a baby shower, when we honor a new mother-to-be and her new baby.

When friends and family learned Lindsey and Chad were expecting a baby everyone was thrilled. Then the news got even more exciting – they were having twins, a boy and a girl! How sweet is that? Her party-planning friends at RSVP-Events along with her sister, Marylee, were so delighted to plan a shower for one of their own and this celebration was going to be wonderful!

With the theme, “Sugar & Spice, Twice as Nice”, a peach/blue color scheme and food provided by Catering Works the party plan was in full swing. Tammy sewed buntings in a variety of peach and blue fabrics and strung them across the mantle and the gift table. With fabric covered hoops and beautiful flower arrangements, she created a dramatic mantle display for this special occasion.

To continue the theme, mini buntings decorated the spectacular cake and a vintage rusty child scooter on the front porch to greet guests. When I saw this scooter at Lockhart’s Trading Post, I knew it would be perfect at a baby shower. Rudy, the owner, said he saved it from becoming scrap metal. Thank you, Rudy! Isn’t it charming?

To set the table, Southern Vintage Table provided a beautiful mix of vintage clear glass plates, milk glass compotes, silver dessert forks and blue Mason jars. Lindsey’s favorite drink was chilled in a vintage pink enameled baby bath tub and, with the themed straws, the drinks were served! I have to share the story of this tub – it was a gift from a friend and was actually her baby tub. She thought it would be great to use to chill drinks and she was so right!

After feasting on deviled eggs, spring vegetable and roast beef rolls, vertical crudités, fruit kabobs and cinnamon straws, guests were invited to pose for a picture at the photo station that was stocked with vintage hats, hat boxes and a table mirror provided by Southern Vintage Table.

Put on a vintage hat, don a pair of silly glasses and the smiles keep coming! Tammy set this up with her iPad, printer and a couple of huge balloons for a backdrop. After the photos were printed, they were displayed on the vintage bamboo ladder for everyone to enjoy. At the end, guests left with a photo memento of the special occasion. What a terrific idea!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage cChina Rental NC — Vintage hats, crazy glasses and silly mustaches are ready for the photo booth!

This is my favorite photo of the day – Lindsey, Honey and Marylee. Honey is Lindsey’s and Marylee’s darling grandmother.

Next came gift opening. After many oohs and ahhhs when the adorable baby clothes and gifts were unveiled, it was cake cutting time.

Isn’t this an amazing cake with the two baby peas on top? What was inside delighted us all – raspberry cream cake on the top tier and chocolate cake underneath. Yummy! We all had a hard time deciding which we liked best but what a delicious dilemma!

Congratulations, Lindsey and Chad! We are so happy for you and can’t wait to meet your new babies!

Invite Southern Vintage Table to help you with any of your family’s special life events. From vintage dishes to vintage decor, we have lovely hand-selected items to make your event unique and memorable!

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