Features Archives - Page 14 of 19 - Southern Vintage Table

Vintage Feature – Glamourous Vintage Vignettes

Early this year Jamila contacted Southern Vintage Table about helping with her August wedding at the Virginia Dare Ballroom in Raleigh. She and her fiancé currently live in California but their wedding will be here in North Carolina with family and friends.

The historic Virginia Dare Ballroom is in the former Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel, built in the early 1920s, the same time period portrayed in The Great Gatsby. With that beautiful backdrop, Jamila and Victor want a vintage look for their wedding with elements of silver, gold, and pearls, reminiscent of this glamorous time .

So, using my Mother’s Day pink roses, I created a few centerpiece mockups and sent these photos for Jamila and Victor to consider. They said “Yes!” We’ll be tweaking these formulas a bit closer to the time, and, of course, I’ll be scouting the thrift stores with their glamorous vintage vision in mind!

Looking for a unique look for your centerpieces? Take a look at our centerpiece decor collections and packages!

_____________________________________________________________

Vintage Feature – Delightful Sedum-Filled Vintage Teacups

What do you do with a beautiful vintage teacup that’s lost its handle or has a chip? Drill a hole in the bottom, fill it with an assortment of sedums, and create a beautiful mini garden!

Since they love sun, leave them outside or in a sunny window and when you need something pretty for your table, put them on a pedestal for your guests to enjoy! These are also available from Southern Vintage Table as a tabletop decor item and fit in perfectly with our Vintage Centerpiece Packages.

And, with today being Mother’s Day, we send wishes of love, compassion, and respect to all mothers and their children. To my mother, thank you for all of your gifts to us – your spirit, strength, compassion, courage, love of family, sassy smile – we miss you.

_____________________________________________________________

Vintage Feature – Coral Roses & Vintage Vases

Last week we revealed a peek at Katie and Ryan’s rustic, vintage wedding reception and had planned to show you more this week but a few gorgeous coral roses got in our way. You see, last Sunday I went to pick up the vintage decor elements used on the reception tables but I left with so much more – bouquets of coral roses, a few white tulips, and even one forgotten bridesmaid’s bouquet designed by Katie’s wonderful wedding planner and florist, Amy Wurster of Knots ‘n Such. What an unexpected treat! So, I took advantage of these lovelies and started making simple arrangements in some of our vintage vases just to see how much the container played a role in their presentation. I know what you’re thinking; that’s some hard work ahead!

First, the featured photo above is a vintage planter I simply love and couldn’t wait to make an arrangement in it. I cut a small piece floral mesh wire (thank you, Jami!), shaped it inside, and started plopping the roses in between the wire holes. Gosh, I adore this centerpiece! I then tried two more planters we have in our collection at Southern Vintage Table – a Tiffany-blue and a yellow with little feet. (Incidentally, we have a very nice collection of planters which help create low, lush centerpieces for any table. And, with the mesh wire tucked inside, it’s pretty easy!)

Next up, the traditional vase – the original milk glass vase with the forgotten bridesmaid bouquet and a table centerpiece with a few small vases. I couldn’t believe how perfectly the marble egg matched the color of the coral roses!

The next set of arrangements are in pots – two topless teapots and a metal pot with an attached lid. From delicate to rustic, a vintage pot makes a wonderful vase!

Vintage Picnic Basket with Doily and Flowers

The final trio of unexpected vintage vases – a perfectly tarnished brass goblet, a peach cookie jar (thanks, Priscilla!) and a colorful tin – create their own unique look. Don’t you love these? Admittedly, my favorite is the vintage tin. (Psst – the secret to using a tin is to tuck a cup inside to hold the water for the flowers – you’d never know unless I told you!)

Undeniably, these beautiful coral roses would look stunning in a paper cup, but the container adds another ingredient of beauty, interest, and whimsy – wouldn’t you agree? And, yes, playing with roses and preparing for this week’s post was a bit too much fun to be called work. 🙂

Now, back to Katie and Ryan’s post – I’ll share more of my photos next week but I can’t wait to see and share some of the professional shots when they come in. ‘Till then, have a terrific week!

_____________________________________________________________

Vintage Feature – Sunshine Yellow Tablescape Vignettes

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC — Hues of yellow and gold inspire a new set of centerpiece vignettes!

In last week’s post we unveiled our new Vintage Centerpiece Packages! I must admit, I am super excited about this concept because now our wonderful collection of vintage decor can more easily harmonize with each other in unique table vignettes. After refining the concept last week, I wanted to design another set and it didn’t take me long to find my inspiration – my favorite signs of spring, forsythia and daffodils!

I love the color yellow – it’s warm, bright, and evokes happiness. With this joyful color of spring in mind, I gathered our vintage items of yellow and gold, picked flowers, cut sprigs, and began creating. Let’s test the steps from last week’s post with our new spring-inspired vision:

Step 1: Determine how many clusters you’ll need for your vignette.
3-5 clusters on each table.

Step 2: Decide on the number of different groups of vignettes.
8 tables with 3 different designs – Group A – 2 tables; Group B – 3 tables; Group C – 3 tables.

Step 3: Create a formula for each vignette grouping.
Goal – Gold metals, two sets of flowers/greenery in each setting, candle lighting at each, ceramic vases, yellow candlesticks

Group A (5 items) – Metal – brass candelabra, clock, brass vase, small brass frame; Organic – two flower bouquets; Ceramic/Glass – medium ceramic vase
Group B (6 items) – Metal – 3 brass candle holders of different heights, medium framed picture; Organic – flowers, sedum plant; Ceramic/glass – large porcelain vase, glass coaster with gold trim, sedum teacup planter
Group C (5 items) – Metal – brass candlestick holder, pillar candle holder (metal or ceramic); Organic – small flower bouquet, sedum plant, large/small twig ball; Ceramic/glass – ceramic vase, sedum ceramic creamer/pitcher planter

Here are three ideas for a bright, cheery look for a table featuring yellow!

Step 4 – List the items needed by their three groups.

Group A – 2 Tables – 2 Each
1 brass candelabra, 1 large procelain vase featuring yellow, 1 vintage clock, 1 brass vase, 1 small brass frame with yellow insert
Group B – 3 Tables – 3 Each
3 brass candle holders of different heights, 1 medium porcelain vase featuring yellow, 1 gold/yellow teacup with sedum, 1 glass coaster, 1 medium brass frame with yellow insert
Group C – 3 Tables – 3 Each
1 brass candle holder, 1 tall yellow or cream ceramic vase for small bouquet, 1 ceramic/metal gold pillar candle holder, 1 gold/yellow creamer/sugar dish/teacup with sedum, 1 large/1 small twig ball

Step 5 – Let Southern Vintage Table select, pack, and deliver your items!

We’d love to help you create your unique table centerpiece! For yellow lovers, check out last year’s post, Happy Yellow Vintage China, And, for beautiful, locally grown NC flowers, check out the flower offerings at Fernrock Farm which provided the lovely daffodils in our arrangements. Thank you, Carrie and Bill!

This was way too much fun – look for another set of vignette inspirations coming soon!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – Announcing Our Centerpiece Packages!

Vintage Decor Rental NC It’s time to check off the second of our three goals we set at the start of the new year! Southern Vintage Table is now offering our collection of cool and wonderful doodads and small linens in a “per table” package so you can customize your own vintage look. Announcing… (Drum-roll, please…)

~ Southern Vintage Table’s Centerpiece Packages! ~

You have your guest list finalized and now you’re ready to design your vintage table centerpieces. You want something different for each table but you also want the tables to look coordinated and you don’t have time to scour the thrift stores for cool vintage stuff. No worries! We’ve got you covered in 5 easy steps with an example to boot!

Step 1: Determine how many clusters you’ll need for your vignette.
To follow the decorating rule of odds, you’ll need 1, 3, or even 5 clusters depending on the size of the table and the size of the bouquet. Of course, the rule of odds can be ignored but it’s a good place to start.
~ For our example, we are using a small bouquet in a milk glass vase as one cluster and need 2 more.

Step 2: Decide on the number of different groups of vignettes.
This step is to help you get organized with the details. If you have 3 tables, maybe you want a different vignettes for each table. But if you have 8 tables, maybe 4 different vignettes times 2 would work best.
~ For our example, we have 9 tables and we are going to use 3 different groups of vignettes (Groups A, B, and C).

Step 3: Create a formula for each vignette grouping.
Here’s where the creativity comes in! To help focus choices, we have categorized our vintage items by the material they are made of – metal, organic (wood, paper, cloth), and glass/ceramic.
~ For our example, the goal is to represent each material category and vary the heights. We also want to include a small bouquet and some form of candle lighting. Here are our example formulas. Note that each grouping has a different number of items but still have three clusters in the vignette.

Group A (5 items) – Metal – Brass candleholder; Organic – Doily and small wooden stand; Glass/Ceramic – Milk glass vase and sedum teacup
Group B (5 items) – Metal – Brass candle holder and silver box; Organic – Doily and dried rose; Glass/Ceramic – Milk glass vase and votive insert
Group C (7 items) – Metal – Picture frame and short pillar stand; Organic – Book stack, small doily, large doily; Glass/Ceramic – Votive and milk glass vase

Vintage Decor Rental NC

Step 4 – List the items needed by their three groups.

~ For our example, we’ll need the following for our 9 table centerpieces. Although we are using the same basic items in the groupings, each vignette will be a little different! How wonderful is that?

Group A – 3 Tables – 3 each
small wooden pedestal, teacup sedum, medium doily, short milk glass vase, tall brass candlestick holder
Group B – 3 Tables – 3 each
small metal box or similar item, dried rose/flower, medium doily, short milk glass vase, tall pedestal candle holder
Group C – 3 Tables – 3 each
book stack, low pedestal candle holder, small/medium frame. small doily, tall milk glass vase, glass votive

Step 5 – Let Southern Vintage Table select, pack, and deliver your items!
Ready to get started? We can help you create your own “formula” and suggest items for your unique, fun, and charming centerpieces!

~ Items ~

Metals – frames; postcards on fork stands; candle holders (brass and silver); candle stands; small metal boxes; small metal pitchers; alarm clocks; sifters; kitchen scales; decorative tins; brass animals; silver-rimmed coasters; small silver trays; sad irons and trivets

Organics – books; doilies; wooden boxes; wooden frames; sedum teacups; baskets; pine cones; shells

Glass/Ceramics – milk glass vases; blue, green, and clear glass vases; ceramic vases and planters; votives; bottles; glass candle holders; ceramic figurines and boxes; salt & pepper shakers; petite teacup & saucers

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – Framed Centerpieces

It’s been very busy at Southern Vintage Table this week. This month we are helping with four events! And, what’s wonderful is these are very different kinds of affairs. We have a bridal shower for Katie, Sarah’s Valentine’s dinner party, a photo shoot with Tre Bella, and the Rolesville Chamber‘s annual awards banquet. We are packed and ready for the first three and getting things together for the fourth. Look for these to be featured in the coming weeks!

One of the table decor items we are featuring for the bridal shower and dinner party is a collection of small vintage frames. For the last couple of months, I’ve been picking these up at various thrift stores and my vision was a montage of frames on the table filled with lovely things like post cards, intricate lace or doilies, and pretty flower backgrounds. I love how these look and can’t wait to see them on the tables!

These frames are in our Tabletop Decor Collection and can coordinate with any event. I’m working on our soon-to-be-revealed Vintage Centerpiece Package and our frames certainly will be included as one of many different options to help create interesting and pretty tables for your guests!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – Amy’s Floral Inspiration!

I had a nice surprise this week! Amy of Knots’N’ Such Event Planning presented me with this gorgeous, fragrant arrangement in one of our vintage aluminum mugs used at a photo shoot last month at The Royal Banquet and Conference Center in Raleigh. Of course, I absolutely love the combination of flowers, colors, and greenery. As I was admiring the beautiful flowers, it came to me. This bouquet will be my inspiration for this week’s blog! I’ve been wanting to showcase more of our vintage vase ideas and these would be perfect! So after I enjoyed this arrangement for a day, I began experimenting.

First, I tried a deep purple vintage vase shared with me by a dear friend. The shape of the vase is a classic and Amy’s arrangement looks oh-so beautiful! I had to enjoy this for several hours before taking it apart to test out a few more looks.

For the next look I wanted see how the lovely flowers would look in an assortment of milk glass and vintage white egg cups. I think you’ll agree these petite arrangements are sweet against the white glass!

Vintage Decor Rental at Southern Vintage Table

The trailing plant gave me one more idea I wanted to try. Using a tall candle holder with a tea light glass insert, I created this look. It needs more of the trailing plant cascading around to hide the green floral foam but it is stunning, don’t you think?

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Thank you, Amy of Knots’N’ Such Event Planning, for the flower bouquet and for providing the inspiration for this week’s blog. We have more vases pinned on our Pinterest board and be sure to check out our vintage decor on our newly revamped website!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – New Website is Up!

Whoop whoop!! Our new website is up and running! My wonderful, fantastic reviewers (Trudy, Carrie, Priscilla, Jami, Mary and Pat) and I love the color scheme and the slide shows featuring our beautiful, vintage inventory. I am so excited our site pages and blog posts all are here at the same place! I can even check my site stats here and now everyone can pin photos directly from the site. Yippee!

~ If you are on our old blog site, go here now to view this post at its new home! ~

Email subscribers, here’s something really important to note – this will be my final post at my wordpress.com blog. I will be posting from this new website but it is super easy to re-subscribe at the top right of this page. New subscribers are welcomed!! When you subscribe, you’ll be notified via email that a new post is up, which is every Sunday. (Also note, this post and all the other posts are published on both blogs but I will be taking down the old one soon.)

I’d love, love, love (and be most appreciative!) if you’d also follow us on Southern Vintage Table’s Facebook page. I tried adding a Facebook Like Widget but I couldn’t find a position on the page that looked right. That’s one thing I need to figure out. I post on Facebook once or twice a week, mostly about new vintage finds or treasures, which I think you’ll love to see!

For those who are interested, I am using GoDaddy’s feature, Managed WordPress, which means I went from WordPress.com to WordPress.org because it’s now a self-hosted site. With this change, I now have more control over the themes and can add widgets to add all kinds of features – like the slide shows on each page featuring our inventory, a footer with contact information and a email subscription field only on the blog page. There is still much to learn! I also dropped my Dreamweaver subscription and, with the Managed WordPress on GoDaddy, I have reduced my hosting fee. GoDaddy provided a temporary url to use while building the site, took down the old site when I was ready to launch, and migrated all the pages over to the same domain name. All in all, this is a terrific update for Southern Vintage Table!

Take a look and tell me what you think! I’d love to hear your comments, ideas and suggestions.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – A Mother’s Grief Kindles a Porcelain Legacy

I saw this unusual candy dish in the thrift store and, I admit, my first impression was that it was a bit gaudy. Without my glasses, I couldn’t read the mark very well but I did see that it was made in Pasadena. The script of the mark and the place clinched the deal – I bought it.

It sat on my table for weeks, and occasionally I’d pick it up and admire it, running my fingers across its smooth, ruffled edge. The muted colors and delicate handiwork of the roses captivated me. Finally, I took a photo and decided to do a little research about its history. I couldn’t find the exact piece but I did see another one that was pretty close. However, it turns out the story of this woman-owned American company was the best part of this vintage find.

According to the International Ceramics Directory, Florence Ceramics began in the early 1940s by Florence Ward, an anguished mother who lost her young son to a rare blood disease. To cope with her grief, she took a ceramics course at the Franklin School for ceramics and pottery. Her artistic talent was quickly revealed in her figurines of women and men dressed in authentic historic dress. Friends admired her work and she began selling her signature pieces from her garage.

As her success grew, Florence Ceramics moved to a large, modern facility in 1949 and began mass producing her figurines. Her employees loved working for the Ward family and high standards were always revered. Eventually, as the story often goes, cheaper reproductions from overseas and the death of her husband caused Florence to sell her business to Script in the early 1960s. According to the eBay article, Florence Ceramics aka Florence of California, “A great era of perfection and detail in porcelain figurines came to an end.”

Alas, I do not have any figurines to share but you won’t be disappointed if you take a look at some of these found at Replacements. So beautifully vintage!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Vintage Feature – Revamping the “About” Page

This past week I have been working on my new website. One page I have wanted to change and update is “Our Story.” So after researching effective “About Me” pages, I hit on this idea. The page title is simply “About.”

———————————————————————————————-

Hello, I’m Shelly.

I’m the owner of Southern Vintage Table, a vintage tableware and decor rental business. After two years of scouring thrift stores, estate sales, antique shops, auctions, craigslist and even my own home, I have collected lots of vintage china, glassware, flatware, serving dishes, linens, and accessories. Many things have been generously shared by friends and family. Our collection spans the 20th century and everything is available for hire.

Here are a few things about me – in no particular order.

~ I’m an optimist, like my mother, and believe things have a way of turning out okay. Maybe not in the way you envisioned but perhaps how it must.

~ I’m a retired middle school teacher, wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, and friend. I am a twin with 7 siblings and have two children. I met my husband in the 6th grade.

~ My alma maters include Orange High School, Western Carolina, and UNC-CH. I have a masters in education and earned National Board Certification.

~ My last teaching assignment included a video/news program class called MNN, a web graphics course, and yearbook. I taught 6th, 7th and 8th graders and sometimes had a student for all three years, which always delighted me.

– Whenever I can afford the time, I take the scenic back roads. Thankfully, I usually have the time.

~ I especially love candlelight, potted plants, flowers, pretty china, and wooden boxes. My hobbies have included sewing, playing tennis, making mosaics, and rearranging furniture.

~ As the owner of my business, I have learned how to drill holes in china, get rid of stains in china and linens, and – gasp – properly set a table. And, I love setting tables!

~ When I go thrift store shopping, I’m not necessarily thinking about what the item is, but what it can become or how it can be repurposed. Sometimes I can see it right away, and other times I buy it knowing the vision will come eventually.

~ I’ve started reading a few pages of a book before I go to sleep. I’ve almost finished “Bossypants” by Tina Fey, which I highly recommend. Witty and profound.

~ I’ve written a country song I want Miranda Lambert or Kelly Clarkson to sing and have a movie I want Reese Witherspoon to produce. I’ve messaged the cosmos to help me with these two projects. Hey, it can’t hurt and it just might help, right? That optimism my mother gifted to me is kicking in here.

~ I love meeting new people and listening to their life stories. I especially enjoy hearing the names of their children, parents, grandparents, and even further back. Makes me feel like I’m time traveling with them.

~ I am so grateful for my friends and family. Their wisdom and stories have infused my life with joy and love.

~ I’d love to talk with you and promise our Southern Vintage Table collection will create a memorable, lovely affair for your special guests!

———————————————————————————————-

Let me know what you think about my new “About” page. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or additions, I’d love to hear from you. Really, I mean it…

New website is well on its way – should be unveiling it soon! Here are some photos I took this past week for it.

Vintage Gold Rimmed Glass Compote With Fruit

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •