Happy Memorial Day 2020!
We are recognizing this patriotic holiday with our red, white, and blue vintage wares available at Southern Vintage Table. Hope your Memorial holiday is fun-filled and safe!
America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.
=Paul Tsongas
Today’s post is about a little known piece of tableware that most of us in the US have never used or even seen. On the contrary, on breakfast tables all over Europe and Australia, folks are enjoying their soft-cooked eggs in an eggcup. Many are dipping pieces of toast, called soldiers, in the yolk and loving every morsel. For someone who doesn’t like runny yolks, this sounds anything but yummy but we decided that we had to at least try it.
Following directions, we placed eggs in water, took them to boiling, then turned off the heat and let them sit for 3-4 minutes. After pouring off the hot water and cooling them down with cold tap water, we placed them in the egg cups.
Tapping around the top with a knife, we carefully pulled off the broken shell. We dipped one soldier in and tasted it. Not yucky but not good either. We sprinkled salt and pepper on top, added more butter to the toast, and tried again – much better!
Will we eat soft cooked eggs on a regular basis? Nope. But, will we use vintage eggcups in other ways? Definitely!! Not only are they adorable, but eggcups can also hold pretty things other than just eggs!
Our favorite use is to add small clumps of fresh green moss. Against the crisp white of the eggcup, the organic green just pops. Don’t you love it, too?
A petite floral bouquet can be the perfect detail for a tablescape. We love how this is illustrated in the last photo here, taken by Jackson Signature Photography. It’s a small yet meaningful detail for guests to enjoy.
Other ideas? Why not present a small edible treat in egg cups, or use pinecones or Christmas decor to create a festive table? So many possibilities! As you can probably tell, we adore these little things!
To close, we send Happy Easter greetings to all. Many will miss the family traditions of this treasured spring holiday this year; however, we’ll all remember this Easter for many years to come. Here’s hoping that along with our lifestyle adaptations, we’ll all be more aware of two things that bind us all – hope and love.
Read more about these vintage lovelies:
History of Eggcups -Replacements
I Suddenly Wanted to Eat All of My Breakfasts Out of Eggcups – New York Magazine
Green is much more than a color – it’s the essence of nature and emotes calmness, serenity, and rebirth. Prosperity, well-being, and optimism also are associated with this color and it makes sense that green represents environmental awareness and stewardship of our planet.
One mission of Southern Vintage Table is to be environmentally responsible. Our inventory of dishes, silverware, linens and decor are all vintage items found at thrift stores, auctions, yard sales, and consignment shops. Many family treasures also have been generously bestowed to Southern Vintage Table by friends and acquaintances.
When we use, repurpose, and repair vintage tableware, we are not only reducing our ecological footprint, we are embracing something very profound – that our shared past is to be revered, not thrown away. These pieces portray the history of the family dinner table from the early 1900s through the late 1990s and they are steeped in countless memories..
In addition to our rescue and reuse mission, we produce very little waste. Our commercial dishwasher is energy efficient and we reuse storage crates, racks, and bins, many of which are second-hand. Typically the only physical waste we have at the end of an event are plastic bags used to keep the rental items clean.
SVT has the something old while doing something green – sharing beautiful vintage items in a responsible, ecological manner. Whether you are looking for classic green crinkle goblets or the delicate pink dinner plates, choosing us means you are choosing green. From vintage plates to vintage decor, our inventory is eco-friendly, rescued, restored, and ready for you to appreciate and share with your guests.
The lovely floral pattern, SLM158 (not a suitable name for this work of art, huh?), has a lot of history. It was produced by the Salem China Company, which was founded in 1898 in Salem, Ohio. The American company manufactured china for over 60 years, ending the production in 1960 and then becoming a distribution, sales and service company until 2003, when the main building was destroyed by fire.
Their patterns followed the trends of the time, with elegant florals, art deco creations, and traditional scenic designs. Also, if you love Christmas china, Salem had an extensive line of this favorite holiday. One particularly popular design from the 1930s, the triangular-shaped Tricorne, is now highly collectible – this explains why we have not come across these! Click to see some of the most popular Salem China designs and advertisements found at Laurel Hollow Brook,
Our quest to learn more about Salem China started with this set of salad plates in the once-popular Mount Vernon pattern. Enamored by its artistry and condition, we learned how to gauge the age of this particular plate. The “52” reveals that it was made in 1952 and the three starts signify the quarter of the year. With this information, we looked through our collection to find more about this American china company.
Meet Sovereign, a gorgeous gold-rimmed pattern. We’ve actually had these for quite some time but now will certainly appreciate it more. We believe the V in the backstamp might reveal its age but we couldn’t find anything about the letter markings. We do know it had to be produced before 1960.
This gorgeous, delicate pattern is Sandra. Again, her mark includes a W which tells us nothing about its age. But, that doesn’t diminish how sweet she is. (So is my sister, Sandra!)
How in the world can a beautiful pattern with a green and gold encrusted rim and sweet lily of the valley have such a name? Certainly, we are perplexed but we do know from the backstamp that it was made in 1956.
Again, the name does not convey the gorgeousness of this pattern. From her mark, SLM158 belongs to a line called Quaker Girl, as homage to the Quaker residents and founders of Salem, Ohio. Her mark reveals that she was produced in 1952 during the first quarter.
And, on International Women’s Day, we serendipitously found this fascinating tidbit on Salem, Ohio on Wikipedia.
“In April 1850, Salem hosted the first Women’s Rights Convention in Ohio, the third such convention in the United States. (The first was the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848; the second was the Rochester Convention two weeks later.) The Salem Convention was the first of these conventions to be organized on a statewide basis.[17] All of the convention’s officers were women. Men were not allowed to vote, sit on the platform or speak during the convention. The male spectators were supportive, however, and when the convention was over, they created an organization of their own and endorsed the actions of the women’s convention.[18] “
Salem China, we salute you! Your patterns are unique, lovely, and timeless. We love that you were manufactured in the town of Salem, a place known for its progressiveness in the 1800s, whose residents fought against slavery and for women. Hurrah!
A few new vintage treasures found their way into the studio this week and each of them have their own unique story! Starting with a timeless classic, these two vintage silver-plated cake stands are now part of our inventory. They arrived as a gift to SVT and we can’t wait to see the first cake or fancy dessert on them! (Thank you, Lucy!)
Brass candelabras are golden elegance and we are always looking to add to our collection, With the French blue candles, this funky ornate candelabra looks glorious. This find was in one of our favorite thrifting haunts – so sorry, we can’t share this secret!
Do you know how much we adore vintage scales? We have 4 vintage kitchen scales and 1 postage and what was missing is what we found – a vintage baby scale in the softest shade of yellow. Look at those sweet baby faces – adorable! (Thank you, Mary Beth, for letting this one come to us.)
Now for our last vintage find. When we found this in a Wilmington thrift store, we thought it was nice – and heavy – so we picked it up to add to our growing collection of vintage brass vases. Back at the studio, we were cleaning it before putting it on the shelf, and, voila, we found this secret note inside!
This nice, heavy, vintage brass vase was given by a husband to his wife for their 50th golden anniversary 75 years ago! Oh my goodness! Laura, if you should read this, please contact us – we’d love for you to have this family treasure. In the meantime, we will be sharing this story to everyone who places a bouquet in this vase.
As always, thanks for visiting today. In honor of Presidents’ Day, here’s a funny quote from the wonderful Jimmy Carter.
“My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now that when people wave at me, they use all of their fingers.”
PS – Yes, that’s my reflection in the vase. 🙂
2019 has been a great year for SVT! These images are among our favorites and feature weddings, showers, corporate gatherings, dinner parties, and styled shoots. Sincerest thanks to our clients and their talented photographers for these beautiful vintage visions!
Looking forward to 2020 and sending happy new year wishes to all!
Florals on china are so lovely and vintage patterns seem even more beautiful. Today’s blog features five bold floral vintage china patterns, four of which were made in England and one from the United States.
Let’s begin with this beauty, Stratford by Royal Doulton. Produced for twenty years, from 1941-1962, this pattern features almost every color – yellow, pink, purple, green, and gray. We love the scalloped floral rim! Meredith and Jessie delighted their guests with them.
Next up is Staffordshire Bouquet by Johnson Brothers, also made in England. So many clients come to our studio and comment on how much they love this pattern. Featuring brown, red, yellow, green, and blue, this swirl-rimmed pattern was only made seven years, from 1973-1979.
We’d like to introduce you to our third bold floral, English Bouquet by Johnson Brothers. As our most recent addition to our inventory, we immediately knew it was a Johnson Brothers design. It’s brighter color palette includes pink, blue, yellow and green. One internet source says this pattern is from the 1920s!
The fourth of our featured vintage patterns is Bouquet by Myotts Staffordshire, England. With its darker hues of brown, amber, green, and maroon as well as the swirled, scalloped edge, this pattern one of our favorites! The details are stunning! Although we couldn’t find the production dates for this pattern, we know that since it’s mark doesn’t have the Myotts-Meakin stamp, it can’t be after 1989 and we believe it’s much older.
Lastly, here’s our lone USA-made vintage bold floral design to feature. This one is called May Flower and it’s made by the Californian company, Vernon Kilns. Featuring florals of yellow, blue, purple, and white along with the basketweave rim, this pattern is so darn pretty! Amazingly, May Flower was only made from 1942-1953 and they look gorgeous on Meredith and Jessie’s reception tables.
So there they are! Five gorgeous bold vintage floral patterns made by five different potteries in England and America. Can you name them now? Hint – most of them have “bouquet’ in their name!
Source – Replacements, Ltd
Doesn’t this charming plate epitomize vintage? We first thought it was a cake plate because of the handles on each side, but we were wrong! It’s a classic art deco shape called Yorktown, created in 1938 by one of America’s most successful china company, The Edwin M. Knowles China Company.
The mark on the back shows the maker (The Edwin M. Knowles China Co.) and the shape name (Yorktown) but not the pattern, which is Tia Juana. According to the mark on the back , this pattern shape was first introduced November, 1937 (11-37). (Thanks, Harlan, for interpreting this for us!) Perhaps more interesting, though, it includes “Union Made in U.S.A.” to broadcast that the china was made by workers who were fairly paid and treated by their employer.
Looking through the extensive collection of pattern photos on Replacements, Inc., we soon realized we had several Knowles patterns that illustrate the breadth of patterns and shapes this once-thriving pottery company offered to its customers.
Edwin M. Knowles China Company began in 1900 in Chester, West Virginia. Over six decades, the company produced dinnerware considered to be of the highest quality, and their popularity and production increased over the next 60 years. The factory closed its doors in the early 1960s due to the influx of cheaper foreign imports – a common story for many US potteries.
Read more about Knowles at the Robbins Nest, Laurel Hollow Park, and Vintage Eve’s.
This year we have participated in at least eight styled shoots – perhaps a record for us – and we have benefited from the wonderful photographs shared with us by a host of talented photographers. Today’s shoot was courtesy of Monique of Keys Events and Tierney Riggs Photography.
The blue and white theme paired with our vintage amethyst goblets and natural wood pieces is one of our favorites! We also love CE Rental’s blue and white tablecloth, which proves that too much of a good thing can be grand!
Thanks, Monique, for showcasing our vintage goods in your lovely shoot. We look forward to showing these to our clients! Be sure to check out Keys Events!
A popular party trend is to offer guests a speciality drink, oftentimes a drink loved by the host, guest of honor, or bride and groom. Whether it’s a non-acoholic refreshing beverage or a spirited one, these can reflect the personality of the host or guests and even the color palette of the occasion!
What can make this drink even more special? Serving it up in a beautiful vintage goblet, of course! Not totally convinced? Then let us convince you with these three reasons why you should.
First, consider the frozen speciality drink. Offering that frozen margarita or sangria in a petite clear goblet means that your guests will enjoy the delightful frozenness before it melts. Another upside is more guests can be served at once. The only hitch is that some will be back in line for more so keep that blender humming! 🙂
Secondly, to add to the festiveness of the party, the drink color will shine! With our classic clear vintage champagne glasses and petite goblets, that gorgeous blue, pink, or yellow will mesmerize your guests as they enjoy your delicious beverage. We promise that they will ooh-and-ahhh over their sweetness!
Thirdly, if you plan to serve up a large crowd, go classic with our beautiful vintage punch bowls. In addition to 3 clear and 2 milk glass bowls, we also have a wonderful collection of vintage punch cups that will coordinate nicely, but if these don’t suit your affair, consider those petite goblets instead!
Spirited or not, your speciality drink deserves a special goblet or glass. In addition to the lovely clear petite goblets, we have petite goblets in a variety of colors. (There’s no photo of these colored ones, but we’ll add it to this post soon.)
As you see, we have lots to offer and are ready to help you serve up your speciality drinks at your next occasion!
