News Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Southern Vintage Table

News – Southern Vintage Table is Featured on Redfin’s Blog

Last month SVT was chosen to contribute to an article about celebrating Thanksgiving on Redfin’s Blog – how exciting! Here’s the full article with some great advice from “notable experts” about decorating and setting your Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving Table Décor Ideas for This Holiday Season

Published on November 6, 2020 by Lexi Klinkenberg

As Thanksgiving is approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll decorate this year’s table. From dinner plans to table decor, you may have a lot going on. That’s why we have gathered tips from experts from New York to Sacramento to share their ideas and tips for creating a beautiful Thanksgiving table this holiday season.

Create a gorgeous chandelier wreath

I think creating a gorgeous chandelier wreath above a table setting can really take the whole tables cape to another level. Simply adding Fall foliage to your chandelier by draping garland with colorful leaves or corn stalks around the light fixture (or around the hanging stem) can take a tables cape from drab to fab. To create more of a rustic farmhouse look, cedar greenery with berries is a fan favorite, and adding black velvet ribbons or pattern bows and even string lights to the chandelier wreath can also add a peaceful and cozy ambiance. -Tammy Leonard, The Gifted Wreath

Add greenery into the mix

Add extra depth to your table by adding some greenery. It can make for a great contrast to the traditional orange colors of fall. Bundle together a bunch of leafy greens and you’ll have a fantastic seasonally-inspired centerpiece that your guests will enjoy. -Freddie Chatt, Decor Blueprint

Get creative with your centerpiece

Take a deep glass bowl, any size will do, but the more impressive – the better. Put some vibrant orange and red maple leaves on the bottom of the bowl. Place an assortment of grapes on top of the leaves. Feel free to add orange and lemon slices or slices of any other citrus fruits. Once you are happy – fill the bowl with water and add a few drops of essential oils of your choice. We recommend bergamot, ginger, and cinnamon to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere at the table. As a final touch, you can use floating candles on the water. –Mcdonald Paper & Restaurant Supplies

Opt for vintage wildflower stoneware decor

We love to see mixed and matched table settings and our favorite pattern this family holiday season is vintage wildflower stoneware. Add vintage green, amber, and brown goblets along with mixed patterns of cloth napkins. For decor, our advice is to forage outdoors for the many treasures of autumn. Sprinkle pinecones on the table, perch them atop of brass or wood candleholders, or use them to hold place cards for your guests. Complete the table with vases filled with greenery and tree branches with colored leaves from your yard. See an example of our work below. –Southern Vintage Table

Consider one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose pieces

Consider one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose pieces that showcase your style and turn into conversation starters. Spicy, warm colors like cinnamon and persimmon work well for serving pieces giving a warm and festive look and allowing dinnerware to be more solid flexible colors. After menu planning, consider the largest serving pieces first before adding the seasonal decor, and don’t forget to add pops of bright cheery colors. –Sunset Canyon Pottery

Let your cooking speak for itself

Use your covid-19, lockdown, cooking skills, and let the food be the color and spark at your festive table. –Contextus

Go global

Add warmth and color to your holiday table with artisan wares from around the world. Africa and India, for example, are known for creating tableware using warm, natural materials like olive wood salad bowls, sisal grass breadbaskets, or block print dinner napkins which would add a lot of style and spark conversations at your dinner table. -Anita Terrell, Reflektion Design

Use beautiful paper goods

It may be surprising, but there are beautiful paper goods in stores to use for Thanksgiving. I have found Spode and Lenox china patterns on paper plates. Pair them with beautiful chargers and napkins, and no one knows the difference until they feel them. Makes for easier cleanup after the big feast” -Danielle Keller, Faith and Farmhouse

Take the Thanksgiving fun outdoors

Tis’ the season to give thanks and be together as one, don’t let new norms get in the way of your festive fun. Why not take your turkey outdoors with a quiet bonfire? This Thanksgiving, set up an outdoor dinner by a fire pit using individual place settings to set up a socially distanced dinner. Use small side and end tables with an assortment of chairs for the seating and add rustic decor elements like fresh flowers, candles & little baskets for essentials labeled with guest names at each table. Create a festive vibe by adding some lanterns and string lights. Don’t forget a spot for the laptop in case you need to connect with a loved one, and keep a few throws handy in case it gets cold. -Rahul Agrawal, Styldod

Hire an event company to help

Don’t waste valuable storage and cabinet space on specialty holiday china, flatware, and glassware when you can rent your table settings and linens. We, as an event rental company, stay on top of all of the latest trends so you, in turn, will wow your guest year after year and, as a bonus, we do the dirty work by cleaning and sanitizing all inventory before and after your event so you get to spend more quality time with your family. –All About Events

Originally Published on Redfin

News – Come On In to Our Decor and Linen Room!

We did it! That scary decor and linen room is now freshly organized, thanks to some solid, used store shelving we found on marketplace. With its basic framing, we added more shelving to fit our vintage decor inventory. The total time for this redo was, well, a lot of hours and sore arm muscles, but we are quite pleased with the final results. So, come on in!

Pretty impressive, huh? Here’s a quick tour!

Most of the shelving is devoted to our extensive vintage candle holder collection. With an assortment of glass, brass, silver-plated, pewter, wood, and speciality taper holders, we provide clients with many options to consider. We also have candelabras, pillar columns, peg votives for taper holders, as well as glass votives.

Our vintage linens now have a place to be; however, there’s more sorting to do. We are happy there is space to pull the bins from the shelves and easily view what we have!

The vintage kitchen decor may be one of our favorite collections – scales, sifters, graters, hand mixers, and rolling pins. Vintage books, easels, clocks, and cameras are also fun decor items to incorporate into an event theme. Using these takes some creative thinking out-of-the-box and we’d love to brainstorm with you!

Most of our vintage silver-plate collection is now organized here – and easily seen on the new shelving. Teapots and creamers are in the main front room, and together, our collection is quite substantial for those of you who love this vintage look.

One huge benefit to the additional shelving is getting our vintage suitcases separated on shelving. We really tried to curate this collection but couldn’t cull anything! Maybe someday we’ll have to pass some on but not today. (BTW – Those trumpets have an interesting story behind them – yep, it was a crazy day at the auction!)

What’s next on our list? The workroom area needs a bit more work since it became the place “where you put stuff you don’t know what to do with just yet.” 🙂 Look for that update coming soon! Thanks for visiting!

News – SVT is Featured in the September 2020 issue of Southern Lady Magazine

Last summer we were contacted by Elizabeth Czapski, an editor with Southern Lady magazine, to share our experience with vintage linens. They were working on an article that embraced their history, beauty, and repurposed uses for today. We corresponded several times about Southern Vintage Table and specifically about linens we offer to our clients. We shared photos that illustrated how they can be displayed and used, pointing out how we love to mix and match vintage patterns, whether it’s tableware or napkins. Were we thrilled to be interviewed? Heck, yeah!

Turns out the adage, “good things come to those who wait,” would apply here when we found out that article’s publication date had been moved to the fall of 2020. No worries, we thought. Next year will be great. Little did we know that this year couldn’t have been more perfect – the delay translated into a huge morale booster for us!

So, this week we received a copy of the September 2020 issue of the Southern Lady magazine. As we flipped through the gorgeously photographed pages and corresponding features, we found our article on page 99- “New Life for Old Linens.”

Two of us were interviewed – Lois Lamb of Vintage Linens by Lois and moi, Shelly Heath of Southern Vintage Table. Wow. Reading the article and seeing our name in print with advice about vintage linens was surreal – and quite wonderful! Here’s one excerpt:

“These time-honored, regional customs created a market that allowed Shelly Heath, a retired middle school teacher, to start Southern Vintage Table. Based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, her company rents out antique tableware – including napkins, doilies, and tablecloths – for weddings and other events.” “We specialize in mixing and matching patterns, colors, and styles for out clients,” Shelly says, a practice she recommends applying to your own home entertaining.
“As far as not having enough matching napkins, no worries,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to mix them up for your guests. Use several different patterns.” Lois echoes this sentiment…
Both women agree that you should cherish heirloom linens for their aged appeared and storied imperfections, not in spite of them. “Embrace the history of the vintage linen,” Shelly says. “Little tears and holes need not be fixed – they represent a loved item.”
Czapski, Elizabeth. “New Life for Old Linens,” Southern Lady Magazine, September 2020, 99-102. Print.

Shelly reading about Shelly is quite an experience! We are sincerely grateful that Elizabeth found SVT online and included us in her article. Vintage linens are delightful to share, through words and with the real thing.

News – Organizing, Arranging, and Energizing

This week we found our mojo for giving our studio an organizational redo with the help of some used heavy duty shelving we found on Marketplace. Yay! With the new shelves in place (which first had to be cut down a few inches with a reciprocating saw because it was too tall), we now have room to get our vintage dessert and saucers out of boxes and stacked on the shelves.

For two days, we handled every dessert and saucer while we played a china pattern matching game. And, yes, it was actually fun! Now stacked on the shelves and sorted by pattern and color, our plates are beautifully organized.

Another major redo was to create a better display for our growing inventory of blue and white decor pieces. Doesn’t this look impressive!

These classic and timeless pieces can be used in so may ways. Here’s just a few ideas to help you imagine what you can create.

In the next room, we pulled out our collection of sweet little dishes that can be used in so many ways – white jugs/creamers, egg cups, and gravy boats. All of these have so much design potential and now they can be easily seen as clients come through our studio..

We are working on our work room and then we’ll tackle the last space – the scary linen and decor room. The good and bad news is that we have some open time in the months ahead. 🙂 Have a good week!

News – Our Decoupaged Items are now at New Hope Market

As the title announces, our handcrafted decoupaged items can now be found at New Hope Market on Hwy 86, across the railroad track from the now-closed Allen & Son BBQ place. This small restaurant and market has a large following due to the delicious made-to-order food, the scrumptious offerings at the dessert counter, and the friendly folks that work there. When we were there setting up, Randy sincerely welcomed his customers, often calling them by their first name. Folks coming and going all had smiles on their faces as they left.

Owner Randy also stocks local food items such as produce, Maple View ice cream and milk, and NC beers. And, he supports local artists and artisans, which led us to him. We are so pleased to be here, in the heart of the Blackwood area of Orange County.

Randy asked us to make a sign explaining the process of decoupaging along with our company name. It certainly added a fine touch to our shelf display!

Come by New Hope Market, dine in or carry out, try a yummy dessert, and check out the cool handmade treasures at the market. We thank you in advance!

PS – We also will be selling our wares at Fernrock Farm‘s stand on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month. We so much appreciate the folks who came by and purchased pots, rocks, and bottles. It was such a confidence-builder! We’ve got some new patterns we think you’ll love!

News – SVT Joins the Green Wedding Guild

Southern Vintage Table ie now a proud member of the Green Wedding Guild! This group of wedding vendors has pledged to become better stewards of our planet while providing excellent services and products. Here’s the Green Wedding Guild pledge:

“We believe that we can all do more to reduce the waste generated by weddings, and that sustainable choices are within reach of all vendors and couples. We strive to make these choices accessible to our clients, and to become better environmental stewards through education and community. We may just be beginning our journey, we may not have achieved zero-waste, or we may already be green leaders in our field, but we are committed to learning, and to sharing what we learn with other vendors and clients along the way. By educating ourselves and our clients, we pledge to move toward creating a more environmentally sustainable wedding industry. We do this not only for ourselves, but for our clients and our planet. We pledge to be respectful, professional, and non-judgmental toward other vendors and clients. We will lead by example and support others on their own quest toward more sustainable weddings. We are not here to judge, but to inspire!”

Our company offers rescued vintage tableware and linens as well as vintage decor. These offerings are sustainable, recovered, and a reminder of our shared past. We are excited and pleased to formally become a member of the Green Wedding Guild. Check out our listing on the website as well as the other guild member vendors.

News – Announcing Our New Venture – Decoupaged Wares For Sale!

We are ready to offer our customized upcycled treasures to you! Beautiful decoupaged bottles, jars, pots, and rocks (we love-love-love our pretty rocks!) will be available next weekend at Fernrock Farm‘s stand on Orange Grove Road in Hillsborough, NC.

All in one shopping – pick up both a beautiful bottle/vase and a gorgeous bouquet or a transformed pot and plant and you are ready to enjoy a one-of-a-kind arrangement. For details about Fernrock Farm’s offerings, check their Facebook page for the latest info. In advance, thank you for supporting Southern Vintage Table and Fernrock Farm!

Pricing:
Decoupaged Bottles and Jars – $15 each
Decoupaged Pots – 4 in -$15, 6 in -$20, 8 in -$30
Rocks – $5 each or 3 for $12

Fernrock Farm
4500 Orange Grove Road, Hillsborough
Open 9-6 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Cash or check payment through honor system

Supplies will be limited since each item is carefully and individually crafted. Please keep in mind that although decoupaged items are durable, the exterior is not waterproof. Do not submerge in water; if the outside should get wet, simply wipe it dry. Pots can be outdoors if protected from rain and freezing weather.

News – Happy Mother’s Day, Christine!

Happy Mother’s Day! My mother, Christine, was the most extraordinary person I have ever known. She endured incredible hardships and celebrated many triumphs, and her children greatly benefited from her love and wisdom. As a tribute to her, I’d like to share three of the many lessons I learned from her and give an example of how they have been helped me as a small business owner.

1. Only the boring get bored.

Ouch! Yep, this is classic Christine. We lived in the country on a dirt road, had one kinda-working car that mom drove to work, and 3 channels on tv. But, since there were 8 of us, we usually found something to do (or not to do, like housework!) We read, watched tv, listened to records, played outside, and, my favorite, searched for those good luck four-leaf clovers in the front lawn under the dogwood tree. If we got bored, it was our fault, or as mom would say, it was because we were boring, then she’d find something for us to do, like wash the dishes or help fix supper. So we learned not to be bored, or at least not tell mom. As an adult, yes, I sometimes get bored, but I mostly know how to keep busy, which has come in handy these past months during our quarantine.

Never be bored, and you will never be boring. –Eleanor Roosevelt

2. Go for it!

Recently my daughter said I was fearless because I had cut down some small trees using a chain saw. Even though it was not big deal since it was a small battery-operated saw, I loved hearing those words! After giving some thought to her comment, I realized that this can-do attitude was a gift from my mom. For those who knew her, her courageous spirit was contagious..

Southern Vintage Table began with this mantra. When my sister suggested that I start a vintage china rental business, I just knew this was a perfect fit for me. I had recently retired from teaching middle school and was ready for a new challenge. Did I have experience running a business or did I know anything about china? Nope and nope, but I didn’t want to regret not trying. Now, seven years later, I know my mom would be proud of me for “going for it.”

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” = Nora Ephron

3. There is always a silver lining.

As I think of the countless conversations I had with mom about situations, predicaments, or hardships, she would always see that silver lining. She would magically dissect a negative and transform it into a lesson, opportunity, or gift to be revered.

While my business has come to a halt this spring, I have not faltered in my belief that things will work out, whatever that might mean. I’ve taken this time to work on projects at home, spend time crafting, and catching up on movies that I always meant to watch. I’ve gotten closer to my children, family, and friends via texts, phone calls and FaceTime, and have relaxed on the back deck with my morning coffee. I’m eager to get SVT up and running again, but I have also savored this quiet time at home.

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. —Henri Matisse

Three of the many lessons taught by my spunky, sassy, smart, and strong mother, Christine.
Happy Mother’s Day.

News – Adding Decoupaged Decor to Our Inventory

Hello from Hillsborough! As many of you, we are still on pause, waiting for the stay-at-home period to transition. A positive outcome for us has been having time to rekindle our crafting spirit, something we have missed during our busy days at Southern Vintage Table.

During the daytime hours we’ve worked outside to create several pretty garden spots and cleaned up the woods near our home. In the evening, we decoupage. First it was plastic eggs, then plastic pumpkins and kombucha jars. Now we are covering garden pots, assorted sizes of jars, and even river rocks!

We love how florals look in decoupaged jars and bottles as well as the how playful decoupaged rocks look as table decor. All of these lovelies will be available in our inventory and more will be added as our time at home continues. In the meantime, stay well and we look forward to helping with many events in the near future!

On a side note, the wooden kitty was a birthday gift from my then beau, now husband, on my 18th birthday. Truly vintage! 🙂

News – 3 Reasons We Are Grateful This Week

Reason 1 – Spring is here! So happy to see new growth on the trees, bright flowers, and longer days. Yay!

Reason 2 – We had a surprise delivery from Fernrock Farm! What a wonderful treat to find this assortment of blooms on our porch Monday morning. This floral package is a sample “make your own bouquet kit” that will be offered soon. Be sure to follow Fernrock Farm for the lastest in classes and offerings.

Reason 3 – We are planning to be busy soon because most of our spring and early summer clients have been able to reschedule their weddings. Thank goodness! Although we’ve had cancellations – all with good reason and sincere regret – we will be okay and even more ready to help you create a memorable, eco-friendly, vintage event!

We know you have reasons to be grateful, too. Take care and stay well.