Vintage Adventures Archives - Page 3 of 3

A Vintage Adventure – Sold to Number 268!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC — I found this in the box lot of dishes I got for $5.00. This certainly made up for the chair I didn’t mean to buy!

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 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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A Vintage Adventure – The Vintage Treasure I Almost Missed

I love to go to the thrift stores. It’s a modern day treasure hunt – you never know what might be there. Routinely I look for wares for my business, Southern Vintage Table, and I have gotten pretty savvy over time as to what’s vintage and what’s not.

Well, one day I saw a collection of pretty dishes. The gold details were prefect and the flowers looked hand painted, but to me, the pattern just didn’t have that “vintage” look. I must have studied them for some time, trying to figure out what to do. My collection was growing and I wanted to be smart with each and every investment. In the end, something told me to pick up a few pieces, just in case, because they won’t be there tomorrow if I changed my mind.

I chose a set of 4 plates, cups, saucers as well as the creamer and sugar dish. When I got home and unpacked them, I looked them up on the internet. Of course, you know the end of the story – they became my oldest pattern in my collection, discontinued circa 1918, according to a major tableware replacements company.

After doing a bit more research, the pattern, Azalea by Noritake, was also a give-away by the Larken Company for buying and selling their products. I also see some conflicting information about the pattern being produced through the 1930s. But, no matter, it’s vintage and beautiful!

I went back to the thrift store the next day to pick up the remaining pieces, but all were gone. Needless to say, that’s the tricky part of thrift store buying that many of us know and love.

Lesson learned that day for me – I’ve got alot more to learn!

This beautiful pattern is available at Southern Vintage Table!

A Vintage Adventure – On the Road to an Estate Sale Looking for Vintage Hats

Lately we’ve been looking for vintage hats to go with the vintage gloves collection for Southern Vintage Table. (By the way, we now have a great assortment of gloves including red, pink, brown, black, blue, yellow, white and off-white. They are precious!) We figured that to complete the authentic vintage look, we needed some chic hats as well! As I searched online, I came across an estate sale listing nearby. One of the pictures showed a bed full of ladies hats. I knew I had to go.

As soon as I arrived after driving an hour, I went straight upstairs to find that bed. There they were – a treasure trove of vintage hats. As I inspected each and every one, I tried to channel the previous owner, Mrs. Turner. I imagined what she might have been like, why she choose to buy each of these hats, where she went wearing them and how beautiful she must have looked. As people came passing through that bedroom, looking at the furniture and the other stuff, I was deep in thought, studying these very personal and revealing items of Mrs. Turner.

I selected 6 – one covered in feathers, a blue one covered with beads, one with a big orange bow, a orange one with a veil, a pink hat with lots of netting and a gray felt hat with a big feather. I love every one of them and you will, too!

Honor Mrs. Turner by booking a tea party or shower package with Southern Vintage Table – gloves and hats are included! Be sure to check out more of our vintage hats and gloves on our Pinterest boards!

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