Vintage China Archives - Page 8 of 8 - Southern Vintage Table

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

Vintage Feature – 5 Reasons to Invite Southern Vintage Table to Your Next Occasion!

Planning a birthday party, wedding reception, baby shower or any special occasion? Here are 5 reasons why Southern Vintage Table can help you make it an unforgettable event for your guests!

Reason #5: Southern Vintage Table is a one-woman-owned small business. As a small business, personal, individual attention is top priority. Working together and sharing ideas with you to create a gathering that is unique, beautiful and memorable is as important to me as it is to you!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC — Photo by Anna Kirby Photography

Reason #4: Going vintage is eco-friendly and 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. When we use, repurpose and repair vintage treasures, 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.

Reason #3: Vintage means variety. There’s retro vintage, rustic vintage, boho vintage, elegant vintage, shabby chic vintage, farmhouse vintage and simply vintage. Invite Southern Vintage Table to help you uncover your vintage style!

Reason #2: Vintage has a story to tell. Encapsulated in every vintage dinner plate, goblet or silver spoon is a unique history. Once set on the family dinner table or present in the home of women such as Edna, Clara Mae and Clementine, these now vintage pieces bring a rich, historic energy to any occasion. While sharing them brings me tremendous joy as the proprietor of Southern Vintage Table, I also imagine their previous owners would love that their family treasures are appreciated by so many today!

Reason #1: Vintage instantly brings smiles. Setting a beautiful table with vintage treasures connects the love of families across generations. The collective positive energy radiating from each vintage item creates a wonderful memory-making experience and your guests of all ages will love it! Embrace your vintage style and invite Southern Vintage Table to help you with your next family gathering!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage Chins Rental NC — Top left photo by Theo Milo Photography, top right by Gents & Belles Photography;, bottom left by Scott Faber Photography; middle bottom by Kait Miller Photography.

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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Southern Vintage Table Event – Vintage Postcards Capture the Christmas Spirit

I’ve known Priscilla for well over 20 years. Our friendship began at Culbreth Middle School – she taught 6th grade science and I taught 8th grade science. We both loved to find and decorate our classrooms with all kinds of natural things – pine cones, turtle shells, skeletons, rocks, bird nests – whatever we could find or get. As kindred nature and vintage enthusiasts, our tablescape visions for her annual Christmas party were totally in sync.

When we were planning for her party, Priscilla brought out these two incredibly huge pine cones that were at least a foot long! Of course, I wanted to know what kind they were and where they came from. Well, it turns out they are sugar tree pinecones that come from a tree that grows in California. She saw them at a science convention and thought they were amazing and wanted some for her classroom. So she wrote a letter – a time before email – to a colleague who lived in California and asked him to please send her a few sugar tree pine cones so she could share them with her students. You see, Priscilla has this way about her that when she shows you something she loves, you instantly fall in love with it, too – that’s what made her such a terrific teacher. She loved science and so did her students. Shortly after the letter was mailed, a boxful of these exquisite beauties arrived at her door and were part of her classroom for many years. Who would have known that these same pinecones would be adorning her Christmas table years later and I would be helping her set the table? As you might imagine, we shared a good laugh about it all!

In addition to the many varieties of pinecones around her lovely home, she also has a wonderful collection of vintage Christmas postcards dating to the early 1900s. The artwork and the handwritten notes on the back portray a time we all love to imagine. Here are just a few. I included one photo of the handwritten message and address on the back – no zip code!

With her collection of pinecones and vintage postcards, and the vintage milk glass glassware, white linens, china and silverware from Southern Vintage Table, our table design was ready. We both knew it was going to be exceptionally special!

On the day before the party, the first table we set was in the dining room. We decided to use a vintage green tablecloth with vintage white doilies to accent the rich brown of the pinecones. The vintage postcards were scattered about for guests to enjoy. What a terrific touch to this vintage tablescape!

Our next set of tables were in the living room. Here we used crisp white vintage tablecloths and with the Christmas tree as a backdrop, the end result was just beautiful!

Desserts, punch and teacups were ready for guests after their delicious meal! Don’t you love the bold poinsettia pattern on the vintage tablecloths?

Thank you, Priscilla, for inviting Southern Vintage Table to be a part of this special day for you and your friends. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes in the new year!

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Vintage Feature – New Pattern Inventoried and Goal 7 Checked Off

Two weeks ago I mentioned that I had picked up a beautiful vintage china pattern from the 1930s that I needed to photograph and inventory for Southern Vintage Table. Time to check this goal off the list!

This pattern was made in Japan by a company called Garden City. According to a leading china replacement company, Garden City had only 17 patterns. This one is known as GAR13 – pretty plain for such a delightful, bright pattern!

Normally, I don’t buy whole sets of china, but there is the exception – might be that the pattern is extraordinary or it’s an exceptional buy – and in this case, it was both. Here’s the set I purchased.

What I saw in this pattern wasn’t necessarily how beautiful it would look at the dinner table but how well the florals of green, blue, yellow and pink would go with so many other patterns. With the distinct green rim, it is a perfect pattern to layer. Whether it anchors the place setting as the dinner plate or sits between the dinner and dessert, it makes a lovely presentation.

Starting with showcasing the dinner plate, here are a few gorgeous place settings!

The outer green rim sets off the trio of vintage patterns so beautifully in these settings with the Garden City pattern as the salad plate!

And, of course, two layers are simply beautiful as well!

China Garden’s GAR13 is now part of Southern Vintage Table‘s inventory. We can mix and match it with our other beautiful patterns for a charming, eclectic look your guests will love!

The continuing saga of my long list of goals continues. But first, I want to update Carrie’s ribbon count – she won 10 blue and 6 red! Her flowers are that beautiful! This week I’m focusing on painting and ironing with a marketing call in there, too. Thanks for checking in!

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Southern Vintage Table Event: YaYa Palooza!

Friends and birthdays just go together. My friends, Cis, Louise, Jami, Pat and Mary, love to get together for any reason and birthdays just make our gathering even more fun. Jami invited us over for a home cooked meal, including her speciality dessert, and I had the pleasure of setting our table with china from the casual collection of Southern Vintage Table. With dinner, key lime cheesecake and vintage hats, you’ve got a YaYa palooza!

Our food was delicious – chicken enchiladas, avocado and tomato salad, quinoa and rice – all served in and on pink vintage china in the casual collection!

After dinner, we donned our hats, made our birthday wishes to Cis and Mary and had scrumptious key lime cheesecake and coffee. Pass the vintage china, please…

Consider Southern Vintage Table for your next birthday or special evening with friends and family. Add the vintage hats and welcoming suitcase for more vintage flavor!

A Vintage Adventure – Well, Perhaps Better Said, A MisAdventure…

Last weekend I went thrift store shopping for Southern Vintage Table and came across two beautiful vintage doors. They were narrow and had three small windows in the upper half – just charming and I thought they would be perfect as a prop after painting and distressing. I was trying to decide if I should go with a light blue or an antique white when I thought – oh no, I wonder if they have lead paint on them. Suddenly, I was the one who was getting distressed because I knew they probably did.

Cool vintage doors - but with lead paint... — I love these doors, but with the lead paint, I had to pass them on.

I stopped by the hardware store and picked up a lead paint test kit, hoping that it wouldn’t be. Got home, unloaded the doors, read the directions on the kit and tested them. Bam – the tester turned bright pink which meant they had lead paint. As I said, I was very distressed. After researching how to remove lead paint, I decided to call on an expert. Found out it would cost way more than I could afford for two prop doors. Oh, well…

I figured this was another valuable learning experience and posted them on Facebook. Within 30 minutes someone wanted them, even knowing they had lead paint. I was pleased because they needed to be saved and restored. Lesson learned – take a lead paint tester with me and check before I buy them!

Not all was lost on that shopping day. I did find two vintage china plates, a vintage berry bowl and a vintage table runner. Only one of each but that’s part of the fun of thrift store shopping!

These and other beautiful vintage china and accessories are available for rental at Southern Vintage Table!

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Vintage Feature – Three Vintage China Patterns and their West Virginia Connection

As I have researched the vintage china patterns I have collected for Southern Vintage Table, I have also learned about the companies that designed them. Here are three wonderful vintage china patterns with variations of lovely pink flowers. The three patterns were produced near West Chester, West Virginia by three different pottery companies, none of which are in business today.

Rosebud Bouquet by Harker Pottery Company

I remember the first piece of Harker Pottery I found years ago when I was collecting plates to break for my mosaic projects. The pattern was teal green and had this rope design around the rim. I fell in love with it, and even though it had obvious defects, I could never bring myself to break it. Since then, I have collected more Harker pieces and still marvel at their story. Touted as the oldest pottery company in the United States, Harker Pottery started in a log cabin in 1840 in East Liverpool, Ohio. In the 1930s, it moved to Chester, West Virginia and remained in business until the early 1970s. This pattern, part of a series called Royal Gadroon, was popular during the 1940s-1950s.

Green Arbor by Continental Kilns

This lovely hand painted pattern was one of the first pieces I found for my vintage china rental business, Southern Vintage Table. I love not only the raised design but also the pink and green color combination. Continental Kilns was based in West Virginia and operated during the 1940s through the late 1950s.

Appalachian Heirloom by Taylor, Smith & Taylor

I remember the day I found a set of this china pattern at the thrift store. They were dusty, dirty and priced to sell. When I brought them home and washed them, the stunning beauty of the pattern emerged. The company, Taylor, Smith & Taylor, existed from 1899 until the early 1980s in Chester, West Virginia. I couldn’t find the date of this pattern but I believe it’s from the 1950s.

Three beautiful vintage china patterns, all produced in West Virginia by three different pottery companies, are part of our dinner table past. Pieces from each of these vintage patterns are available for your next gathering from Southern Vintage Table!

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Southern Vintage China Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Wisdom from Ronald Reagan

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
– Ronald Reagan (www.brainyquote.com)

Southern Vintage Table is ready to help you plan for your upcoming events this fall. Have a wedding, anniversary, birthday party, baby shower or a dinner party coming up? Let us help you set the table and get the conversation started!

Check out our inventory of vintage china and accessories on Pinterest!

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A Southern Vintage Table Event: A Family Dinner

The Riley’s celebrated Jamie’s life with his family at their home with his favorite meal.

Jamie was a dear friend of my sister’s husband. They had been best pals ever since they were toddlers and had remained friends through their teenage years and adulthood. They were at each other’s weddings, coached their sons’ baseball’s teams together and played golf on weekends. When Phil heard that Jamie had passed away one morning, it was a life changing moment.

In a flurry, Jamie’s boys were coming home with their families and arrangements had to be made. My sister wanted to pay tribute to her husband’s best friend and his family in a way only she could do – prepare her home styled meal she had made for Jamie every time he came for dinner. The menu was meatloaf, pinto beans, squash and biscuits. She asked me to set the table for her special guests which I really wanted to do, especially for Marie. You see, Marie, the mother of Jamie’s three boys, helped our family through our most challenging months when my twin brother passed away last year. As a masseuse, Reiki master and family friend, Marie’s healing methods helped all of us cope, including my brother, Mike. We will always be grateful for her calming guidance and spirituality.

Sharon prepared the meal, rented the tables and chairs and we set the table for her guests. This evening will be forever remembered by Jamie’s family as a time of deep sadness yet also of beauty and love, as their family begins their path to healing after losing someone they all dearly loved.

A Southern Vintage Table Event: RSVP Events’ Office Luncheon

RSVP Events invited Mary from CE Rental to meet with them at their country office in rural Orange County. Southern Vintage Table set the table and Saladelia Cafe provided the delicious assortment of salads and desserts. Many ideas were explored and discussed as the two businesses strengthened their connections.

A beautiful table can open up the table conversation!

Whether you are meeting a new client, celebrating a colleague’s accomplishment or brainstorming ideas for your next project, let Southern Vintage Table set your table for a productive working luncheon. Good food, a beautiful table and the shared experience will spawn positive synergy and build strong business relationships!