Vintage Rental China Archives - Page 9 of 11

A Vintage Adventure – It Was Thrift Store Heaven!

This past weekend I went to the opening of a new thrift store, TROSA Thrift Store, in Durham. (Thank you, Linda, for sending that text!) For me, this may be one of the most exciting events I can imagine! I realize some folks would just shake their head in amusement at this declaration but there are many others who totally get the magnificence of a thrift store, especially a new one. And, this place is huge – housed in a once-vacant box store – with so much to see and admire. More about this terrific organization, TROSA, at the end of my entry.

I claimed my cart and made a beeline to the houseware’s department. Of course, I get that one annoying, thumpidity-thump-thump cart but by the time I realized how bad it was, I couldn’t turn back and pushed it onward to the back of the store. Even though there weren’t gobs of plates on the shelves, I quickly saw there were many patterns I had never seen. I stood there and took a deep breath because I knew I had arrived at thrift store heaven!

Trying to act as nonchalant as possible so as to not attract attention to my little goldmine, I began pulling plates off the shelves. For most of the patterns I found only one plate, which makes them even more special, but some had a couple and I did find four dinner plates in one pattern. There were also some Blue Ridge dessert plates, definitely a find, and a few more of one pattern I found early in my collecting but hadn’t seen since. What a joyful rush!

My cranky cart, filled with vintage china plates, was now clinking and squeaking as I moved through the other departments in this vast store. This store has everything – clothes, toys, housewares and books – but I think the best stock is their furniture. If you are in the market for shelving, chairs, tables or desks, this is the place to look.

After I checked out all of the departments and made one last inspection of each plate to check for chips, I paid for my treasures. Although there was a bit of line on this busy opening day, it was very organized and the staff quickly helped their customers. This is one consistency about my encounters at a TROSA event or store – the folks are polite, helpful and very appreciative you are there.

Here’s a look at six different patterns I found that day. From muted to striking, each of them has its own unique history. Two patterns were made in America, four are from England and collectively they span decades.

Made in the USA

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

These two American patterns have a soft, gentle look. The first one is called Classic Flower Vernon Ware by Metlox of California. This pattern dates from the 1970s and has an understated beauty about it. I love the textured rim and the center design is very pretty.

The second pattern is Foliage by Canonsburg. This lovely fall-inspired pattern was made in the Canonsburg Pottery kilns in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. This china company was founded in 1900 and closed in 1978.

Made in England

These two English patterns are strikingly beautiful. The first one, Spodes’ Tower-Blue, is gorgeous with beautiful details. In this lovely outdoor tower scene, there are birds, cows and even a couple of fishermen. This pattern, made from 1902-1970, also has a textured rim known as gadroon, which means decorative edging.

The second pattern, Historic America by Johnson Brothers, was produced from 1930-1974. I only found this one plate but when I looked it up, I discovered it’s a multi-motif pattern which means each piece of the pattern features a different scene. The dinner plate is called “View of Boston.” Don’t you think it’s a bit ironic this American historic series was created by an English china company?

The third English pattern is Tintern by Royal Doulton. Manufactured from 1935-1960, this creamy pattern is colorful and dramatic. I was thrilled to find two of these! According to Wikipedia, Tintern, a historic village in Wales, is known for its natural beauty and the ancient 12th century Tintern Abbey. Interestingly, Tintern and another historic village, Chapel Hill, have merged to form a larger province. Perhaps a cosmic message for me to visit, huh?

The final one from England, also a Spode pattern, is called Primrose-Blue and Yellow. With its scalloped edge, textured rim and colorful center motif, this lovely pattern was produced from 1954-1969. Wish I had these for my daughter’s wedding party with our blue & white with yellow color scheme!

As you probably figured out, I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon finding these treasures. One shopper, after taking a look in my cart, commented to me, “You have quite an interesting collection in there!” “Indeed, I do,” I replied. Interesting, lovely additions to Southern Vintage Table‘s elegant and casual vintage china collections, now available for your next gala event.

More about TROSA –
TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, is a highly successful non-profit organization that supports people who want to make a positive change in their lives. They have several different businesses to help with job skill development including two thrift stores, holiday tree lots, lawn care and moving services. Each time I visit their work sites, I am impressed by these folks who are always pleasant, hard working and appreciative. Take time to visit TROSA’s website to learn more about their mission and work.

China pattern dates – Replacements, LTD

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Vintage Feature – My 5-Step Plan to Sort, Organize & Let Go

Southern Vintage Table has now been in business for about a year and a half but I have been collecting vintage things for almost two. As I reflect on these past two years, I can hardly believe how much I have learned! When I started this company I knew almost nothing about vintage anything. Really. I don’t think I even knew the name of one china pattern and I can’t remember ever ironing a napkin or polishing anything silver. As I gleefully embraced my new-found enterprise, I collected in a frenzy. I probably went hunting at least 5 days a week and, as you can imagine, have amassed quite a collection for our rental business.

Now, however, as hard as I know it will be, it’s time to sort, organize and let go of a few things. As I begin this arduous task, I have come up with a plan – as my friend, Mary would say – and here it is in 5 steps!

Step 1: Pull out my least favorite china patterns.
The operative phrase here is “least favorite” because frankly, I haven’t seen a pattern I haven’t liked. But there are a few in our collection that kinda disappear on the table. Admittedly, these were some of the first pieces I picked up and if I were to find them today, I don’t think they would become part of our inventory.

Step 2: Reduce the numbers of the same pattern.
When I first started my collection, I couldn’t help myself – if I came upon 20 plates in one pattern, I’d buy every one. Today I am a bit more savvy and, if it’s a new pattern, I’ll buy no more than 5. With our philosophy, “a little of a lot”, I want to have lots of many different patterns rather than multiples of the same. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; I have a few patterns that are just extraordinarily beautiful and I cherish each and every plate in that same pattern.

Step 3: Coordinate a visit to a reseller.
Fortunately, I live close to a huge china reseller and can easily sell my extras to them. The trick is to find out what they are buying and that’s pretty easy. I called and asked for a quote in the patterns I wanted to sell. They sent me one via email and now I know their offer and what to pack up. I made an appointment and I’m headed there next week.

Step 4: Sell via a yard sale or Craigslist.
I’m still working on the details of this but I’m considering joining a parking lot sale a local antique business is sponsoring. For $25, you get 4 spaces to sell your wares. Sounds pretty easy. But then again, I may just skip this step and go straight to Step 5.

Step 5: Donate to a local thrift store.
The only hard part to this step is deciding which one. We have many in our area that support a host of different causes and that’s a good problem to have! I think most of my things are headed to a no-kill animal shelter re-sale store, one of my favorite places to find things for Southern Vintage Table.

With my plan in place, I am now at step 3. By next weekend, hopefully I will have reduced our inventory to our best offerings, ready for your next event! Of course, letting go also means more room for the new, like this vintage cake plate I picked up this week. Don’t you love the manufacturer’s mark on the back?

~ On a side note, the graphics for this post were created using one of my favorite iPad apps, Camera360 (thank you, Caitlin, for sharing!) and BorderFX, a free plug-in for Apple’s Aperture. I had fun creating them!

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Vintage Feature – 8 Things You Want to Know about the Mason Jar

In recent years folks have re-fallen in love with the Mason jar. Many of us remember our mother or grandmother canning vegetables and fruits from the garden and others love the quaint look of flowers in a blue Mason jar. Whether used for canning or decor, the Mason jar has an interesting story to tell. Here are 8 things you really do want to know about this simple, yet magnificent, American invention.

#1 – Mason is a proper noun when referring to a Mason jar.

Mason jars were patented on November 30, 1858 by John Landis Mason, a Philadelphia tinsmith. He invented a machine that could cut screw threads in the lip of a glass jar. A metal lid with a rubber ring inside could be screwed securely on the jar and food could then be safely preserved. This was a major breakthrough because it meant summer vegetables and fruits could be preserved for the winter months.

#2 – Mason jars are not a brand but a type of glass container.

When you refer to a Mason jar, you are talking about a type of jar with screw threads at the mouth. There were once many different manufacturers of this patented design. Although many of us are familiar with Ball Mason jars, there’s also Kerr, Lamb, Atlas, Drey, Golden Harvest and a few others. Today, the primary Mason jar producer in the United States is Jarden Home Brands. Along with an extensive product line, they make both Ball and Kerr Mason jars.

#3 – The age of a Mason jar can be roughly determined by its manufacturer and logo.

With short-lived companies such as Lamb, Atlas and Drey, it’s pretty easy dating their Mason jars. For instance, a Lamb Mason jar was made from the 1930s to 1940s by the Lamb Glass Co. in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Ball Mason jars can be roughly dated using their logo. With this chart found on the Minnetrista website, it’s pretty easy to get an approximate date.

The Ball jar on the left is dated between 1923 and 1933 because of the absent underscore. The two Ball jars are the right are dated by the lettering and underscore marking. The one of the left has an “a” loop and is dated 1910-33 while the one on the right has an open “B” loop and, with the underscore, was made between 1933-62. Cool stuff, huh?

#4 – Ball Perfect Mason jars were a type of fruit (and vegetable) canning jar made from 1913-60.

Other types of Ball jars include Ball Mason, Ball Ideal, Ball Improved, Ball Special and Ball Sure Seal.

#5 – All Ball or blue jars are not Mason.

These jars do not have a screw threads and therefore are not Mason jars. The Ball jar on the left is an Ideal Bar jar and the one on the right is a RE Tongue and Bros Lustre jar made in Philadelphia. These are called Lightning jars because you can take the lid off “fast as lightning.” This design was invented in 1882 by Henry William Putnam of Bennington, Vermont.

#6 – Mason jars come in more colors than clear or blue.

Although I have not come across them, Mason jars come in many different hues – green, pink, red, amber, yellow, cobalt blue, black and milk glass. Some of these colors are very rare and quite valuable.

#7 – 1937 was the last year a blue Ball Mason jar was made.

This means that any authentic blue Ball Mason jar is at least 77 years old. The blue color was partially caused by the minerals of the sand on the shores of Lake Michigan.

#8 – Mason jars, especially the blue Ball, are beautiful, vintage flower vases!

Before the modern grocery store with rows of canned goods and freezers stocked with frozen vegetables, there was the Mason jar. Filled with vegetables and fruits from the family’s garden, the Mason jar, with its patented screw threads and rubber sealed tops, kept food fresh in the pantry for the winter months.

Nowadays, “putting up” the garden’s bounty isn’t as important as in the past, but many folks are rediscovering this lost kitchen art and some have just continued their mother’s and grandmother’s tradition of canning their garden vegetables. I remember rows of colorful fruits and vegetables in Mason jars in my mother’s pantry. Opening one filled with tomatoes or beans was a celebration of our hard work and a delicious reminder of our summer garden.

Southern Vintage Table has vintage blue and clear Mason jars available for your next event. Use them as flower vases or as simple decor and appreciate this marvelous invention by John Landis Mason.

Want to know more about Mason jars? Here are a few websites I used for this blog post.

Pick Your Own

West Saint Paul Antiques

Mason jar – Wikipedia

Bottle Pickers

Collectors Weekly

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Southern Vintage Table Event – Celebrating 25 Years Later

The year was 1989 – Mary and Lanis were married and began their lives together. Twenty five years later, they wanted to bring their friends and family together to help them celebrate this sweet anniversary. Everything came together so perfectly – a rustic, lovely farm setting, freshly prepared food, spirited drinks, yummy desserts, fun music and beautiful tables with vintage decor. How wonderful is that?

Snipes Farm, once a thriving dairy farm in Orange County dating back from the 1940s, was the perfect venue for their party. Mary chose a soft sea foam color for the dining table linens and the collection of vintage lace overlays from Southern Vintage Table created the delicate, vintage look. With floral help from friends Florence and Ennis, table centerpieces were artfully arranged in vintage blue and clear Mason jars with an assortment of roses, Mary’s favorite, and other colorful flowers. The end result was simply gorgeous!

The buffet tables began with stacks of vintage plates primarily in pinks and blues. The delicious dinner, provided by Porchetta owners and chefs Nicholas and Matthew, included porchetta, shrimp & grits, mixed vegetables, sautéed sweet potato with fennel, mixed green salad and warm couscous salad. The dessert table, covered with vintage tiered and cake stands, was ready for the yummy cupcakes and macaroons created by DaisyCakes.

Southern Vintage Table added more vintage touches to the party atmosphere. First, guests were greeted with a vintage distressed garden cart covered with flower bouquets in vintage Mason jars. The drink station showcased two terrific vintage pink treasures – a vintage enameled tub and a vintage Coleman cooler. On a table decorated with vintage tins and scale, Mary and Lanis shared their wedding album with guests. Other photos from their 25 years together were strung along the bottle wall at Snipes Farm.

Eating, dancing, laughing and celebrating – as you can see, it was a fun-filled evening for Lanis, Mary and guests. To the friends of Lanis and Mary – many thanks for sharing these photos!
Congratulations, you two. Here’s to the next 25! Anniversaries, birthdays, weddings or family reunions – all reasons to invite Southern Vintage Table to help you celebrate your next life event!

Here are the folks who helped with this lovely affair:
~ Snipes Farm Retreat ~
~ Porchetta ~
~ American Party Rentals ~
~ DaisyCakes ~
~ Fifi HiFi ~
~ Southern Vintage Table ~

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A Marriage Blessing, Baptism & Tea Party!

Last Saturday was a beautiful, reverent and memorable day for Summer’s family. After converting to Greek Orthodoxy this past spring, Summer and Andrew had their marriage blessed or “crowned” and their twin boys were baptized. You’ll love how Summer explains this family occasion. “We’ve been married 15 years, but we are revving up to get heavenly hitched in an Orthodox wedding sometime this summer. Why? Beauty, sacrament, and so we can baptize our babies.” And, because drinking tea is a big part of their family’s life, serving tea in beautiful vintage teacups had to be part of this celebration and that’s where Southern Vintage Table entered the picture!

Following the ceremony, friends and family were also treated to a lovely spread of healthy, delicious food prepared by caterers Molly and Raven. Plated on vintage tiered stands and serving dishes, the food included bacon and pickle deviled eggs, arugula and cucumber tea sandwiches, stuffed dates with chevre, pistachios, and honey, a variety of cheeses and fruits, chocolate almond cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, gluten-free brownie balls, and honey-fig cupcakes. Southern Vintage Table also provided a charming mix of vintage luncheon plates, silverware and tea napkins for the guests.

Summer also revealed there was another reason tea was important for this celebration – her new novel! “I am a writer, and my second novel, Tea & Crumples, comes out in October 2015. As you can tell from the title, tea is a big part of the plot. Tea is also a huge part of our family’s life together. That’s why we wanted to have a beautiful tea party to celebrate our twins’ baptism and our wedding. Your napkins, silverware, plates, and cups made it so special. It was perfect, exactly as I dreamed. Thank you!”

Wishing you many blessed years to come Summer, Andrew and family. Southern Vintage Table absolutely loved being a part of this memorable family event! Check out Summer’s blog, Writing Like a Mother, for more information about her upcoming book. It’s pretty darn awesome!

For Molly and Raven, this was their first professional event as caterers. Congrats! Molly specializes in vegetarian, vegan, and allergen-sensitive cooking. She would eventually like to do local and sustainable farm-to-fork cooking and likes catering for people who share her ideals about the relationship between food, community, and environment. “I have to say, you’re a really great person for caterers to work with- washing the dishes was actually really fun when we got to look at and exclaim over each beautiful teacup!” I know exactly what you mean, Molly. Thank you! And, one last shoutout – Linda, you rock!

molly raven

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Vintage Tip – Make Your Own Tiered Vintage Plate Stand

I love tiered stands – whether they all match or they are all different – a tower of vintage plates filled with yummy treats is so pretty. As I have collected many dishes for Southern Vintage Table, some have come with chips, cracks and other imperfections. Although their lives as dinner or salad plates may be gone, many now sit either under or on top of a stack of vintage lovelies. If you love the look and have some vintage china you’d like to transform into a tiered stand, today’s post will help get you started!

Tip 1: Find a good set of basic directions.

Months ago I researched how to make a tiered stand from vintage plates and found many helpful websites. I like the directions found on “Make a Vintage Cake Stand” on Caroline’s blog, Lifestyle from Caroline. Her steps are a good place to start, but read on because I have more great tips you’ll want to know.

Tip 2: Make a cardboard template to help find the center of the plate.

Finding the center is easier said than done! After struggling with an easy, reliable technique, I finally came upon this idea and it works amazingly well.

Measure and cut a piece of cardboard that’s 11″ x 11″ or 10.5″ x 10.5″. Then measure and draw lines 1 inch and 2 nches from the edge on all four sides. If you wish to get even more precise, draw a third square at 1.5 “. As you can see, my template is not perfect but still works well enough.

Now place the plate in the center so that all edges are evenly spaced between the drawn lines. Take a ruler, place it diagonally, making sure it’s at the intersection of the squares in the corner. Draw a line near plate’s center with a non-permanent marker. Repeat the steps for the other two diagonal corners. Where the two drawn lines intersect is the center.

Tip 3: Get the plate up off the surface.

When you are ready to drill with the tile drill bit, elevate and support the plate on two pieces of wood situated between the center. When you finally drill through the plate, you don’t want the drill bit hitting the work surface.

Tip 4: Drill from both sides.

When your drill has peeked through the underside, flip the plate and drill from the backside. This will help you drill the hole through the plate more quickly.

Tip 5: Be ready with water.

Have a cup of water close by to cool down the drill bit – it gets very hot and can cause the plate to break. Dip the hot drill bit in the water and you’ll hear a hissing sound as it cools. Also, splash the plate with a bit of water to cool it down as well.

Tip 6: Consider buying your tiered hardware from Etsy.

Caroline suggests Amazon or ebay for the tiered hardware but I think Etsy is the best choice. I really appreciate the philosophy of Etsy – it’s a group of online shops that either sell vintage, handmade or craft items and many are women-owned. There’s no bidding and many of the shops are in the US. I found that most of the tiered hardware on ebay comes directly from China, Hong Kong or Australia, which means shipping costs more and takes longer. I would also suggest buying more than one set – you’ll get hooked once you get started!

Tip 7: Choose 4-6 mixed and matched plates.

To maximize the versatility with your tiered stand, go ahead and select 4-5 plates that coordinate with each other. If you can, have three different sizes of the same pattern and then two or three patterns that go well with the main pattern. You can then have a tiered stand with all the same pattern or a stand with ones that look nice together.

These beautiful vintage china stands are available from Southern Vintage Table. Create you own or request a set for your next gathering. Your tasty treats will look so lovely! Be sure to see more of our tiered and cake stands on our Pinterest board.

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A Field Dinner Experience

Photo by Scott Faber

Envision yourself in the middle of a quiet country farm field, away from stoplights, traffic and city noise. The sun is setting and you begin to notice the symphony of night critters. But, you are not alone. You’re with your favorite friends, feasting on made-from-scratch delicious food prepared by a talented chef. A delightful assortment of chilled beverages are ready for all to enjoy. Sound wonderful? Yes, it was!

The vision for this outdoor dining experience came to Sharon and Tammy of RSVP-Events over a year ago They wanted to host an outdoor dinner in Ruby’s field on a beautiful fall or spring night. They invited Southern Vintage Table, Donovon’s Dish and American Party Rentals to join together and offer this evening as a raffle prize at their monthly Triangle NACE meeting. When Heather’s name was called, she was ecstatic. Imagine hosting a party for your friends and all you have to do make a guest list and show up!

The night for the farm dinner was set for a Sunday evening in early June. RSVP-Events designed the event and prepared Ruby’s field. A path and party area were mowed, twig light balls were hung, candles lit, flowers arranged, signs made and furniture set in place.

After consulting with Heather and then Christian from Donovon’s Dish, Tammy came to Southern Vintage Table to plan the table settings. Pairs of classic blue & white china patterns were chosen to go down the farm tables provided by American Party Rentals. To complement the blue & white china patterns, vintage clear glass salad plates and goblets were selected. We also chose pairs of serving dishes for the delectable dishes – BBQ chicken, fresh salad, string beans, quinoa, succotash and sweet potato biscuits.

We used a set of vintage hammered aluminum trays for the chicken, an assortment of blue & white bowls for the side dishes and bread baskets for the family-style meal. Glass compotes, which once held Big Top Peanut Butter, were selected for the individual strawberry shortcake servings. Tammy loved the vintage aluminum mugs for her flower and herb arrangements and the wooden cake stands were perfect to group the small bouquets on the table.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Now everything would have been absolutely perfect except one little thing – a light summer evening rain. But, in actuality, it worked out beautifully. Ruby’s field, graced with the magnificent colors of the setting sun, was center stage for the evening’s opening appetizers, drinks and guitar music by Daniel Wray. Dinner was served in the living room of Ruby’s home place and then guests returned to the field under the glowing twig lights and evening stars for their fresh strawberry shortcake dessert.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

It was a magical evening – the food was wonderful, the natural pastoral setting was inspirational and guests were very appreciative. These field dinner experiences are offered by RSVP-Events with limited availability. If you’d like to host a unique dining experience for your guests, contact Sharon or Tammy. They’ll be happy to talk with you and, of course, so will Southern Vintage Table.

These beautifully artistic photos were provided by Scott of Scott Faber Photography.

Photo by Scott Faber

This creative dinner experience was made possible by:
RSVP-Events
Donovon’s Dish
Southern Vintage Table
American Party Rentals
Scott Faber Photography
Daniel Wray, Musician

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Vintage Tips – A New Product for Removing Stains from Vintage China

A peroxide soak works to clean up stained vintage china as I attested to in a previous post, “Out, Dang Spot, On My Vintage China,” but I have another product worth trying – denture cleaner. Using the two together, this cleaning episode is also dramatic and definitely worth sharing!

Recently I picked up a small set of vintage china that came with 4 very stained teacups. Someone suggested using denture cleaner to get rid of stains so I decided to do an experiment – denture cleaner vs peroxide. I put two tablets of denture cleaner in a container with two of the cups and dropped 1/2 tablet inside each cup. I added water to both cups and the container. For the other two cups I poured peroxide inside the cups and placed them in a separate container. I also added peroxide to the container to cover the very stained bottoms.

Over several days the cups soaked in the two solutions. I changed the denture solution several times and added more peroxide as needed. The denture cleaner did remove some stains very effectively but stripes of stubborn stains still remained. What was interesting was the stains on the two in the peroxide were uniformly lighter but neither of the soaking solutions thoroughly cleaned the stains at this point.

I decided the denture cleaner had done all it could so I put all four in the peroxide soak. Over the next week, after rotating the cups periodically and adding more peroxide as the water evaporated, the stains slowly faded.

Following their second long soaking, I put them in the dishwasher. The hot water in the dishwasher continued the cleaning process as I noticed amber colored drops of stain had seeped out of the porous china. It reminded me of the previous time when I had heated up peroxide-soaked plates in the oven. What happens is the peroxide solution seeps into the pores. When heated, the water evaporates and brings the stains to the surface. Take a look at the photos in “Out, Dang Spot, On My Vintage China” to see what this looks like since I forgot to take photos this time.

One final hand washing and the results are stunning! The inner and outer stains are gone and these vintage cups look terrific!

Peroxide does a terrific job cleaning stained china but, in this instance, I also think the denture cleaner helped. With my next group of stained dishes, I’m starting with denture cleaner but I will be ready with the peroxide soak if needed. Although the process can take time, it’s both cheap and effective. More vintage lovelies restored and available at Southern Vintage Table!

FYI – After writing this post, I decided to separate my tips from the “Features” category on my blog. So, you’ll now see “Vintage Tips” in the menu on the home page. We are always looking for ways to clean and restore vintage treasures so if you have a tip, please consider sharing. And, as always, thanks for your visit!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

Vintage Feature – Planning a Bridal Shower with Friends

It was Friday and I started to panic. Usually by now I had decided on my weekly post topic, taken all the photographs, edited and uploaded them and written the first draft. Well, with all the preparations for our Yaya bridal shower, I kept pushing blog stuff to the back burner. I know next week’s post will be about our lovely shower, but what about this Sunday? Then it came to me – I should set the stage for next week’s post by sharing a little about my friends and our shower planning. Won’t be as many photos but next week there should be a plethora of images, thanks to Katherine Jones Miles, who is coming to take photos!

My friendship with this wonderful group of women goes way back to when we were young teachers. Most of us worked at one school together for years and when the new school opened, we all followed our incredible principal, Charley. That was 1994 – 20 years ago – and as our working relationship strengthened, we also became very close friends. Somewhere in there we officially became the Yayas.

We love spending time together – whether we are lounging at Louise’s beach condo, eating dinner at Margaret’s Cantina or Dick & Jane’s Martini & Tapas Bar, savoring our Christmas feast at Mary’s home or planning one of new adventures, we love sharing our lives with each other. Now two of us have retired, two more will retire this year and in the next few years, the younger two will join the rest of us. We all look forward to spending more time together!

When Mary told us her daughter was engaged the rest of us were so excited for her and for us, too, because we knew we would be planning a bridal shower together! Cis got on her computer and our first email was entitled “Initial Delegation of Duties for Melanie’s Shower.” Classic Cis – getting us organized and ready! Knowing Mary, the quintessential Southern lady, we easily came up with the menu – country ham biscuits, pimento cheese and cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad, cheese straws, vegetable tray, fruit salad and deviled eggs. Our drink list included iced tea and a mimosa bar. Desserts featured Jami’s key lime tarts and Pat’s top-secret-recipe chocolate cake. Yummy!

Our duties were divvied out – Pat, Cis, Jami and Louise had the food covered, I would handle the tableware and decor, and Jami would design our flower arrangements. Louise offered hers and Pete’s beautiful country home as our venue and she and I would take care of the invitations. It may not take a village to host a bridal shower but it’s definitely more fun when you have good friends!

With help from Pete, Van, Carrie and Bill, we were ready for Saturday’s “Linens, Lace & Lingerie” bridal shower. Check in next week to see how our Country Farmhouse decor theme works out. As Louise would say, we are sooooooo excited! Right on, Louise!

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Southern Vintage Table Event – A Sweetly Vintage Wedding

It was a radiant April day at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens in Fayetteville. The lovely grounds were covered in colorful spring blooms, the sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing and two people were ready to share the rest of their lives together. What a joyful day for a wedding!

I first met Ashley via email last October when she told me she found Southern Vintage Table‘s website and wanted to know more about our vintage china. We corresponded through the months about her wedding and shared different ideas about the table setting. I knew she and I were planning something very special.

During this time I had discovered the charm of vintage postcards from my friend, Priscilla. We used them at her Christmas party and I fell in love with the look. I found a way to make a stand from vintage forks and started a collection of vintage cards. When I asked Ashley if she’d like to feature some on her table she was delighted because she also collected vintage postcards. It was a serendipitous moment!

With mixed and matched vintage patterns, we set the table with a dinner plate, salad plate, silverware, goblets and a trio of sweet vintage postcards. Ashley’s choice of flowers, wedding favors and linens completed a stunning table display for her guests.

The myriad of place settings featured soft hues of green, blue and pink. Vintage goblets of green, blue, pink and clear accented the vintage china. The vintage silver flatware also included different vintage patterns. As I gazed at the beautiful, cheerful tables I envisioned the many dinner tables these pieces had once graced. I believe their individual history brings eloquence to such a joyful day.

We also provided vintage dessert plates and forks to serve this gorgeous wedding cake. Love the flowers and the Precious Moments couple on top!

Thank you, Ashley and Jamie, for inviting Southern Vintage Table to be a part of your special day. Wishing you two endless happiness and sweet love!

PS – Here are the vintage salad plates I mentioned in last week’s blog – the pattern name is Cherry Blossoms by Diamond China. This week I happened upon a dinner plate in this same pattern!

PPS – Thanks, Alexandria, and happy birthday!

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Made in the USA

Made in England

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#1 – Mason is a proper noun when referring to a Mason jar.

#2 – Mason jars are not a brand but a type of glass container.

#3 – The age of a Mason jar can be roughly determined by its manufacturer and logo.

#4 – Ball Perfect Mason jars were a type of fruit (and vegetable) canning jar made from 1913-60.

#5 – All Ball or blue jars are not Mason.

#6 – Mason jars come in more colors than clear or blue.

#7 – 1937 was the last year a blue Ball Mason jar was made.

#8 – Mason jars, especially the blue Ball, are beautiful, vintage flower vases!

Tip 1: Find a good set of basic directions.

Tip 2: Make a cardboard template to help find the center of the plate.

Tip 3: Get the plate up off the surface.

Tip 4: Drill from both sides.

Tip 5: Be ready with water.

Tip 6: Consider buying your tiered hardware from Etsy.

Tip 7: Choose 4-6 mixed and matched plates.