Vintage Rental Decor NC Archives - Page 12 of 13

Southern Vintage Table Event – Mixing & Matching with Family Heirlooms

Recently Sarah called Southern Vintage Table to help set her table for her family’s traditional Passover feast. She also had an enchanting request – to include her grandmother’s china and her husband’s grandmother’s crystal in the eclectic place settings. I instantly loved her idea! Including Ann’s vintage china pattern and Thelma’s crystal from the 1930s was a wonderful tribute to their blended family at their Seder table.

After Sarah and I shared ideas, I borrowed pieces of Grandmother Anne’s beautiful china, Phyllis by Noritake. For this important family ritual, I wanted each guest to have one piece of Anne’s china so I designed the table settings in pairs. The first pair had Anne’s dinner plate, the second had the soup bowl and the salad plate was used in the third. Using this schema, I mixed and matched the place settings down the table.

To further accent with Sarah’s grandmother’s china, we tucked saucers under the sedum teacups provided by Southern Vintage Table and arranged them down the table. We also placed Grandmother Thelma’s delicate wine glasses at the adult place settings. With Sarah’s tulip centerpiece, the lovely Seder table was ready for her family and friends.

Sarah’s family dinner was filled with tradition, history, beauty and love. Invite Southern vintage Table to help you set your table for your next family occasion – we’d love to mix your family’s heirlooms with our vintage collection for a beautiful and personalized table!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

A Vintage Adventure – Elegant to Retro Vintage Finds

Rainy Sunday afternoons are made for browsing antique malls so last Sunday I headed over to Grandaddy’s Antiques in Burlington. If you haven’t been to Grandaddy’s, it’s a treasure trove of anything vintage from teacups to linens to comic books to furniture. Different vendors have spaces or booths in this revamped department store and that means you can find different prices on the same stuff. But, like most antique stores, there’s some bargaining room if you talk to the right person. This time I didn’t try to negotiate because I bought things that were already marked down but the last time I was there, I bought a set of china at a substantial savings.

You could spend all day there but I was on a mission – to buy a few special salad plates for Ashley’s wedding. I found some plates and – you guessed it – a couple of other things that are now part of our inventory at Southern Vintage Table.

The two gorgeous teacups pictured above were one of my first finds. Not exactly salad plates, but they definitely caught my eye! There’s no mark on the bottom and they didn’t have saucers but I found some on our shelf that look perfect. Aren’t they beautiful? Update! Mary Jane Pearson Baker of Springbranch Landscapes just told me these are “Forget-Me-Not” flowers. I should have picked up on that since I wrote a blog post on a china pattern featuring this lovely, blue flower. I’ll not forget this next time!

I also found this Fire King planter – I had never seen anything like this and, maybe more importantly, it was in the half-price booth. As I was trying to arrange the camellia blooms in the planter I realized I needed something to anchor the stems. Guess what I used? Wine corks! They float to the top of the water and hold the stems in place. Pretty neat trick, I’d say.

The camellias look lovely in this vintage vase, too. I love the creamy color, the shape and the quaint flower bouquet. Sweet!

Picking blackberries when I was growing up is one of my favorite memories. There were bushes alongside the roadway and, if we picked enough, mom would make her delicious blackberry cobbler for us. We were lucky to make it home with a bowl full because we loved picking and eating. Washing them before popping them into our mouths never even crossed our minds. This artistic plate made by Homer Laughlin brings back those sweet, carefree memories.
The last treasure is an incredible retro casserole dish called Blue Diamonds by Iroquois. I didn’t get this at Grandaddy’s – it would have been priced too high. I found it at a nearby thrift store on the bottom shelf and immediately loved it. Produced from 1958-68, the blue color, squat shape and the handle on the lid are amazing. This pattern was part of a series called Informal and was created by industrial designer, Ben Siebel. Definitely dig this look!

What a terrific set of eclectic treasures if I must say so myself! From elegant to retro, Southern Vintage Table has the vintage style to fit your gathering!

So where are the salad plates I went to find? Well, I forgot to take a photo before packing them up for Ashley’s wedding. I’ll be sure to point them out In next week’s blog!

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Vintage Feature – Happy Yellow Vintage China

If there is one color that embodies happiness it has to be yellow! It’s the color of daffodils, sunflowers and sunshine. Now that spring is officially here, it’s the perfect time to showcase our inventory of yellow at Southern Vintage Table!

Let’s start with vintage china patterns that feature yellow flowers. We’ve got Golden Button by Taylor Smith & Taylor, Starlight by Salem China, Summertime by Staffordshire and Forsythia by Knowles. Aren’t they all lovely?

I adore yellow roses and this vintage pattern is beautiful! I can’t find the pattern name but the mark on the back says American Ironstone.

Yellow also shows up in many bold, geometric vintage patterns. This collection comes from Royal China and Taylor Smith & Taylor.

Watch your guests smile when they see your table set with vintage yellow china patterns. Southern Vintage Table also has an amazing collection of vintage amber goblets and tumblers that are the beautiful compliment!

Vintage Feature: Add Historical Charm with Vintage Sad Irons and Iron Trivets

Have you ever had a “a-ha” moment about a word you have used all of your life but didn’t really think about where it came from? Recently I did with the words “iron” and “ironing”.

Last week a set of vintage iron trivets was shared with Southern Vintage Table and as I was imagining how they could be used as vintage decor, I wanted first to learn about them. According to Collectors’ Weekly Sad and Flat Irons, it turns out vintage irons and iron trivets are a part of a long history of people wanting their clothes and linens to be smooth and unwrinkled, dating as far back as first century BC.

The word “iron” wasn’t used until the “de-wrinkling” instrument was made from the metal, iron. Before then, people used a variety of other things like stones, wood, glass and even bone. After the English traveled to China and saw that heat helped to de-wrinkle, they started using heated utensils. Along came “sad” irons, solid handled pieces of iron that when heated over a hot fire, could smooth fabrics. Moving this hot piece of iron over the cloth became known as “ironing.” A companion piece to the sad iron was an iron trivet, a metal stand to set the iron on when hot. By the way, “sad” doesn’t mean you were unhappy when ironing although it was a hard, hot and even dangerous task back then; it is the old English word for solid.

In our vintage decor collection at Southern Vintage Table we have this sad iron with “Jakes” on the handle and an early electric model with an indistinguishable label. Both are very heavy! Also below is a stack of vintage iron trivets.

A breakthrough in ironing was made when Mary Florence Potts invented the sad iron that was pointed on both ends. Then she introduced a model, which she patented, with a detachable handle. Sets of 3 irons with one handle hit the post-Civil War market. With two irons on the stove or fire, the person could quickly exchange the cooled iron for a hot one. In 1882 an “electric sadiron” was invented by Henry W. Seeley but since many rural homes did not have electricity for many decades following his invention and the many improvements thereafter, sad irons were commonly used in rural America up to the 1950s. My husband’s mother remembers her mother, Esther, using one which would be sometime in the 1940s to 50s.

After my research, I started playing around with the trivets, exploring different ways they could be used on the vintage table. With their flat sides, they are perfect for setting something on – like a plant, a bowl of fruit or a vignette of old bottles and flowers. Of course, it also can be used as a trivet for a hot dish. Notice how the trivet interestingly defines the space on the table.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage Decor Rental NC

Flat Iron Stand with Bowl Filled with Pears

Then I noticed they sat upright, too! Pointing up, the trivet can be a stand for a vintage card, a table number sign or even food signs on the buffet table. I love this look!

Once considered an essential skill for a young woman to have, ironing is now an occasional and simple task. Pay tribute to the many women, and even men, who labored with these irons and trivets by decorating with them on your vintage table. From vintage iron trivets to elegant china, Southern Vintage Table is ready to help make your event charming, memorable and even a bit historical!

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Vintage Feature – From Elegant to Rustic, Vintage Silver-Plate is Chic

No doubt, I love vintage china, glassware and linens – the patterns, colors, and beauty all inspire me. But there’s another category of tableware from the vintage table to rediscover and admire – silver-plated dishes, flatware and accessories. Whether elegant, casual or shabby chic, the gleam of silver adds sophistication and richness to the table.

One cool feature of silver is the gradient from really tarnished to really shiny. I love shiny silver but I also appreciate the rich patina of the darker, tarnished pieces. This metallic range of colors translates into versatility and style!

The first silver I started collecting for Southern Vintage Table was flatware. I remember finding several in a bin at the thrift store and making that decision to bring silver flatware into the inventory. I knew it would take some time to build up a collection for a large gathering. Fork by fork and spoon by spoon, we now have beautiful, gleaming collection of vintage silver flatware patterns. How delightful that each guest may personally enjoy the beauty of silver with every bite!

Along the way, we also have collected beautiful serving trays, pitchers, bowls and platters. I did not have time this week to research the history and makers of these lovely pieces but plan to feature them in an upcoming article.

Want just a few accent pieces? We have a little bit of a lot – bud vases, small trays, goblets, candle holders – even a vintage hairbrush.

Our silver-plate collection at Southern Vintage Table also includes a large wine cooler, ice bucket and serving utensils. As you plan your next gathering consider adding touches of this precious metal to your table. Whether a little darkened with tarnish or gleaming with sheen, vintage silver will dazzle your guests! Be sure to check out more pieces on our Pinterest Board!

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A Vintage Adventure – Bartering for Vintage!

The first time I stepped into her shop, I didn’t meet Elma but I did meet her daughter who was minding the store for her. It was on a Saturday afternoon and my friends and I were on one of our many adventures together. Our agenda this time was to start at Dick & Jane’s Martini & Tapas Bar for lunch and well, a martini, and then browse the eclectic shops on Clay Street in Mebane. When we walked into Elma’s shop, The Copper Awning, I realized that I couldn’t slow my friends down to give me time to look through her interesting collection, so I made a mental note to return the next week to see what vintage things I could get for Southern Vintage Table.

Elma was there on my next visit and I explained to her that I was looking for miscellaneous vintage china and tableware. She told me she had some terrific finds in her back room but she needed to get it organized before I could take a look. One peek at that back room and I knew she was right – I would come back later.

The following week I returned and when Elma saw me, she smiled. “Well, I haven’t had a chance to do much back there but I’ll make a path for you.” More than a few things were moved out of the way and then she left me to look. I started making a pile of a few things – a wooden box, milk glass goblets, vintage books – and as I am surveying the room filled with stacks, boxes and bags of “stuff” as Elma calls it, my plan came to me. I walked back into the front. “Elma, I said, “you need help getting that room organized and I would like to offer my services.” I suggested a bartering deal – my organizing skills for vintage things. She loved the idea and so did I!

I’ve been there several times, sorting, organizing, opening boxes and cleaning in that back room and basement. We have carried things from the back room to the basement and from the basement up to the showroom. We have moved cabinets, shelving and bins. I’ve been there one week to return the next to find a room in the shop totally restaged. This past week she had a gorgeous wedding dress displayed on a table complete with matching shoes and bouquet!

So what treasures have been added to our vintage inventory? First, we have more beautiful goblets – milk glass, crystal, pink and blue – and a few dainty teacups. We also now have a nice collection of vintage tins to add to a tablescape – love these!

My favorite addition, however, is a gorgeous set of vintage china called Forget Me Not by Myott china. This set is perfect – cream colored with a swirl rim and sweet blue flowers. I love the pattern but mostly I love how they came to Elma’s shop. Scott and Elma bought them at an auction for me. Such an act of kindness! Look for an upcoming “mixing & matching” blog with this beautiful pattern.

This chance meeting has flourished into both a business arrangement and a friendship. I’ve met her husband, daughter, granddaughter, son and daughter-in-law when they have stopped in at the shop as well as her friends and helpers, Scott and Patsy. I have learned that her story is even more interesting than the collection of “stuff” she has in her shop – she’s a retired civilian Marine, she volunteers at her granddaughter’s school, she sings in her church choir and she was in the Pentagon on 9/11.

Check out The Copper Awning on Clay Street in Mebane. Not only will you find something you will love, you’ll meet the delightful, generous Elma. Be sure to say hi for me!

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Vintage Milk Glass Vase with Dried Flowers

Vintage Feature – The Beauty of Vintage Milk Glass

I remember the first time I heard the term “milk glass.” My dear sister-in-law, Cathy, was packing up her house to move to the Outer Banks. She showed me a vase and explained it was hobnail milk glass. I recall thinking “what a cool name” and I think I even had her spell it since I had never heard “hobnail”, but it wasn’t love at first sight for me. Of course, I said something like, “hmmm, that’s interesting” but I didn’t quite understand why anyone would collect a knobby white vase. Like many twists in life, I never imagined I’d be building a collection of milk glass today for my business, Southern Vintage Table!

Since then I’ve educated myself a bit on this classic vintage glassware. I’ve learned that milk glass has been around since the 1500s but the term “milk glass” wasn’t coined until the twentieth century. Although “milk glass” was popularized by the white milk-like color, the word “milk” doesn’t necessarily mean white; it means the glass isn’t transparent, but translucent. Here’s a little bit of chemistry trivia – they use either tin oxide or bone ash (yep, ashes of real bones) to give the glass that milky white color!

“Opal glass.” as it was called, comes in white, brown and black as well as in hues of green, yellow, pink and blue. It was invented in Venice in the 16th century, spread to France and England and then to America. First considered collectables by the wealthy, many American companies began making less expensive milk glassware for the masses. One highly, collectable and popular variety is Jadeite, which has a beautiful light green color. Our collection is only white but I’m always on the lookout for the other colors.

Probably all of us have seen the many styles of milk glass vases. I’ve collected small bud to large bouquet vases, with wonderful designs and textures. Here are some from our collection!

I love the vintage compotes and serving dishes in the milky white color. Food just looks extra delicious against the pure white of the dish!

Vintage milk glass goblets and small compotes are also lovely and can be used as either vases, planters, or small serving dishes!

The purity of white vintage milk glass is a classic choice for so many special gatherings such as weddings, receptions, showers, anniversaries, and dinner parties. Invite Southern Vintage Table to help you set the table with this charming vintage accessory! More of our collection can be seen on our Pinterest Board.

For more about milk glass, check out these resources!
Milk Glass Kitchen
Wikipedia
About.com Antiques

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Vintage Feature – New Additions to Southern Vintage Table

It’s time to catch up with some of our new additions to our inventory here at Southern Vintage Table! We have found a little bit of everything and we know you’ll love them all!

We added three new teacups to our growing collection of lovely china. This one is gorgeous, inside and out, with its purple flowers and gold trim. This vintage set is by Royal Sealy China of Japan.

Here’s a version of the Blue Willow pattern that I had not seen before. This pair of teacups were made in Occupied Japan, making them a bit of a collector’s item, and this dates them between 1945-52. I didn’t notice that detail until I brought them home because I was taken by their beautiful cobalt blue color with gold trim. What a nice surprise!

It was an amazing week as far as pink glassware! I found three Jeannette Glass Cube footed tumblers from the early 1930s. The pair of pink embossed goblets are a little less vintage. The pattern, Arbor by Noritake, was discontinued in the late 1990s.

The next three finds are now in our vintage decor collection. One is a vintage jug that would be perfect for a spray of flowers and the another is a vintage flour sifter. They belonged to Belle and they are probably from the 1930s-40s. The vintage wooden box is from a thrift store nearby – I love the rough, darkened wood!

Found this trio of charming dessert plates at a flea market. I love the hand-painted dogwood, something I can’t walk away from since the dogwood is our state’s official flower! The pattern is Dixie Dogwood by Joni and although they’re a bit crazed, I appreciate their beauty.

We added to our milk glass collection with these three vases. Their regal design is a new one for me!

Perhaps my favorite find is this beautiful, hand crocheted lace overlay. It’s incredible! I found it at a local thrift store so I do not know anymore than what I can see – but that’s saying a lot!

These and other unique vintage items are now available at Southern Vintage China. Add a bit of beauty and history to your next happy occasion!

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Vintage Feature – A Message from the Cosmos

Anything Can Happen…

I was doing a photo shoot featuring our new doilies and decided to use some vintage books as an accent. I chose this one off the shelf, and not looking at the title, I placed it on top of the stack and took a photo. Then I noticed the title – Anything Can Happen by George and Helen Waite Papashvily, copyright 1940. Wow, I instantly hought, a message from the cosmos!

Haven’t read it but, of course, I love the sentiment! Sending you wishes for your “Anything Can Happen” dreams in the new year!

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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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