Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

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

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental
Photos by Live View Studios, Katherine Miles Jones Photography, Katelyn James Photography

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Top left photo by Ginny Corbet Photography; top right by Katherine Miles Jones Photography; bottom right by Live View Studios

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Top left & middle,bottom right photo by Katherine Miles Jones Photography; bottom left by Live View Studios

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!
Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Top right & left photos by Katherine Miles Jones Photography; mid top by Katelyn James Photography; bottom photos by Ally & Bobby Photography

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.


Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Event – Miss Julia’s Birthday Tea Party

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

We were all oh-so excited about Miss Julia’s birthday tea party!  Turning 5 is pretty awesome all by itself but when you add family, friends, vintage teacups and hats to the celebration, the excitement just escalates!  With the help of their family and Southern Vintage Table, Erin and Jeremy planned a fun-filled morning for their sweet daughter and her friends.

Our party preparations began at Raleigh’s Baileywick Park. Erin and her family crew – Phyllis, Jerry, Rowena, Doug and Melissa – transformed the shelter into a delightful, charming tea party atmosphere with organza drapes, balloons and paper lanterns. A “happy birthday” sign and a beautiful bright-colored bunting sewn by Jeanine were hung to greet the party guests.

The two picnic tables were covered with vintage pink and blue tablecloths. To coordinate with Erin’s happy spring theme, Southern Vintage Table chose a wide array of teacups, dessert plates and serving dishes with most of the big, bold patterns coming from the mid century era.  A hat station was created with a vintage trunk and suitcase and the bright colors of our vintage hats blended in beautifully. I imagine all of the previous owners of those lovely hats were so tickled, as my mama used to say, to be a part of this celebration!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Party Hats Sign and Trunk

Choosing the right hat was definitely the fun part of dressing up for the tea party and these girls got it just right. They all look so chic!  After making that important fashion decision, it was time to enjoy the healthy snacks – petite peanut butter sandwiches and croissants, fresh fruit and fruit filled miniature pastries. The vintage teapots were filled with ice-cold lemonade and ready to serve!

Dessert was Erin’s handmade cake created for Julia’s tea party. With a lovely garden scene filled with gummy flowers, chocolate rocks, a fountain and even a miniature tea party, it was definitely a showpiece!  After admiring the cake, making birthday wishes and blowing out candles, it was gift-opening time.  I’m not sure who enjoyed this part the most – Julia, who loved every single birthday present – or the rest of us, reveling in the delight of a darling young girl!

Happy birthday, Miss Julia and thank you for inviting us to be a part of your special day!  From birthday tea parties to wedding receptions, Southern Vintage Table is ready to help you celebrate those memorable, sweet life events!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Event – Linens, Lace, & Lingerie Bridal Shower for Melanie

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Katherine Miles Jones

A more beautiful day just wasn’t possible! The cosmic powers delivered a warm, spring green day for Melanie’s shower – the grass, trees and flowers were all freshly watered by the previous day’s rainstorm and the sun was sweetly gleaming on the lovely backyard of Louise’s country home. The stage was perfectly set for Southern Vintage Table and the Yayas to host this happy occasion!

We first set up our sawhorse table with cedar planks as our tabletop. My friends from Fernrock Farm, Carrie and Bill, helped me design this rustic look and I love it!  With the pink bordered vintage tablecloth and bunting, it’s the main feature of our rustic Country Farmhouse decor theme.  We used lots of vintage wooden items as food stands as well as a vintage radio and scale.  With Jami’s stunning tiered floral centerpiece we achieved just the look we wanted – quaint, country, pink and sweet!

The other two main tables were then designed.  The accessories’ and dessert tables featured a beautiful mix of vintage china, silver, napkins, serving pieces and decor. I especially love how the yellow flowers trellis up the vintage candelabra.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Katherine Miles Jones
Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Pat’s top-secret-recipe cake – it was as delicious as it looks!
Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
As Pat noted, sweet Godiva was guarding the dessert table for us!

We covered our dining tables with vintage tablecloths and Jami created individual floral centerpieces for each. Louise’s rustic picnic table was treated with a beautiful double-ring vintage quilt!  Perfectly lovely!

Our final two stations were the mimosa bar and gift stand.  At the mimosa bar we arranged our juice-filled vintage decanters in an enameled pink tub and a pink vintage Coleman cooler chilled our champagne. A mix of vintage pink, green and clear glasses were selected for guests to make their own special drink. With the striking red rose bouquet and a mix of vintage decor, the final display was beautiful!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Katherine Miles Jones

With stacked vintage trunk and suitcases along with vintage wooden boxes, the gift stand was created. We tucked in a few special vintage items such as the chicken and egg basket filled with the flowers, the copper sifter and sedum-filled vintage dishes. I especially love the vintage linen tree with the chalkboard sign!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Katherine Miles Jones

With vintage teacups filled with petite arrangements, the bride and bridal party left with a sweet reminder of our wonderful occasion – a beautiful day with friends and family celebrating Melanie’s and James’ upcoming wedding.  How sweet is that!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Katherine Miles Jones

Invite Southern Vintage Table to help you celebrate someone’s special day! Whether a bridal shower or a birthday party, we can help make your occasion memorable and uniquely vintage!

PS – With just a few exceptions, these spectacular photos were taken by the talented Katherine Miles Jones.  Check out her Facebook and website for more fantastic photos and ideas!

PPS – Loved hosting this bridal shower with my Yaya friends – Louise, Jami, Cis, Pat and Mary!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental

Vintage Feature – Planning a Bridal Shower with Friends

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Getting things ready to take to Louise’s house for our bridal shower!

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 Vintage China Rental NC

 

Southern Vintage Table Event – Mixing & Matching with Family Heirlooms

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCSouthern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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!

Photo by Faith Teasley

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Flowers by Owens Florist

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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

Wedding Cake
Cake by Sweet Tooth Bakery

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!

Photo by Faith Teasley

 

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

 PPS – Thanks, Alexandria, and happy birthday!

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

 

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

A Vintage Adventure – Elegant to Retro Vintage Finds

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
My first find – delicate and elegant vintage teacups with beautiful “Forget-Me-Nots”

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCI 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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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.
Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCThe 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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

 

 

Vintage Glass Pitchers

Vintage Feature – A Medley of Vintage Pitchers and Teapots

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Yes, they are utilitarian but they can also be delicate, bold, pretty, artistic and fun! I’m talking about pitchers and teapots, of course. Ceramic, glass and even metal – they span a variety colors and styles and are available at Southern Vintage Table.

Let’s start with our classic vintage amber and avocado green glass pitchers. Like vintage goblets and tumblers, the textures and shapes make them all so interesting!

The clear glass pitchers in our inventory are also varied and beautiful!

Teapots were first designed in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when leaf infusion became a popular way to drink tea. Typically made from porcelain, they can have many shapes, colors and designs. Here are some in our collection!

 

 

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

 

Serve up your iced and hot drinks with our vintage pitchers and teapots from Southern Vintage Table!  Be sure to check out more of our lovely inventory on our new Pinterest Board!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCHere are a few articles about pitchers and teapots!
Pitchers – Wikipedia
A History of Teapots
A Brief History of Teapots
Teapot – Wikipedia

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

 

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature – Happy Yellow Vintage China

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Vintage Romance pattern by Duchess features yellow and pink flowers.

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?

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC


Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Vintage Feature: “Forget-Me-Not” Vintage Pattern is True to its Name

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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.

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

Whether on the outside as the dinner plate, or inside as the salad, the “Forget-me-not” pattern is sweet!

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NCSouthern 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!Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC

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Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC