Did you know a humble set of four spoons helped launch one of the most iconic names in home canning?
In 1911, Alexander H. Kerr, founder of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, introduced a revolutionary wide-mouth mason jar. But before that invention made its way into nearly every kitchen in America, he funded the company with the profits from—yes, really—four silver-plated spoons he used as a promotional giveaway for his first business venture.
Those spoons were part of a brilliant marketing strategy to encourage sales of his “Kerr Home Canning Book.” It worked, and that spark helped light the path to Kerr becoming a household name. Photo from Kerr Jars Healthy Canning
We know you’ll enjoy the fascinating tale of canning jars made by Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company. A little preview to get you hooked!
“From fruit jars, to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a scandalous divorce and marriage, free teaspoons, centers to help orphans and children with developmental needs, and one of the first women executives in manufacturing – whew!”
Next time you spot a Kerr jar at a flea market or tucked in a family pantry, remember—it all started with just four spoons and a whole lot of ingenuity.
Spring is a season of renewal, and what better way to celebrate than with a beautiful Easter gathering filled with vintage charm? Over the years, we’ve styled some truly lovely spring tablescapes and seasonal vignettes, and today, we’re taking a little stroll down memory lane.
From soft pastel china to dainty glassware and whimsical bunny touches, our Easter decor pieces bring warmth, nostalgia, and timeless beauty to your celebration. Whether you’re planning a brunch, an outdoor garden party, or a sweet family dinner, these looks are full of inspiration.
We adore adding playful elements like ceramic bunnies, egg cups filled with florals and moss, and vintage postcards to our place settings and centerpieces. These charming details bring out the childlike wonder of the season—and guests always notice them!
Looking to host your own vintage-inspired spring brunch or celebration? We’d love to help you bring your vision to life with our curated collection of china, flatware, linens, and seasonal decor. Let’s make this one to remember—with timeless beauty at every place setting.
Today’s post is an update from one published in December 2015. We have only edited some of the photos and gallery designs. As I read through the post, the memories of this amazing holiday dinner came alive again. When I asked Priscilla about reposting, she wrote, it was “such a beautiful. happy memory you created having my church friends around John and I that Christmas.”
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, John, and your friends. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes in the new year!
Note to Readers – We’re back to updating older posts, redesigning the layout and updating photos/descriptions. This post, from February 2014, needed more editing that the previous ones since our silver-plate collections have become more extensive.
No doubt, we love vintage china, glassware and linens – the patterns, colors, and beauty all inspire us. 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. We 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 we started collecting for Southern Vintage Table was flatware. We 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!
Since we posted this back in 2014, we have added to the flatware collection. Vintage serving tongs, sugar tongs, butter knives, and cake knives and servers are available!
Along the way, we also have collected large beautiful vintage serving trays with handles, pitchers, a variety of teapots, bowls, and platters. Some unique pieces include a vintage silver-plate lazy susan, chip and dip round platter, wine coolers, and cake stands.
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.
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 and our Silverplate Gallery page.
Seven years to the date, June 13, 2014, Southern Vintage Table celebrated our 1st anniversary! We were quite pleased with our progress during that year and paused to mark our achievements.
Like one of my favorite characters on Sesame Street, Count von Count, I love numbers and it seems like we are always counting at Southern Vintage Table – like, how many vintage blue & white china patterns we have, the number of salad forks in our collection, or the length of a creamy lace overlay.
Sometimes, however, our counting means even more – they mark an achievement – and we have a few of them we’d like to share. Let’s start the countdown with 10 numbers we are celebrating…
So, 7 years later, we are pausing one again to see how much some our numbers have changed and what new numbers we’d like to note. From 32,957 to 1, here are the ten numbers we are celebrating today and our favorite number is last!
One – 32,957 Users from 1-1-2020 to 6-13-2021
To us, this number is amazing! In 2013 we had 6,605 views (a little different than users but this is the data we have) on our WordPress blog. Today we have a full scale website that folks from all over the world visit.
2013 Southern Vintage Table
2021 Southern Vintage Table
Two – 2,772 Pieces of Vintage Flatware
As before, we didn’t really count each piece but we do have a lot! In 2014 we only collected vintage silver-plated flatware and had enough for 200+ guests. By 2021, we had amassed enough vintage silver-plated and stainless steel pieces to accommodate at least 200+ guests in each variety. Recently, we have added vintage gold-plated to our flatware offerings and now can serve 75 guests. Along with place settings, we have lots of vintage serving pieces – cake servers, tongs, large spoons & forks, pickle forks, and sugar spoons.
This cache of flatware didn’t come so easy – we’ve scoured thrift stores, estate sales, auctions, consignment shops, craigslist, ebay, and more to find these glorious vintage patterns. Now, that’s certainly an accomplishment to note!
The major force on the social media scene in 2014 was Pinterest. Folks still use Pinterest for ideas, but Instagram has since become the social media queen. In 2014 we had 882 pins on Pinterest; today we have pinned 1,996 images with 32 public boards. A typical monthly viewership is 29,000 but we have hit 78,000.
Our Instagram account has 667 posts and 1,766 followers. These numbers make us dance!
Facebook
Instagram
Four – 839 Facebook Likes and 911 Followers
From 280 to 839 Facebook likes, we are grateful for each of you! We love to share with you our new additions as well as our latest events. And, we love to hear from you!
Five – 402 Published Blog Posts
From 71 in 2014 to 403 Sunday posts in 2021, we have expanded our blog post menu to include Southern Vintage Table Events, Vintage Features, Styled Shoots, Vintage Tips, and News.
Check in with us each Sunday to find out more about our latest vintage find, see photos from our most recent event or hear about our vintage adventures. We appreciate each and every visit!
Our count of vintage Whitehall goblets has grown in two ways – the total count and the number of colors – from 65 to 200 and 6 colors to 9! Many folks grew up with this popular glassware pattern and they evoke many wonderful family memories.
Seven – 7 Shades of Blue Goblets
Wow – 7 shades of blue in our vintage goblet collection! Don’t forget we also have green, yellow, amber, red, purple, pink, peach, white, and clear. How many you ask? Well, we’ll need to get back to you on that!
It’s been quite an adventure – collecting, researching, cleaning, repairing, photographing, identifying, writing, posting, washing, archiving, sorting – and we continue to love every part of it. Gosh, how to you thank everyone for their support and kindness? Simply and sincerely – Thank You.
Our vintage plate collection in 2014 totaled about 250 in assorted styles and patterns. Today we have 9 vintage collections or themes of patterns, all of which can be mixed and matched with each other or kept in the same theme. Some vintage collections have about 300, like our blue & white, and others have 30 or so, as in our mostly brown. How many total dinner plates do we have? We’ll get back to you on that, too!
Retro
White Stoneware
Elegant Florals
Large Florals
Red & White
Wildflower Stoneware
White/Cream & Gold
Bue & White
Mostly Browns
Ten – Our First Grandbaby Arrives!
Our most wondrous number is one – our first grand baby is born – Isla Elaine Dawson. What a wonderful number this one is!
As mentioned in last week’s Sunday post, Stephanie Batten assembled a talented group of vendors to create this styled shoot at The Parlour at Mann’s Chapel. Invitations were extended to photographers to take photos for their portfolios and we reap the benefits by having a plethora of wonderful images to share! This week’s photos are courtesy of Kailen Elizabeth Photography and they are so lovely!
Thank you, Stephanie Batten, for creating this shoot and Kailen Elizabeth for sharing your photos. We hope this brings inspiration to the many couples planning for their upcoming wedding day!
Vendor Team Event Planner/Designer- Stephanie Batten Photography @stephaniebattenphotography Venue- The Parlour at Mann’s Chapel @theparlourchapel Bridal Dresses- Oak City Bridal @oakcitybridal Hair- Sarah- SMG Beauty Co. @smgbeautyco Makeup- Sarah- SMG Beauty Co. @smgbeautyco Florist- Florescence Floral and Events @florescence.design Styling Boards- Styling Unmatched @styling.unmatched Tableware- Southern Vintage Table @southernvintagetable2 Invitation Suites & Place Settings- Em Paper Co. @em.paperco Photographer – Kailen Elizabeth Photography @kailenelizabeth The Artsy Acorn @theartsyacorn Models- Abbey Codling @jabbeyo Amelia Fisher @ameliafisher Candace Harris @candace_jane Jewelry- Poppy Co. @_poppy_co_ Cake- Wicked Sweet Cakes @wickedsweetcakes Rentals- DeeJay’s Event Rentals @deejayseventrentals Rings- Alysha Whitfield Jewelry @alyshawhitfieldjewelry
Stephanie Batten Photography shared photos this week which brought us such happiness! This photo shoot took place right before the stay-at-home decree began and, although we couldn’t attend, our vintage tableware made its way to the Parlour at Manns Chapel for this lovely blue shoot.
There are so many details we simply love – the different hues of candle tapers and napkins, the layered blue and white place settings, and the greenery running down that gorgeous runner. And, of course, with the setting at this historic venue, our vintage ware was perfectly at home!
Photographers were invited to attend and today’s blog features those taken by Stephanie Batten, who was both the event planner and photographer for the event. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Vendor Team Event Planner/Designer- Stephanie Batten Photography @stephaniebattenphotography Venue- The Parlour at Mann’s Chapel @theparlourchapel Bridal Dresses- Oak City Bridal @oakcitybridal Hair- Sarah- SMG Beauty Co. @smgbeautyco Makeup- Sarah- SMG Beauty Co. @smgbeautyco Florist- Florescence Floral and Events @florescence.design Styling Boards- Styling Unmatched @styling.unmatched Tableware- Southern Vintage Table @southernvintagetable2 Invitation Suites & Place Settings- Em Paper Co. @em.paperco Stephanie Batten @stephaniebattenphotography The Artsy Acorn @theartsyacorn Models- Abbey Codling @jabbeyo Amelia Fisher @ameliafisher Candace Harris @candace_jane Jewelry- Poppy Co. @_poppy_co_ Cake- Wicked Sweet Cakes @wickedsweetcakes Rentals- DeeJay’s Event Rentals @deejayseventrentals Rings- Alysha Whitfield Jewelry @alyshawhitfieldjewelry
Today’s post is about a little known piece of tableware that most of us in the US have never used or even seen. On the contrary, on breakfast tables all over Europe and Australia, folks are enjoying their soft-cooked eggs in an eggcup. Many are dipping pieces of toast, called soldiers, in the yolk and loving every morsel. For someone who doesn’t like runny yolks, this sounds anything but yummy but we decided that we had to at least try it.
Following directions, we placed eggs in water, took them to boiling, then turned off the heat and let them sit for 3-4 minutes. After pouring off the hot water and cooling them down with cold tap water, we placed them in the egg cups.
Tapping around the top with a knife, we carefully pulled off the broken shell. We dipped one soldier in and tasted it. Not yucky but not good either. We sprinkled salt and pepper on top, added more butter to the toast, and tried again – much better!
Will we eat soft cooked eggs on a regular basis? Nope. But, will we use vintage eggcups in other ways? Definitely!! Not only are they adorable, but eggcups can also hold pretty things other than just eggs!
Our favorite use is to add small clumps of fresh green moss. Against the crisp white of the eggcup, the organic green just pops. Don’t you love it, too?
A petite floral bouquet can be the perfect detail for a tablescape. We love how this is illustrated in the last photo here, taken by Jackson Signature Photography. It’s a small yet meaningful detail for guests to enjoy.
Other ideas? Why not present a small edible treat in egg cups, or use pinecones or Christmas decor to create a festive table? So many possibilities! As you can probably tell, we adore these little things!
To close, we send Happy Easter greetings to all. Many will miss the family traditions of this treasured spring holiday this year; however, we’ll all remember this Easter for many years to come. Here’s hoping that along with our lifestyle adaptations, we’ll all be more aware of two things that bind us all – hope and love.
Reason 1 – Spring is here! So happy to see new growth on the trees, bright flowers, and longer days. Yay!
Reason 2 – We had a surprise delivery from Fernrock Farm! What a wonderful treat to find this assortment of blooms on our porch Monday morning. This floral package is a sample “make your own bouquet kit” that will be offered soon. Be sure to follow Fernrock Farm for the lastest in classes and offerings.
Reason 3 – We are planning to be busy soon because most of our spring and early summer clients have been able to reschedule their weddings. Thank goodness! Although we’ve had cancellations – all with good reason and sincere regret – we will be okay and even more ready to help you create a memorable, eco-friendly, vintage event!
We know you have reasons to be grateful, too. Take care and stay well.
Have we told you how much we enjoy helping vendors with styled shoots? Well, we do and this shoot designed by florist Mikaela Grove of Charlee Mae’s Bouquets at The Parlour at Mann’s Chapel is visual proof – this is so so pretty! This historic venue adorned with these beautiful florals and our vintage tableware is perfection and Emma Branch Photography captured all of this beauty beautifully!
We especially love the Charlee Mae’s Bouquet’s florals in our vintage brass goblets and brass footed compote! Aren’t they lovely?
One other thing to note – the glass peg votives on the candle holders. If your venue doesn’t allow taper candles, consider using these. They’re like votives, except elevated. We have clear and colored peg votives and lots of candle holders to choose from!
Thanks, Makeala, for showcasing some of our vintage details! We adore how you incorporated them in your design!
