I love it when a table theme comes together !!!

Hi Welcome! I'm so glad you got to stop by. Hope you had a great Red, white and blue weekend.

I know that summer has officially started, but I just could not resist doing this Holland Inspired (some would think spring) tabletop. Last year I found this vintage 1940's tablecloth at a friends blog 'yard sale'.............

It's a very happy print in greens, yellow, red. and blue.  It depicts a Dutch boy and girl in a small village with windmills, sailboats, seagulls and of course the national flower of Holland the Tulip. I think its so unique, but alas very worn.....so, LOL, don't look too close. Eventually it'll become a tablerunner for my table and a myriad of other creations for my Etsy and website. I just couldn't pass up using it today for this tablescape because.............

I found a place setting of six of these dishes at an antique mall! The red caught my eye and as I focused in closer I couldn't believe it, a little Dutch Girl by a canal with a windmill, cottage, and sailboat. I thought since they were marked on the back, Stanton 24k gold, they'd be out of my price range. Ya know how when you look at something, but you think you just aren't focusing right....ok maybe you don't cause you're not almost 50.....anyway.....it read $15.  My Mom laughed cause I didn't think about, didn't take a moment, didn't go around once and come back, I picked every piece up and placed it in our cart. No one was gonna grab these. You see they not only go with the tablecloth, but they match the pattern of these.........................

          

This vintage hand-wrought aluminum tray by Continental 

and this Orman ice bucket I have had for a few years.

I was so happy when I later found this meat platter and vegetable dish.

     

To complete the table I used other things I had collected over the years, like..............

Two aluminum chargers. One round for him and one floral for her.

This vintage aluminum serving tongs and salt and pepper.

New acrylic and aluminum tea/water glasses

Vintage Pressed Glass vegetable dishes

1990's Onieda 'Southern Garden' silver serving spoons

1990's hand-woven napkins from Gatlinburg, Tn.  I folded to create silverware cozys.

A vintage chrome percolator coffee pot. I can't make out the maker, but it clearly reads Stratford-on-Avon, England. The creamer and sugar are Rodney Kent.

Took this pedestal plate, inverted it, and topped it with

a plate and created this                                                                        

cake plate. And, for mood lighting.......................................

an oil lanp from the early 1900's.

Put it all together and add a Flemish Bouquet......................

A Dutch treat table for two.

As I said, I love it when a table theme comes together! And, it only took a few years to locate all the components. I think the fun of the search is why vintage collections are so popular.

I'm linking this post to Susan over at It's a Very Cherry World for her Rednesday and at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday. Remember to stop by both these very gracious hostesses and chexk out the participants at their memes.

Brown Gingham Goes Back in Time

Have a Happy Memorial  Weekend........................................
And, remember those who gave us the right to enjoy every day in this beautiful land!

Hi Everybody!
By now you all know how much I love all vintage.....everything from textiles to architecture. Recently I was asked to partner with Historic Southwest Ohio at the Heritage Village Museum and place several of my creations in thier gift shop. I was very excited by the invitation....vintage textiles in a vintage setting! If you recall last year I had a booth at their 1st craft show that took place during the Gas engine, Tractor, and Blacksmith Show.

The quaint 19th century village is situated on quite a few acres nestled in a small valley banked by high hills and woods on one side and a large rolling creek and waterfall on the other. LOL... this place is worth just sitting under a caopy in the sun with a gentle breeze, songbirds trilling, the creek babbling by, and the aroma of a roast on the spit and pies baking in the oven.... not selling a thing wouldn't seem too terrible.

From this pic you can see what I mean. There is an Antebellum home named the Haynor House (where the gift shop is located) with it's collection of outbuildings and the Gatch Barn,  a victorian gingerbread beauty called the Elk Lich House with its chicken coop, grape arbor, and double seater outhouse, and a 19th century train station..the Chester Station.  A clapboard workman's cottage called the Benedict Cottage, the federal style Vorhis House where they do all the cooking in the hearth fireplace, and the Kemper House which is a large log home with a seperate stone kitchen. There is also a printer shop, mercantile, church, and the new 'old' schoolhouse which is almost complete.

Elk Lick House                                                            Chester Station

Vorhis House

                                                                                                                    Merchantile

( Hope to have more pics of other buildings soon)

This is a living museum. The buildings are all decorated in period...right down to the fresh produce in the kitchens to farm yard animals. No detail is missed and the interpreters are in full period dress. It's like a mini Colonial Williamsburg setting for the 19th century instead of 17 and 18th.

That's why I couldn't pass up this opportunity. ...my 1930's-60's designs don't seem too out of place. I will be keeping my eye out for more colonial inspired textile patterns and embroidery transfers to add to my designs to display here.

These are a few pics of my display in the Haynor House Gift Shop.........

These totes, tabletopper, and runners were done exclusively for the gift shop. I was so happy they let me utilize the old timey sewing machine. They placed it in front of the fireplace letting me place a couple of pillows over the top on the mantle.................

I also took a couple of vintage inspired aprons..........................

They don't have a lot of display space yet. They aren't allowed to hang things on nails from the walls, so display space is at a minimum. When in doubt use those 3M stickum hangy things. They work great and do not leave a mark. That is what I did with these 2 aprons. They hang nicely on the wall with no worry.

Luckily this weekend that kick's off my participation is a Civil War Weekend. These are pics from last year..................

Encampments                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                       

Battle Re-enactments                                                                                        

          

Cottillions                                                                                                      

and, interpreters showing life back home in Ohio while the war raged on.                                       

 If you're in the Cincy area tomorrow between 10a and 4p stop by for an educational few hours and little slower pace, at the Heritage Village in Sharon Woods. For more info about the Village, Events and Dates, or Directions go Here

Hope to see you sometime this Summer!

A few of my favorite things........

Some of you already know I have a penchant for vintage Hand-wrought Aluminum of the 1940's and 50's and Glassware. I cannot help myself...it seems, like soooo many of you I am a Serial Collector (we know who we are don't we Martha) of serivng pieces. The picture above are a few of my 75+ collection displayed throughout the house. This is a shelf Jim created over our dining room window to hold a few pieces of the collection (if you enlarge any of these pictures..ignore the dust...hehe).

This photo shows my favorite piece in my collection....a Coffee Urn, creamer, and sugar in the Mum pattern with Lucite handles made by the Continental Co. Yes, it's missing it's little Lucite thingy for pour handle, but it does still heat and work! Someday I'll find the missing thingy tho.

The next photos show some of my most used pieces.......................................................

This is a dresser box, probably part of a set, made by the Everlast Aluminum Co.

These two boxes are both the Continental Mum pattern. In the top photo the heavy glass is quite simple compaired to the second with its pressed glass patterned dish. Quite fancy.

These two condiment servers are pieces from  Rodney Kent. They are part of his popular tulip pattern set.

They still sport thier original tags!

These electroplated silver and Glass serving pieces are reserved for special occassions.

These last three photos have the most stories........................

This fruit basket motif glass bottle is from the 1950's-60's. They came in various colors, but in the 1970's these decorative bottles were used as lampbases and the stopper for the finial by very industrious husbands.

 

These three lovely and detailed pressed glass candy dishes were wedding presents to my husbands parents. Each one is unique.

And, lastly this petite Glass Liquer Set is from the 1940's-50's. It is Amber Glass. My Grandma had the bottle forver. My MIL was going thru some boxes one day and I saw the familiar amber color and asked if  could look thru her throw-aways. Low and behold there was an Amber Glass stopper and four little liquer glasses. I asked if I could take them. Here is my completed set! Imagine her surprise when she saw it.

Do you have any special serving peices or sets that have come together in round about ways? Leave a comment. I'd love to hear the story.

Now this post is also brought to you by the letter G and H  of the Vintage Alphabet over at the Etsy Cottage Style Blog. I'm linking to the Vintage Alphabet Party.

We can go over thru here to see the other party-goers