Jadeite dishes
When I was 15, my dad & I took apart and fully restored a 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck. We color matched the original paint and gave her a slick new coat of it. That color is a minty turquoise green. Ever since, I've been drawn to anything remotely close to that color. Its my happy color. Enter jadeite dishes... I'd always seen these colorful beauties sticking out like sore thumbs in antique stores and fleas. That's one of the things I like about them! When searching for pieces, you don't have to look too long & hard. They jump out at you right away. I bought my first piece of jadeite, a pie plate, last year at the Pork & Apple Festival in Clinton, Illinois. Since then, I've received a stack of shell-pattern mixing bowls and a batter bowl as gifts, and just a few weekends ago, in Elkhorn, WI, I got a bargain on a 2 quart casserole dish. I'm always on the searching for a good deal on Fire King Resteraunt Ware dinner plates, but sets usually seem to be out of my price range for now. That's ok, though. It just gives me something more to hunt for, which I love.
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| source: Pinterest |
Along the same lines as my jadeite obsession, is my canister obsession. I make a beeline for sets from the Depression era. No matter the color, or pattern, I'm there flipping them over to reveal the price, which is usually too deep for my pockets. I'm really drawn to the sets that are made of clear green or just plain clear glass with the art deco nameplates still intact. A lot of these sets are ribbed with stripes in the glass. Salt & Pepper shakers from this same time period are special to me, too. If I could just get my hands on a jadeite pair for a decent price, I'd be a happy girl.
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| source: Pinterest |
There's something about tablecloths that makes me nostalgic. There was a time where most every table in every household had a beautiful, starched, wrinkle-free table linen draped over top. That seems so funny to me. Today, I almost never come across a table cloth unless I'm dining out. I'm especially drawn to the bright pops of color and beautiful prints found on tablecloths from the 1950's and '60's. I love the themes a lot of these cloths have. Last weekend, I saw a tablecloth and napkin set dotted with kitchy cacti and maracas. You never know what patterns one may come across. That's the fun of it!
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| source: Voorhees Craftsman |
My husband and I have never purchased a kitchen table. The table that's currently sitting in our kitchen belonged to my in-laws. When we bought the farm and house, the table came with the house. Its an oval, non-descript four-legged wood table from the 1980's. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, its just not our favorite thing. Growing up, my sister and I would go to my grandma and grandpa's with my dad often for dinner when my mom was working the later shift. They had an old round, oak pedestal table. We grew up sitting around our own 1980's version of that table at home. There's something special, to me, about sitting around a circular table where no one is sitting too far away. I have a very specific table in mind when I'm out and about looking. I'm obsessed with quarter-sawn and tiger's eye oak. The pattern of the wood grain is the most beautiful thing to me. I used to be into the "claw foot" pedestal tables but, the more I studied the style of my kitchen, I've realized that a Mission-style base might be more well suited in there. Also, this baby needs to have a 54" table top so 6 of us can sit comfortably around it without having to use any leaves. What's the point of finding a round table if you have to have it be oblong all the time? It does still need to come with matching leaves, incase I end up hosting a holiday dinner for the family or something. So, there's my mile-long grocery list of traits that are a MUST in a table. I've come across a few that fit the bill to a T on Craigslist, but I didn't pull the trigger in time and missed out on some pretty good deals. 6 matching chairs are also a must. I'm always looking for a set that would match the table of my dreams.
What are some items you are always on the look out for? I'd love to hear what makes your list of vintage favorites.
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