• Home
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Shop Renovation Before & After Pics
  • Gallery
  • Featured Treasures
  • Pickin’ and a Grinnin’ – Chad’s Rants from the Road
  • Using Vintage in the Home
  • Hand Stamped Vintage Silverplated Flatware

opidells

~ Just another WordPress.com site

opidells

Category Archives: Using Vintage in the Home

King of the Castle…Flatware, That Is…

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by opidells in Using Vintage in the Home

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blue heaven royal china, knives, mojave, retro, spoons, turquoise flatware, vintage castle flatware, vintage forks

This blog post has been hard for me to write because of the lack of actual references and historical facts I can find to back me up, but in a way, that makes it all the more interesting and mysterious.  In fact, this post is a shout out to my new found friend we’ll call Retro Randy and an open call to all readers for your input, help, and knowledge on the following…

As you readers may know, I have an affinity for vintage mid century modern kitchen paraphenalia.  The smooth, simple lines, bright, happy colors, and mind-blowing patterns make me want to don an apron and cook casseroles. I recently brought home all the vintage Pyrex from the shop for my New Years resolution of using more vintage in the home.  I can vow that these dishes have NOT sat upon a shelf but instead have been used to make many a quirky chicken and vegetable casserole for which Husband Chad has been the more-or-maybe-less willing test victim.

So what do I need next?  Vintage mid century modern dishes on which to serve my semi-edible dinner experiments, of course! I settled upon a simple set of Royal China Blue Heaven dishes I spied hidden in a box lot at a local online auction.  Because the Auction gods were feeling generous, I won this four place setting set for a great deal!!! Victory!

DSCF5719 DSCF5720 DSCF5721Ok, so now that I have the dishes, I need utensils!  (See how this can snowball?)  So I thought back to a trip Husband Chad and I took to St. Louis, Missouri and visited the infamous Antique Row on Cherokee Street.  There was this little vintage shop that had the coolest turquoise-handled flatware that I would have purchased if the shop owner hadn’t been the grouchiest S.O.B. on the planet!  I can’t blame him though…I can only empathize because I would have acted the same if a yuppie hipster came into my shop and asked about the price of an unmarked treasure I didn’t really want to sell but knew I should…I know…it doesn’t make much business sense, but we’ve got problems.  So I passed on what I later learned was a set of turquoise-handled Castle flatware for $65.  Instead, I went home and fished through my inventory and found that I owned several pieces collected from my own picking adventures.

Well, hell…now I had to complete the set to go with my dishes,  so I turned to eBay where I found the BEST eBAY seller ever!!! I will call him Retro Randy and his eBay seller name is semoretro.  Check him out…unless you plan to bid against me…then buzz off!  Retro Randy had a lovely set of the exact same turquoise handled flatware for sale online as I found in Missouri.  I bid but stupidly left my computer screen 30 seconds before the bidding ended (so that I could watch a new episode of Market Warriors) with naive confidence that I was the only one like me out there who wanted the set, and, inveitably, LOST the auction!

So, like a baby, I eBay messaged a whiny rant to Retro Randy about my regret of losing (because who else cares???) and lo and behold, Randy understands!!!  Not only does he understand, he tries to HELP me!!!  Retro Randy pulls out, not only his extensive collection of turquoise-handled vintage Castle Flatware, but also offers me a look at his lovely green-handled Castle as well!!!  We struck a deal and the most awesome set of flatware ever was delivered to my door via USPS within a week.

retro randy flatware

The turquoise handled Castle matches the Blue Heaven dishes perfectly and the sea foam green handled Castle matches the elusive Mojave Pattern Royal China, which looks exactly like the Blue Heaven, but instead of having blue abstract design elements, they are sea foam green. So of course, now I gotta have me some Mojave….

Royal China 'Mojave' Pattern

Royal China ‘Mojave’ Pattern

Anyway, the real point to this post is to ask for help from you readers with solving a mystery.  Retro Randy is a really cool guy who helped me get a great deal on some awesome vintage flatware, but not without a little smack in the face.  You see, Randy also sent me some pictures of a complete in-the-box set of PINK HANDLED CASTLE that, as far as we can both tell, is the only set of pink Castle flatware on the planet.  Neither of us has ever seen it anywhere nor can we find out anything about it on the internet.  And of course the smack in the face is the fact that he won’t sell it to me, but I can’t blame him :).

Retro Randy's Super Rare Pink Castle Flatware

Retro Randy’s Super Rare Pink Castle Flatware

So if you have pink Castle or know anything at all that will help us learn more about it, please comment, send pictures, emails, phone calls, whatever!  We want to hear from you!!!

Vintage Rooster Kitchen Canisters

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by opidells in Using Vintage in the Home

≈ Leave a comment

Chad and I have chickens so when I spotted these vintage rooster canisters in my shop finds I decided to bring them home and use them in our kitchen.

Vintage Rooster Kitchen Canisters

There is one for Flour, Sugar, Coffee, and Tea, although they’re not marked that way.  They have really wide mouths so I can dip a big measuring cup in with no problem.Vintae Rooster Kitchen Canisters

Their lovely cooper lids add warmth and glow.

DSCF5488

So the smaller, more contemporary canisters went to my “outbox” and will be headed to the Goodwil this weekend!

Vintage Wedding

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by opidells in Using Vintage in the Home

≈ 1 Comment

So the holidays are over, winter has settled in, and there are no more days off for a while.  Honestly, as depressing as it sounds, I welcome the break and sigh with relief that the hustle and bustle of Christmas has passed.  Now I can focus on the New Year and new goals.  One of my goals is, not only to show how to incorporate vintage items into everyday life, but to do it myself…and I’m not talking about a display shelf of pretty plates.  I mean actually ‘using’ these items.

However, the gods are testing me and my determination because as soon as I vow to blog about the above-mentioned endeavor, my camera breaks and must be sent off for repair for who-knows-how-long. But never fear, I had to think fast, but soon remembered that my recent wedding day could be a perfect example of how to use vintage in, not really everyday life, but in one of the most important days of my life!

All photos are courtesy of my wedding photographer, You, Me. A Photography Studio. http://youmeweddings.com/

I have a ‘thing’ for vintage dishes and silver plated flatware. I have tons of old tarnished silverplated pieces and actually find joy in polishing them :). I used mix-matched flatware and dishes for place settings.

0010 0414 0418 0419 0420 0429 0457

I have so many vintage dishes and flatware that I have pondered renting it out for small weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, and afternoon teas.  I’d love to hear any comments or suggestions on this idea.

Goal for the New Year 2013 – Use More Vintage at Home

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by opidells in Using Vintage in the Home

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

kitchen, pyrex, VINTAGE

So it is the New Year and I, like many others, am filled with inpiration, hope, and a plethera of goals for the New Year.  I hope it lasts past “Blue Monday, January 23rd, 2013, the most depressing day of the year calculated by Dr. Cliff Arnall…read about it here http://thepopularman.com/blue-monday-2013-the-worst-day-of-the-year/.

Anyway, my resolution / goal list is numbered 25 so far. There is the normal ‘exercise and eat better’ resolution, along with the other usual self and life improving promises we all convince ourselves we’ll do come the first of the year.  However, this year, I have a new one.  I’m going to allow myself to keep more of the beautiful, wonderful vintage treasures I find at auctions and sales and incorporate them into my life.  I already do this to a dregree, but I have found that I offer up the best finds to the shop.

Recently, the shop was featured in an article by BG Magazine about vintage shops in Lexington.  One of the questions the interviewer asked me was “how would you suggest people use vintage and antique items in their homes?”  I tried my best to answer the question by suggesting that one should try to be creative and use imagination to come up with different purposes for vintage items instead of just collecting them on a shelf. But after re-stocking part of the store with Chad this holiday, I came to realize that it is perfectly OK to use these items in everyday life as  their original pupose intended.

For instance, the picture below is a collection of vintage Pyrex casserole dishes I curerntly have in the shop.  I love them.  I think they are beautiful and their colors make me want to go home, turn on Billie Holiday, put on an apron, and cook fabulous comfort foods while spinning around in my kitchen wearing a wiggle dress and a beehive!  But the question is, “why don’t I do that???” Why would I chose to cook with the same bland Faberware pots and pans and serve it on the same bland Pfaltzgraff plates I always do?  I came to realize that I am afraid to ruin their vintage beauty.  I am afraid to “use” them.  They could break or become etched and faded, so I would ratehr let them sit on a shelf looking pretty forever until I die and someone elese comes along, aquires them, and lets them sit on a shelf forever in their home.  I didn’t like this way of thinking and, with Chad’s persuasion, I resolved to let go and begin keeping and USING these vintage items.  I will cook in vintage Pyrex whilst spinning around the kitchen listening to Billie Holiday!  Ok, maybe I won’t wear the wiggle dress, but definately the beehive!!!

DSCF4364

So say “goodbye” to some of the pieces above because they are coming home with me for a new life in this brand new, exciting year.

Newer posts →

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy