Collections, Pt 2

Most of the things I am listing as collections are more like wannabe collections. I may have two or if I am really lucky three of an item. Some, like the whitework I mentioned in Friday's blog post are nonexistent in my household but coveted nonetheless. The exception to these sparse collections would be my vintage valentines, of which I have quite a few. The majority of them came from my Grandmother Theresa when she passed away but I have acquired some of them through Ebay and a killer estate sale. I will save a post on these until February. 

Cocktail Napkins

If you watch Mad Men then you are probably familiar with the popular cocktail hour of the 50s and 60s. Long before there were .99 cent packages of paper napkins, there were dainty and festive cloth cocktail napkins. I have a few of these napkins, mostly florals but they can be found sporting figurals, themes (like Texas or bugs), embroidered and by specific designers.


















Vintage Pyrex


These dishes remind me of my grandmother. Actually, my mother even used them which highlights the durability factor of a Pyrex dish.  They came out in the 1940s and new patterns and colors were introduced through the 1970s. Most Pyrex today is clear. I run across vintage Pyrex fairly frequently but I have found they are usually priced pretty high.

Here is a great Pyrex identification guide.

 



Aprons

Have I ever wore an apron while cooking? Nope. That doesn't stop me from collecting them though. Aprons can fall into three categories: work, everyday, and entertaining. You can usually by the frills and finery an entertaining apron from the other two categories. Work aprons will almost always show their wear. During the 60s and 70s, aprons became a symbol of oppression to some feminists and their popularity waned. I find them irresistible.

Turkey ChinaQuite fitting for this month! Produced in England starting in the 1870s, turkey transferware was the answer to a middle class need for Thanksgiving china. The process of transferring the pattern or image is quite delicate and helps explain the high price of these collectibles, even back when they were new. I do not own any Turkey transferware but I am on the lookout!!












Homespun

Homespun is textiles spun in the home during the 19th century and turned into bedding, table lines, clothing and grain bags. Beautiful simplicity. You will often find it with red, blue, or mustard striping. It is highly reproduced today so if you are shelling out big bucks, you will definitely want to make sure of its authenticity.