Panoply Late Fall 2017 Vintage Finds

October and November vintage finds were sourced primarily from a couple different estate sales. One estate sale, particularly, had some great collections. Without further ado, I'll share photos and try to keep descriptions to a minimum.

A Gorham turkey platter with original box. I had one of these a few years ago and sold it. I'll hold this until next year to try and sell.

Another, more common turkey platter, no label, but likely Japan; vintage bakelite flatware; a cast iron doorstop in the shape of a cottage house. Again, I'll hold the turkey platter for next year's inventory.

Bakelite flatware and utensils - 51 pieces in total. I love how the color gets richer with age.

A domed cake pedestal. The dome has the original foil label (Princess House France), and is embossed with 'France' also near the handle.

Five Longchamps champagne glasses. I didn't realize until I was home that these match a set of wine glasses that were Mr. P's from the 1970s. They're already in one of my glass cabinets. :)

A Hannah Pottery mug (recent, not old), that matches tableware used here and here (a keeper). The guilloche cigarette case and lighter are vintage Evans.

A framed 1921 print advertisement for Jell-O ("The King and Queen Might Eat Thereof and Noblemen Besides"), solid wooden rolling pin and masher, Swans advertising spring-form bundt pan ("Swans Down Cake Flour Makes Better Cakes"). The Jell-O ad has a hand-written note on back, indicating this ad was on the inside cover of the April, 1922 Country Life magazine.

Various original and antique, wooden crate graphics as signs: Minute Tapioca, Gold Medal, Niagara Gloss Starch.

Two sets of asparagus salt & pepper shakers. Those on the right have the foil label (Lefton). They coordinate with another vintage find - majolica asparagus butter dish - mentioned in this post. The glass fishing float may be Blenko, but I am not certain.

If three is the magic number for a collection, then I bought a collection of honey pots! From L to R, they are marked: Black Forest Art Pottery Erphila Germany; Made in Western Germany, and Ceramic Art Studios, Madison, Wisc.

A felted mountain goat. The owner's husband was in the Army, and they picked up souvenirs from each place they were stationed around the world.

A spaghetti ceramic sheep, marked Blarney Woolen Mills, 18 Euros (Ireland).

A pair of ceramic sheep - salt and pepper shakers - on a brown transferware bread plate (Meller Taylor & Co, England). A pair of cast iron corner brackets are behind the sheep.

A lidded, ironstone sugar bowl (JM Pankhurst & Co, Hanley England), and a brown transferware lidded serving dish (SF&J - Smith, Ford & Jones - England).

A set of four hot chocolate cups and saucers (Double Phoenix, Japan), and an unmarked red transferware bread plate. The picnic basket was used as a tote while shopping, not intended for purchase, but the host practically gave it to me. :)

Here's a preview of what I did with the cups & saucers, which are already in our booth at the antique mall.

A framed, vintage watercolor of a red barn and snow, mud. With all those animals I bought, I figured they needed a place to stay. ;)

As the year comes to a close, my Panoply sisters and I will halt picking for a while (unless something really good comes along), and each of us will focus on our homes for the holidays. Several of these items have already made their way into our booths, which are now stocked for the holiday sale season. I'll have a post of our booth spaces coming soon, and will share all those details in a separate photo tour.

As always, thanks for your visit! If you have any questions or comments on any of my finds, I'll try to answer them. I tried to keep this brief. Your readership and interest is appreciated!

Rita C. at Panoply

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Deconstructing the 2017 Garden

Just as exhilarating as the spring garden awakening is for me, deconstructing the garden in fall brings a unique sort of satisfaction to my organization gene. I love having the landscape put to bed before winter, and tidying up both the perennial and annual beds is one of the things I like completed before holiday decorating, preferably before Halloween. I make a list of all the chores I want to check off, and get to work. This is the heavy duty stuff, and all hands are on deck to help. I enlist Mr. P. as well as my trusted friend and gardener who has been with us since our installation in 2004.

Fall 2017 contemplating the list of garden chores

A bit like playing beat the clock, it's hard to tell when Mother Nature will turn the corner from summer to fall for good. Mother Nature's fickle that way, we all know.

Fall 2017 moody skies and landscape

I started my work around the projected warm, sunny days expected in mid-October. I cut some of the last blooms remaining, in between rainy days and cooler temps.

Fall 2017 final garden bouquet

I tackled the containers in the courtyard first. I had forgotten about putting a brick in each of the containers by the hot tub for weight, and the roots of my plantings had grown completely around them. We drained the hot tub in order to clean it too, and refilled it for the winter months.

Fall 2017 (clockwise): deconstructing containers, hot tub maintenance

I deconstructed the other two containers in the courtyard in phases. I liked how it looked as I cut each of the overgrown plants out (see photo below, in clockwise direction, starting top L). I knew it was best to completely empty and clean the containers for winter storage, though. We shut the water off and cover the hoses by the first freeze. 

Fall 2017 (clockwise): deconstructing courtyard containers

Even my porch went through deconstruction this fall. For the first time ever, my pumpkins in my original topiary began to slowly rot, starting in late September. I attributed that to the really hot September we had, since I purchased them from the same farmer and same timing as years before. I end up tossing first the bottom, then the middle of the topiary stack, and rearranging what was left. See how it unfolded in the photo frames below, clockwise from the top L. 

Fall 2017 front porch decor stages of deconstruction

I don't know what got into me next, but I decided to tackle cleaning the downstairs windows and  frames  - eleven in total - and the front porch. Landscape uplights attract spiders, so I scrubbed (Lysol and Awesome), sprayed (Windex), wiped, and then sprayed all the ledges and frames again (Terro).

Cleaning windows, ledges and columns

Seven dozen quart-size containers of pansies were planted in the front beds of the house and gate, replacing all the overgrown and fading summer annuals. Windows are all shiny with blue skies reflected!

Fall 2017 front beds: boxwoods and pansies

I had to wait for the yew hedge on one side of the house to be pruned before I could get a ladder behind it to clean the two middle windows pictured below. Even then, the clearance wasn't enough among the thick undergrowth branches for the 6' ladder. So, I used a small stool and climbed the brick ledges like Spider Woman to get the top glass frames. Note to self: reassess replacing yew hedge with something else!

Fall 2017 yew hedge

The courtyard roses and lavender were next. All tidy and neat now, the lavender is kept just high enough that it should easily withstand the brunt of any hard winter freezing. It can be cut back yet again sometime next February or March, before new growth begins.

Courtyard rose, lavender, before & after fall 2017 pruning

By the end of October, the garden was more than half way deconstructed and put to bed. Most of the east side of the landscape has been sheared: knockout roses, dwarf butterfly bushes, irises, and spirea.

Fall 2017 east side landscape, sheared

There's still a lot of work to go, though. Most of the entire south side of the landscape still needs pruned and cleaned out, including the tree butterfly bushes, hostas, Otto Luyken, hibiscus, black-eyed Susans, Mexican sunflowers, coneflowers and sedum. Leaves you see below are just the beginning of our maple outside the brick wall shedding.

Fall 2017 south landscape interior, work-in-progress

Pictured below is how the maple tree and south side of the landscape looked on Sunday, November 5. Overall, there's been about a two-week retard in color and overall change from summer to fall here in our region this year. Also in the photo, you can also see the edge of where pruning has paused on the left side of the frame (spirea).

Fall 2017 landscape, looking south toward maple tree

Besides the maple at the center back wall, I'll also have leaves from my Japanese maple and Kousa dogwoods to rake (pictured below, left and lower center tree line, respectively). Magnolias shed all year, but right now the berry cones are a challenge, as are the leathery leaves (which do not mulch!). A cluster of purple hyacinth bulbs have been planted beneath the Japanese maple, so that is something I'm looking forward to for next spring.

Fall 2017 landscape, looking north 

As for the huge and colorful sassafras tree on the riverbank, along with all the silver maples? We just blow those over the riverbank.

Sassafras (L), silver maples along riverbank, Fall 2017

Fall is a great time to get in the garden for much-needed maintenance. Clean up the leaves to prevent harboring unwanted insects and fungus growth around plants. Walk the garden and examine plants critically, assess the health of each, take pictures and make notes. Take steps to mitigate any damage (gentle or hard prune, treat and/or replace). If plants are diseased, pull them now, but you don't necessarily have to replant now. Although fall is a good time, you can also take time to plan your plantings, and research what you like and what's suitable for your region and soil. Some more tips I wrote previously that you may find helpful can be found in this post.

Nandina hedge, Fall 2017

Thanks for your visit today, and always. Your readership is appreciated, and comments are always welcome. You know we gardeners love sharing the dirt, so feel free to spill!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Amaze Me, DIDI,  BNOTP, Show & Share, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Pale Palette Fall Tablescape

One of the challenges in tablescaping which I probably enjoy the most is in implementing elements ranging from very inexpensive (some, in fact, free) to higher end items, but having guests seeing no more than a welcoming table. In my trademark fashion, I also love styling my tables with something old and something new. As an antique dealer I'm probably biased, but it's usually the something old that gives the table its character, in my opinion. It's also a lot of fun to utilize items for purposes other than their original, intended use.

Today I'm sharing a pale palette fall tablescape with Thanksgiving in mind, using elements of various price points, in the hopes of demonstrating how a cohesive look can be achieved with a little creativity, but not necessarily with a big budget. A source list is provided near the end of this post. For even more Thanksgiving/Autumn table inspiration, check out all the blogs listed at the end of this post as part of an ongoing tablescape blog hop, hosted by Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate.

I started my tablescape by using a mostly cream tablecloth, with a border of pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers, and oak leaves in muted colors of browns, greens and blues.

Although the border is what caught my eye, I did not want it to overwhelm the look on the table. I grounded it by layering twig placemats as a runner down the table's center. Baby boo pumpkins from the farmers' market are nestled among cotton boll stems and berry garland, with a string of tiny lights casting a soft glow. Each place setting is marked with a clay peat pot in gray, and a pine cone in each to hold the name card.

The centerpiece consists of graduated, white birch logs (from a fallen landscape tree) used as pedestals for graduated candle pillars (battery-operated). Gathered oak leaves and acorns from the outdoors are scattered on the table.

The turkey platter and flatware are estate finds, while the glassware hails from each of Mr. P.'s and my former (and separate) housekeeping days.

The ceramic pieces with applied maple leaf - bread tray, double condiment caddy, and napkin rings - are hand-thrown pottery by a local artisan. Napkins and placemats are new this year, while the pumpkin tureen was sourced a couple years ago. The cream dinnerware is stacked on a natural colored, leaf placemat as its base.

This tablescape uses the leaf motif as the common thread among the various elements. The overall look is soft, neutral, and natural, leaning easily toward a coastal, cottage or farmhouse style. Although none of those styles are really what I have in my home, I like them all.

What kinds of elements will you (or your host) be using this season? Will you mix and match high and low, old and new, and/or use things for purposes other than originally intended? Or, are you a purist of one kind or another? What's your style? 

I hope you leave a little inspired to challenge yourself to being creative this holiday season. Feel free to pin any ideas you ever find here on my blog that serve that purpose for you. There are many tablescapes for all the seasons you can check out, including this personal favorite from last week. You can also see a 'Tablescapes' category from the main menu (if on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom and click on "view web version" first. Search for a particular season by typing in keywords (such as 'fall tablescape') in the search button on the sidebar, or scroll through my labels, also on the sidebar.

Pale Palette Tablescape Source List

Twig placemats as table runner - Foxglove Antiques & Etc (Abingdon, VA)

Coiled berry garland - Michaels

Napkins, leaf placemats - Pier 1

Cotton boll stems, peat pots - Decor Steals

Pillar candles - Wisteria, years ago

Tablecloth, little lights - Big Lots

Napkin rings, bread plate and double condiment caddy - Hannah's Pottery

Glassware: Lenox Impromptu brown stems, Libbey amber stemless

Cream dinnerware - Pfaltzgraff Filigree

Cream pumpkin tureen, ladle - BHG for WalMart

Turkey platter, flatware (Oneida Bordeaux, 1945) - estate finds

A sincere thanks goes to Chloe, from the blog Celebrate and Decorate. She is our organizer for this gathering of bloggers who are sharing their individual Thanksgiving table ideas. Click on each of the links below for the landing pages of each of the participating blogs to see a true feast of Thanksgiving/Autumn tablescape ideas!

Monday

Everyday Living | Red Cottage Chronicles | Home is Where the Boat Is | Celebrate & Decorate 

Tuesday

My Kentucky Living |Savvy Apron | Rattlebridge Farm | Living with Thanksgiving 

Wednesday

Belle Blue Interiors | From My Carolina Home | Bluesky at Home | The Painted Apron | 

Corner of Plaid and Paisley | The Red Painted Cottage

Thursday

A casa di Bianca | Dining Delight | Sweet Sensations | Our Crafty Mom | Panoply (you are here!)

Friday

My French Twist | Hey Fitzy | B. Lovely Events | Me and My Captain | Life and Linda 

Thank you for your visit today. Your readership and comments are always welcome, and I invite you to return again. If you'd like, you may sign up (on my sidebar, just below my profile pic) so my posts will come to your email inbox. That way you'll be sure and not miss a thing. Enjoy your holiday planning!

(A special thanks to Michelle at Our Crafty Mom Merry Monday #179  and Richella at Imparting Grace: Grace at Home No. 274  for featuring this post!)

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Amaze Me, DIDI,  BNOTP, Merry Monday,  Show & Share, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Miscellaneous Musings No. 10 - Happy Thanksmas

Happy Thanksmas, everyone. Yes, we live in an era where anything and everything goes, and holidays are no exception. We are currently celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas - just choose your category.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I can't fathom pulling out the Christmas decor just yet. What you see below is the extent of my Halloween decor this year, and I've already sold the ghosts. The little witchy woman is only 3" tall, so she's barely even visible. The rest is just fall decor that happens to blend.

My neighbors along our walk path, on the other hand, seem to love Halloween, and have some friendly competition going as to who can be most creative. I personally favor the picnic. They actually have some real food out - the crackers and orange. I am totally surprised the squirrels or other animals haven't gotten into them.

Thanksgiving. This is a preview of my playing with dishes before taking the turkey platter into the antique mall for a vignette there.

Christmas. On October 24th, this is what I encountered at our Town Center Mall - the makings of the Christmas decor. Those are some big balls! The gal in Macy's told me they'd had their trees up in the store for three weeks already on this date.

Just like the holidays, the same seems to be true for the weather - confusing. I posted this (below) on Facebook on October 24th, just shortly after returning from the mall. The weather had an alert for graupel, which I had never heard of until then.

Apparently, I wasn't the the only one who'd never heard the word graupel. "Soft hail". In our neck of the woods, we call it slush. However, it sounded like hail when it came down. It basically was the ushering in of fall on the weather front. After another yoyo week of weather, ranging from summer temps to cold rain and even snow flurries last night, today we have a beautiful, colorful fall day.

Speaking of weather, remember that nun from Hurricane Irma I wrote about in the last musing? Well, guess what? She now has an IPA (India Pale Ale) created in her honor - Nun with a Chainsaw. How original.

Another crazy, mixed up thing this time of year is sports - you can watch major league football, basketball, baseball - any or all, not to mention college sports and your weekend kids' and grandkids' games of soccer, volleyball, etc. It's crazy!

And, then there's TV programming. I somewhat limit my viewing time to just a handful of shows, but Hallmark wants to make sure I take time for their 21 all-new Christmas movies, let alone those previously aired. My favorite new fall program is The Good Doctor, by far. When Mr. P. saw the rug on the floor in the doc's bedroom, he said, "hey, your purse ladies (the Traveling Tote Tribe) would like that, wouldn't they?" Yes, I think so.

Freddie Highmore plays the Good Doctor - Dr. Shaun Murphy - with impeccable realism, and I really look forward to the show each week. He definitely studies his character's idiosyncrasies associated with his spectrum of autism to portray it authentically.

We all probably tend to have some idiosyncrasies we display in our daily lives. One of mine is organization. The picture below is how I ready my condiments for a hotdog/french fry combo I get at one of our local lunch places. Mr. P. said, "Take a picture. People won't believe how you line them up [and open the edge of each before food is served]". I keep the mustard turned the other way to differentiate its packaging because Mr. P. doesn't like mustard. This way, when our food comes, I'm ready, and the food doesn't get cold waiting on me to open those tiny little packages!

If I were dressing up for Halloween, I think I'd be a shindig dancer this year. While most women of a certain age (mine!) loved Bobby Sherman growing up, it was the dancers behind him and the other music performers that I loved.

Oh, and those go go boots they sported? Oh yea, baby, I had some of those in 1967. I remember wearing those with red stretch pants, and playing Twister (without the boots, of course).

{Sigh}...on second thought, I think I'll just pass out the candy. Or not.

Maybe I'll just turn out the lights and save the candy for Mr. P. and me, and be a bad little witchy woman.

Ta ta for now.....oh, speaking of which, have you had your mammogram?? Better do it!

Rita C. at Panoply

Sharing: Amaze Me, DIDI,  BNOTP, Show & Share, Inspire Me, Make it Pretty, The Scoop, Dagmar's Home, Celebrate Your Story, SYS, SYC, Delightsome Life H&G, Grace at Home, Vintage Charm, Foodie Friday & Everything Else