An American Classic: Diner Coffee Mug

August 2, 2017

Classic, curvy, heavy and durable coffee mug. The kind used in the local diner for years. From that less than glamorous beginning, mugs like these have become icons of the past. They were made to endure over time – in short, they don’t make them like this anymore.
– The lines were hand drawn – no two mugs are the same.
– Not poured into a mold, hand-fashioned on a wheel
– Vitrified by high temps, fired at 2200 degrees, the glaze fuses with the clay to form glass – resistant to stains, safe for the dishwasher.
– Because of the weight and thickness, this mug will keep your hot beverage warm for just a bit longer.

Produced by Sterling China Wellsville Ohio in the 1930s; the stamp is very early.

Condition: This is a beauty. Very light wear on the bottom rim; glaze is gorgeous. A keeper.

Measurement: 3 3/4″ H. x 3 3/8″ D. x 4 1/2″ Overall Width including handle

Weight: 1.25 pounds

Available at http://etsy.me/2f9xlKg

A Little Romance

August 1, 2017

How many times do we answer, “I just do not have the time.” So why not keep it simple?

Bits and pieces that easily set the mood. Perhaps, even, motivate to make some time?

Like a tablecloth. Vintage Quaker Lace, for instance, was produced for the modern family – ease of laundering, forget about ironing. Launder – and it is ready for tonight – and many evenings to come.

Easy Care Quaker Lace, Gala

Classic Restaurant Ware – The Green Crest Border

July 29, 2017

If there is one pattern that defines restaurant ware then perhaps, a green crest border would find a place in the top three patterns. But still, it is not easy to find in quantity these days. But sometimes, a tall stack of these old diner dishes appears in a dusty old basement or the back room of a restaurant. Like these. . . . stacks and stacks of plates.

Green Crest Restaurant Ware

Ohio Valley Pottery: A Bowl is a Bowl is a . . .

August 3, 2016

Ohio Valley Pottery: A Bowl is a Bowl is a . . .

Russel Wright, White Salad Bowl, Steubenville Pottery ca. 1950s

Not a true statement. In my mind, there are bowls – and then there are bowls. Sometimes, bowls take on very interesting shapes. Even production pieces like those made at Steubenville Pottery for the American Modern line of dinnerware designed by Russel Wright. This bowl is a vessel that seems to cradle all that it holds. Sometimes it looks like an open hand …it is a curve that does not stop…

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Bailey-Walker China: Blue and White Ironstone

May 1, 2016

Bailey-Walker China: Blue and White Ironstone

Blue and White Ironstone, Bailey-Walker China, ca. 1930s

Sometimes I look through a stack of plates with amazement. Really? Seventy-five years old? These plates are really that old? How in the world did they produce millions of plates, literally in the case of Bailey-Walker China Company and at the end of the day, have a quality product. As one writer has put it, the plates are “bullet proof.” I believe it might have something to do with the fact…

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Vintage Restaurant Ware: A Sentimental Journey

May 1, 2016

Vintage Restaurant Ware: A Sentimental Journey

Hotel Lafayette, Warwick China

Certainly restaurant ware was not produced to fill emotional needs. In fact these wares fulfilled highly practical needs for commercial accounts such as durability including chip resistance and heat resistance. The rounded edges of restaurant ware resisted chipping unlike dinnerware produced for homes. Later, large manufacturers like Syracuse developed dinnerware that saved space as kitchens…

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Spring Cleaning Tip: How to Clean Rugs

April 24, 2016

Spring Cleaning Tip: How to Clean Rugs

Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis's Cook Book

Last week, I rolled up a rug in the dining room. I was appalled at all of the dust and dirt under the rug. Really shocked … As luck would have it, I had been reading an old book of household hints that predates Hints from Heloise by fifty years. I remembered the section, “How to Clean a Rug.” Notice that it is a man swinging that rug beater. No wonder … there is no advice on how to find…

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April Showers, Spring Flowers and Dandelion Bouquets

April 22, 2016

April Showers, Spring Flowers and Dandelion Bouquets

Already April. Spring. Since the last post describing the world as our marketplace, we have been a little overwhelmed with the response. Such an honor it is. The wares produced here in the Ohio Valley that once moved up and down the mighty Ohio River are now making their way across the globe via our little post office and then onto planes and trucks. Already it is spring. It is raining – April…

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Cozy Up to Vintage Handwoven Textiles

February 27, 2016

Is there a better way to add bright beautiful color to a corner or a sofa or a bed then with a colorful handwoven textiles? From hand crocheted afghans to hand woven Saltillo blankets – it seems like their color and beautiful details add so much to any environment. Especially since no two pieces are exactly alike.

In the winter or a chilly night in any season, a pile of blankets is comforting. On one of those nights, when hibernating seems like part of the natural rhythm of life . . . grab an afghan or a blanket, pick up that book or maybe even, watch the final season of Downton Abbey.

A stack of vintage textiles – runners, rugs, afghan and Saltillo blankets.

Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for Chili

February 15, 2016

Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for Chili

Plain Old White Chili Bowl, Buffalo China

A good chili bowl should hold chili. A better than good bowl for chili should not be too wide – leave the wide bowl for cereal. A wide bowl holds the contents certainly but the narrower width means that the chili will cool down quicker. Maybe a small thing. But early pottery manufacturers in Ohio recognized these small yet critical differences for the food service industry – restaurants, hotels,…

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