Mystery Vases

Happy May everyone!!! These flowers were the left over survivors from a much larger bouquet that I had received last month...their longevity has surprised me. The stems were in need of some serious trimming so I chose to re-vase them in this much lower vase than the previous one that they had called home for *two weeks*!

The little white 'vase' is one of two that I found on ebay. I had come across them by chance while perusing milk glass and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them because just a few months ago I'd found the unique glass vessel below at a local antique shop. The owner said that it had been her grandmother's for years but could not tell me it's original purpose. I loved the shape so I purchased it for $8.00 and assured her that I would give it a good home.

In December when these pictures were taken, my *white* hydrangeas were still wearing their fall best so I clipped a few and placed them in the 'vase'. It always amazes me how white hydrangeas can turn such vibrant colors such as chartreuse and magenta...I know some of you out there know what I'm talking about...it's such a phenomenon...but I digress...back to the vases!

So when I saw the two white vases on ebay...in TWO SEPARATE AUCTIONS, what was I supposed to do...it was all too coincidental...so I bid...and won! I got each vessel for about $5.00 (plus shipping of course - boo shipping!) and I love them. One of the sellers had actually asked if anyone knew what the vase originally was...no luck though. There's a little lip around the top that almost makes them look as if they might have had a lid at some point...but what would have been found inside of one of these, lidded? Such a mystery!

Both had been sitting on some shelving in the laundry room until the bouquet rescue and now the other one looks so lonely...it would be fun to use both at the same time somehow, somewhere...

and guess what.....they're OVALS...imagine that!

Which means they fit perfectly on the window sill in the kitchen! Those ovals...so handy!

This is looking from our master bedroom...I was ironing and looked up and there they were. I thought it was kind of cool that I could enjoy them from there too.

So please...if anyone knows what the original use was for these 'vases'...I'd so love to know. Was it a biscuit jar, some sort of toiletry jar, a bon-bon jar (it might have been!)...I hope to find out one day, even though for now, they have been officially designated as vases. Although...now that I think about it, they would make neat pen holders!

(Side note - Isn't it funny how both arrangements were chartreuse and magenta?? Not planned at-all!)

Ovally Blog Love & A Win!

This week I was twice blessed by none other than the extremely talented and very gracious Patricia of *pve* fame...and I was besides myself with it all!

Patricia had done a giveaway recently for some note cards depicting a beautiful painting she had done of a cherry tree near her house, and the funny thing is, this painting had always been a favorite of mine ever since she had posted about it last spring. She had wondered if she should make note cards from the painting and I had enthusiastically said yes. Well, when I saw that she was having a giveaway with them, I had to enter, and to my absolute delight, I won! And as an extra treat...Patricia included a some lovely postcards depicting the Bethesda Fountain...another favorite!

Now for the "ovally" part of the story. The same day that I had entered the giveaway, Patricia visited 24C...the 'Oval Love' post...and left me a comment saying that she had a little oval something she wanted to send me...well, the very next day I won the note cards (which I couldn't believe) and when they arrived yesterday, with them in the package was this wonderful shiny silver 'oval' tray...it was such a fun surprise and it's also my first oval made of metal...I love it!

I immediately started wandering around the house trying to figure out where it's new home was going to be, and decided it was going to be either on my desk or in my dressing area...the dressing area won, and for now, it's going to hold my everyday jewelry which is usually just scattered all over the dresser top...so not only is it a pretty addition, but it's also a functional one as well...one that will hopefully help me to be a bit more tidy in the bling department!

Thank you again Patricia...I'm overjoyed and touched at receiving these two very sweet tokens of blog love. This community is just one* big ol' hug* and I feel so blessed to be a part of it! ♥

Oval Love

Recently, my friend over at Brock Street did a wonderful post featuring his antique oval ironstone plates. I mentioned to him that our everyday dishes happened to be oval (that was the clue from the last post!) restaurant ware plates and he said he'd like to see pictures sometimes...he also said that none of his matched but that "they all liked hanging out together"! All of a sudden I realized that I had an oval party going on at my house too and even though they were all different, they got along famously and really enjoyed hanging out together! A new post had been born...thanks B!

I believe my love of all things oval began at the age of twenty when I was gifted a large set of restaurant ware dishes...eight of everything and then some, including the ovals plates. Little did I know at the time how much I would come to appreciate their particular shape not only in the kitchen and dining room, but also in my decor...but that's for another post.

The ovals quickly became the most used and most treasured out of all of dishes. Tough as nails, they've survived many a dinner party along with the daily use. They ended up being packed away for two years while we built our house (the first time - have to get to that soon) and we missed them terribly, we were spoiled by all that ovalness...round just didn't do it for us anymore. The image above is from our previous home, the one we had to tear down to build 24C...it was a fifties rambler...hence the pine cupboards.

These oval gratin dishes were part of the R.W. collection also. They're all packed away still except for one, who will be introduced to you in a bit.

Most in this oval grouping are out of storage now . The old house as you can see had white Formica counters...these guys didn't mind though, it reminded them of their youth.

Here's a few of them today...hanging out together in their new home, happy as can be!

Eventually some oval ironstone started joining the family...and even though they are era's apart, they all get along just fine.

Another type of restaurant ware I became enamoured with was from the Fire-King Jadeite line. This was right before Martha got the whole nation obsessed with it and I was fortunate enough to gather quite a lot of it before it became as expensive as gold. I loved the heaviness and the simplicity of it, and these two ovals that you see are my absolute favorite. They're called breakfast dishes and we use them pretty much every day.

Below are another favorite I started adding to the R.W. collection...also heavy and durable. The two top ovals are Buffalo China and the bottom platter is Homer Laughlin. I love the black scalloped detailing and ended up purchasing a few pieces on ebay several years ago, mostly in the Buffalo. Platters, soup plates, and berry bowls...these we use daily too.

The oval trio are the work horses of the bunch and continually hang out by the stove, ready to help at a moments notice when the cooking begins. They're my right hand ovals...they keep the 'mise en place' in place and also keep the marble counters safe from messy, gooey, and dangerous utensils...such as the lemon juice reamer.

Above are some chicken pot pie fixins ready to go!

Ovals also not only hang out near the stove, but on and above too...like the super heavy Le Creuset French oven that I use for pot roasts, beer braised briskets, and my mom's delicious German rouladen recipe.

Above is one of those little oval gratin dishes I showed you earlier which has now become the perfect spoon rest and next to it, is one of several Shenango China R.W. mini ovals that have been designated as S & P holders

Some of you might remember the tea cupboard post...well, the ovals have been mingling quite happily in there also!

An old mini ironstone oval holds the cream & sugar, a non pottery oval holds tea bags and another Jadeite R.W. oval holds the honey....I think it's their skinniness (funny looking word) that makes them so usable...ovals fit so much easier into smaller spaces that circles do!

There are serving pieces...

A couple of old ironstone vegetable bowls...

Remember the platters from the previous post...much better picture this time around...no Photoshop finagling either! The newer and the older vintages are mixing nicely here.

Another oval ironstone tureen...this one holding napkin rings and a bottle cork. This photo was taken when I was 'messing around' for the last post....see Pam's little beehive pots in the background...the ovals even play well with the non-ovals, they're sweet like that!

So after putting this post together...I happily realized that unknowingly, I'd been collecting ovals all these years. I knew I had always liked them and that I'd been drawn to them, but never fully realize that I had also been collecting them...now I know!

I can't wait to see the ones that have been packed away these past five years...it will be like an oval Christmas when those boxes get opened.... but for now, I'll enjoy the ones we have set free and in turn watch them...enjoy each others company!