mauve cream and blue vintage plates

When it all comes together magically. Vintage serendipity!

mauve blue hydrangea

Part of what drives my creativity are happy coincidences.  Maybe happy accidents like Bob Ross would say.  

80 pastels

Happy coincidences like when you happen upon a yard sale and are attracted to a quirky set of 80’s place sets.  You buy them, you take them home, set them on the table next to the group of plates you just thrifted and the vase of hydrangeas you picked from your mother’s garden.  And you realize that the plates pick up the blue in napkins perfectly, and the mauve in the placemats looks like it was plucked straight out of the faded end of summer hydrangea. That kismet moment when a wash of satisfaction and happiness falls over you. All I can think is where my camera is. These are the moments that drive my creativity.  

Cavitt-shaw monogram plates

The plates are from the W. S. George Pottery Co., 1903 – 1960, in the ranchero style. They are the most perfect shade of pale yellow accented with a robin egg blue monogram with a simple, clean round shape.  The monogram might be my  favorite part.  If I ever get my Joanna Gaines moment and create a product line, a plate set like these would be on my list.    

mauve blue hydrangea

So I only found 11 pieces  of the Cavitt-Shaw dinnerware.  A full set for four would have been over 30 pcs. I found:

3 dinner plates

4 dessert plates

4 cake plates

 Let’s be honest though, that would have been a bit much for me.  I imagine that back in the 50’s one would have been upset to have a mismatched set of dishes, Today, I think it gives you the opportunity to make it better.  I would compliment this set with a blue bowl and maybe a patterned coffee cup.

vintage table setting with pastel hydrangea
late summer hydrangea in vintage blue glass vase
close up of late summer hydrange

This hydrangea is the gift that keeps on giving. It blooms from spring to summer and at all stages of growth, it’s just lovely. From the fresh chartreuse green in the early summer to the purple mid-summer blooms and now the gorgeous mauvy pink and green. Breathtaking! They will also dry beautifully, so you can enjoy them through the winter. That’s why they are one of my favorite flowers.

Classic and modern design is not an easy thing to achieve.  A lot of designers try few succeed, but these plates have achieved it perfectly.  Although these plates are from the ’50s and are over 70 years old, they would be perfect on a table today. 

 

These happy coincidences can only happen when you are in your process. That process, for me, is the continuous hunt. That is what brings me joy. The quest for unique, beautiful, and well-made goods. That could be furniture, art, textile, tools – I find beauty in so many things. What I appreciate is craftsmanship. Not that you can’t find quality crafted items today, because you can. It’s just that things made 50 years ago were made better. They were made to last a lifetime or longer.

I am always consciously or unconsciously curating collections. The more I look, the more I find. What amazes me is how these items come from all these different places yet come together so perfectly.  I think the magic is in the process. The magic that brings satisfaction and joy. I think they call it “getting into the flow.” I encourage you to follow your joy and find the magic and enjoy that wonderful synchronicity.

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