Ohio Valley Pottery: A Bowl is a Bowl is a . . .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…
Bailey-Walker China: Blue and White Ironstone
Bailey-Walker China: Blue and White IronstoneSometimes 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…
Vintage Restaurant Ware: A Sentimental Journey
Vintage Restaurant Ware: A Sentimental JourneyCertainly 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…
Spring Cleaning Tip: How to Clean Rugs
Spring Cleaning Tip: How to Clean RugsLast 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.…
April Showers, Spring Flowers and Dandelion Bouquets
April Showers, Spring Flowers and Dandelion BouquetsAlready 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…
Cozy Up to Vintage Handwoven Textiles
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…
A Tiskit A Tasket A Watermelon Basket
Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for Chili
Plain Old White Ironstone Bowls – Perfect for ChiliA 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…
Cookbooks in the Internet Age
I am a historian and so, I truly understand that the internet is the greatest tool for any kind of research – including recipes. I was delighted to actually find a recipe for authentic Italian Roast Beef á la Marnell’s (Chicago Heights, Illinois). Italian Roast Beef is such an extraordinary culinary treat that an…
Vintage Ephemera: Christmas Cards
Vintage Holiday Greetings are one of a kind . . . choose one for a friend who is one of a kind.