The next time you read our weekly fresh to market vintage post, you will have made some new memories of Thanksgiving. It might be of having family gathered at the table. It might be of spending time serving others. It might be of an emptiness from someone who is not there. Or, if you’re at our house, it might be of six people in a tiny kitchen, all trying to roll the dough and top homemade personal pizzas at the same time. Whatever flavor your memories come in, we hope they are as sustaining as stuffing or mozzarella.
We have some memories in the post this week. The bright blue stoneware mixing bowl that maybe was used to whisk up eggs for eggnog. The marcasite thistle that was worn on the lapel for family holidays. The Otagiri pilgrim bears that would have been at home in Ma’s kitchen. And the flask with the man of mystery that served after dinner schnapps.
As the holidays start rolling in, we hope you will enjoy unpacking boxes of holiday favorites to decorate for the season. Talk about memories! It would be handy if memories were all good, sometimes they are not, but hopefully your good memories are able to shine brightly enough to diminish the bad ones.
And with that thought, buckle up. We’re ready to take you through this week’s fresh to market vintage.
Vintage Stoneware Mixing Bowl c 1930s
Imagine the holiday meals this stoneware mixing bowl has contributed to in its lifespan. Bright blue with an impressed design around the rim and at the base, I can see it filled with wrapped after-dinner mints and adding a cheery decorative touch to a contemporary holiday table.
Blue Stoneware Mixing Bowl, $40
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Scottish Thistle Marcasite Brooch
This souvenir brooch depicts the national flower of Scotland in marcasite and rhodium. A lovely reminder of a fond memory of someone’s trip, possibly to visit relatives or for a family vacation. It has just enough sparkle to catch the eye but not be to gaudy. The thistle represents pride, resilience, strength, protection, and resolve. It is the oldest known national flower. You can learn more about the Scottish Thistle history from the National Trust for Scotland here.
Marcasite Scottish Thistle Brooch, $24.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Otagiri Pilgrim Bears and Pumpkin Candleholders
My childhood Thanksgivings were made more exciting by Ma’s small decor-on-a-budget items to add to the kitchen, which was where we ate. Six children, spanning 14 years, and my parents really filled up that kitchen! Mom kept a small collection of Gurley candles to bring out each year, and augmented them with orange tapers and a Thanksgiving themed paper tablecloth and napkins. My mom would have loved these candleholders! We felt very special and grateful for what she did for us. We always had turnip, which ma mixed with mashed potatoes. She called it “root moose” which we now know by its name “rotmos.” These memories bring tears to my eyes for their simplicity and love. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Pilgrim Bears, $57.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Sleeping Mystery Man Flask
This needle etched glass flask came to us from a Norwegian gentleman and is something of a mystery. Although lots of searching has been done with lots of keyword combinations, no suitable image has been found for us to identify who the sleepy gent is with the pipe, crown, ermine trimmed robes and small round snuff box beside him. Is it Old King Cole? Is it a variation on St. Nicolas or Father Christmas? If you have any ideas, please leave a comment. We’re claiming it’s Father Christmas, but we are very open to other ideas.
Father Christmas (or is it) Glass Flask, $36.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s a wrap on this week’s fresh to market vintage. Speaking of wrapping, will this be the year you are not up til midnight on Christmas eve wrapping presents? Stop laughing. It could happen. Unicorns are real.
Before you get all wrapped up in seasonal goings-on, take a minute to subscribe to our weekly newsletter with links to each of our posts from the previous week. Finding it in your inbox is a perfect excuse to grab a cup of tea and carve out a few minutes for yourself to check out our newest vintage content.
It makes our brains hurt to think about it, but it is time to think about packing and shipping holiday gifts. We wrote a post in 2021 (a Covid year) of holiday shipping tips to save money and avoid delays. Avoiding delays in 2021 was wishful thinking, but we all have the power to do it this year.
