Plum Blossom Decor: An Etsy Shop Update

Hello friends! A funny thing happened on the way to writing this blog post. Last weekend I pulled five of my Etsy shop listings from my inventory (shown above), styled them on our piano, and photographed them so I could write this blog post for you today.

Then on Wednesday a customer bought the Blue Willow canister set. I considered starting over again and replacing the canisters with something else, but since they are such a rare find I thought I would still share the set, as well as the other items shown.

I found these ceramic Blue Willow canisters at an estate sale a few weeks ago and almost passed them up because it was only the three, not the standard four. I had a hunch though that, because it's Blue Willow, maybe someone out there wouldn't mind that the largest sized canister is missing. Perhaps I guessed correctly...

When I came home from the sale I searched the internet for Blue Willow canisters and found that there are very few out there for sale. This set is not marked but I did find one or two other sellers that had the same canisters and theirs were marked Japan. Johnson Brothers England also made a Blue Willow canister set.
 Nevertheless, I'm sure that Tina in New Jersey is going to love her new Blue Willow canisters!

The remaining items (as follows) are still available in my Esty shop Plum Blossom Decor.

This J & G Meakin ironstone platter in the 'Blue Nordic' pattern was made in England in the 1970s. It is 12" wide and 9-1/4" in height and is dishwasher safe. Blue Nordic, also known as Blue Onion, is a very popular pattern and appears to be widely collected. Its abstract floral design is Scandinavian influenced and quite popular amongst those that like almost anything blue and white. The fact that this pattern is dishwasher safe is a bonus as it can actually be used for everyday meals!

Also available is a sweet (albeit mismatched) pair of Japanese ceramic fans. The fan on the left has pretty pink and purple irises, blue leaves, gold highlights, and a raised or embossed texture. Although the white fan does not have any decoration, it has all the same raised or embossed textures as the decorated fan. These would be fun to use for sushi night or for jewelry next to your bedside or on your dresser. They would also be nice displayed on a bookshelf or piano.

Another lovely item for your consideration is this 'Canton style' Chinese decorative bottle with lid. It features a wrap around pattern, similar to Blue Willow, with pagoda style buildings along a river that has a bridge, sailboats, trees, flowers, rocks, birds and mountains in the background. At 7" in height it would be lovely sitting on a stack of books on your shelves or as part of a vignette on a bathroom shelf or perhaps on your bedside table.

And lastly, a Chinese ginger jar with a hand painted 'chintz-like' pattern. It is 7" in height and there are interesting borders on the top and bottom of the jar as well as on the lid, and a floral medallion on the front and back. A classic piece that will work anywhere you choose to place it.

So head on over to Plum Blossom Decor on Etsy to see more details, photos, videos and prices. Everything here is available (except the sold Blue Willow canister set) and in excellent vintage condition with no chips, cracks or crazing to the glaze. And don't forget to use the code PlumBlossom10 for a ten percent discount on your order!

Thank you for looking and bye for now...

Introducing Plum Blossom Vintage: Chinoiserie, The Orient, Midcentury

Hello Friends! Well it's been almost one year since the corona virus struck the United States and our lives fell into a tail spin. But now that there is a vaccine and a new president in the White House, I'm feeling hopeful about the future. I hope you are as well.

I'm excited to share some news with you! I'm starting a new shop! Plum Blossom Vintage will offer inspiring vintage chinoiserie, oriental and midcentury homewares for anyone looking to add some asian or midcentury (or both!) inspired flair to their home decor.

I'm still selling vintage tea ware in my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures. This new endeavor will be on Instagram. I'll be utilizing my Vintage Tea Treasures Instagram account where the name has been changed to Plum Blossom Vintage. Shown above is a sneak peek of the first collection for Plum Blossom Vintage. It is almost ready for a flash sale which will be happening very soon and I will announce it here. 

So wish me luck and I hope you will join me for the sale!

Flattening the Curve, Day 45

Hello lovlies! Today is the forty-fifth day that I have been on mandated leave from my government work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

With Mother's Day just around the corner, this is a little reminder that there are many nice vintage tea ware items in my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures that are perfect gifts for your tea loving mother, grandmother, or perhaps mother-in-law.

For example, above is a Royal Vale Mother teacup and saucer set that features a lovely scripted 'Mother' in gold on the front of the teacup. There are pink, yellow and purple flowers with greenery on the front and back of the teacup and also on the saucer. There is gold gilding on the inside rim, upper rim, foot and handle of the teacup and on the perimeter of the saucer.

This violets vintage teacup and saucer set, above, is a Tuscan brand and has a 'Mother' scripted on the inside of the teacup near the top rim. There are lots of pretty lavender and purple violets with greenery on the front and back of the teacup and on the saucer, with gold gilding on the top rim, handle and foot of the teacup and around the perimeter of the saucer.

There are also some 'vintage gifts' in my shop and this pair of Ucago Ceramics branded pedestal candlestick holders is a fine example. Green seashells are the candlestick holders and each is embellished with a green parakeet and a smaller green seashell. Each half shell is mounted on a pedestal stand, or base, and is decorated with realistic barnacles. Lovely gold embellishment throughout.

And lastly, for anyone shopping for a month of May birthday gift, this beautiful Tuscan brand 'Birthday Flowers' teacup and saucer set featuring May's Lily of the Valley is perfect!

  

The set has a pedestal egg-like cup shape decorated with a medium sized bouquet of Lily of the Valley on the front of the teacup, a smaller bouquet on the back, and a sprig on the inside of the teacup. The same floral pattern is repeated on the slightly scalloped saucer and there is gold gilding on the foot, top rim and handle of the teacup and around the perimeter of the saucer.

Just click the link on any of the above descriptions and you'll find more photos and pricing information.

And of course, I always offers readers of this blog a discount, so just use the code PLUMBLOSSOM10 for ten percent off your order. And don't forget that I offer free shipping in the USA!

Thank you for looking and I hope you are having a peaceful and safe weekend.

See you again soon.

  

Flattening the Curve, Day 36

Hello friends. Today is the thirty-sixth day of of my mandatory leave from my work site due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Also today is Vintage Finds: Fitz and Floyd Chinoiserie Mantle Cats.

Since I became enamoured with all things chinoiserie a couple of years ago, I discovered that cats, like these cuties, and especially Staffordshire and Pekingese dogs are a thing as far as decorative mantle pieces go, and so I knew I needed at least one pair. So you might imagine my excitement when I spotted this set at my local charity shop one afternoon.

Fitz and Floyd is an American company, having been in business for over 50 years here in the United States. This pair of cats was manufactured in Japan, probably in the 1970s or 1980s, and features a lovely and unique cracked glaze finish. In addition, there are subtle differences in appearance and shape. And the fact that they are hand painted individualizes each cat.

Here's the cat on the left:

And here's the cat on the right:

Did you notice how each cat sits on a royal blue pillow, complete with tassel embellisments? I love that!

The original sticker bearing the Fitz and Floyd marking is still present on the bottom of each piece. The bottoms are covered with a dark colored non-slip material.

And lastly, here's a photo of the backs of the cats.

Thank you for joining me for another Vintage Finds post!

I hope you are safe and well and making it through this pandemic without too much heartache.

P.S. The chinoiserie fabric backdrop is a remnant of Waverly Williamsburg Asian Arcadia Sapphire from 1502 Fabrics, from when I made a valance style curtain for my kitchen window.

Kawaii Corner - Inarco Frog Planter

Hi Friends! It's been awhile since I shared a fun, lovable "kawaii" (Japanese concept of cute, particularly cute animals) vintage collectable. This big-eyed, smiling happy frog, with its proper salutational hat-tipping gesture, was manufactured and hand-painted by the Inarco Company in Japan some fifty or sixty years ago. It has been hanging around our house for quite some time, and although it gets carefully shifted from one place to another, it never ceases to put a smile on the faces of whomever it meets.

Although pipe smoking has been long out of fashion, our aquatic companion is, even in our modern times, considered to be very smartly dressed in a pink waistcoat, accessorized with a jaunty yellow straw hat and black bow tie.

From those lovable big protruding eyes...

to those slap-happy webbed feet...

the cuteness factor, or "kawaii", is irresistible. I'm sure we will be delighting in our frog friend's imaginary antics for many more years to come.

Thanks for being here. See you again soon on Kawaii Corner!

Vintage Finds: Napcoware Bird Plaques

Hi friends, and welcome to another edition of Vintage Finds!

One of the down-sides of collecting vintage is the disappointment one may feel upon discovering a single item that was originally produced as part of a set, but then being unable to locate its mate. The most common examples of this situation are salt and pepper shakers. How many times have you come across just one and then found yourself searching all the shelves in the charity shop, hoping to reunite the pair? Oh, am I the only one that does that?

Since the beginning of this 'Vintage Finds' blog series, my intention was always to show you a somewhat random selection of my latest finds, mainly because that is how real life works, right? You never know what you'll find and part of the fun is sharing the latest discoveries.

But it just so happens that on one of my latest excursions, I was thrilled to discover the two large Napcoware bird plaques pictured to the left and right above. Some months prior, I acquired the smaller Goldfinch plaque (middle, above) and shared it in a post called Vintage Finds: A Touch of Gold!

Upon finding the Goldfinch plaque, I figured it would be an arbitrary purchase, since it was extremely unlikely that I would ever see any other similar plaques. Even though many ceramic knick knacks were mass produced in the 1950s and 1960s, there now seems to exist a sort of random selection of odd pieces in the second hand shops. So when I saw the Bluejay and Cardinal plaques, sitting together on the shelf, it was a complete surprise. Now it feels a bit like a display of rainbow-colored birds!

There isn't a lot of information here on the web about Napco, or National Potteries Corporation. In its humble beginnings, it started in 1938 as a small manufacturing plant located here in the United States, in Bedford, Ohio, specializing in decorative ceramic home wares. In the post World War II era, like so many other manufacturers in America, the company turned to having their designs manufactured in Japan.

These high quality plaques are rich in color and feature extraordinary details such as the intricate layers of feathers, the scaly texture of the birds' legs, and the natural and wild portrayal of the floral embellishments in the backgrounds. Furthermore, the three dimensional relief provides interest, and the plaques' golden edges fall within the current home decor trend of gold accents around the home.

Thank you for reading another edition of Vintage Finds!

Vintage Tea Treasures: An Etsy Shop Update

Hi Everyone! It's a new month and a few more tea treasures have been added to my Etsy shop, and so that calls for a Vintage Tea Treasures update. 

The coffeepot on the left is a classic midcentury work of modern art. During the 1950's the Santa Anita Potteries in Los Angeles, California had their top stylist, Swiss designer Vreni Wawra, create a line of ceramic table ware that I'm sure you will agree is as timeless in its function, as it also is in style. Signed by the designer, this unique piece is surely a conversation starter!

Did you know that during the United States' occupation of Japan after World War II, the Noritake China Company was called Rose China? In the background is an on-trend white china trio, consisting of a footed teacup, saucer and cake plate, which features an elegant gold trim, and is backstamped 'Rose China' and 'Made in Occupied Japan'. The stamp itself includes greenery and a pretty rose. There are three trio sets available in the shop.

In the foreground is another example of fine Japanese ceramic craftsmanship: a delicate floral teatime duo by the Fred Roberts Company, featuring a beautiful tapered teacup. The Fred Roberts Company was a San Francisco, California based importer. Priced at just $15.00 plus shipping, this set is perfect for the lover of vintage chintz!

For all the details about any of these items, including sizes, prices and shipping costs, visit Vintage Tea Treasures on Etsy.

And as always, thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree, and Vintage Tea Treasures!

  

Styling A Vintage Hutch: The Christmas Season

Hi Friends! Ever since I purchased a limed oak James Mont chinoiserie-style hutch last spring, I've been wanting to style it on a regular basis and share it here with you on this blog.

As it happened, 'Life got in the way', as it often does, and for the most part this hutch became a repository for various tea ware items offered in my Etsy shop. While that's still true to some extent, this is my first attempt at purposefully arranging the collectibles in my hutch in a manner that more characteristically reflects who I am. After giving it some thought, I decided that a good approach would be styling through the use of pieces that vary in type, shape, and size, yet are still consistent in color and style. Luckily, I collect a huge variety of 'stuff', and I thought that picking items with my styling decisions in mind would be a fun challenge for myself!

Choosing a color scheme of white, green and red, and a Christmas or seasonal theme, using all vintage items provided a consistent look. And having a variety of items - plates and teacups and saucers that vary in shape, size, and manufacturer - helped to tie together a miscellaneous collection of fun Christmas kitsch, such as the Santa mugs, elves and guest card holders (like the small 'Mrs. Claus' figurine), into a harmonious whole. Adding a touch of the modern world is a great way to bridge the past with the present; the paper fans (purchased at a Target department store) and the poinsettia plant displayed alongside a vintage teapot on the very top of the hutch help to accomplish that.

Here are a few close up shots, one from each shelf:

I enjoy recording family memories, and took these photographs on Christmas Eve as part of a holiday story for a pocket photo album project. And now that I have taken down all of the Christmas decorations, and also begun putting away most of the items pictured, I realized that the photos I had taken were the beginnings of a new blog post series on styling a vintage hutch! And now, I can begin the process of figuring out what will go on these shelves next. What fun!

Thanks for reading. Soon, I hope to be able to once again share another post featuring the styling of my vintage James Mont hutch.

Vintage Finds: Christmas Bits and Bobs

Hi Friends! Where has the time gone? I intended to share a few of my latest Vintage Finds last month, but November slipped by and I never got the chance.

Now that it's December, I'm excited because it's that time of year when the volunteers at my favorite local charity shop, Assistance League of Eugene, have stocked their shelves with loads of holiday decor, including some fun vintage Christmas bits and bobs. Also, every December the Assistance League sells tickets to their exclusive holiday event, giving its patrons a chance to shop the newly stocked holiday merchandise before the general public. And the best part, of course, is that the Assistance League serves children in need through several philanthropic programs, such as Operation School Bell, Children's Dental Center, and Operation Heritage.

So here's a quick post with the items I've found so far:

The star of the show in this vignette is the stylized holly teacup and saucer. What a wild thing, right? I love the unusual texture and the dark green color - a quintessentially 1950s shade. Unfortunately there is not much information about who made it. The saucer has a 'U.S.A.' incised stamp and the bottom of the teacup is stamped '1363' in ink. This set will definitely be showing up in my Instagram feed soon! Laying on the saucer is a '50s Lauffer teaspoon made in Norway. It features a classic midcentury modern design coupled with a primitive style wood handle. This spoon is part of a cutlery set which has not only the usual knife, fork and teaspoon, but also salad forks and soup spoons.   

The pair of colorful birds and the 'snowgirl' in the yellow dress are tree ornaments made in Japan. Each of the three ornaments shown has a hard plastic body covered with a stiff colored fabric. The feathers and eyes of the birds are made of felt that has been pieced together and glued on, and their beaks are a hard plastic, also glued into place. The dress and orange hat of the snowgirl are also made of felt, plus she has a cute pink pearl nose and painted-on eyelashes. I love how little ornaments such as these have a very homemade look and no doubt, a lot of handwork was involved in their making.

The glass ball ornaments were all made in USA except for the little pink one on the bottom left, which was made in Japan. Here's a cleaning tip about these old relics: to remove dust, dirt and other debris, very gently wipe them with a soft dry cotton cloth only! I learned the hard way that if you try to clean these with a wet sponge, you may actually remove the painted finish!

And lastly, two decorative dishes: The jolly Santa with the friendly eyes is a Josephs Originals, made in Korea. The leaf shaped dish on the right, featuring a child dressed in a festive red outfit carrying sprigs of holly, is a hand painted soap dish, made by Lefton China, in Japan.

Oh, and if you are wondering about the three paper fans, I got them at Target last week. Definitely not vintage! I enjoy mixing vintage and modern. 

As always, thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time, for more Vintage Finds!

Vintage Finds: Colorful Roosters!

Hi Friends! Here in Oregon, we've already had the change of seasons, and it's been cloudy and grey and raining for over a week straight, so let's have fun with some rich autumnal colors and tones, to balance it all out. October's Vintage Finds is a colorful rooster theme; a pair of Norcrest ceramic wall hangings on the left are a recent find while the large orange California pottery wall pocket rooster was purchased awhile back. Although very different in style, shape, color and manufacturer, the subject matter is quite interestingly similar.

Once upon a time here in the United States, decorative household ceramics production were very popular, a trend beginning in the 1930s and lasting through the 1960s. During that time, Los Angeles, California was the largest center for makers of colorful ceramics, with as many as 300 manufacturers in those early years. After World War II began, imports from Europe and Asia were discontinued, and the California ceramics industry reached its pinnacle in the post war era with over 800 small family and larger company businesses in existence. In the 1950s the US began importing ceramic wares again, leading to a decline in the number of California potteries. Sadly, only a few have survived into the 21st century. 

No doubt, this abstract orange rooster was made during the post war heyday of the California pottery makers. It bears an impressed stamp that says 'Made in Calif. USA' along with three letters which are hard to read. It looks like 'CHP' - California something Pottery? What attracted me to this rooster was its modern abstract design, and the fact that it functions as a wall pocket, which allows for some fun floral arranging, resulting in a captivating statement piece!

Norcrest China Company has its roots right here in the state of Oregon. The story begins with Hide and Fukiye Naito, who emigrated to America in 1912 from Tara, Japan, a farming community near Tokyo. The couple had two children, Bill and Sam, both born in Oregon. 

In 1920, Hide opened a Japanese imports shop on Washington Street in Portland, selling Japanese goods to the general population, which was considered unconventional at the time because Japanese owned businesses were usually only located in Japan-town, and sold their goods to other Japanese. When the Depression hit, Hide's business savvy was in full gear, running a variety of different small businesses, while at the same time expanding the import business. In 1938 Mr Naito opened an import warehouse in Portland, which at the time was a major West Coast seaport. 

Once the United States entered into World War II, Japanese families, including the Naitos, were forced to give up their homes and businesses and were relocated to internment camps in various isolated areas around the western interior. Although the Naito family was scheduled to go to one of these camps, they were instead allowed permission to go to Utah and live with family.

After the war, the Naito family returned to Portland, and Hide and his son Sam reestablished their family business, which became known as Norcrest China Company. Interestingly, one of the ways in which Sam worked to reestablish their business was to bring pottery up to Oregon from California, most likely sourced  from those very same pottery concerns from which my abstract orange rooster came from! The family continued importing goods from Japan, and due to popular demand for English tea ware, they also began importing bone china teacups and saucers from the United Kingdom.

In the 1960s Hide's son Bill expanded Norcrest China Company into several other businesses, including the "Made In Oregon" retail stores and Import Plaza. These holdings allowed the Naitos to invest in Portland's run-down area then known as "Skid Road", revitalizing the district that they then renamed Old Town. Bill's son Bob joined his father after finishing college, and together they worked on other historic development projects in the Portland area. Bill Naito died in 1996 and Bob has carried on his fathers legacy of historic preservation and sustainable development.    
Considering the humble beginnings this pair of Norcrest stylized dueling roosters represent, I've come to appreciate their striking dynamic appearance, kitschey energetic design and rich color palette even more. I'm already very fond of Japanese vintage collectables, and now look forward to finding additional Norcrest pieces.
  

Thank you for letting me share my favorite vintage finds. See you next month! 

Vintage Finds: Gimme Those Blues!

Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by for another edition of Vintage Finds. Today we're looking at two 'Folkstone' stoneware plates (left), featuring the Lilac pattern made by the Noritake Company from 1972-78. And to the right, is a pair of Indiana Glass Company water goblets in their Colony Park Lane pattern, manufactured from 1957 until the mid 1970s.

The Noritake Company has a long history in the United States, from their humble beginnings in New York City as the Morimura Brothers import goods store in 1876, to the world famous tableware brand it is today. What strikes me about this pattern, with its big, bold, colorful design, is the abstract, painterly quality of the flowers. The brushstrokes look hand painted and remind me of traditional Asian brush painting. Note the beautiful distinctive blue band around the perimeter of the plates, encompassing the energetic and free form dancing lilacs.

The Colony goblets are one of six shapes produced by Indiana Glass. They also made a wine goblet which was a bit smaller than these water goblets, as well as juice glasses, champagne or sherbet glasses, and cocktail and cordial glasses. All were made in several colors - gold amber, olive green, clear crystal, blue, and 'gold carnival glass', which is apparently hard to find. Matching glass luncheon plates in the same colors were also available. Appealing in both color and shape, the goblets have a striking pattern of elongated triangular and oval shapes cast directly into the outside of the glass, which your fingertips fall right into when you pick it up. Even a nervous butter fingers could be confident holding onto one of these goblets at a cocktail party! Since this line of glassware was manufactured beginning in 1957, I'd say they were way ahead of their time, because in my mind, they scream classic 1970s!

The stoneware and the glassware were each found in different charity shops at different times. Since purchasing these pieces, I've been imagining an expressive table scape blending both of these two blue elements together: a combination of the energy and vitality found in the plates, along with the cool and calm stability of the goblets. A white tablecloth and some pink peonies like the one pictured above, with its fascinating blue tinge, would complete the look I have pictured in my mind. Luncheon anyone?

Styling The Seasons - April

Here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, we are no strangers to rain. Most of our days from autumn until spring are set against the backdrop of rain-filled, cloudy, 'atmospheric' gray skies, as we go about the daily business of work, school, and our travels from here to there.

But when the month of April arrives, there is a slight shift in the weather as fluffy white cumulus clouds begin to roll in and slowly replace the cloud canopy that has ruled this landscape for months. As the sun begins to shine in irregular patterns while it darts in and out of rain clouds, the parade of ornamental blossom trees that began blooming under the darker skies of March continues, and I enjoy taking walks around the neighborhood looking for stray and forgotten blossoms. One would think that I would have taken an umbrella, but sometimes I'm a bear of very little brain!  

On one of my walks I found some beautiful white pear blossoms spilling into an alleyway. So, for this months Styling The Seasons, I'm featuring them in this somewhat wild and natural looking arrangement, displayed in a Fiestaware vase, along with some red and orange ranunculus flowers I purchased at the grocery store.

This is a somewhat precarious spot to place such a display because this is my kitchen counter and it is of course a very busy corner, but I love the approach to styling that Katy Orme of Apartment Apothecary suggests, which is that we style any surface in our homes. So, although this was a very short-term styling session (over a weekend), still it reminds me of my neighborhood walks on unsettled spring days, and represents springtime in all its various moments - wind, sun, rain, and even some thunder and lightning!

A poem found in a book from my childhood, entitled A Child's Book of Poems, reminds me of these fluctuating spring days:

The Rain (author unknown)

The rain came down in torrents

And Mary said, "Oh, dear,

I'll have to wear my waterproof,

And rubbers, too, I fear!"

So, carefully protected, she started off for school, 

When the big round sun,

Came out and chuckled "April Fool!"

*            *            * 

Here's a few more peeks to show you some of my favorite thrifted treasures. This 'jazz kitty' as I call it, is actually some sort of planter or vase, as it has an opening in the back of its head. Like most of my vintage finds, it's made in Japan, as is the little wood shelf the cat sits on:

If you found just one vintage red cardinal salt or pepper shaker, would you buy it? That's me, too. I love it when I find a perfect set of salt and pepper shakers - nothing missing, no chips, no broken pieces glued back on. But when I see just one perfect shaker, I can forgive the fact that the other one is long gone, and enjoy the remaining one as it is, especially when it's a bird!

The wabi-sabi, Oriental shaped lantern is from a downtown charity shop that I love to frequent. One week this past February the shop's theme was "Asian Celebration", which coincided with the Asian Celebration festival happening in our town at the time. I purchased the red lantern knowing I would place it on this wall mounted hanger.

What does the month of April mean to you? Style any surface in your home and share it on your blog and/or on Instagram, tagging Katy Orme at Apartment Apothecary and Charlotte at Lotts and Lots.