Design Spotlight: Vintage Berggren Ceramic Wall Hangings

Artists Audrey and Arthur Berggren founded a gift products and home wares company in 1948 located in Libertyville, Illinois. That company, eventually known as the Berggren Shelton Trayner Corporation, produced decorative hand screened ceramic tiles, and enamelware decorated with decals in the Swedish folk tradition style known as 'Dalmalningar'. The Berggrens proudly specialized in developing reproduction techniques in which patterns and colors of a uniquely Scandinavian folk art style were faithfully recreated on a variety of home products such as cookware, cutting boards, porcelain, china, and of course ceramic tiles.

The Berggrens' products were sold in many specialty and gift shops, as well as large department stores such as Carson, Pirie, Scott, and Marshall Field's. In 1953, the Chicago Tribune announced that Berggren Trayner was commissioned to reproduce the works of the famous painter Grandma Moses, and at least one of those pieces resides today in the collection of the New York Historical Society. 

In 1986 Bergquist Imports Incorporated bought Berggren Trayner and moved operations and manufacturing to Cloquet, Minnesota the following year. It is still in operation today, and continues to sell Swedish style wares under the Berggren Trayner brand name. 

Although my collection of vintage Berggren Trayner ceramics is just the three pieces shown above, it is clear, when placed together, that the consistency and vibrancy of the colors used are of craftsmanship quality. For me, these are decorative items, but they have had prior use and constant exposure to light - even so, those vibrant colors and the ceramics and porcelain have stood the test of time rather well.  

Common among the three pieces are whimsical floral patterns, white backgrounds, and the use of black outlines which adds detail; as well, they all have dual functions, as either decorative wall hangings or as trivets and plates. The two square tiles, both measuring 6 inches, have very similar stylistic themes and each has a folk saying written in Swedish. Here's a closer look:

The translation for the saying on the above tile is "The road to a good friend is short", and you can see the Berggren signature on the right edge, next to the green building. 

'Welcome to our home' is the translation for this second tile, which also has the trademark signature on the right. It's interesting how the simple, straightforward colors of red, yellow, blue, and green provide a striking color burst against the white tiles. Furthermore, the array of many tiny details in the patterned borders give the eye plenty of detail to look at, and the fanciful treatment of the large floral sprays are what really spark a warm, whimsical feeling.  

In contrast to the above square tiles is this circular porcelain or china plate, where the absence of blue in no way diminishes from the interest of colors used (the same red, yellow and green as in the tiles above), and its ornate, dynamic motif lends an energetic, organic impression:

The Berggren name appears on this piece as well, albeit in very tiny letters on the bottom left.  

Do you enjoy collecting any vintage home wares?  Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me about it! And if you are interested in seeing more vintage Berggren home wares, you may like to visit my Pinterest page here.

Thank you for reading!

Weekend Life: Happy New Year

Hi Friends! I'm happy to be back in the blog world again, now that the long Christmas holiday season is over and the New Year is in full swing. I've been taking it easy for a couple weeks now, and I'm finally feeling rested up and recovered from all the extra activity of the holidays. However, I already miss those enjoyable quiet moments snuggled up on the couch watching movies with my family - an activity we really only take part in at Christmas time.

There's nothing quite like a three day weekend! This past week included the Monday holiday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is a day set aside here in the United States to honor the work of Dr. King, a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 60s.

Three days off work instead of the usual two, allowed me the chance to finally clear up all the household bits and pieces that got neglected during the holidays, as well as donate unwanted items and clothing, and sell an old desk. My art studio is part of what used to be our garage (here in the US, most houses have a space to store an automobile, which we call a "garage") and it too needed some organizational attention. Once that was done, I was able to work on some art pieces I've been excited about, in preparation for an upcoming spring show. I also dove into a long neglected pocket-style photo album project - here's a look at one of the spreads I finished in that album, featuring a few of my Instagram photos from the spring of last year:

I also took some time to finish reading The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. My daughter Audrey, who is an avid reader and lover of fiction, gifted this book to me for Christmas. Coincidentally, I found the Studio Calico 'Book Review' journaling card (shown bottom left) in my stash when I was working on my pocket album. Once I finish writing out my thoughts about the book, the journaling card will be a nice addition to my pocket album, paired with this photo:

This month marks the second year for the Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I have enjoyed sharing my various interests here, and am grateful to those of you that have taken the time to read about them. I have some plans in the works for the coming year: I'd like to give the blog a new, more polished look, so I am looking at blog formatting options right now; also, I will be selling a Plum Blossom exclusive product, handmade by me. So I hope you will stayed tuned!

You can follow me by email here on the blog (see the widget for that in the right sidebar), and Blogger will send you a notification.  

As always, thanks for reading!
  

A Frosty Day In The Garden

Nineteen degrees Fahrenheit (-7˚C) - really?  I could hardly believe my eyes as I peered at the temperature gauge outside my kitchen window.  And as I looked out into my garden, or what remains of it, I could see that the last surviving plants and flowers were covered in ice crystals! When the average seasonal temperatures in our valley at this time of year are a high of 52˚F (11˚C) and a low of 38˚F (3˚C), a frosty nineteen degrees in the garden is a visual story just waiting to be told. So let's start with the echinacea flower pictured above - it's the only flower left on that plant. And when the petals decay and fall away, what stays intact are the spiny seed pods:

And those spiny seed pods are a delicious treat for the little yellow finches that love to eat them, as evidenced here:

The last of the pink tea roses on this rosebush faded away several weeks ago, but those beautiful green leaves have endured:

I love the patinated surface of this terra cotta sun face from New Mexico. It has been hanging on this fence, aging gracefully, for some years now. I was excited to photograph its frosty, sparkling, perpetually beaming smile this day, in a moment of glorious shadow and light:

Here are a few more colorful, frosty leaves and flowers I spotted, such as these blueberry leaves:

And some strawberry leaves:

A dahlia:

A chrysanthemum:

And the ever popular hydrangea:

Spending time in the garden would not be complete for me without a little peek into the bird world. During this time of year, we get many of the small perching birds such as this Oregon Junco. Did you know that it's easy to photograph birds outdoors? This method works very well if you regularly feed 'backyard birds', who are accustomed to spending time in your garden: when they come to eat the food you have provided, just find an out of the way spot and sit perfectly still. As long as you don't make any loud noise or move suddenly, they are usually not disturbed by the slow subtle movements of taking pictures. Give it a try!

Thanks for spending A Frosty Day In The Garden with me!

Styling The Seasons - November

With November nearly gone, it's time to reflect on some of the recent events that have had the most significance for me. As a memory keeper, it makes me happy to be able to slow down and share some of these cherished 'kitchen table' moments with you.       

On Thanksgiving morning, I made the hydrangea wreath shown in the above photo for my mom who lives in a nursing home nearby. My daughter Audrey and I brought it to her that same day, along with a small colorful autumn-themed oil painting (shown above, already gift wrapped), and a Thanksgiving greeting card. Mom loves greeting cards, and our visit and the gifts mean a great deal to her.

Thanksgiving dinner with my family: this year, we had the traditional roast turkey 'with all the trimmings', as the saying goes. True comfort food! Also shown is my favorite holiday relish, a Martha Stewart recipe that is made with fresh cranberries, apple, orange, and walnuts. I also made the festive seasonal table decoration sitting to the right of the turkey. This year was the first time I've ever purchased the cute mini pumpkins, and I've thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, both as a decoration, and as photo props on Instagram.

In the early morning on the day after Thanksgiving, I spent over an hour photographing mother nature's handy work in my garden - soon to become another blogpost featuring my garden in various seasons. Although it was incredibly cold, I very much enjoyed walking around with my camera looking for interesting compositions. Afterward, I gave myself some time to rest, reflect, and enjoy a warming cup of coffee and a slice of homemade pumpkin pie. Currently, I've been reading Happy Handmade Home by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman, as well as some other interesting books found at the local library. The remainder of my holiday time will be spent doing chores like raking leaves, organizing my work space, and cleaning up after the holiday. So, all the more reason to enjoy the now...

Styling The Seasons is a monthly photography challenge hosted by Katy of Apartment Apothecary and Charlotte of Lotts & lots. To participate, just style any surface in your home and share it on your blog and/or on Instagram using the hashtag #stylingtheseasons.
  

DIY: Autumn Mini Pumpkin Table Centerpiece

Ornamental pumpkins are a new favorite decorative element of mine. I discovered that their segmented circular shapes and attractive bright colors are the perfect complement to the natural decorative materials I like to gather, and serve as an interesting main attraction in an easy to make festive display. And, well - they are just so darn cute!

To make this table centerpiece you'll need the following:

• 5 mini pumpkins (found at many grocery stores during autumn)
• a variety of leaves, moss, seeds, berries - whatever you can find
• one paper doily
• a gold charger plate (I found mine at a local thrift shop)

I really enjoyed getting outside and gathering up the bits of nature that were later used to fill in the gaps in and around the pumpkins. It's fortunate having an abundance of natural choices right here in my own yard, and it didn't take long to collect several handfuls of interesting materials:

After coming back indoors, it was fun just laying everything out and looking over this wonderful variety of mosses, lichens, berries, seed pods and arborvitae sprigs:

I had saved a few autumn colored leaves from a Japanese maple and my blueberry bushes, and added those to the mix as well.  

The first step is to arrange the mini pumpkins on your platter. This is where you want to pay attention to color, size and shape, as these elements determine the dynamics of the arrangement:

Make sure to leave space around some of the pumpkins; this will be where you will want to fill in those gaps with some of your gathered materials. I started with the arborvitae sprigs, adding in just a few around the perimeter of the charger plate:

Next, I added three sweet gum seed pods:

Then, I filled in the gaps between the pumpkins with moss, as well as adding some around the outsides:

A few leaves:

Some alder seed cones:

And lastly, some holly berries:

And that's it! I plan on using my new centerpiece as part of the table decor for our Thanksgiving Day celebration on Thursday, but of course this display is a great centerpiece for an autumn Sunday dinner, too. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you will consider creating an Autumn Mini Pumpkin Table Centerpiece of your very own.  

See you next time!
       

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Hi friends! Is it getting chilly in your part of the world? The cold weather is beginning to sink in here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I shouldn't complain, though - up until now the days have been sunny and pleasant.

But now that the rain is back and the temperatures are no longer mild, it's time to get out the soup pot and make some homemade soup.  I enjoy sitting at the kitchen table, watching the birds flit in and out of my garden while I linger over a hot bowl of soup. There are sparrows, wrens, towhees, blue jays, finches, bushtits, flickers, downy woodpeckers, and starlings. But that is a story for another day. Soup is on the menu today.

And the taste of pumpkin soup, in my mind, must include pumpkin pie spice. As everyone knows, pumpkins and spice go together. Traditional pumpkin pie spice mixture is a blend of powdered cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Considered a warming spice, pumpkin pie spice is often found not only in pumpkin pie, but also soups, stews, curries, vegetable dishes, breads, and even ice cream! 'Pumpkin everything', as the saying goes!

I pondered over several recipes both in my collection of cookbooks and on the internet, and found that I prefer a savory, rather than a sweet pumpkin soup, so there is no sugar in this recipe. I think that onions, and a pumpkin that I roasted myself, also contribute to that savory flavor I was looking for. Here is my version of this classic soup:

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1/2 of a medium onion, diced

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds roasted pumpkin, mashed

4 cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

salt and pepper to taste

2-4 cups water

In a soup pot, heat olive oil and sauté the diced onions until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Combine the butter and flour, and stir it into the boiling soup. Add salt, pepper, and the pumpkin pie spice. Turn the heat down and simmer the soup for 30 minutes with a lid on half way to retain liquid, and add water as necessary, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Once your soup has your desired taste and consistency, remove from the heat and take off the lid. Let cool for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the steam. When cool, pureé in a blender or food processor, and return to the soup pot. Reheat the soup, and serve garnished with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy!

Yield: about 8-10 cups

Cooking time: about 2 hours

Ode To A Summer Garden, Through The Lens

The summer garden brings so much joy; it's hard to let go...
Echinacea, I will miss your sturdy colorful petals bobbing in the warm gentle breeze...

And blueberry, I am already anticipating next summer when I can taste your sweetness in my cereal again...

And hosta, your broad, ribbed leaves and delicate purple flowers are a sight to behold. See you next year, my friend...

Maple - you are the brightest star in my garden galaxy! With each passing day, your long branches are becoming more visible, reminding me that this past summer is now just a memory...

I will never forget you, dear lily. Your sweet scent on a warm summer night is wrapped up in my mind's eye, and shall live there forever...

All photos taken with my iPhone.