Heisey Twist Pink Nut Cup

I know what you’re thinking. Huh? What’s this little pink dish?

This is Twist from Heisey, one of their classic molded designs from the depression era that they made in colored glass and crystal. This cute little dish is the two-handled nut cup and it is little, only about 4 inches wide.

I know, it seems odd to have special little dishes just for nuts. Back in the day ladies played cards – usually bridge – in the afternoon. With bridge you have two decks, one shuffled and ready for the next deal and the one you play for that hand. The cards move from one person to the next and the tables get crowded fast!

Thus nut cups. The hostess would set out a nut cup by each person, plus a coaster and maybe an ashtray too. These pieces had to be small and easy to move out of the way when it was your turn to deal.

Nut cups were perfect. Small, cute, attractive and with little handles. Sanitary since each lady had her own.

Nowadays we’d use these for small servings of nuts or candy, or place strategically around the room with flower petals. Elegance – and pink – are always in style!

Thanks for visiting our Pink Saturday pink depression glass post this week, and as always a big thank you to Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for organizing this fun event. Please be sure to visit the other bloggers to see how pink we can be

Moderntone and Newport Depression Glass

The plates, cups and sherbets are Moderntone and the creamer and sugar are Newport.  Can you see how similar these patterns are?  Both are simple with geometric molded shapes.

Moderntone has lovely concentric rings with clear plain centers.  Newport has scallops molded on the side and pretty little petal shaped feet.

My little kitty planter came from an antiquing trip with my daughter this summer.  I love little animal planters, vintage ones from the 1950s or so.  They are so cute!  When we moved I put a bookcase down in my glass room and set all my little planters and figurines out to keep me company.

We carry Moderntone and Newport depression glass in our store Catladykates Vintage Elegant Depression Glass. Shopping with us is like antiquing with your best friend.

My thanks to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday.

Guess what? We found several! First Deidra and I went antiquing to Timberland Antique Mall and found a booth where the owner had seriously marked down her linen. Then Dave and I found another one at an estate sale. Now we have plenty of cloths!

I want to show you the difference the cloth background can make.

This first table cloth is very pretty with blue morning glory flowers and green leaves. I think it might have been hand stenciled. Here it is with our Georgian Lovebirds green depression glass.

Georgian Lovebirds Green Depression Glass

It looks great except one small problem: wrinkles. Wrinkles look bad in person and horrible in photos!

Tablecloth Close Up with Moderntone Blue Depression Glass

This cloth is so soft that it wrinkles like crazy. This shot is AFTER I ironed it!

Morning Glory Tablecloth

Let’s look at a cloth that’s more wrinkle resistant. The style is not quite as vintage – I miss those flowers! – but it has excellent colors to show off colored glassware. The background is white and light blue with a medium blue and green window pane plaid and a thread of pink running through. This one looks wonderful with blue or green glass.

You just saw Georgian green and cobalt blue Moderntone glass peeking over the edge on the Morning Glory cloth. Here is the same glass on the blue plaid table cloth.

Moderntone Blue and Georgian Green Depression Glass on Blue Plaid Cloth

I tried it with pink Sharon too. What do you think?

Sharon Cabbage Rose Pink Depression Glass on Blue Plaid Cloth

Here is the same Sharon pink depression glass with my Mom’s embroidered cloth.  It looks completely different!

Sharon Pink Depression Glass on Mom's Table Cloth

Do you have a favorite table cloth you enjoy using?  Drop a comment and tell!

I’ve a few more cloths to show you next time!

We carry Moderntone, Georgian and Sharon depression glass in our store Catladykates Vintage Elegant Depression Glass. Shopping with us is like antiquing with your best friend.

My thanks to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday.

Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Plates

This Pink Saturday shows a special offer on one of my favorite depression glass patterns, Dogwood. I’ve read that the Dogwood 8 inch lunch plate is one of the easiest to find pieces of pink depression glass. That may be – at one time I saw a LOT of them – but lately depression glass has been thin pickings at antique shops and estate sales.

Dogwood is from MacBeth Evans. Like their other patterns, American Sweetheart and Petalware, Dogwood is thin glass that looks so fragile. It is actually quite sturdy. I find this glass fascinating. I love the big flowers and the simple design and that thin, durable glass is such a mystery. How did they make such thin glass that wore so well?

You don’t find many pieces of damaged Dogwood. It can break of course but you don’t see lots of chips or nicks or rough spots in the glass. The lovely design tends to hide surface wear too, so you never feel like you are looking at a plate that has gone through heavy family use.

Dogwood looks like “good dishes”. You can imagine the original owners using this set on Sunday or when they had company. Depression glass was often given away or sold for very little, but the people who owned it treasured its lovely designs and lively colors in a time when everything else was so gloomy. That may be one reason that Dogwood is usually in good condition.

I mentioned this is a special offer. We’re closing down our larger store that has been on the TIAS online antique mall and I’ve put a lot of glass on eBay. This particular set of six Dogwood plates is on auction this week for quite lot less than the plates would sell individually and has free shipping. If you like it please check our auction out and make a bid.

Thanks for visiting our Pink Saturday pink depression glass post this week, and as always a big thank you to Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for organizing this fun event. Please be sure to visit the other bloggers to see how pink we can be

Besides monax MacBeth Evans developed a creamier, almost beige colored glass during the depression they called Cremax or Ivrene.  Usually the Ivrene refers to the darkest shade, which is opaque and Cremax can be translucent.  They didn’t make as many pieces of Petalware in Cremax and only a little American Sweetheart.

I’ve seen American Sweetheart in Ivrene and found it rather ugly.  I didn’t buy it and don’t have a picture, but imagine the ethereal American Sweetheart on solid, flat, blah looking dark cream color.  Not so pretty.

Petalware in Ivrene can be attractive, especially decorated.  This plate is Petalware salad or lunch size in Ivrene.  At one time it had a wide gold band on the rim but it’s mostly worn off now.  The plate is translucent around the rim, unusual and I find it attractive.  It has a sophisticated look to it.

Petalware Ivrene or Cremax Depression Glass Lunch Plate

You can see the remnants of the gold border better in the picture than in person!

Besides this darker colored plate, we have a Petalware plate set that I believe is Cremax.  It’s a little darker than the monax white glass I have but no where near as dark as the Ivrene plate.  Tell me what you think.

Petalware Cremax Depression Glass Salad Plate

I just finished listed my Petalware glass in our store Catladykate’s Vintage Elegant Depression Glass.  Take a look at the different colors and decide which one you like best with this elegantly simple design.\\

American Sweetheart Monax Depression Glass Big Serving Bowl

I’m not a big fan of white as a color but I’ll make an exception for monax depression glass from MacBeth Evans.  I love this glass.  It’s thin and opalescent on the edges and the color is soft white that invites you to touch it.

MacBeth Evans used monax for American Sweetheart and Petalware in the depression era.  They made the same patterns in pink too, but I prefer the monax for both.

Monax American Sweetheart always reminds me of angels and Christmas. Maybe it’s because the glass looks so pure. It is truly lovely.  This big bowl is one of the pieces I just finished rephotographing to get listed on eBay.  It made me happy just to hold it.

Here is the monax Petalware lunch plate.

Petalware Monax Depression Glass Lunch Plate

You can imagine how appealing amateur artists found that blank white center.  You’ll find Petalware plates with tons of different decorations, from colored bands to fanciful flowers and scenes.  MacBeth Evans themselves made at least some of the decorations, the colored bands and the red flowers shown here.  This Petalware design is called Florette and makes a stunning table setting by itself or mixed with the plain white.

Petalware Monax Depression Glass Florette Decorated Plate

MacBeth Evans made monax partly to compete with china and over time their glass got thicker and lost its opalescent edge.  Their later patterns were creamy colored and had designs on the rims and of course decorations in the centers.  Chinex or Cremax are the later patterns.  They look more like dishes and not so special as the ethereal monax.

Other news for you:  I currently have two online stores, one on eBay and one on the TIAS mall.  I’m closing the TIAS store soon and am offering some exceptional coupon savings.  If you are interested in purchasing any glass then please use coupon code All10 for 10% off any order, Christmas201110 for 15% over $50 and Christmas2011 for 20% off orders over $100.  These coupons end on Christmas.

Princess Topaz Yellow Depression Glass Cup

I’ve shown you a lot of pink lately.  Pink Mayfair, pink Sharon, pink Princess.  Let’s enjoy sunshine yellow for a change.

This is the Princess topaz yellow cup from Hocking. Hocking produced two distinct shades of topaz, this yellow and a gold toned apricot color that is darker. Today, 80 years after, no one quite knows whether Hocking intended to make two different colors, or they simply had problems with a few batches of color. Hocking had no problem with their yellow glass for other patterns, like Block Optic or Cameo.

Yellow depression glass is well-mannered and looks great with the other colors. I like to use yellow to brighten a table of pink or green glass as it adds such a cheery touch. The yellow depression glass is transparent and soft toned, nothing harsh or strident. You won’t see yellow elbowing the other colors out. I’ve used yellow with several different patterns in tablescapes and am always pleased with how well it gets along with the other colors. It’s almost as if the makers intended us to set rainbow tables!

Just to give you pink lovers your daily dose of rosey hue, here is the same cup in pink.

Princess Pink Depression Glass Cup

We have both the topaz yellow and pink Princess depression glass cups in our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass and in our eBay store Vintage Elegant Depression Glass.

Right now we’re running coupon sales in our store.  You can get up to 20% off on your order.

Coupon code All10 takes 10% off any order.  Code Christmas201110 takes 15% off your order over $50 and Christmas2011 takes 20% off your order over $100.  Plus all orders over $100 qualify for free shipping.  Please be sure to indicate free standard shipping when you check out so I know you want that method.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your glass!

Princess Pink Depression Glass Octagonal Serving Bowl

You’ve seen pretty Princess pink depression glass here before. I showed it off in a tablescape plus individual pieces for Pink Saturday. I realized that this neat serving bowl never got its place in the sun so… ta da! The Princess octagonal serving bowl makes its debut on Pink Saturday.

Princess plates and bowls are octagonal. They look like Hocking started off making square designs, then someone got creative and cut the corners with a scalloped pair of scissors. You end up with square pieces that with fancy corners.

This big serving bowl looks more octagonal than some pieces. And it shows the pattern so well that I thought you might like to see it.

Serving pieces are an easy way to add a different look than your main dishes. You can use completely different serving bowls or platters and it looks good. This Princess pink bowl is 9 inches across, a good size for fruit salad or pasta.

Don’t you wonder how the original owners used the vintage glass we love? This bowl was in a big set of Princess that the first owner used for their good dishes. Back in the depression era people ate less than we do today and they had more meat and potatoes, boiled vegetables. Pasta went under spaghetti sauce, not in a salad. Today we are blessed with more variety and an informal style that welcomes mixing and matching.

Consider using a piece or two of your favorite depression glass on your table. It’s fun and such a satisfying way to enjoy your glass.

We have the Princess octagonal serving bowl in our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.

Thanks for visiting our Pink Saturday pink depression glass post this week, and as always a big thank you to Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for organizing this fun event. Please be sure to visit the other bloggers to see how pink we can be.

I was going through my old posts and realized we’ve shown tables with Sharon, Princess, Mayfair, Floral, Doric, Windsor, American Sweetheart and Dogwood depression glass – and with combinations! Whew! That’s a lot of pink!  This post has my first four pink tables – I’ll show the rest another week.

So dear readers, this one is for you. Just leave a comment to vote on your choice.

First up is Dogwood from MacBeth Evans glass. Dogwood is one of my favorites with its big single flowers and thin glass. (I like flowers.) It’s nicknamed Apple Blossom.

Dogwood Pink Depression Glass Table

Here’s the original post:   Romantic Flower Blossoms in Pink – Dogwood Tablescape Thursday

Next one is Petalware mixed with depression era stemware with a nice flower cutting.  My sister gave me the bird since she knows I enjoy vintage planters, especially birds.  (I like birds and flowers.)

Petalware Pink Depression Glass and Flower Cut Depression Era Stemware

Here’s the original post: Tablescape Thursday – Petalware Depression Glass and Retro Birds

I’ll give you a hint, this next one is one of my favorites – Floral Poinsettia pink depression glass.  The tablescape isn’t that fantastic but the glass!  This is beautiful glass.  It’s another flower pattern, big flowers and leaves all together.  Dogwood looks like a brocade, distinguished and formal.  Floral is exuberant and joyful.  Perfect for holidays.

Floral Poinsettia Pink Depression Glass

Here’s the post: Floral Poinsettia Pink Depression Glass Tablescape Thursday

Last one for this post is our first rose pattern, Mayfair Open Rose from Hocking.  I didn’t have enough pieces to do the whole table in Mayfair so the cups and saucers are Sharon.  They look good together, don’t you think?  Some of the tables from this summer mix and match patterns and colors – it’s a fun way to stretch your depression glass.  You’ll see more combination tables in a week or two.

Mayfair Open Rose and Sharon Pink Depression Glass Table

Here’s the blog post for this table: Roses Everywhere in the Depression- Mayfair Open Rose Pink Glass

We’ve evolved from a full table of all one pattern with Dogwood and Floral pink depression glass to tables with sparkling crystal accents with Petalware and combining glass patterns with Mayfair and Sharon.

I hope you leave me a comment to say your choice!
My thanks to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday.

Fostoria Shirley Etched Crystal Celery Dish

Poppies were an important motif in the 1920s and into the 1930s. Think of Cambridge Gloria, Hazel Atlas Florentine, Fostoria Rogene. Poppies were a symbol of the first world war because they grew wild all over the Flemish fields that were battlegrounds and cemeteries in the war and were immortalized in poems like In Flanders Fields.

Fostoria brought Shirley to market in the late 1930s, one of several patterns introduced in that era. The blank is Baroque, which Fostoria used for many patterns that are popular yet today. Shirley is not as well known as Navarre or Meadow Rose but has its admirers. It’s a good pattern to consider if you enjoy flower designs since the poppy is clear and distinct.

The piece we’re showing is the celery dish, basically a one-compartment relish tray. It’s long enough to hold celery or asparagus stalks. My Mom’s old cookbook from 1951 shows asparagus laid whole with white sauce poured across the middle.  You could recreate that classic look in celery dish easier than on a regular plate.

It’s interesting how our glass patterns show how people lived years ago and how styles have evolved over time.   Vintage glass gives you a connection to the past like nothing else can.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

– John McCrae, 1915