Pitcher Perfect

Sorry, I am a tad late with my "collection" post...life just seemed to carry me away these past two weeks.  Lots of paperwork to do for my job, a bit of renovation for our house, cooking for my son who was home for a few days (that was the best!),  and a new computer!  Whew!

But, I am ready to be back on track. This week, I decided to share my "pitcher" collection with you.   This is one of those collections that I did not purposefully collect.  Most of my pitchers have been gifts, and as you will see a few belong to my son.  But, I think they are all really pretty and very different.  I always use a pitcher for ice water, milk, or iced tea when we have guests over, but I tend to use them more as vases for flowers.  So, to really show them off, I asked my husband, the flower arranger, to make a few arrangements for the pitchers...enjoy!

I think this is actually the second pitcher that I have owned.  The first one was a Goofy Grape pitcher that I had in college.  My roommates and I collected all the needed drink packages and sent them away for a free pitcher and four mugs.  I can't seem to find the Goofy Grape pitcher (Yea, I really wanted to add it to this post), but I did find the mug!  Now for my second "real" pitcher.  My parents got me this beautiful pitcher after I moved into my own apartment after college.  It is the perfect size for milk or juice at the table.  But, it is even more perfect for flowers...any color looks great!

                                               A bright and sunny spring bouquet.

This beautiful pitcher belonged to my MIL.  She used it at every family dinner, filling it with ice water.  When she and My FIL moved out of their home, I was lucky enough to receive it.  I love to put roses in this pitcher, because they remind me of her.  She always had a rose garden.  She loved to dry the rose petals on her kitchen  counters and make her own potpourri.  I don't ever remember visiting their home when there wasn't flower petals drying on the counters.

                                          Roses and Baby's Breath, that's my MIL!

This cut glass  pitcher also belonged to my MIL.  I don't ever remember her using it.  It was with her "stored" items.  Again, I was lucky to receive it.  It is quite tall with an intricate design.

                  I think it looks really pretty with a bunch of pussy willows from our garden.

This is a pitcher I made when I was working with clay.  Sadly, I no longer have access to a potter's wheel or kiln.  Having my own potter's wheel and kiln is on my"what to do after I retire" list.  Can't wait!  The lilacs are from our garden...they smell like heaven.

These three pitchers belong to my son, they are all a part of his crackle glass collection.  The blue one was made by Blenko.

                                                      Red Tulips...aaah

                                                 Zinnias and eucalyptus from our garden

                                            Daffodils and snow drops from our garden.

I have a set of Fiesta ware dishes, multi-colored.  Of course, I had to buy a pitcher to match the dishes for family get togethers.  It was hard trying to pick a color.  But this yellow one jumped out and said, "Buy me!"  The lilacs are from our garden.

This pitcher belongs to my son, it is a small crackle glass pitcher.  He has quite a few of these small pitchers as they are pretty common.  I thought that it was perfect for Lilys of the Valley from  our garden.  Another flower scent that is heavenly.

My husband and I bought this pitcher on a trip to Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.  Actually this Pottery Studio was not at Shaker Village, but in a nearby town.  We just love this potter's work, but can't remember the name, or where it was specifically located.  (It was about 28 years ago, so I guess we can be forgiven for forgetting).  It does not have a full name on the bottom of the pitcher, just initials.  But, we are keeping our eyes open in hopes to see this potter's work at an art fair... because all of our matching mugs are now broken!

                          Yes, I bought this pitcher in NYC to go with my Jadeite dishes.....

                                    Doesn't it look great with the forsythia from our yard?

This Waterford pitcher was a gift from my aunt and uncle for our wedding.  Waterford crystal is amazing.  I never have been able to pick my favorite pattern....they are all so beautiful!

                                        This is a pink depression glass pitcher...so simple.

                                                        And sooo pretty with white tulips!

My creative son has been taking a glass blowing class for about 6 months.  He made this pitcher.  It is one of his first creations with color.  I just love the shape.

                                    And, how beautiful filled with zinnias!

This is another of his glass blowing creations.  You now know that he collects crackle glass.  Well, he actually crackled this pitcher and it turned out beautifully!  Fine cracks are pretty difficult.  The hydrangeas really show it off.

                       Here is the same pitcher with tulips and pussy willows....so nice.

One last blast of summer color...enjoy it because fall is on its way!

Hope you are having a wonderful September and are safe and sound despite all of this crazy weather!  Have a great week!

Jade-ite

As I have said before, the first thing I do when I receive my Martha Stewart Living magazine is to open it up to the "Collector Page".  Imagine my surprise this month when the focus is on Jade-ite.  It showcases hers and her daughter's amazing collection of Jade-ite.  My collection is a pittance compared to hers, but I love it just the same.  I have always loved dishes, glasses, serving pieces, etc., even when I was little.  I clearly remember my grandmother's dishes and my mother's "special" dinnerware that were used only on special occasions.  Because of this, I have a few sets of dishes that I like to use intermittently.  I learned about Jade-ite a few years ago.  Jade-ite is a dinnerware that was made during the 30's and 40's by a number of different companies.  It is a glassware similar to Pyrex, but is a beautiful pale green, somewhat translucent color.  I think that dinnerware was the original focus of production, but the line expanded to almost everything that you can imagine.  I have even seen towel rods made of Jade-ite.

Most of my Jade-ite is made by Fire King, a brand of Anchor Hocking.  However "the history of Fire King's Jadeite glassware begins with two other glass companies: McKee and Jeanette. McKee Glass began manufacturing the distinctive jade-green-colored glass in the 1930s; soon, another glass company, known as Jeanette Glass Company, also began manufacturing the green glass and is credited for coining its name "Jadeite."The much larger Anchor-Hocking Company followed suit in the early 1940s, producing green glass items as part of its Fire King line. While Anchor-Hocking produced many colored glass items for the Fire King line of kitchenware for everyday use, the Jadeite variety became most popular. Jadeite was produced by Anchor-Hocking until the 1970s."

"Anchor-Hocking's Fire King Jadeite is among the easiest to find of the antique jadeite simply because it was so popular as a promotional or giveaway item. One of the most famous examples is the "Alice" pattern of Fire King Jadeite cups and saucers that were included in canisters of Quaker Oatmeal. A cup or a saucer was included in each canister of Quaker Oatmeal, allowing thrifty homemakers to collect an entire set just by purchasing that oatmeal. Promotional items made by Fire King Jadeite were also used as service station, movie theater and department store giveaways."

I have not been a serious collector, but rather I purchase items that I really like and can use.  There are a number of reproductions, and the way to avoid those is to find the items in the Jade-ite catalogs and compare.  There are also markings on the bottom of some of the pieces, but some of the legitimate Fire King items were not marked.  Some of my pieces have the anchor and capital H along with the Fire King logo, some have just the Fire King logo, and some are unmarked.  I stopped worrying about reproductions, and tend to just check for the Fire King mark.

Because of this, I will focus mainly on Fire King Jade-ite.  Fire King made a number of different patterns of  Jade-ite, some of these were "Alice", "Shell", "Jane Ray", "Charm",  and "Restaurantware".  Fire King also made these same patterns in other colors such as a pale pink- Rose-ite, Pale blue- Azure-ite, etc.

Jade-ite is highly collectible, probably because so many pieces were made.  It is an ovenware which means it can be put in the oven, but it doesn't do well in the dish washer which tends to remove the "luster."

You can find Jade-ite on-line (ebay has a lot!), at antique stores, flea markets, and garage sales.  Some patterns seem to be more expensive than others (Charm always seem to cost more), and some pieces are very rare.  There was a tipped ball pitcher that was on ebay recently that was listed at $3500. 

The prices can be amazing, considering pieces of Jade-ite used to come in a box of oatmeal, a bag of flour, or given away at a gas station or movie theater. 

I think that this pitcher and glass set, that I purchased in NYC, is a reproduction, but I really like them.  

A footed jade-ite bowl.

Bakeware-  an 8" X 8" pan, a 9" X 13" pan, and a 10" pie plate.

More bakeware-  A large "Swirl" mixing bowl, and a rolling pin.

A scalloped "Cake Plate" or serving plate.

My favorite Jade-ite pattern-  "Jane Ray," has the small lines on all of the pieces.

I have been able to acquire a large enough set to serve my family of four, with a few extras. 

I just love the shine.  My husband is not so thrilled that they must be hand washed!

"Restaurantware- Fire King's Jadeite glass was a staple in cafes and restaurants in the 1940s and 1950s. Prized by restaurant owners for its durability and light weight, not to mention its affordability, Jadeite plates, bowls, saucers and cups were produced by Anchor Hocking as restaurant ware for decades."

Restaurantware is a bit chunkier that the other patterns and is very smooth.  The mugs shown above have the "D" handle.  The "C" handled mugs are more collectible.  I always picture Robert Redford in "The Sting" when he is in the diner, having the "Blue plate Special", and can only fit one finger in the mug handle while drinking his coffee.

One of the Fire King marks, without the anchor and H.

These dishes are from the "Charm" pattern line.  All of the pieces in this pattern are square shaped.

A 2 quart casserole dish-  I suspect this is a reproduction, but am not sure.

A serving platter in the Jane Ray pattern, and a refrigerator storage dish without its lid.

A grill plate....I love these!

My latest find is this butter dish, which I found at an antique store for a very nice price.  It is marked Fire King on the bottom.

It has been fun looking for and collecting Jade-ite, and even more fun using it. 

Enjoy these last few days of summer...fall it on its way!

Cookie Cutters.....yes, more Cookie Cutters!

About 2 months ago, on June 11, we traveled to Duluth, Minnesota to attend my niece's wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding in Leif Erikson Park overlooking Lake Superior. 

My niece and her new husband decided to use the colors of the peacock for their wedding colors.  Peacock feathers were in all of the table decorations and corsages.  The arrangements were beautiful; peacock feathers mixed with wild flowers, pink calla lilies, and snake grass.  So unique! 

The colors were vibrant, the bridesmaid's dresses were so pretty with matching shawls, and the bride was absolutely beautiful...all this from an unbiased aunt!  Oh, and yes, the groom was very handsome, too.

Our family always has a "family wedding shower" for anyone getting married.  It is a fun get together where everyone is invited, we have lots of good food,  the  engaged couple opens gifts, and there's lots of talking and catching up.  But, my niece lives a few states away and is a teacher.  She just couldn't get away in the middle of the school year for a trip to have her shower.  Also, she needed her spring break for wedding preparations.  So, she asked if we could have the shower after her wedding, during the summer.  Which is what we did.  Her husband is a baseball fan, so the night before the shower, we included a game at Tiger Stadium, (officially called Comerica Park), and had 35 family members in one of the party suites.  My nephew is a Twins fan, but I think he was able to cheer for the Tigers for one night.  It was hot, but it was lots of fun!!!

The next day, we had their wedding shower at my cousin's home,  the official party house!  My shower duties (that I volunteered for) included:  making the invitations, bringing homemade jam for party gifts (surprisingly, quite a few of us make jam and we had a nice selection), bring 2 kinds of salad, 4 dozen hard rolls, Chocolate Trifle, "Opera in the Park" Raspberry Bars, and sugar cookies.  I really wanted to make sugar cookies and decorate them with the "Peacock Theme" in mind.

My Cookie Cutter collection does not include Peacocks, so I had to purchase a couple of new cutters.  The cutters I used included:  (Top L to R) Paisley or teardrop, bridal gown, scalloped oval, (Bottom L to R)  Bird, and Peacock.

Voila...decorated sugar cookies for my niece and new nephew's wedding shower!

Here is a closeup of one of the Peacocks.  I didn't take pictures prior to taking the cookies to the shower, which I have learned is a mistake.  I would have taken more pictures at home, because I would have had more time.  Oh well, live and learn!

My niece and nephew...looking at Lake Superior. 

I tried to decorate the bridal gown cookies to resemble her dress.  So, when she was looking at the tray of cookies, she said, "Look, it's my dress!!!"  I was very, very happy!!

I saw this Peacock Cookie on-line and just loved it.  I thought it would fit the "peacock theme."  I got the idea from Montreal Confections.  Her cookies are amazing and just prove that I need a bit more practice! 

 

I used the scalloped oval as the center piece for the new husband and wife.

Another peacock..so much fun to decorate!

A peek at the reception...a couple in love...

Ready to begin their life together...

These cookies were a lot of fun to decorate, they were appreciated by the family and new husband and wife, and were gobbled up ....can't wait to make them again!

Have a wonderful week!  Enjoy the hot, wonderful days of August!