Friday, December 20, 2013

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree







I grew up in the era of 

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

and singing Chipmunks.





One of my nieces has embraced

the relics of that era.

She rescued the glass ornaments 

of my childhood family Christmas tree

and now uses them for seasonal decorations 

in her Mid-Century Modern home.





The ceramic letters above 

are candle holders that were among

my mother's Christmas decorations.

It's especially sweet to see

these bits of the past being used, 

appreciated, and cherished.





I had to smile when I saw she had her

table set for two, ready for meals

during the month of December.





 Old Curiosity Shop

Produced by Royal USA, c1950s

These were my Mother's everyday dishes

when I was a child.  The design was based on

 Charles Dickens' novel, THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.





Not Christmas dishes, 

but how clever to mix them 

with bright red for a holiday touch.





The various images on the different

pieces of the green transfer ware

reflect life of the mid 1800s.





To give the stack a contemporary twist,

my niece added in these festive

salad plates by Southern Living.





Christmas red wooden napkin rings

hold the simple woven feed sack style napkins.





All anchored by a tartan placemat.

A cheerful holiday setting

for a young couple.

A bit of nostalgia for moi!




Merry Christmas 

from Texas, y'all!

Joining





47 comments:

  1. It must have been very sweet for your to see your mother's things being appreciated and used by your niece. I can see that she has inherited a family gift for arranging a pretty table.

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  2. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
    Happy Pink Saturday :) The glass ornaments are divine - glad they were rescued! Seasons greetings from Australia♥ ~Pernilla

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  3. That is so sweet that she's embraced these family treasures. The retro ornaments look great stacked together! I like how she embraced the dishes with some holiday flair!- very creative!
    Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!

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  4. Sarah, I love vintage ornaments and it's wonderful that your niece saved and treasures the ones from your family's tree! What a joy to see them and the memories that they bring! Love her addition of the modern pattern with the Old Curiosity Shop. Wishing you and Sadie (and Monty too :) a very Merry Christmas!

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  5. Oh, your lucky niece, to have these wonderful family heirlooms! I know you love seeing them enjoyed by another generation. Who knew mid-century modern would be so popular? Not those of us who lived through it the first time!

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  6. Thank you for sharing these photos - I love family treasures, and your post is making me get up the nerve to ask my mom for some of her decor, which is sitting in boxes unused year after year as she has lost her interest in decorating for Christmas. Hope you enjoy a wonderful Christmas.

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  7. Happy Merry and Pink Saturday, dear Sarah. I know you love seeing someone use and cherish these treasures.

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  8. I know this all makes your heart happy. How sweet that your niece loves these treasures.
    Her table is just adorable...she takes after her aunt. :)
    Have a blessed and fun Christmas.

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  9. I love the vintage ornaments and your touch of tartan. I'm becoming a real fan of plaid.

    Happy Holidays to you and your family

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  10. Have a wonderful Christmas Sarah! Loved seeing the vintage Christmas items!

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  11. How wonderful that your niece has rescued some of the Christmas treasures from your family! Love the place setting, mixing old and new! Have a wonderful Christmas Sarah!

    hugs,
    Linda

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  12. Oh, I loved seeing the glass ornaments - I have a box however I did not pull them out this year. Nice to know someone enjoys using your mother's treasures! Have a Merry Christmas

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  13. Sarah, I really love the Old Curiosity Shoppe china with the contemporary red and white plates. Brilliant combination! Your table is so much fun and festive.
    Very clever!

    xo,
    RJ

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  14. Such a trip down memory lane for you...and for US, too! I recognized that we had several of those same ornaments when I was growing up.
    I love the little ceramic letters! So fun to see them being put to good use & making NEW memories for your loved ones.

    Have a Blessed Christmas, Sarah!
    Hugs,
    Rett

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  15. How sweet and wonderful to see your mother's things used and loved again! Merry Christmas Sarah,
    Jenna

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  16. Isn't it nice to see your niece treasuring and using family Christmas decorations, and all the special memories each piece brings?
    Love how she combined a modern pattern with the Old Curiosity Shop pattern in her place settings.
    Wishing your and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and Happy New Year.
    xo Babs

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  17. Obviously, the tablescaping gene runs in the family! This was so much fun to see. I really love those red and white plates mixed with the vintage ones. Merry Christmas, Sarah, to you and your entire family!!

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  18. SarahI grew up in that era too and I have a silver tree to carry on my childhood tradition. I love how your niece has mixed the old family ornaments and decorations into Christmas decor. The place setting using your mom’s dishes must be so special to you. I love the modern touch added for today.
    Hope you are enjoying the season.

    ~Emily

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  19. Well, your niece certainly has your talent for decorating. Must run in the family. She has beautifully brought all the element together for a lovely Christmas table.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family.
    Ginger

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  20. Table creativity must run in your family, Sarah. You have it, your niece has it and based on what you mom owned, she had it too. Merry Christmas!...Christine

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  21. How sweet, Sarah! Such a special way to cherish memories of the past! Wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas! Blessings to you!

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  22. Christmas is all about memories and things that remind us of C'mas past with our families when we were children or Young and here it seems all your family had it to the tip! Wishing you and yours sweet lady a memorable C'mas 2013.
    FABBY

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  23. Oh Sarah,
    How wonderful that your niece is using some of your dear Mom's treasured dishes. I love how she mixed the old with the new and how sweet that she has set her table for two. The vintage ornaments add such a sparkle and those candles still have such style. Thanks for sharing your niece's lovely decor. Merry Christmas blessings! xo

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  24. Sarah!!! How on earth did you sneak this post in on me??? I have checked and checked and checked and checked! Every day... is there a post from Sarah? And here it is, and I am two days late! Argh!

    But I am here and love this. I am so glad I got to see it. You have the world's cutest things. I love reading your posts SO much.

    I am also glad I got the chance to stop by and tell you how much I enjoyed meeting you this year. Thank you for getting in touch and allowing me the honor of meeting you in person.

    And I am praying that we will all have a better 2014. I do count my blessings for 2013, and among those is meeting you. You are a very special lady, and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas filled with joy and love, Sarah.

    Be blessed...

    xoxoxox

    Sheila

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  25. Lovely vintage touches that happily transport me back to my childhood. Thank you for sharing a happy memory. Merry Christmas my friend.

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  26. I don't know what to say...the dishes and linens are so very beautiful, I'm probably just repeating everyone!! How lucky your niece is! And she has a talent for setting a beautiful table!

    Sarah...once again I have to apologize for missing so many of your posts because of Blogger. It makes me angry and frustrated because so many of the friends I've made through blogging might just think that I'm not much of a blogger friend or very loyal. So I have "followed" again and I hope this is the end of this!!

    Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and again, thanks so much for stopping by today! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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  27. Sarah, the vintage ornaments are such treasures and it's wonderful that your niece has them from the family tree. I love her tablesetting for two ;o) Wishing you and your hubby a very Merry Christmas (and sweet Sadie too)!

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  28. One more pass through to give you a big Christmas hug, my friend!

    Love you...

    Sheila xo

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  29. Merry Christmas Sarah, Your niece is a lucky lady to have these beautiful pieces for her Christmas decorating, I love The Old Curiosity Shop pattern. I don't run across it very often but I think I will start collecting for a set to use for next year.

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  30. A very Happy Christmas Sarah, as always your decorations and table looks wonderful.

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  31. HI sweet Sarah! Oh, how sweet of her to use the family items and cherish them. So many of our younger folks today don't seem to care about the 'old stuff'. She sets a pretty table too and must take after her auntie! :)
    Merry Christmas to you my friend,
    Shelia ;)

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  32. Love the way those vintage dishes are used to pick up the Christmas theme! Wonderful table.

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  33. dearest Sarah,
    how sweet to see loved things past down to the next generation.
    It is nice to see them being used in a new way.
    I wish you and yours the merriest of holidays, and health and happiness for 2014.
    Our snow has been washed away by all the rain. Cannot say that I miss it very much....
    Lots of hugs,
    Evi

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  34. How I adore this pattern, nicely paired here with the red salad plate. I love all things Dickens at Christmas, so save these for December use only. That always keeps them extra special.

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  35. Sarah dear - hope your Christmas was beautiful.
    I love those candleholder letters which belonged to your dear mother - and the china patterns are terrific.
    Hope you are enjoying your Boxing Day festivities as am I - love this day after all the busyness of the run up to Christmas.

    Happy, happy New Year to you and M.
    Love, Mary

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  36. Those ornaments are so beautiful! Hope you had a great Christmas!

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  37. I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!! It really does my heart good to see the next generation using and really enjoying those relics that meant so much to the generations before! I keep wondering what - if anything - will hold precious memories for my granddaughter or even my son.

    What an inspirational post! I needed this...especially this year when I'm feeling that so much of tradition has just been pushed to the side.

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  38. I love how dn mixed the old with the new! And how special to see family treasures enjoyed rather than packed away!
    Thanks so much for linking to Let's Dish!
    I know your Cmas was quiet, but I hope some good memories brouught some joy to you!

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  39. I just love how your sweet niece has used all of these lovely pieces from the past! The ornaments look just like the ones from my parent's and grandparent's houses. I wanted a few when they all passed away but I didn't inherit any!
    The plates are so charming. I love that she did the table and kept it up all year. I tried to teach that at the class I taught - to use the table as a decorating spot!
    Thanks for sharing this charming post with us. I hope you had a fabulous Christmas!

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  40. Bonjour Sarah. Even if I am late (as always) visiting your latest post - I can see you wrote it before Christmas - I enjoyed discovering it all the same. I am looking at your niece's work, and I can tell talent and creativity run in the family :-) I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the Holiday break. Thank you for your recent visit, and encouragement. It is very much appreciated. Warmly, Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

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  41. I love her choice of dishes and am not surprised that your niece inherited your table setting style.

    I like the simple grains sack napkins paired with the fancy dishes.

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  42. Sarah,
    How wonderful that your niece is using your mom's vintage dishes. Looks like she not only inherited the dishes, but also inherited the talent for creating beautiful table settings.

    Happy new year!

    Judith

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  43. I love all of the beautiful vintage ornaments and the dishes your niece is using. It must make you smile to see these treasures in a new way.
    Happy New Year!

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  44. Decorating talent runs in the family! How wonderful that she has put all of these vintage family treasures to such beautiful use. Love the way she mixed the dishes, and the bowls of vintage ornaments are so pretty. laurie

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  45. Oh Sarah, doesn't it warm your heart that she had an interest in your mom's things. Love those vintage ornaments!

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  46. Dearest Sarah,
    How special for having your dear Mother present here in memory by using her everyday dishes!
    Very special and I bet they did warm your soul...
    May her memory live forever on through you!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  47. Sarah, your Mom would be so thrilled to see her sweet treasures still being used and loved after all these years. I loved seeing all the lovely pieces you grew up with and hearing about their history. Those little Christmas candles and the Royal USA, Dickens dishware are wonderful! I've never seen that pattern before so thanks so much for sharing it.

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Thank you to each of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one and will respond to any questions. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit.