HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Hocus Pocus ~ It's Halloween

Hello, my little lovelies.
Glad you've stopped by for a visit.
We have a recent dinner party to share.

The dinner was for a group of girlfriends
who have been getting together for over 30 years.

Each place was set with a stack of fall favorites.
~ Courtly Check, by MacKenzie-Childs ~
~ Wexford Orange Plaid, by 222 Fifth ~
~ Country Estate Autumnal Traditions, by Juliska ~

Plaid napkins in the colors of autumn
were purchased at World Market twenty years ago.
The unusual napkin rings were found on my fall trip to France?
Each of these are sterling antique baby teething rings.
All but one was purchased from a variety of venders
at the Chatou Antique Market just outside of Paris.

This is the one that prompted my new collection.
You all know I have an affection for bees and bee related items.
Can you see that this is a bee hive with bees buzzing about?

I knew I had my own baby teething rattle tucked away at home.
All I would need to do was polish it, and I'd have two to use
as napkin rings, one for "my chef" and one for me.

You can see my 1940s' version, on the left,
has a flat ring with a belt motif clasp.
The French pieces, date from late 1800s,
are more ornate, and often have clasps that
attach directly to an ivory or bone tubular ring.

Once I began to notice more at various dealer's booths,
my new obsession / collection was spawned!
Small and easy to pack, they were a perfect souvenir to bring home.
What do you think? Would you use these as napkin rings?
Did you have one of these when you were a baby?