COLLECTION #208: Fruit-Themed Kitchen Stuff

I just love fruit! Yummy to eat, and fun and colorful to look at! Doesn't every kitchen look more cheery with a bowl on the table, counter or island, full of apples, oranges, bananas? Designers of fabric, ceramics, and kitchenware of all kinds, discovered the popularity of fruit as a theme back in the '30s and '40s, and you can often discover wonderful vintage canisters, table linens, dishes, and other kitchen accessories for a reasonable price at flea markets and online auctions. I have a plethora of colorful fruity ware... I like it so much, that my kitchen color scheme is red and white, with green and yellow as accent colors. Most of my fruit themed items are vintage, but I pick up modern items from time to time, that feature a retro look.  About ten years ago, Martha Stewart had a retro kitchen linen line at K-mart, and I bought everything I could get my hands on: tea towels, place mats, pot holders, etc. When they were discontinued, I picked up a few more items on closeout before they completely disappeared.  Target had a wonderful cherry themed retro kitchen pottery line. I believe I bought everything I could: canisters, napkin holder, salt and pepper shakers, mugs. Like the Martha Stewart line at K-Mart, it's long gone, and I can't even find replacements online.

Cherry-themed ceramic canisters are from Target

But I much prefer my vintage items. I have several linens: tablecloths and tea towels, tin canisters, and a cute flour sifter with apples on it. I also adore a fun little strawberry wall decoration... it's probably from the 1940s or early '50s. It hangs above my stove with some colorful tin signs.

So, I'll just post all the photos for your enjoyment!

Vintage table linens and tea towels

The yellow box in the background was painted by me, many years ago.

Vintage strawberry wall plaque, made in Japan

You gotta love cherries!

The pot holder in the background is from the Martha Stewart collection from K-Mart, around 1998

Apple-y goodness!

COLLECTION #37: Vintage Table Linens

Today's collection is some (but not all) of my vintage table linens. I just love the fun patterns and cheerful images on these tablecloths and tea towels. As you can see, I gravitate toward reds, yellows and greens, and I especially love fruit and Mexican themed patterns. For those of you who wonder where I keep all these things... actually, only a couple of them are on display. Mostly I keep them in the storage space under the seat of our breakfast nook. But a couple of them are used in my displays, and I regularly use them on my table for festive meals. Every cinco de Mayo, I layer 3 or 4 Mexican themed cloths & tea towels on my table, along with my other Mexican "stuff". (You'll see those things in the months to come).

I intended to shoot all of my linens in one shot, but I have another category that needed it's own featured day and photographs, so I'll put that one up next week.  So, today, enjoy my little retro linen extravaganza!