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 #103: Vintage Tin Toy Dishes

When most of us Baby Boomers think of Ohio Art, Etch-a-Sketch might come to mind. But the Ohio Art Company made more than Etch-a-Sketch. In fact, Ohio Art is one of the oldest toy companies in the United States, and they are still going strong. They were founded in 1908, and were the largest tin-litho company in the US. They started making tin toy dishes before 1920, and continued making tin toys through the 1980s and later. Some of the wonderful tin litho toys Ohio Art made through the years were sand pails, tops, Chinese Checkers games, drums, globes, wagons, and lunch boxes. (And dozens more!)

This little collection of tin dishes were most certainly all by Ohio Art (It's possible the silver/tin ones were not).  I have only been able to find the Red Riding Hood set in their collectors book, but not all the designs are listed there.  The Red Riding Hood set is from the 1960s, and the other dishes are all from the 1950s. The little strawberry cups, and the silver tin plates were all mine as a child. I love the little 'Three Little Kittens" relief design on the plates!  The cherry trays are also unidentified, but I have had them for many years. I love the rusty, 'modern' design plate with the turkey on it.. maybe I'll use it on Thanksgiving!

COLLECTION #26: Vintage Tin Canisters

I just love these fun kitchen canisters from the 40s and 50s.  Most of them have have a fruity theme, and they just make me smile! I do have a lot of vintage kitchen stuff... and much of it is in these cheerful colors: reds, creams, greens...

My favorite is the one with the cherries, and the cute little pull attached to the top. It reminds me of the drawer pulls in my own Grandma's kitchen.

 

I have a modern version of kitchen canisters designed by Martha Stewart, mad out of ceramic. But as cute as they are, they can't compare to the original design inspiration!