Vintage Favorites #1

Vintage items in the kitchen just make me happy.  I can't quite put my finger on WHY they make me happy, they just do.  Maybe it is because they are older than I am and have such interesting stories to tell.  I often wonder about the woman who used my little recipe box or my old canisters from the 40's with their bright colored flowers.  I wonder what their kitchens looked like, or if they had any children to bake cookies for.  Maybe she got them as a wedding present or Christmas present.  Did they get put into a box and sent out to storage, or did they arrive straight from the kitchen to the garage sale?  Each little thing has a story, and I just love to listen.   



The little flour shaker I purchased at Fezziwigs in Garrison ND December of 2010 and the little yellow sugar scoop from the flea market.  It has a beautiful yellow handle.



These are for jam, but I use them as little sugar bowls.  Sadly the lemon is without a spoon.  I've been keeping my eyes open for other types of fruit and I know there is a grape one out there somewhere just waiting for me to bring it home.



I love pyrex!  The mixing bowls are my Grandmothers, as is the blue refrigerator bowl.  The little red one is from the flea market.  Eventually, I'd like to have a whole set of refrigerator dishes.  It's good to have goals.

These are just a few of the vintage kitchen items that I actually use.  That's one of the nice things about collecting specifically for the kitchen...many of the items, if they are in good enough shape, can still be used!  I use my pyrex mixing bowls quite often.  But now, I always be sure to wash them by hand.  Putting them in the dishwasher causes them to get a chalky look to their coloring. (unfortunatly I put them in the dishwasher a few times before knowing this)  Besides, washing them by hand gives me that extra bit of "slow down" time to think about all of the many cakes, cookies and casseroles that were mixed, cooked and stored in them (they go from mix to oven to refrigerator, you know :)  And I think of my Grandma Eva who took such good care of them all these years.  And, when I am old and gray and no longer able to bake cookies, or mix pizzelles, I will pass them on to Autumn so that she can enjoy them as well.  (Luckily, she likes the "vintage" too).