Saturday, August 27, 2022

A Candle-Snuffer and A Kitchen Tour

My hunt for a vintage candle-snuffer began in late January. I had left a Christmas platter (The Old Curiosity Shop) by the kitchen sink, flanked by two candlesticks, for winter cheer. I was on my third pair of Classic Green tapers I order by the box, burning them at dusk while preparing supper. (I also buy Wedgewood Blue for my dining table.)


 One night RH blew them out for me, not pulling them forward and cupping a hand behind it as I do. He puffed them out with all his lung power and wax flew onto the window glass, something I discovered the next day.

That began my online search for a vintage candle-snuffer but none struck my fancy. One night I was flipping through one of the old magazines from my vintage magazine collection, a House & Garden, January 1967 (our young married days). 

"Notes for the Hostess" is my favorite monthly column in the old magazine, where I read about tempting objects for the hostess to purchase. One object was a "polychromed wrought iron candle snuffer with a butterfly on top." I wanted one.


It would be useless to search for one on eBay, right? I put in exactly those words and found:

"Old Vintage Tole Painted Wrought Iron Metal Flower with Butterfly Candle Snuffer."

It was darling and only $20, not an exact replica of the 1967 one but near enough. When it arrived I knew it would have a permanent place by my sink, with a change of plates seasonally.


My spring plate was Royal Doulton's Countess pattern and I changed the candlesticks to a 1980s Polish pair I've had for years. 

I have three plates and a large platter of the Countess plate, bought in the 1990s in Blowing Rock, NC as a gift for my mother when her eyes lit up finding the platter in an antique shop on Main Street. And one day came when she said her "cooking the turkey days" were behind her as my sisters in Florida began hosting Thanksgiving.

I kept this plate up until June when I spotted this one at our local antique mall.


We have jillions of blackberries in our front hedge row every summer and this plate, 'Blue Ridge' from Southern Potteries, whispered Take me home.

It says Summer to me.

With supper being in daylight in the summer, the candles don't get lit until after-dinner cleanup when RH and I pause whatever show we're watching. He puts leftovers away while I load the dishwasher and one night I began taking pictures of our kitchen at night when it might not show that I hadn't swept the floor.


After many variations of styling my open kitchen shelves, I put practicality before pretty and cleared the lower shelf to hold all the jars of things I use regularly. 

But be sure to notice the vintage tall candle of a bunch of asparagus on the top left end, a gift from RH's brother to me. I swooned over it and two large vintage candles of orange coral now over my china cabinet.

Even though I think copper in a kitchen is the ultimate, most of my copper molds went to a daughter-in-law except for the few I actually use (aspic lover that I am) and keep in a cabinet. 

Instead I've put up two pretty silver molds and a lid with drainage holes I bought at Goodwill. The lid doesn't fit any of my pots but does look pretty hung on the wall. And the 1960s Aladdin lamp is one of seven, most given to us back then for Christmases by friends where the husband was an executive at Aladdin. And there are others in our children's homes.



 The right end of the shelves, built by RH and his brother when we moved here to Home Hill, now hold rices and jars of Rancho Gordo beans, my favorite. 

There are three pieces of furniture that fit in my kitchen, giving me at least a partly "unfitted kitchen" that I always wanted. We found the dry sink at our local antique mall and it holds baskets of food behind doors and special dishes on top.

I keep the Blue Willow out for everyday use.


And I've been using these pretty Independence Hall ironstone plates since the Fourth of July, ironically Made in England. You guessed it, a gift from RH's brother.

But the sweetest gift of all from my brother-in-law was this collection of pie birds!



I adore them all but my favorite is the pheasant, front row right. I haven't used them yet, afraid that baking will discolor or crack them. Anyone have experience with using a pie bird? I would like to use them for my chicken pies as I know they were originally meant for the meat pies of England, not dessert pies.

Not that I make many chicken pies these days or even dessert pies but I do have a freestanding cabinet topped with a nice marble slab that is perfect for rolling out pie crusts. This piece has one shallow drawer and two deep ones and hold so many of my baking things.

The third piece of furniture in our galley kitchen is a taller chest of drawers that RH used for his tools at our old house. Now his tools are limited to the bottom two drawers and I get the top three for spices, etc., which I think is fair since he now has a large workshop out back to keep them in.

On top is the microwave that men can't live without, a beautiful blue bowl holding tea towels, a large gorgeous blue fruitcake tin given to me by a daughter-in-law who used to keep her button collection in it, topped with a green cabbage bowl, and a lamp. And above it all is a print I fell in love with at the antique mall. It's appropriately named 'Vegetables' by Helen Paul and must be one of her older prints as I can't find it online. The colors of the vegetables make me so happy.


 


I have to show you my new (old) blue KitchenAid mixer, again, a gift from you know who. It's so pretty! And I finally solved the problem of a dusty mixing bowl vs. hating the sight of plastic wrap over it by putting a pretty vintage Spode plate on the bowl, Spode's Pink Camilla.


 I've circled the room now except for showing the fridge and trash can. There are other sweet items in this room that were gifts from my sisters too. My house would be half empty without the generosity of others.

RH finished washing a large pan.


 Time for him to have his bedtime bowl of ice cream.

No more worries of RH blowing candle wax on the kitchen window.

Now he can snuffle the candlelight.




23 comments:

  1. I loved this tour of your charming kitchen, Dewena. You've surrounded yourself with things you love. I like your idea of lighting candles at night, and what a serendipitous find that candle snuffer was.
    I have never used a pie bird, although some of my friends use them regularly and they never seem to break. If yours are vintage, I would want to be careful, too.

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    1. Thank you, Lorrie! I've tried taking away things, clearing the counters somewhat, but they manage to make their way back. I think I will try using one of the pie birds this fall and see what happens. I do believe in using what you have.

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  2. I certainly loved spending time in your cozy kitchen in the evening. Thank you for opening the door and inviting us in. Next time I hope I can stay through the ice cream part. ;-)

    Gretchen Joanna

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    1. Thank you, Gretchen! I'm so glad you visited my kitchen and will be delighted to have you for ice cream, hopefully not the lactose-free kind that RH eats.

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  3. I chose your blog to read last tonight before I get in bed - and I am so glad. What a lot of beautiful things you have and so well arranged. Thank you so much for sharing :)

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    1. Hello Debbie, so nice to meet you! Thank you for commenting. I was able to find your blog and enjoyed it so much. It is nice to find other 70-year-olds, although I'm in my last year of this wonderful decade.

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  4. Oh, how I adore your charming kitchen! Your dishes are all so beautiful. And I love that collection of pie birds. My mother makes homemade pies, but she has never used a pie bird. So I'm not sure about using them. I can see why you love that Helen Paul print. I would've snagged that print for my kitchen, too - if I had a place to hang it! How do you like your new KitchenAid mixer? I have a red one. My grandma gave it to my aunt (her daughter) about 35 years ago. My aunt didn't want it at the time, so she gave it to me! It is still working just fine. All I've had to replace is the mixer paddle. There is one thing I noticed in your kitchen that you didn't tell us about...that gorgeous chandelier. Did that come with the house or did you bring that from your other house?

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    1. Thank you, Melanie! I know that I love visiting other kitchens and it had been a long time since I've posted about mine. I do love my KitchenAid mixer! I've actually had a yellow one for decades that stayed out on my counter because I used it constantly and it's sitting in RH's workshop now just in case this new one stops working (RH turned it on its side when bringing it home and some of the oil leaked out).

      To answer your question about the small chandelier, it did use to hang over my kitchen sink at Valley View! When Court and Zack bought VV she went to a more contemporary young look and replaced it. (She replaced the stainless steel sink there with a large black sandstone one and it looks fabulous with the black granite.) I was happy to have it back in my kitchen. It was an inexpensive Home Depot one, about $99, but I jazzed it up with crystal beads. Thank you for noticing!

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  5. PS - I meant to also comment on the candle snuffer. You were so lucky to find the vintage butterfly one. It's beautiful!

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    1. Thank you! Such a little item but I love seeing it sit by the candles!

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  6. I love your blog. It is such a wonderful, comforting place to visit. I hope you blog for a long while. Your home is like stepping into Gladys Taber's home. Beautiful.

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    1. Thank you, Rhonda! The least comparison to Gladys Taber's home makes me so happy! I probably have more posts under my Gladys Taber label than any other author, she has always been a hero to me.

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  7. What a delightful tour, Dewena! I loved seeing all your lovely things in beautiful home. And what a find, to find that candle snuffer that fits the dream of what you wanted from all those years ago. You've given us a glimpse of such lovely rituals, too, that must add so much joy and wonderment to your every day lives. Makes me think of Alexandra Stoddard.

    Wishing you a beautiful week ahead....
    Brenda xo

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    1. Thank you, Brenda! I guess it was a little thing to find but big in the joy it's brought me. But the ritual of it making you think of Alexandra, I can't believe I hadn't thought about that! She did teach us that, didn't she? I think it was Sandra of Where Inspiration Blooms that wrote about Alexandra yesterday and reminded me of how much she changed my life so many years ago in her first book. Thank you for pointing that out to me!

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  8. Now I can picture you in your kitchen making all of your lovely recipes! I love the ritual of lighting candles as you work. Mealtime is so sacred, even the tidying up! The candle snuffer is just too pretty. One thing that caught my eye -- well, many pretty things did, but specifically on the little tray in front of the bread box, the asparagus salt shaker(?) I love how your kitchen is filled with so many whimsical and beautiful things.

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    1. Thank you, Karen! I love to see blog friends' kitchen pictures too, I think they're my favorite. The asparagus thingy? It is a tiny salt shaker and my firstborn gave it to me many years ago along with a tomato shaker that I get out every summer so this reminds me to get it out of a cabinet where I keep seasonal things. It will all too soon be time to bring out pumpkins, etc. so I better let the little tomato have it's time in the spotlight too.

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  9. Dewena, I enjoyed seeing all your kitchen goodies. The candle-snuffer is so cool, and I remember them well. I used to have one with just a golden bell, and not sure what happened to it. The plate you found at the antique mall is a beauty, and it goes well with the candle holders. That Aladdin lamp is so unique and pretty, even more so because it's from the 60's when I was born. ; ) The Independence Hall plates have such a pretty design. And those birds are delightful. I love your bread box. Have been looking around for a bread box. Remember they were in all the households back in the day, and I don't see them any more? Oh, your blue mixer sure is nice, and must come in handy when baking. It was so nice to see a post from you this morning, Dewena. That last photo is sweet of RH putting the candle out with your new candle-snuffer.

    ~Sheri

    ps.....Happy Birthday to RH! Looks like he had a grand celebration.

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    1. Thank you, Sheri! I'm so glad you enjoyed my kitchen tour. I found the bread box on Amazon and it was such a practical choice. I loved the cozy look of my tough RH using the candle-snuffer so I'll tell him you thought it was sweet. And I'll tell him you wished him happy birthday!

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  10. Sitting here in my Rhode Island kitchen this morning looking back at Dee Hardie's Christmas in House & Beautiful from 1983 I thought I needed to pay you a visit since it had been a while.
    After all, you are the one responsible for me having this old classic issue.
    How wonderful to be treated to a fabulous kitchen tour. It is just full of treasures and I so appreciate your sharing it with us.
    And speaking of treasures, your BIL really has a good eye for things.
    You have some wonderful pieces - many with great stories to go with them.
    Take care and thanks for writing.
    Debra
    p.s. Love seeing Laurie Colwin. I can see my copy of Home Cooking from my seat at the table with More Home Cooking right behind it.

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    1. Hello Debra, if I've led anyone to Dee Hardie's 1983 December House Beautiful it makes me so happy! I remember when I used to post about her at Across the Way that a few people remembered her columns and books. She was a delight and along with Gladys Taber a true mentor to me. I still treasure all the magazine columns she wrote that I keep with her book. And the pages from the magazine issue you write about where her kitchen was featured on the cover are page one in my green Christmas notebook I turn to every year at this time. And that kitchen is still timeless!

      I wish so much that her children would bring out a book containing all of their mother's columns. I think she may have had health problems that prevented her writing and being published in later years and I miss her so much.

      Thank you for writing, Debra! I wish I could find a way to write back personally but wasn't able to "follow you home" through your link. Hope you check back and find my reply and know that I appreciate your comment.

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    2. I also treasure the one handwritten note she sent me in reply to my fan letter!

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    3. I did check back, Dewena and see your nice reply.
      Off to read a few more of your posts that I've missed.

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    4. That's so nice of you, Debra!

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