Designer Showcase: Delftware

this will be a new recurring post, showcasing different designers, their history and products!

today's designer is: Delft Pottery

Delftware, or Delft pottery, is a blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands since the 16th century.

Kitty's Vintage Home

Modern Delftware is a type of pottery which is glazed in white, usually decorated with metal oxides. Delftware includes pottery objects of all kinds such as plates, ornaments and tiles.

bleuets

Delftware ranged from simple household items - plain white earthenware with little or no decoration - to fancy artwork. Most of the Delft factories made sets of jars, pictorial plates illustrated with religious motifs, native Dutch scenes with windmills and fishing boats, hunting scenes, landscapes and seascapes.

oppning

Sets of plates were made with the words and music of songs; dessert was served on them and when the plates were clear the company started singing. The Delft potters also made tiles in vast numbers over a period of two hundred years; many Dutch houses still have tiles that were fixed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Flat Rock Marketplace

A True American Hero

As an admitted and unashamed space nerd, I was deeply saddened by last Saturday's news of the death of Neil Armstrong.  In a society where "heros" do nothing more than look pretty on tv, this man truely deserves the title "American Hero!"  He served in the U.S. Navy, was a test pilot for NASA, a professor and lifelong teacher, but most people know his as the first man to set foot on the moon.  He so famously uttered the words "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  July 20, 1969 is a day that few will forget.  Below is a very brief biography of this great man:

Neil Alden Armstrong, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930.

He began his flight career as a Naval Aviator in 1949.  He later became a test pilot for NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he was a pilot of many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the 4000-mph X-15. He flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.

Armstrong transferred to the Astronaut Corps in 1962. He was assigned as Pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.

As Commander for Apollo 11, Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon.

He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California.  He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979.

 

Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.

Nashville Roadtrip

a few weeks ago my dear susan and i headed to nashville for a going out of business sale for a beloved etsy seller, closet case vintage.  we both had a great time shopping and finding some amazing vintage deals! 

upon leaving the sale, we kept hearing folks talk about a tomato festival, so we thought we should check it out.

we got to pose for the opera, doesn't susan make a great leading man?!  we were both too short to reach the hole for the man's head!!

and found even more vintage stores, not going out of business!  as this was nashville, naturally there were walls of vintage cowboy boots, sadly, i didn't find any that fit.

and beautiful dresses at goodbye girls, where i got a fantastic blue and orange patterned bangle.

now that we know of these stores and the super fun tomato fest, we'll be sure to head back next year for it, you should too!

changes!

exciting news friends!  the studio i share with my dear friend tara gets to expand!!  that means i'll get to have my own showcase area, which will hopefully be ready in the next few weeks!  photos of the progress to come!

along with that huge change, i'm going to be revamping my etsy store.  new photos, new packaging, new products...  this goes for kitty's vintage home and montgomery june vintage boutique!

i've been reading lots of small business blogs, books and articles about how to run a small business and many of the tips will be implemented in the shops for your enjoyment and convenience!! 

also, with each purchase a small gift will be included, from me to you.

until next time, here is a photo of the beautiful old textile/shoe mill where my studio is located!

SALE

if you live in the Huntsville area, i'm having a huge inventory reduction sale at my studio (extra bedroom in my house!) next sunday, august 19.
everything will be on sale: clothes, dishes, books, jewelry, shoes, hats, purses, table linens, decor...EVERYTHING!! 

if you need more info, email me: montgomeryjune@rocketmail.com or kittysvintage@yahoo.com.

Marilyn

Norma Jean Mortenson was born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles.  Growing up poor, without knowing her father, and having a mentally ill mother, she was passed around foster homes until she ended up in an orphanage.  She married at age 16 to her first husband, James Dougherty.  He worked in an aircraft plant.  She began to model.

After 4 years, her marriage ended.  Some of her swimsuit photos caught the eye of Howard Hughes.  She was brought into Hollywood for a screen test.  Her first years as an actress were low paid and unsuccessful.  She went back to modeling time after time. 

She was also married to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller  in her short 36 year life.  She appeared in over 30 films and had many more in the works before her untimely death in 1962.

Norma Jean started using the stage name Marilyn Monroe in 1946, but did not legally change her name until 1956.  Her mother's maiden name was Monroe.  She later said that she wished she'd gone by Jean instead of Marilyn!

The famous nude photo of her by Tom Kelley, that later became her Playboy centerfold image, originally appeared in a calendar entitled "Miss Golden Dreams."Hugh Hefner then bought the rights to the photo for $500. Marilyn never saw a dime of the millions the calendar made for its publisher.

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe



new computer

yesterday, after a VERY long time, i'm the proud owner of a new laptop.  what does this mean for you?  that i can finally add new items to the etsy store!  be on the look out over the next few weeks as i'll be adding new items!