Oppoortunity knocks

While popping here and dashing there recently, we had an opportunity to visit a local charity store that we hadn't been to before.

The store is located among many other businesses, on a road that is a thoroughfare to the center of the  town. We had often passed the driveway to the store, either to busy to stop or repeatedly and annoyingly forgetting it was there until we had passed by!

So on this particular day when one of our errands had taken much less time than expected, and knowing our later  appointment was along that very road ...

We decided this would be the perfect opportunity to make our maiden rummage.

The stores aim is to raise money for the Beautiful You program.

A great cause to help Cancer sufferers and their families emotionally and financially.

The woman staffing the store was lovely and helpful and when asked she gave us a run down of their very worthy cause and all the wonderful works they do.

Among many other things, the program runs monthly fun and laughter filled craft and beauty workshops for cancer sufferers. As well as giving free massages and Pilates classes to de - stress and chase the greys away.

The store itself consists of a ground floor general charity shop.On this level we also discovered lovely handcrafted items such as crochet beanies, stuffed toys and some great vintage button jewelry made by the very brave ladies attending the Beautiful You program.

Upstairs, the mezzanine level is all vintage.

Here we found the items were all interestingly and artfully displayed.Among them were vintage home wares arranged in a 70s buffet. Men and woman's vintage clothing from various decades, hanging in and from an old wardrobe of great character.There were books and linens, some very cute ephemera and retro craft needs.All displayed in vintage suitcases and on shelf's that gave this level a lovely ambiance and appeal for such a small space.

Our finds for the day were this great 50s glass jug.

Lovely mint coloured plates. The large ones is Johnson of Australia and the saucers are Johnson Bros England.

A few cute pieces of linens and a wonderful retro table cloth that you can see above with the glass jug.

As you can see we were very glad we decided to stop, and we will certainly be making another visit in the very near future.

So if your traveling this way, or if your interested in the Beautiful You program, you can find more information here at  http://beautiful-you.com.au/

We shall keep you up to date on our future finds from this great opportunity store!

See you next time.

Me

Vintage Johnson of Australia

  

A recent vintage purchase were these great Johnson of Australia retro stoneware dinner Plates. I'm very familiar with the Johnson of Australia stoneware dinner sets, that these lovely plates originally came from. They were the everyday crockery in our home, when I was growing up. Our family had a number of J of A wonderfully patterned dinner sets over the years.

The patterns I remember most are, yellow roses that came with dark brown bowls and saucers. And  Autumn leaves, that had mustard coloured bowls and saucers. I can't remember really liking either of those patterns at the time, I think as a child, I found them a little somber. Though my feelings toward the crockery could have something to do with the fact, that we weren't allowed to speak at the dinner table! Well I imagine seven little voices given free range could give any parent indigestion!

Don't get me wrong, I have many many fond memories of meals served and family moments amidst the various patterns of my childhood, including these. But as far as the actual patterns were concerned... 
well I suppose to me it was just crockery.

But I do wish I had eaten my childhood meals from dishes with this bright spring garden pattern, with its cute little blue  flowers (forget me not ?)  Or these ( groovy! ) fun daisies. These I'm sure are patterns a child would love. Just Imagine, even if your nightly meal was a calm and orderly - definitely no speaking affair, you could still have calm, orderly and quiet enjoyment, uncovering these bright blooms as you ate your food.

Now I`m not sure if the patterns we did have in our family home were my mothers preference, or if they were the patterns produced in those particular years. Or perhaps they were the only ones available at the time she needed a new dinner set. Well I should say sets, as we were a family of seven children and I'm sure I and my siblings, probably broke quite a few dishes with our rowdy rat-baggy ways. Or with an accidental soapy slip of the hand, during the much hated dish duty!

Whether those were our mothers favourite patterns or not, the one thing I am sure of, is that the now - vintage Johnson of Australia dinner sets, would have been a god send for her. With the multitude of patterns in similar colour ranges, along with the solid colours of the bowls and saucers. I can see how she was able to mix the various pieces that were left from one set and match it with another, yet still have some continuity, and perhaps a bit of whimsical fun!

As the name suggests these stoneware dinner sets were made here in Australia.The factory opened in Croydon, Queensland in 1957 as a subsidiary of Johnson Brothers in England.Thousands of these dinner sets and other assorted pieces were produced during the 70s and 80s, in a multitude of patterns. How many? and what are the pattern names?
These are Questions we can not answer at the moment. There seems to be very little information available about pattern names or dates of production. Which is quite a nuisance, especially for Me as its just the sort of thing she likes to jump into and delve around in. But she shall keep up the research and see what  can be snooped out.

Nameless or not, many of the patterns we are seeing around the web lately are so lovely, with their bright colours and great retro looks. Milk jugs, sugar bowls and butter dishes are appearing from the nooks and the crannies of many a household. Jam dishes, cake plates and best of all, we have heard, but sadly not seen, that there are tea pots !!

I can feel a new vintage craving coming on!I want more of these wonderful patterns brightening my day. I would like to drink from the many cups with their lovely vintage patterns, and if I didn't eat my dinner on dishes I loved as a child, well I certainly can now! 

I can picture it exactly. All the fun I will have searching for, and finding, the various pieces. Then mingling together the different patterns, and mixing together the base colours of  brown, yellow mustard and green. 

This will match with....

That.

These poppies can go with...

This.

 And definitely that.

And these will go with...

 

That, goes with this.

Goes with those!

Matched and Mixed Up Sets! Yes, a definite winner in my books. Swap and change around depending on your mood (or personality in our case).  And this last one is my absoluuuute favourite, so retro! I like this last one so much, I might just have to try and find a whole set.

So dear readers, I am bound for some homegrown hunting for vintage Johnson of Australia stoneware retro pieces. Wish me luck!

She


Update.... 
There has been a concerted effort to find pattern names by some lovely people, and they have gathered quite a few. So if you are interested in the pattern names, you can find them on Facebook and Pinterest.

A number of  pieces shown here are courtesy of the wonderful  https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatRetroPiece   

The yellow rose pattern and first cup are courtesy of the delightful  https://www.etsy.com/shop/HobartCollectables