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Stone Fruit Collections Stone fruit, also known as marble fruit, is carved and painted fruit, nuts and vegetables made from Italian marble that look extremely realistic. These painted marble wonders have been known to fool a child (and adult) who would pick up a piece and tried to bite into it! Most were made to the actual size of the fruit but you can also find miniature and over-sized pieces. Starting around 1900, these wonderful pieces came to American shores from Italy. Imported stone fruit reached their peak in the 1950s when stone fruit became popular to decorate with. However, stone fruit is still being made today in Italy (and in China and Mexico) so you do have to be aware of what you are purchasing.
Stone fruit come in many varieties including peaches, oranges, pears, apples, pomegranates, persimmons, lemons, limes, figs, bananas—just about every fruit you can think of. The rarer pieces are those that are made as half of a piece of fruit such as apples, peaches, oranges and pears. Slices of watermelon are also rare. Stone nuts including almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts were also carved. Some of the nuts look so realistic you think you should be able to crack them - but don't try!
Stone fruit pieces are popular to collect. You can find them at antique shows, shops and online. Some collectors will purchase each piece individually to put together a specific set of fruit. But, you can also purchase an assembled collection that might even come with an old compote, wooden bowl, treen plate, pewter charger or redware plate. References:
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Service with a Smile! I just had the experience of stopping at a large antique mall with a huge sign on the highway that read open 10 AM – 6PM. Oh boy, I thought, a whole hour and 15 minutes to shop. I got to the door and new times were posted with a closing time of 5 PM. Much to my dismay, the woman inside had locked the door and locked me out of 15 minutes of frenzied shopping. The kicker was I could see lots of good country goodies inside. On the same buying trip I waited at another shop that had a hand written sign: ‘back in 15 minutes’. I waited the 15 minutes. When the shop owner arrived back, not one word was spoken to me. No “sorry, I hope you haven’t been waiting long”, no “may I help you?” Not a word. Now here’s a lesson from my ancient history. When I waitressed back in my college days, my girlfriend and I would sit at the end of our shift with all the other college kids working there and count our tips. The two of us would make double what the others made. They would ask how come you always get the big tips. Our response was always the same: "service with a smile”. Always, and especially in this time of an economic downturn, we need to remember our manners, be flexible, and always give service with a smile. About Lyn Andeen
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Spring is Here Spring is officially here this week. We have been feeling the warmer weather out here in California and it has been delightful. We do however know that many of our mid-west and east coast friends and family still do not feel like spring is anywhere near. We hope it comes quickly for everyone! Pinterest is continuing to grow - we now have more people following us and repinning our images on Pinterest then on Facebook. We'd love to hear why you chose one over the other - or do you do both? Let us know what you think! Sincerely,
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