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How Amy and I Decorate with Purple Transferware + A GIVEAWAY!!!




I love purple.  I always have but this year I've been pulling it into more of my tables and Fall decor than I usually do.  Purple is a mysterious color, representative of royalty it is associated with nobility and spirituality.  It is the marriage of red and blue.
Red and Blue Make Purple
Purple looks great with both jewel tones or soft pastels.  I usually mix my purple transferware with amber, sienna and deep greens with lots of brown, but my friend Amy, at Maison Decor, does just the opposite,  mixing  her purple with softer colors like pink or aqua with lots of white.  We both collect Rural Scenes though my collection is mostly the brown polychrome version.  Here, Amy's pulling out her purple collection of Rural Scenes and glorious vintage silver in preparation for her Thanksgiving dinner. 




  I'm sure many of you already know Amy or are familiar with her blog but if not, you'll want to go over and introduce yourself.
 I've teamed up with Amy for another transferware giveaway, a $60 credit to my online shop, English Transferware.   Currently, I have over 900 pieces listed so there is something for everyone and in every color! 
(photo, courtesy Stone Gable...Yvonne made this collage using photos from my shop!...thank you Yvonne!)


Amy likes purple transferware and has put together a lovely collection over the past year or so.  I'm proud to say she bought some of her pieces from me! ;-)  Below are pictures of the kitchen that she's renovated over the past year or so.  She took it from dark to light with lots of white and you know it, purple transferware. Go check out the before pics...what an amazing transformation!



Amy pulled cabinetry from above her vent and recreated this into a small hutch to showcase some of her purple transferware
 ~Swoon~

I love this vignette she's created with a sugar pot turned lamp.  And what about that silver tray!?!?  


 Amy designs and makes custom draperies and she made these pillows for her dining room not long ago.  I fell in love with this fabric when she showed it on her blog..isn't the combination of aqua and purple heavenly?  It's so Amy!  


 Of course I LOVE her collection of purple transferware platters and plates flanking the mirror above.  Isn't this room beautiful?  I love her romantic, traditional style.


 I'm a Bohemian of sorts when it comes to my style...I love Old World European whether it be French, Italian or English, English Country, Farmhouse, Victorian and French.  I like all things with traditional roots but could never choose or stick to only one style.  Like I've said before about men and dishes...I can be faithful to one man, but I'd never make it being faithful to just one set of dishes!    I recently took a design test and it seemed to pin me right on the head, stating "You would never use a matched set of furniture".  That is absolutely me.  I don't, I haven't, I wouldn't, I won't. No, I am a mix it up girl at heart, but I stick to timeless, traditional style when it comes to interior design.

Above I shared some photos taken from Amy's blog, with her permission, of how she's combined her love of purple with softer colors.

Below are some examples of how I've used purple with the darker colors that I am most drawn to.

 In my former master bedroom I grouped my collection of purple transferware platters over my bed into a large arch, framing the bed and nightstands. (yes, there's a blob of paint above the bed that I was considering when this pic was taken)

The seating area below is at the foot of the bed...
 ...directly facing this arrangement of furniture and purple transferware shown below. 
 I centered the wall with a painted armoire in rich sienna and rusty tones flanked by two dark green apothecary chests topped with miniature, hand painted, armoires pulling the colors of the pieces all together.  Either side is arranged with an arched grouping of purple plates. 
 This creates one large wallscape!


This area of the bedroom displays a wallgrouping of plates around a vintage jade topped box over pretty floral paintings.

In the Master Bath I used a combination of green and purple transferware over a 10' long mirror. 
I use some of my purple transferware to store things like make-up and jewelry.

 and one of my very favorite pieces, this huge soup tureen, holds washcloths.  There's a neat story that goes with this tureen...you can read it HERE.


My past few tablescapes have been with some kind of purple transferware or a blend of purple and another rich color. 








 Here's a peek at a Fall / Thanksgiving table with historical purple transferware I'll be posting this week or next.

Wouldn't you love to add to or start a collection of transferware, or pick up a gift for someone special this season?  Head on over to the gorgeous Maison Decor and tell Amy I sent you, and while there  enter to win $60 to my shop!  Her giveaway ends on the 14th.  There's also a special discount code at Amy's for 15% off all purchases at my shop for a limited time.


Joining:

Tuesday's Treasures
Toot Your Horn Tuesdays Vintage Thingie Thursday 


Comments

  1. I Love how you both DO purple, each so beautiful! So wonderful the gorgeous Fall colors mixed with the lavender tones. xo

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  2. Nancy, your style is very beautiful! You both pull purple off really well in your decorating!

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  3. Great post! I feel the same way about dishes and men. lol

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  4. I love purple and you have certainly used it well ..

    thanks for sharing all this beauty with us.

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  5. Wow what a great post! I loved seeing all the great ways to decorate with transferware Nancy. No one does it better than you~thank you so much for putting together these beautiful pics of our homes and weaving them into this post!!

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  6. I adore my blue and white but that purple looks so pretty! It's a much rarer color as well for I don't often see it when I go out and about -- blue -- definnintely; brown - a lot; red - sometimes but hardly ever purple!

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  7. All of your displays and vignettes with transferware is gorgeous! I am already entered in the giveaway! Can't wait!~Hugs, Patti

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  8. Very pretty, Nancy! Yes, I love Amy's blog, too, and what she's done to her home. I thought that fabric she found was perfect for her color scheme when she showed it. I love the way you've displayed your plates on the walls. You're very good at that! I also love that you use the pieces for other than their purpose in your bathroom.

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  9. Nancy, You have the most beautiful transferware and I love the way you have it displayed. Amy is such a sweet lady and her purple transferware looks wonderful with the light colors of her home. Thanks for the very generous giveaway.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  10. Oh, my goodness! How I drool everytime I see your most beautiful home. You do have the most gorgeous transferware than anyone and love how you decorate with it.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  11. Oh mercy! I absolutely love both styles. I can't wait to get the rest of my pieces from you to create the vignettes in my dining room.

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  12. Martha,

    You're so right. Blue was the most produced transferware...first because it was the only color that could withstand the extreme temperatures of the kiln, and because the first pieces were copies of handpainted Chinese wares that were so popular in England at the time. As potters developed processes that allowed for other colors, they were introduced. Blue is still the most popular color, though I'd say brown is a close second and it is my number one seller, next to purple. Purple is so hard to find and when I had my physical shop I heard comments all the time from customers who'd never seen it or never knew it existed.

    Thank you for the sweet comments ladies!

    Nancy

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  13. Both you and Amy have wonderful collections of purple transferware.
    I do love it(have Clarice Cliff's Tonquin, service for four), there is something magical about purple for me.
    I have learned so much from you...love it when you give a history of the patterns/makers, but most of all putting colors together that I would never have thought of...like, purple with brown.
    Thanks for the chance to win your generous giveaway.

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  14. I really love it when we're able to look at a single element in different ways. It offers the opportunity to remember just how versatile our treasures are! I LOVE touring your home! You've done some very creative and beautiful decorating that incorporates your fabulous transferware. I can't wait to use the beautiful items I won in a previous giveaway!!! Thank you for sharing that!

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  15. wow, a fabulousjob . i love the bed and bath idea. looks gorgeous. im thinking about the vent thing also. now that ive seen it, IM DOIN IT!! ive started collecting. have a couple small purple. the rest is blue, but DIFFERENT. heading to amys. thanks for the giveaway, and happy thanksgiving.

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  16. The purple is gorgeous -- it seems to be very hard to find around here in Birmingham. I am keeping my eyes open, though!

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  17. Table in the kitchen is perfection in itself...amazing. Crockery item are pretty.

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  18. What glorious pictures of your home and of Amy's home!

    Thanks for the give-away opportunity and discount coupon. I'm headed to Amy's blog now.

    Cheers!

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  19. I love the use of the dishes in the bathroom on the counter....had to put that one on my pinterest...pretty blog..

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  20. Your blog is so lovely!! I am now a follower.

    Blessings,

    ~Marie

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  21. It is so nice to see pieces being thoroughly enjoyed instead of hiding most of their lives in a cupboard.

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  22. It is always a treat to come by and see your beautiful collections, Nancy! This purple is wonderfully displayed throughout your lovely home. :-) Sue

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  23. Purple Transferware! Be still my heart!!! How I love it! Beautiful!

    Blessings

    Linda

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  24. I love everything you and Amy have done you both are so creative! I have just started a collection of biscuit jars, in soft pinks, greens, and yellows with a few other colors, along with 150 year old plates. I'm very new to using these items in decorating, and it feels so right at home for me. I love tradition and love to imagine where these items have been, passed down from other families, and one day, to my children. You and Amy have inspired me!

    Blessings!!

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  25. Sunya,

    I to love to think about where an item has been and the people it belonged to. Using these things feels right to me as well. Why keep everything in a cupboard for no one to see or enjoy?

    Thank you for your sweet comment!

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  26. What gorgeous uses of the transferware. Your blog and shop are both lovely. I've enjoyed my first visit with you Nancy. I found your blog at Amy's.

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  27. What a wonderful collection you have...I've been collecting for about 20yrs...and was a dealer in Mckinney,Tx. for about 7 yrs. It is very additive...I will enjoy foward to following your blog...and will visit you on Etsy. Love seeing your ideas!!
    Have a wonderful week,
    Kathy

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  28. I love the purple transfer ware. I've never seen it in that color but will look for it now. Purple is my favorite color.

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  29. So pretty. You have the most amazing dish collection! Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday--hope you'll be back this week-
    Mary

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  30. ..I love the purple transfer ware..
    ..the color and design is great!

    *_* maica *_* Buy and Sell

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  31. I will be on the hunt! I have so many plates that I display in main living areas of my home. Some are on walls, some on shelves; I love how you decorate with them in bedrooms, bathrooms...all over. I will be emptying my shelves of plates and finding new places for display. Thank you for sharing, your blog is very creative and inspirational...I have lots of grandmothers earnings, broaches etc... some adorn a lampshade on my vanity...I thought that was creative and now I will find new places to spread more throughout the house.

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