Imperial Ware Melmac and Wee Little Butter Pats did Texas Ware Make This...

Imperial Ware...

The Pretend Den has some for sale, and shows how lovely this can be.

Look at the butter pats at Delectable Accents!

This really great set of Imperial Ware melmac is up for grabs on Etsy, at DelectableAccents .  The really cool thing about it is the what-I-think-are butter pats to the lower left. Note how they are tiny coaster-sized items, often used FOR coasters or candy dishes, but back in the day certainly meant for butter! I've only ever seen them in a few vintage melmac lines, as most have been lost or misplaced over time.  (Let's not forget melmac was a bit pricy back then, so the optional "butter pats" weren't always a heavily bought item. They usually measure around 3" or under.)

Yes, just close your eyes and imagine how it must have been. A pat of fresh churned butter was just waiting on your lovely melmac butter pat to be spread lovingly on Granny's fresh baked buns. Of course those would have had their own place on the bread plate.

See the speckles, these $18 at RetroChalet!

Imperial Ware was speckled in pastel colors of blue, white, pink and yellow. It's fun to collect a whole set and still easy to assemble. Mr. Melmac had suggested that it was made by the makers of Texas Ware (PMC Manufacturing Company).  Not much in the way of original boxes or paperwork has been found. I did see an old store ad, once, showing it but not naming the maker.

Courtesy:  Ira Mency

I've seen two totally different backstamps for the line.  One says "Imperial Ware" in cursive, (above--I think this is an older mark) and the second showing "Imperial" in cursive but "melmac" in blog letters as this (below) is the second...
 

"The Pretend Den" took this photo of one of the backstamps."

As with any melmac, I'm often suprised if you look hard enough you will find the needle in the haystack. Let me just say this is an oddity and so lovely if I do say so myself. They are very modern design saucers backstamped Imperial Ware, but I have no earthly idea why. So lovely!  Get them while you can!

Imperial Ware Oddity, so lovely, Available at Vintage Goodies.



Rosti Melamine now Rosti Mepal Oh So Mod Pod!

Set of four Rosti Bowls by MagicMuti on Etsy, $39 and lovely.

The Rosti - Mepal company is still in business making lovely plastics today. The original Rosti Company was founded in 1944.  Mepal (another Dutch company) was founded in 1950. Mepal and Rosti collaborated in the early days, and over time their modern and functional designs became timeless icons in the kitchen industry (cookware, storage, and baking plastic products.)

This photo, from the official Rosti Mepal site, shows the popular Rosti bowl design kept alive !

In the early 90's, (1993 to be exact) Rosti and Mepal merged, so the company is now known as Rosti Mepal and is located in the Netherlands. It keeps alive the old popular lines of kitchen cookware like the mixing bowls, but adds other cool household products from time to time.

See the whole line of these MARGRETHE mixing bowls & Rosti Mepal products here.

Egon Wolff started the Mepal company--and since 1950 was known for his high end plastic products. Although the same "Margrethe" mixing bowl designs are still produced today, vintage ones are still easy to find, and highly sought after. They can be functional in your retro kitchen today!

ModernSpecific on Etsy offers this lovely mixing bowl in bright yellow.

ThankHugh offers this wonderful Rosti pitcher in lime green.

Some find it hard to tell vintage Rosti items from newer especially when the products are still being made and sometimes in similiar colors! Certain colors are discontinued which may help you date age.  The older backstamps differ and have changed over time--I've counted four plus of them.  Good designs stay true over time.

This backstamp, as shown by BeggarsandChoosers on Etsy  , was on my mother's mixing bowls from the 1970's. 

More variations in backstamp as shown by Midwest Splendor on Etsy.  (Left-cursive, Right-words going around the outside and no inside backstamp.)

So how else to tell?  Even more confusing, the vintage items also had rubber non-slip bottoms --like the new, but the old often show rubber that may be dry rotted with age.  Just when you think dry rubber can help you, it can't, as this however could also have happened when a 1990's housewife put in the dishwasher too much.  Some rubber rings will be missing altogether. 

Luola offers this great set.

Whatever the case, mixing the old with the new can make for an interesting kitchen!

Mushroom Melmac Meets Joey the Bear....Beat Up Creations

Courtesy: BeatUpCreations

I am a huge fan of Angela Rossi's work, she makes sculpture, but also altered art plates in her Beat Up Creations studio. The plates are just wonderful works of art to hang on the wall.   

This is one of the off-brand designs of Sears' Merry Mushroom--with Joey the Bear on it.

The subject of discussion is this Sears Roebuck lookalike of the Merry Mushroom pattern melmac plate (most likely made by an off brand company trying to jump on the mushroom craze bandwagon.) I think it's safe to say, the plate didn't know what on earth hit it when Joey the bear decided to use it for his First Grade photo! It is truly an ephiany in the art world....(by the looks of his shirt, he may have been a class behind me!) 

Joey the Bear: From 1st Grade to Hall of Shame!

Alas, here at Melmac Central where all plastic is loved and adored, it's just plain wrong.  From Mushrooms to Mayhem we have to say bad , bad Joey! Hands off the melmac! Then again, who am I to argue with a bear? 


To see more of Angela's work click here.