Holiday Collection: Vintage Knife Sets

What is it about the holidays that make us want to use our prettiest things? I've been thinking about putting together lovely Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and setting the table with our family china. My mom recently gave us these vintage knife sets, and I hope to incorporate them as well. I remember them being on our table throughout my childhood. Even then, I loved them. I guess some things never change!

This John Batt and Co. carving set came from the famous Portobello Road market.

I love that each of the handles has a slightly different patina. Although I don't know when they were made, the company was in existence until 1938. Here's a vintage ad featuring them! My guess is 1910s?

And the box...Oh, I love a good vintage box!

My Regent Sheffield knife set has been well-loved over the years, but it has so much charm.

Based on the boxes I found online, I believe it's from the 1950s.

The set includes knives for butter, cheese, pie, cake, bread, carving and steak! There are several steak knives!

I'm a huge fan of flowers, and these have a sweet flower detail on each handle.

Like I said, I loved using this set as a child, and I feel very fortunate that I get to enjoy them as an adult as well!

Want to see more vintage knife sets? Any of these would make lovely Christmas gifts!

These are lovely. I especially love the box and tag insert.

Here's a set similar to mine in its original box.

Again, my knives. Love the box!

Another fun mid-century design.

I love these ones too.

Blue and white is so classic.

The patina on this set is lovely.

Oh, this box...

Do you have any heirloom cutlery sets that you use daily or around the holidays? I'd love to hear about them!

Don't forget to check out our new Christmas card collection that debuted on Friday. :)

Our First Christmas Card Collection

We are very proud to introduce our first-ever Christmas card collection. Christmas has always been our favorite time of the year (we love it so much that our wedding date was December 15, 2007), and when I first started dreaming of Gerald and Joan, I knew Christmas would be an integral part of our business.

Fast forward several months, and our family slides came into my possession. As soon as I saw these images, I knew they were supposed to be our 2013 Christmas card collection. Our mission statement -- preserving history through design -- comes alive through this collection. These images and the cards themselves are completely timeless, yet nostalgic, and they effortlessly blend the past with the present and future.

Here's a little bit more about the collection from our look book:

The first Christmas collection from Gerald and Joan features five Kodachrome photographs from our personal archives. The images were taken at Joan's family home of Gates Mills, Ohio in the 1940s. Scanned from slides discovered after decades in storage, these vintage images transport us back to a simpler time when a white Christmas felt truly magical. To ensure each photograph shines, they are printed on heavy bright white cover stock. Inside each folded card the cover image is repeated and joined by a whimsical holiday greeting. The Christmas magic is then brought to life with a light dusting of crystal glitter and snow and embossed snowflakes dancing across each envelope flap.*

The collection features two options, plus our "little extras" -

5 x 7 Folded Card Set: A basic package of 10 cards includes two copies of our five classic designs. The cards are two-sided, and they are accompanied by 10 high quality A7 metallic silver envelopes.

4.5 x 6.25 Postcard Set: A basic package of 10 cards includes two copies of our five classic designs.

Little Extras* Three Snowflakes Embossed on Envelopes Dusting of crystal glitter and snow on cards Handwritten signatures printed inside each card (you send us your signatures and we digitize and add them to the cards)

The basic packages of 10 cards are now available in our Etsy shop. If you would like to purchase a larger quantity or a custom order with any or all of our little extras, contact us below:

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View the entire Gerald and Joan Christmas Look Book here or click on the image below.

We are so proud to be able to share this collection with you today! Ironically, November 15 happens to be our day to decorate our house for Christmas (a tradition we started in 2006), and it also marks the tenth anniversary of our first real date. :)

Christmas Collection Sneak Peek

Gerald and Joan is excited to announce that our first collection of Christmas cards and postcards will debut later this week! While some of us are nostalgic all year long, most of us feel nostalgic at Christmastime. Whether we're baking cookie recipes that have been in our families for generations, singing carols and hymns that have been enjoyed for centuries or trimming our trees with ornaments that belonged to our parents and grandparents, Christmas is a time for treasuring memories, carrying on traditions and enjoying every moment of the season surrounded by our family and friends.

As nostalgia, tradition and heritage are all integral to our design process, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that our Christmas collection evokes those feelings. The collection features five snowy images from Gerald and Joan's personal archives. They are 1940s slides of Joan's childhood home in Gates Mills, Ohio, that I scanned and edited myself. The cards are printed on 110# bright white cover stock to highlight the breathtaking scenes, and they are accented with a dusting of extra fine white glitter and crystal "snow." To continue the sparkling theme, they are accompanied by metallic silver envelopes.

Like Gerald and Joan itself, this collection was a labor of love for us. It takes a little bit of our history and shares it with the world. Though simple, it accomplishes the founding principle of Gerald and Joan -- it preserves a little piece of history through our design work. It also makes us very proud.

Family and friends, look for your very own card from the collection in the mail this holiday season, as we plan to send out a Santa-sized sack of them! If you would like to support our work and send some of your very own, both the cards and postcards will be available for purchase through the blog on Friday. While we're partial for handwritten Christmas messages, they can also be personalized for easy mailing. :)

We would love to help you send out some vintage-inspired Christmas cheer this December!

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