September 2026 – piddlin'

Vintage Lunchpail

it may be an ordinary item to most, but for those with ties to virginia tech, it means a whole lot more.

found in an antique mall tucked into the hills of christiansburg, virginia…the ultimate vintage find for a college football fan! sure it’s old, but “what does a lunchpail have to do with football?”, you may ask.

at first glance, this old tin lunchbox is a commonplace household item that many a shift worker carried to + from their job everyday–meaningful for some + an ordinary item to most. but for those with ties to virginia tech, it means a whole lot more.

to the hokie football program from the late 90s to early aughts, as well as the coaches + fans that’ve cheered them on, it’s a deeply meaningful symbol of a defense that led the conference in statistics for the better part of twenty years.

we live in a time when athletic teams have become very creative with their celebrations + some may say they equally serve as a motivator…getting to hoist a trident, wearing a special hat or jacket, taking home a wwe sized belt or stabbing deflated footballs through a miniature space needle. whatever the gesture, they each have their backstory + the longer these rituals have been around, the more the lore seems to grow with them.

in 1995, virginia tech’s defensive coordinator bud foster, working with his team of coaches decided to start bringing a lunch pail to practice. this symbol, reminiscent of the hardworking blue-collar virginians of the area, served as a reminder to those at practice that a full days work would be required + everyone would be expected to show up to grind it out each day. this in turn built a program that was known for their collective drive, discipline + preparation resulting in some of the most incredible defensive play the sport had seen to date.

over time, the tradition grew to include a list of defensive goals packed away in the pail + after a win on the road, tufts of turf grass from the opponents field as a souvenir. players were often awarded the lunch pail to carry with them for outstanding performance + it became an honor to be the keeper of the dinged up tin box that held a great deal of meaning(s) for so many.

my husband, a hokie alumnus remembers during the glory days of his college years, seeing players like corey moore + darryl tap, among other defensive superstars like kam chancellor, deangelo hall, justin hamilton + the fuller brothers to name a few. these guys are legends + they led the defensive squads that defined beamer ball over the years. it was the type of era many would like to see happen again + the hokies are long overdue!

when you see the lunch pail on the sidelines today (thanks to a recent revival), it may be a look a little roughed up from all the travel over the years but you’ll know it when you see the orange “VT” painted on one side + “WIN” on the other…still symbolizing what hokie football once stood for + could again–the ultimate talisman of inspiration!

it’s even inspired a line of gear to harken back to the spirit of the lunchpail defense:

if you’re looking for a little lunch pail motivation, this line of gear can be found at SWVA shop

the question that begs to be asked: do you think we should paint ours to make it official before our next tailgate?!

Everyday Transferware

use the fun, fancy + fine things + watch how it elevates your everyday!

if over a decade of piddlin’ has taught us anything, it’s a lasting appreciation for finds with character. there’s a time + place for simple white paper plates, but why not throw in a few blue willow melamine paper plates in the mix just for fun? why use boring stainless flatware when we can use patterned sterling silver everyday? + can’t we all agree that mini mason jars are always better than plastic tumblers?

for many years now, our family has enjoyed using a short stack of small blue + white vintage bread dishes. i found our first set of spode blue italian cereal bowls at homegoods of all places along with a pair of mugs with coasters (all dishwasher safe–what luck!). years later, we added to the collection after finding an older set at a local antiques store.

little did i know then, that putting them in arms reach would make them the go-to dish of choice for our whole family. these small bread dishes come in handy anytime we need to catch a crumb, but what really is a wonder is our kids’ everyday interest in using “the blue plates”.

thinking back to the girls’ first “fancy” plates i realize what i taught them from our earliest days together. they were two sweet dishes found at anthropologie designed x lou rota. i remember wanting to find something more their size that we could use for our sunday suppers–a tradition we started as soon as they were sitting upright in a highchair + beginning to eat solid foods. we knew from the start that we wanted them to know they had a spot at our table + that it was important for us to sit together to share a meal. we used these not just for a special sunday dinner but also for snack time! i most wanted to show them not to be afraid of using the china + celebrating everyday with something fun–an idea we have lived by since.

so there you have it! use the fun, fancy + fine things + watch how it elevates your everyday.

if you’re still reading, here’s a funny extra: the first giraffe plate we bought for our younger daughter actually did get broken. these things, they do happen but luckily we were able to find it’s replacement + rightly or wrongly she has never let us forget it–but honestly, what a beautiful lesson for her + us all to learn together organically. when dishes break sometimes we can fix them + sometimes we can’t, sometimes we just might be able to find a replacement. in life, things sometimes get messed up + we can’t always control what happens next BUT, we can still be happy with the fun we had + memories made! life is for living so let’s all try to do more of that on purpose!

Blue & White Dish Wall

our love of blue & white dishes has been going strong for so long now, i can hardly remember how it all began. this is a collection that feels so timeless! i love these dishes we have had hanging on our dining room wall from the very beginning + it has grown over the years from the first five plates in our teeny townhome to the 16 or so we have collected today.

it was surprising to hear someone say the other day that this is “coming back”, when we’ve been decorating our home this way for over a decade! certainly this must be one of the simplest examples of functional decor + to me, it feels very european. need a dish? …take one down off the wall.

whether as decor or aesthetically practical storage, this is a design element every home can benefit from! we had a client that wanted some large blue + white platters to frame the door to her back porch. once on the wall, it added that touch of warmth + familiarity that she felt was missing before. my favorite larger scale examples of this would be the displays seen in places like anthropologie or tupelo honey which was at one time located in sandy springs, georgia. something about the ceramics, patterned designs + glossy finish adds that it factor that makes a space

if you think that you could use some guidance acquiring dishes that flow cohesively with your home’s style or would like advice on where a vignette like this would look best, please ask; i’d love to work with you!