Everyone Owned It In The '80s — Now It's The Cutest Jar Design That We Want For Table Decor

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The homespun cottage decor that was popular half a century ago began with charming characters like Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake, both inspired by greeting cards. By the 1980s, one old-fashioned design that seemed to be everywhere was the white country goose motif. It often came with a dusty blue bow or ribbon and showed up on everything from kitchen crocks to potholders and towels. Decades later, the country goose motif can make charming table decor for anyone embracing today's cottagecore and nostalgic country styles. Whether you use a vintage Anchor Hocking canister purchased online or upcycle a plain jar and stencil it yourself, you'll see why everyone owned these in the '80s.

For anyone who remembers 1980s country kitchens, the country goose theme may immediately feel nostalgic. The blue ribbon is one of the most recognizable features of the '80s country goose, though versions with pinks and burgundies also became popular. As long as the geese are dressed up, it doesn't matter if they are wearing bonnets, shawls, or aprons; they're part of the motif. This design can include flowers, borders, hearts, fruit, and even other farm animals. Patterns paired with the country goose design ranged from polka dots and stripes to checks and grid patterns, all of which you can mix and match with these country geese in your decor today. You might even consider looking for vintage goose tablecloths, placemats, or drinkware, because if it existed in the 1980s, chances are good someone put a goose on it.

If you like to decorate with nostalgic thrift store finds from the 1980s, vintage country goose items can be found everywhere online. For the dining room, try styling jars and canisters as centerpiece vases or grouping several together as a nostalgic cottagecore display. Themed sets, which vary in price depending on how they're made, can be used on a blue and white polka dot table runner, for example. The Anchor Hocking glass jar sets with the country goose design are priced around $40 to $45 at the time of writing, but you'll have to spend a little more for stoneware canisters, which are priced in the $85 to $225 range.

If you embrace the colors and patterns of this popular 1980s bird decor, there are plenty of ways to recreate the look using items you already have. For a simple centerpiece, group two or three country goose jars of different heights in the middle of the table and echo their blue accents with a checked or polka dot runner. Fill one with flowers, leave another empty as a decorative piece, and bring in plain white dishes so the nostalgic pattern doesn't overwhelm the table. If you find matching goose drinkware or placemats, use just a few pieces rather than recreating the full 1980s goose takeover.

Since this is a rustic look, it lends itself well to homemade projects, and you may even find vintage country goose stencils secondhand. Today, DIYers use stencils in a lot of different ways, and you can easily make your own jar set, stencil designs on towels, or add a border to your dining room walls. You could also pick up a couple of yards of coordinating fabric to create matching placemats, napkins, or a table runner.