With these last few weeks being quite on the sad side...I found myself needing to wander, to roam, to explore, to get lost so to speak...and not at my usual haunts either...surprisingly, I found myself meandering through the cheerful gardens of
antique tea cup land...on
ebay no less!
My excursion started innocently enough...I was perusing the tea cup sections of
ebay in the hopes of finding the perfect gift for a certain someone who shall remain nameless because I know that she checks in here frequently....
and without any warning what-so-ever, I found myself immersed in an abundance of floral bone china that looked like springtime itself and I became completely enchanted and absorbed in the beauty of these delicate pieces of tradition. A petal of an idea started forming... that there just might be a new collection on the horizon just waiting to be gathered into a wonderful porcelain bouquet.
I found myself being drawn in to the charming and lush styles of certain makers...
Aynsley, Shelley, Foley, Paragon, Royal's such as Albert and
Staffordshire...as well as some lovely old Bavarian and German sets.
This "garden" I was lost in was filled with a mixture of delicately sweet blossoms as well as vibrant and glorious blooms singing loudly that tea time with them would be a very happy occasion indeed.
My mother has had a beautiful collection of tea cups for years and one of my favorite things to do when visiting is picking which one to use when we have our coffee. I love that they are used...daily.
As much as I've always loved these tea cups...I've never purchased any of these dainties for myself. My infatuation with
transferware and ironstone has always won out over the floral and
lacey...but now, I believe spring fever has struck, and the rose colored glasses have most definitely been put on.
I imagined that Mary Poppins would have chosen this lovey set for her own particular use.
I wonder if the fact that I've been hanging out with the Bronte family in Victorian England and Brussels has anything to do with my attraction to these vessels from another era....
possibly....
or maybe I'm just ready for spring...for warmth...and the beauty that accompanies it. To walk aimlessly through a scented and abundant garden, breathing in the sweet air...losing oneself for a few blissful moments. For now though...during these gray, cold and melancholy days, a cheering escape amidst beautiful, flower laden cups will have to do, or better yet...
maybe even a nice cup of tea, enjoyed in one.
(all images ebay)
All this beauty is only one eensy weensy, itsy bitsy, microscopic, little ol' month away!
That's the mantra I keep saying...over and over and over again.
For me, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which runs the whole month of April, is the harbinger of spring here in the Pacific Northwest...you can probably see why.
Mount Vernon is the home to this amazing valley where every year farmers plant acres and acres of tulips, daffodils, irises, and more creating carpets of color that stretch for miles.
Surrounded on one side by the Cascade Mountain range and Mt. Baker, which is perpetually ensconced in snow...it is truly a breathtaking sight and is the epitome of what springtime in the Northwest is to me.
Visiting the fields (not on the weekend mind you), and having brunch or lunch followed by an antiquing adventure in the very quaint nearby town of La Connor, is truly my idea of heaven.
The beauty is so magnificent that tears have been known to moisten an eye or two when taking it all in. One month.....
One month...
It's amazing to think that he was so concerned at that tender young age of teendom, about how to behave *this* properly in society...it's quite impressive.
He has been a hero of mine since I first *truly* learned about him after a visit to Washingtom DC...I was star struck.
There was so much I learned about him that visit...so many facts that astounded and amazed me, he became a real person and I became obsessed with finding out as much about him as I possibly could.
After coming home from DC, I went to California and found out that the the Huntington Library was hosting an exhibit from Mount Vernon, I was in Washington heaven. It was as if they had removed every precious article, letter and piece of furniture from that special home and brought it all to Pasedena.
This book is the catalogue for the exhibit and it's a facsinating read. It brings Washington to life and removes so much of the myth that has over time, become his 'history'. After being a monument for so many years, it helps to turn him back into a man, as do many other fine books that are available to us now, I highly recommend purchasing one of these...you won't be disappointed.
It has turned into our tea cupboard and I don't think I could even consider putting a microwave in it now...maybe a small, vertical stackable shelf of some sort would be nice for more tea things...but no microwave.
The sweet, tiny little tea cup above was made for Mr.24 by our very special neighbor Miss. Kaitlyn when she was just five years old. In it is a little piece of chocolate that a friend brought back from Paris for us...I can't eat it, the wrapper it's too pretty.
Since this area of the kitchen ended up being coffee central, it only made sense to have the tea accoutrement's nearby as well. Being right off of the living room, dining room and the hallway that leads to the master bedroom (to the right), it makes for very easy access to a warm beverage without having to linger in the kitchen proper.
Still looking for the perfect pendants...
Eventually there will be open shelving on the tiled wall and also, more shelves in the glass front cabinet (those were supposed to be here six months ago!) We haven't added the open shelving yet because...hold on to your seat...this whole area might need to be torn out and replaced due to the
So for now...since we're really not big microwave users...tea things it is!
But I really don't mind.
How I'd love to have a grouping of these sweet 
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