HEATHER'S TUESDAY TEA PARTY

Hi everyone,

Oh, I'm so excited.  I finally have some beautiful tea things to share with you. The ladies at my church had a "Ladies Spring Tea" yesterday afternoon. It was just beautiful. One of the ladies in our church hosted the entire group in her garden.  There were tents set up. As it turns out, that was a super smart idea, because it was H.O.T.  There are a lot of photos, so I'm not going to comment very much at all.  I thought about splitting it up into two posts, however "more is M.O.R.E" when it comes to lovely tea things.  So let's get started.  This first photo is the table that I was sitting at.  Each table was lovingly decorated by one of the ladies in our church:

Our guest speaker shared some of her life through her various stiching and needlework projects. It was truly beautiful. Oh and do you see those crazy quilts. Oh be still my vintage-loving heart. Those were gorgeous:

There was some wonderful food there. Now this posed a challenge for me, because I have to eat gluten free...and yes, I did indulge in a few limited items.  However, if I didn't, then I would have starved.  Next time, I'll be better prepared with gluten free goodies that are safe for me to eat. In any case, the food was wonderful:

These were some of the other lovely tea things that I enjoyed looking at.  Tea is such a beautiful thing that can be enjoyed by everyone:

This cute little "ladybug" decide it wanted to enjoy some of the tea time festivities, too. Apparently it decided my leg was a great spot for a lovely tea-time stroll:

My table was the only one that actually had an edible cake as a centerpiece. It is called a "Princess" cake and WOW, did it taste good. I don't care that it was full of gluten. Yes, it was that good:

Thanks for stopping by for tea. I hope you enjoyed all the photos. I just love it when you all stop by for a friendly visit.  You make me smile. 

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.    Love and hugs, Heather

TEACUP TUESDAY

Hi everyone,
I'm a day late with my "Teacup Tuesday" post.  Okay, so I posted this photo earlier this week.  This is a vintage reproduction napkin holder from the Homer Laughlin China Co. It was made in 1996. Doesn't it have a vintage feel? I purchased it at a yard sale for about $1:

That's one funny looking "teacup". Well, when I went to check who made this napkin holder, I saw that it was made by the same folks who made one of my china teacups.  This teacup is made by the Homer Laughlin China Co in the early half of the 20th century. I haven't been able to figure out the exact date of production, but it is a Craftsman style china pattern. So my guess is that it was made sometime in the 1910s or 1920s. If you have any information, please let me know:

I received this teacup from a friend back in 2004.  It's funny how I acquire some of my china pieces. However, she asked me if I wanted this. I said "YES", even though I thought this piece was rather ugly at the time. It grew on me, and now it's one of my favorite patterns.  Did you notice the secret flower detail on the inside rim of the cup? I just LOVE this kind of detail.  Here's a photo of my teacup again, so you can admire the lovely flowers:

There is a slight crack running through this teacup. So it's no longer something I would drink out of. However, it is a lovely cup to put on display.  This is the backstamp. Oh what a backstamp this is. It's one of the fanciest backstamps that I have ever seen on any piece of china. I'm sorry about the dirt around the bottom of the cup. It was like that when the teacup was gifted to me. I've not been successful in getting rid of the dirt marks. Inspite of that, this backstamp is it's own work of art:

This pattern is called "Chartreuse".  I did find other pieces in this china set at Replacements Ltd. However, I've been unsuccesful in finding out more about the history of this particular china pattern.  When you turn the cup around slightly, look at the lovely detail you can find here:

I really love vintage items because of their attention to detail. This teacup is no exception.  It's what makes this particular teacup very special and unique. 

Most of the items in my china collection are mismatched pieces.  When I was taking photos of my teacup, I realized that it would look lovely with this saucer which was purchased for $1 at The Goodwill thrift shop:

The floral detal on my Homer Laughlin China Co. "chartreuse" teacup seems to match the floral detail in the center of this china saucer.  Now this saucer is a Grosvenor China pattern.  The green and gold detail around the edge of the saucer is what first attracted me to it.  Here is a look at the backstamp:

This saucer was made in England by Bristol Festcon. 

I really enjoy tea very much: drinking it, collecting china, eating food during tea time, everything about it. There is something very lovely about a nice cup of tea. Maybe it's the people that I get to spend time with. I'm not sure. However, tea always brings joy to my heart.  Thank you for joining me today. Please come back again to visit anytime. You are always welcome here.

That is the news from the ocean shores of California today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY TEA THINGS FOR JANUARY 4th, 2012

Hi everyone, 
Let me share my latest teacup and saucer with you today. Before I do that, let me give you a short update on our "plumbing" problem here at the house.  YOu can click here to read the original post. We finally had the plumber out for a third time in a week. They ran a camera down the pipe and discovered that the pipe was an old "Orangeburg" (sp?) pipe that was installed when the house was originally built back in the 1940s/50s.  The pipe runs 24 inches below ground, underneath the garage. When my aunt had the house remodeled, they never found that pipe, because they never looked.  When they installed new water pipe, it was installed only 18 inches below ground..so they never discovered the old pipe. Basically, the old pipe is very small and is collapsing in on itself. It will need to be replaced, eventually...but for now, my dad and I can use the upstairs bathrooms just fine with no problem. So, we're okay for now :) :) That's is a total answer to prayer.

Okay, now for the fun stuff.  This teacup with matching saucer was given to me as a gift by my aunt's friend.  She had purchased it at an auction. My aunt's friend said that it was in a box full of junk. It was like finding a diamond in the rough.

HERE IS A VIEW OF MY LOVELY PINK ROSE TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER, AS SEEN FROM THE TOP. IT IS A LOVELY SHADE OF PALE PINK, WITH BEAUTIFUL CHUBBY, RED ROSES AND OUTLINED IN DELICATE GOLD

WHEN YOU SEE THE NEXT PHOTOS, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY I TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM THE TOP VIEW.

THIS IS MY TEACUP AND SAUCER AS SEEN FROM THE SIDE VIEW.  YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TEACUP ITSELF IS A SIMPLE, PLAIN WHITE WITH A DELICATE GOLD STRIPE RUNNING AROUND THE CENTER OF THE CUP. ALL OF THE DETAIL IS ON THE INSIDE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE TEACUP. IT SAYS "BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN - CHINA POTTERS - PARAGON - FINE BONE CHINA - ENGLAND REGD"  THERE IS ALSO THE LETTER "P" ON THE CUP.  I'M NOT SURE IF THAT IS SIGNIFICANT OR NOT. IT DOES ADD A BIT OF MYSTERY TO MY TEACUP.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SAUCER. IT IS REALLY LOVELY.  I THINK PINK IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC AND VERY FEMININE COLOR. IT ADDS A TOUCH OF BEAUTY TO THE EVERY DAY THINGS OF OUR LIVES.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER. IT IS THE SAME AS THE ONE ON THE TEACUP. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL MARKINGS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM OR THEIR MEANING. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT COULD BE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.


Thank you for joining me for tea today. I love having visitors. Your comments also make me smile :) :) 

Oh, as most of you know, I live by the ocean. This is what the waves looked liked yesterday (Tuesday). Isn't it just dreamy?

I NEVER GET TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE OCEAN OR TAKING PHOTOS.

AT ONE POINT, THE WAVES WERE GETTING SO BIG AND SO FAST, THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE WAVES CRASHING AT THE SAME TIME. 


That is the news from California today. Love and hugs from the ocean shores, Heather 

MY TEA TIME TUESDAY AND TEACUP & TEA THINGS TUESDAY FOR DECEMBER 1st.

Hi everyone,

Okay, here is my tea post for this week.  I tried to get it up yesterday and totally forget.  Here is the last of my tea things that I purchased at auction a few weeks ago.  The cup and the saucer are from the same designer. The plate is from a different designer.  However,  the patterns are so similar, they fit together nicely :)

THIS IS THE TEACUP, SAUCER AND PLATE THAT I PURCHASED AT THAT AUCTION A FEW WEEKS AGO.

HERE IS THE PLATE.  IT IS REALLY INTERESTING WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SCALLOPED DETAIL ALL THE WAY AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PLATE. NOTICE THE PRECIOUS LITTLE ROSEBUD IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SCALLOPED ROSES PLATE.

NEXT, I PLACED THE SAUCER ON TOP OF THE PLATE. DO YOU NOTICE HOW WELL THE ROSES ON BOTH ITEMS FIT TOGETHER? IT IS REALLY AMAZING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE SAUCER.

THIS IS THE FLORAL MOTIF ON ONE SIDE OF THE TEACUP. IT HAS A VERY SIMPLE GOLD DETAIL ON THE HANDLE.

THIS IS THE SMALLER FLORAL MOTIF ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TEACUP.


I really enjoyed sharing some more of my tea things with you.  Now the trick is to find a way to display them beautifull in my home. Right now, it's just random placement wherever there is space in my room :) :) :)

Oh,  Friday I'll be sharing some vintage finds that I found this week. You'll have to tune in Friday for that.  I've really committed to buying things at thrift shops and antique shops, when I can afford it.

Thanks for stopping by my blog to visit. I LOVE visitors and comments :) :) That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY TEACUPS AND TEA THINGS & TEA TIME TUESDAY POST FOR NOVEMBER 8th.

Hi everyone, 

So I totally forgot about last Tuesday. Something in the California air has really done something to my sense of timing. Ever since I moved to California, the days just seem to run together so fast.  So TWO weeks ago, I showed you the Royal Albert sugar bowl and creamer that I won (as part of a mixed collection) at an auction. Today, I'm going to show you a little bit more.

THESE ARE ALL THE TEA THINGS THAT I WON AT THE SILENT AUCTION BACK IN SEPTEMBER. IT IS A REAL MIX OF DIFFERENT PIECES. ALL OF THEM ARE SO LOVELY.

The items that really caught my eye were the Royal Albert "Old Country Roses" creamer and matching sugar bowl.  The other items that caught my eye were the violet teacups, saucers and teapot.

These are the violet china tea things that I wanted to share with you all today.  If you look really closely, you'll notice that one of the teacup's, with matching saucer, is slightly different than the others. Oh, and to my surprise, the teapot was made in Japan, while everything else was made in England. Here are some close-up pictures of my lovely china:

THIS IS A CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE LOVELY VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEAPOT.

EVEN THE LID ON THE TEAPOT HAS LOVELY DETAIL. ISN'T IT JUST BEAUTIFUL? YES, IT REALLY IS. THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT VIOLETS.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEAPOT. THIS CAME AS A TOTAL SURPRISE, BECAUSE I KNEW THE OTHER PIECES HAD BEEN MADE IN ENGLAND.  THE DESIGNS MATCH ALMOST PERFECTLY.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL VIOLET TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER. THEY BOTH HAVE A LOVELY SCALLOPED EDGE WITH GOLD DETAIL AROUND THE RIM.

WHEN YOU TURN THE TEACUP AROUND, THERE IS A SOFTER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE. THIS IS SO DELICATE AND BEAUTIFUL.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THOSE "SECRET" FLOWER DETAILS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TEACUPS. IT REALLY ADDS A TOUCH OF SOMETHING LOVELY.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET TEACUP WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.  I THINK SOME OF THE MARKINGS ARE VERY INTERESTING. HOWEVER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SIGNIFY. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, LET ME KNOW.

A LOVELY AND DELICATE VIOLET SAUCER WITH SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THE VIOLET SAUCER WITH THE SCALLOPED EDGING.

THIS WAS THE OTHER VIOLET TEACUP WITH MATCHING SAUCER. HMM...ON CLOSER INSPECTION, THEY MIGHT NOT BE VIOLETS AT ALL. IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME. IT HAS A VERY GENTLE SCALLOPED EDGING WITH GOLD TRIM.

HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LARGER VIOLET DETAIL ON THE TEACUP AND SAUCER.

HERE'S THE VIEW OF THE SOFTER FLOWER DETAIL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEACUP AND MATCHING SAUCER.

FINALLY, HERE IS THE BACKSTAMP ON THIS TEACUP...

...AND THE BACKSTAMP ON THE MATCHING SAUCER.

That completes my tea collection for today.  I'm really curious about the person who owned all these tea things before they came into my possesion. Whoever that person was, she must have had excellent taste and a love for flowers.

Oh, exciting times coming up on Wednesday. I will be hosting my very first give-away. So you'll have to come back Wednesday to have a look-see.  I'll post it as soon as I wake up on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for visiting me today. I love visitors and messages, too...so feel free to leave me a comment. That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)