TeaCup Tuesday in Blue

While the red china I used last week  brings some warmth to a cold January Day this blue seems to sum up more of the cool days we are having.

This Tea Set is from Sadler, one of my favorite Tea Set makers from England.  The pretty red roses add cheerfulness.   And here is the mark from the Teapot.

The cup and saucer I have chosen are from Colclough China, one of my favorite companies. The lovely handpainted blue flowers add a touch of elegance.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the tea things I have chosen for this week.  Be sure to check out the other tea blogs for MORE!!!

And check in on Wednesday to see how I am progressing with Fellowship of Flowers.

 http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

Rose Chintz Cottage  
http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

                           http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

  http://blog.bernideens.com

Flowers in January

Back again to report on my progress on the Fellowship of Flowers.  I am loving this project.  After I finished the one last week I collected materials up to start on this week as soon as I knew for sure which one we would be doing.
I thought I would get it done yesterday but had unexpected company so am behind.  I now hope to work on it and get it finished by the weekend.

Meanwhile here is the first part, unembellished. 
   And I am also showing it next to the one I did last week so you can see the direction I am heading.

On Tea Cup Tuesday this week I showed the Memory Lane china by Royal Ironstone.  I was checking some the other blogs I follow and discovered this entry from Sweet Bee Cottage .  She was using the plates from the set for her Christmas Table.



While looking out the back window this afternoon I noticed there was a large group of cardinals around the bird feeder... Both Mr. and Mrs.   

 If you look closely in the upper middle section  you will see a woodpecker of some type eating suet, and Cardinals and a Squirrel joining in the fun.

 I love watching the birds in the winter.  Especially the Cardinals.  They seem to have really bright coats this time of year.  Or maybe cause it is otherwise so dreary.

Tea Cup Tuesday Again

I am back again with posts for Tea Cup Tuesday and hope to stick with it better this time.   Last year just got to be too much.  But I really want to participate in this so here I am.

Yesterday was quiet in my shop since the weather was going down hill rapidly so I decided to set up a little tea party vignette on one of my trays.   

  This is from a set of china I have for sale in the shop.  It
 This set is from the  Royal China Inc. Sebring Ohio.  The set is 1965 Royal Ironstone "Memory Lane."  So while not real old it is definitely vintage!

 I chose to show you the cup and saucer,  a snack plate and the sugar and creamer.  I think the red and white seems quite cheerful in this cold wintry time.

Through all of this I have been drinking a lot of tea, Earl Grey Vanille  (a special kind from Tetley) It is very soothing.  I have not been able to find this particular one in the US so always bring back a supply after we have visited New Brunswick.

You will notice I showed two tins, one side is in English, the other side is in English.  It is always that way in New Brunswick.

So I hope you will check in with the other Tea Cup Tuesday folks at the following sites.....  And come back here to visit again.  I am trying to post at least twice a week now. Once for Tea Cup Tuesday and another day for my crafting and quilting exploits.

 http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

Rose Chintz Cottage  
http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

                                   http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

 http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/

The New Year always gets me organized! (for a short time anyway...)

My first project for the new year is a crocheted scarf.  I have quite a bit of unused yarn in my stash.  I determined I should slowly start using it and any not used by July 1st will be donated to a lady I know who makes afghans for sick folks.  I will see her in mid July at one of our Bluegrass Festivals and give her what I have then.  I am pretty sure it will be a lot with the extreme slowness of the way I work.  I found this pattern by searching All Free Crochet.com.    .    The scarf I chose to make is this one..... An Easy One Skein Beginner Scarf.                I made mine a little wider than the original.  I added two more shells per row. It isn't moving all that fast because I just pick it up when I have a moment.  But my goal is to finish it by the end of the month.  I imagine there will still be cold enough weather to use need it.
                                                          
                                                                   

Another thing I have done is to join an online group called Fellowship of The Flowers.  We will be making some type of felt flower every Wednesday all through the year.... and.... turn them into projects along the way.  Here is the link.... FELLOWSHIP OF THE FLOWERS ....       I bought my membership through Craftsy but I think you can link to it through the site as well.  

Here is a picture of the first flower I made....  I may or may not be finished.  I didn't make it exactly like the class example.....  I have to wait to see what happens with the next two to see if I need to add more.  What do you think??  There will be two more flowers added to this to make into a project which at the moment is not known.  I will show it when it is done.

So the new year begins with lots of projects.  I never plan to be bored!!!   I like to keep busy.  Can you tell?

Happy New Year.

                       HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


For all my followers.... I will have to apologize.  I have not been here for ages.  Things change,  and life happens.   In the past year, since I was last here I have had surgery on my left hand to make the PAIN GO AWAY.  That took awhile but things seem back to normal now.

After that was resolved I seemed to get into quilting in an even bigger way, also more paper arts and just generally keeping busy, busy, busy.    We did a good bit of traveling this past year going to two Nascar Races and three Bluegrass Festivals.  Also a big trip to Maine and Canada and a few side trips to visit my daughter.  But for the next few months we are HOME and I plan to do a lot of sewing.

So...... back to quilting.
I did actually get one finished this past fall to give to my daughter for her birthday.  She, like me, loves Coffee so that was the theme of the quilt.  I used a pattern from a Fons and Porter Love of Quilting magazine and then made it my way.  So it is similar but different.  Instead of coffee cups in each square like the original pattern indicated I appliqued coffee "sayings" that I had created with my   embroidery machine.  If you click on the whole quilt picture you can see it better I think.

My next goal is to finish the TWO  block of the month quilts I have been working on during the past year.  Just a few more squares and I should be able to put them together.  Then I can send them off to my finish quilter.  I was going to try and do my own machine quilting BUT I know if I want to get them done in this life time I will have to break down and do that step.  I love the sewing the top part way more than the final stage!  And my quilting lady does a great job!!!   So this way I should have several finished quilts by the end of  next year.
    I made a master picture of where the finished quilt pieces will go and then added in pictures as I went... until July when we started traveling in earnest and I just never had time to take pics. I did add a few more but still not complete.

This first picture shows how I am working on the Block of the month project from Country Threads.  I still have a couple of squares to make and a LOT of strips to put in other places, but haven't put the rest of the completed squares into this picture yet.  It gives you an idea though.

And the next picture shows the quilt I am working on from Craftsy.  (I take a lot of classes from Craftsy.)  I am also nearly done with this one, just haven't taken a picture is a while. 

Both of these Block of the Month quilts helped me reduce "some" of my stash!.  Lots more still available though.

Meanwhile I have started a new Block of the Month quilt with a group I belong to on line. That is coming along fine.  We started in Nov. and I have finished those blocks and the Dec. blocks as well.

I always say I will make some resolutions and then never keep them.  This year I have made some "suggestions" to myself and hope I can go beyond the Suggestion level.  I found several little projects that have been sitting, patiently, waiting for me to work on them.  No promises but if I actually finish them I will post as I go along.

Happy St. Patricks Day... almost a week early

                           Happy St. Patrick's Day.

     And Happy Tea Cup Tuesday.  This week  I am showing you a Chocolate Set I inherited from my grandmother.  It is obviously not a "tea set" but I thought it was appropriate since it features little shamrocks as the main trim.  And I suppose  it could be used for tea.  And since the cups are smaller than regular tea cups they could even be used for demi-tasse for coffee.  But what ever I use them for I truly enjoy them!

 

Back in my grandmother's day they often served chocolate when entertaining their friends.  This particular set is Limoges and was sold by a store in Scranton, PA which was near where my great grandmother lived before her sussequent move to Virgina.  I think therefore it might have been my great grandmothers before my grandmother's.  Or maybe a family member sent it to her.  Unfortunately I don't have anyone to ask.
   

Here is the mark where I learned about the store where it was sold............

  The green platter I am using under the set is a part of my own set of dishes (Riviera by Home Laughlin)  I have acquired a complete set of Riviera over the years.  They were made at about the same time that Fiesta was produced and by the same manufacturer.  As was typical of that time they often made different patterns to be sold at different stores such as Woolworth's, Grants or McCrory's.

Here is a close-up of the lid.

  Although  the chocolate set and the Riviera Platter are from my own collection, the cards and hankies are from my shop.  They are going to be used in a holiday display in my antique shop.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my chocolate set.  And that you will visit the other tea parties I am joining today and tomorrow. 

 

 http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

                                             Rose Chintz Cottage                                                
http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

  http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/

 http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/

More and More and More Mini Teasets

After a couple of weeks of showing mini tea cups and tea sets from my own collection I decided to go out into my shop to see what mini tea sets I had for sale.  WOW, I didn't realize I had so many.

Funny thing happened while I was checking to see what I had.  A customer came in and ended up buying THREE of the little sets.  I managed to take pictures of two of those sets before I wrapped them up AND I am adding a picture of one other I found.
And to tell the truth I have several others that I will feature in another blog post.

This first set is the traditional Blue Willow pattern, my personal favorite.  We use Blue Willow here at my house everyday.   This set was probably made in China though it doesn't say.  And I am pretty sure it is fairly new, maybe 10 years or so.  

 This second little set also didn't say who made it but also probably made in China.  I turned the cup on its side so you could more easily see the pattern.  But I also wanted you to be able to see tops of cups and saucers.

 So the above two patterns have gone to another home now. 

This third little set is one of the Resin sets that are being sold in lots of places.  Here is the picture of the set as it is placed on its tray.  And I found this cute little girl out in the shop to oversea the tea party.  She is an older one from Japan.

 And this second picture shows all the pieces set about with the tray in the back.  I thought it was neat that the tray is a Gazebo.  What a great place that would be for a tea party in real life.  The little girl looks quite pleased with it all.

Before I sign off today I want to apologize for putting up the word verification on the comments.  I don't like to do that but I was really having trouble with spamming and it was definitely wasting my time.  So for awhile you will have to do that.  I hope it won't stop you from commenting as I love to read them all!!

I hope you will also visit the other tea parties that are going on around the web today and tomorrow.  Here is the list of tea parties I will be joining.

 http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

Rose Chintz Cottage  
http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

  http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
 http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/