Teacup Tuesday - Week 6

Roses, roses everywhere….

If you aren’t aware of it by now, my favorite flower has to be the rose and I love collecting pretty pieces of rose patterned china, whether the roses be pink, red, or sometimes even yellow.

My teacup choice to show off this week is one that has both pink and red roses. This pattern is quite bold and is very lovely. Lucky for me, this teacup is one that I am fortunate enough to have a matching teapot, desert plate and even a small tray to make a complete tea service for one.


Do all of you collect teacups? If you do, what are your favorite teacup patterns to collect?

This week, these lovely ladies are joining in the fun and are also doing a “Teacup Tuesday” post on their own blogs. Please stop by and pay them a visit to see the beautiful teacups they are sharing with us today:

Katie from Rose Breeze Boutique
Melinda from Everything Shabby and Chic


If there are any other ladies who would like to join me in the upcoming weeks, please let me know and I would be more than happy to add you to the list.

Things have been very busy lately so I'm starting to fall a little behind in visiting some of my favorite blogs and adding new posts myself. Don't fret though. Things should be back to normal soon.

Have a great day and as always, thanks for stopping by for a visit. I so loving having visitors and reading all of your sweet comments. They really do a lot to brighten my day!!

They're Here.........

Do you all remember my "8" Things Tag post from last week and how I mentioned that one of the things I was looking forward to was the arrival of some new treasures that I purchased from Etsy?

Well after just short wait, they arrived this past weekend and I'm thrilled to bits and am so excited to show you what I found.

If you have ever had the chance to visit visit Rhea at Miss Rhea's Sweet and Shabby Roses , you will know that she is a sweet lady and a wonderful artist who creates the most beautiful faux pastries and other items in the softest shades of pink, blue and aqua. I purchased two different items on this most recent shopping trip.

The first thing I purchased was a set of three gorgeous fabric eggs embellished with pretty trims and paper roses. They came in several different colors and I chose the baby blue ones. The details on these are amazing and you can definitely tell she puts a lot of time and care into making each one. Being the sweet and generous person she is, she also threw in a larger pink one as well at no extra charge. I could only fit the pink one and two of the blue ones into my little blue weaved ceramic basket..

The second item I purchased was set of three faux cookies in the pretties shade of pink. They are edged with white frosting and embellished with more pink roses. They are way too pretty to eat so it's a good thing the aren't real cookies.

Now, for some more personal pictures, I just had to show a few pictures of my darling twin niece and nephew (Kylee & Hunter) who turned "5" years old last Friday.

My "Little Twinkies" as I used to call them have grown from this.......

To this..........

My goodness, did that first five years ever go fast. They are so much fun to have around along with their big sister McKenzie who is almost "8". They are definitely very loved and very spoiled.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week. Enjoy the upcoming weekend.

See you soon!!

Teacup Tuesday-Week 5

Purple Pansies...

A definite sign of Spring for sure, and when you put them on a teacup, they can bring that wonderful feeling of Spring into your life all year around.

For this weeks "Teacup Tuesday", I am showing a teacup that has a lovely purple pansy pattern both on the inside and outside of the teacup. There are also hints of yellow combined with the purple. This is a lovely pattern and I really love the style of this teacup.

This teacup is actually part of a tea set that I have. I have a matching teapot and a desert plate as well. I love being able to find teacups that match teapots already in my collection, or finding a teapot that matches one of my teacups. Having a matching set makes my solitary tea parties even more enjoyable, although I have no problem with mixing and matching china patterns if I need to. As long as the colors and patterns compliment each other, there is no reason why miss-matched pieces can't be used together.

How many of you ladies collect teapots and teacups? Are you big tea drinkers like me and do you use your pretty china when you are drinking tea, or do you just keep them for display?

My sweet blogging buddy Melinda is joining me this week for "Teacup Tuesday". Please take a hop over to Melinda's Blog to say hello and see her Teacup Tuesday post. She would love to have you stop by for a visit.

Melinda at: http://everythingshabbyandchic.blogspot.com/

Vintage Pretties......

Hello my sweet friends and Happy Weekend...

Hope you all had a good week and that you have fun things planned for this weekend. I have a fun day ahead of me. My sweet and adorable twin niece and nephew turned "5" on Friday and today they are having their birthday party, so I will be spending most of the day with them and the rest of my family helping them celebrate their special day.

I didn't have much time this week for coming up with new ideas to post about, let alone taking pictures to go along with them, so I started digging through my photo folders to see if I could find something of interest to show you. Lucky for me, I did. Now I'd like to share them with you.

I've mentioned before that I love to collect vintage lady figurines. This little lovely green lady is one of my favorites. I love the sweet look on her face. I believe she is what they call a chalk figurine. She has her own little spot on my coffee table where she has stood for quite some time and where I can admire her simple beauty on a daily basis.

Also on my coffee table is one of several small vintage circular plastic candy boxes that I have in my collection. It is the prettiest shade of yellow and has a lovely vintage image on the cover of the box. Someday soon, I will try to gather my collection together and show you all of them. I found these several years ago and am always keeping my eye out for more, but I have not had any luck in finding them. I think with the craze of decorating in the vintage/cottage style, these are most likely being snapped up quickly by collectors when they appear in the antique or thrift stores.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today. Take care and enjoy your weekend.

"8" Things Tag......

My sweet blogging friend Holly did a post earlier this week with an “8” Things Tag. I love this idea as a way to learn more things about your friends. I told Holly that I would grab that tag for myself and share a few things about me with all of you.

So here we go……

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1. Summer
2. Being able to wear shorts again instead of layers of clothing
3. My twin niece & nephew’s 5th birthday which is on Friday April 17th
4. Shopping for a new mattress and bed (that’s something I will share more on in a later post)
5. A trip to California next summer
6. My next trip to the antique mall (something I always look forward to)
7. Getting a package of new pretties in the mail (more things I ordered from Etsy!)
8. Watching my almost 8 year old niece play softball this summer

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Worked from home
2. Had an after work snack of tea & cookies (using a pretty pot, teacup and desert plate of course…)
3. Got my haircut
4. Went to the grocery store to get some milk
5. Cut my finger on the sharp edge of a can of fruit
6. Spent some time relaxing and looking through a few new decorating magazines I found at the grocery store.
7. Laundry
8. Talked to my sister on the phone

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Learn to crochet
2. Learn to sew
3. Sing (as in sing well, where people actually want to listen instead of run away!!)
4. Play the piano
5. Figure Skating
6. Speak a foreign language (preferably French)
7. Take a trip to England
8. Have enough money someday to quit my job and open a small tea room & antique shop

8 Shows I Am Currently Watching:

1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. Little People, Big World
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Oprah
5. Jon & Kate Plus 8

** This list is pretty short and not the 8 it was supposed to be. I haven’t been a real big TV watcher lately as there hasn’t been much on to interest me. I usually end up just channel surfing until something catches my interest or I end up on the computer doing some blog hopping and visiting my blogging friends. To me, that’s much more inspiring than what is on television.

That's all for today. My life is pretty dull and routine most days and not quite as exciting as some of yours are, so I hope I didn't bore you too much and that you still enjoyed learning a little bit more about me.

Teacup Tuesday - Week 4

Hello my friends...

"Teacup Tuesday" has arrived once again and I'm so happy that you've stopped by today for a peak at another one of my teacups. I've enjoyed being able to share my collection with you through pictures. What I would love even more, but know is almost impossible due to the fact that all of my blogging buddies are scattered around the country, would be able to let you see them in person.

I would love to be able to invite you into my home for a tea party where we could feast on some delicious warm scones and other fancy tea treats and sip cups of hot tea while we visit and get to know each other better.

This week, I am going to show one of my newest teacups that I've just added to my collection.

This one is another Royal Albert teacup but in the "Moss Rose" pattern. I am showing a few different photos so you can see it in several different ways.

I actually found this teacup on the same day and in the same antique shop that I found the set of 4 Royal Albert "American Beauty" desert plates that I mentioned in last weeks post. A funny little story about finding this new teacup is that I had not even made my way into the store yet when I spotted the teacup sitting on a little wicker table in the window display. The beauty of the teacup caught my eye as I was admiring the window display all done up in a Spring garden theme. I knew before I even walked into the store that I would be leaving with it and I'm so happy that I did.

After returning home, I did a little research on this pattern and learned that it has been discontinued, so I know that it will be hard to find some matching pieces to add to my collection, but that's the thrill of shopping for antiques. It's the hunt that keeps drawing me back over and over again whether I find what I'm looking for or not.

Come back next Tuesday to see more of my collection.

Inside The China Hutch...

After seeing my recent post where I showed a picture of the china hutch in my family room, the lovely Stephanie at Just A Little Bit Pink left me a comment mentioning that she would love to see what I have displayed inside of my china hutch.

Well Stephanie, because you asked so nicely, here’s your little peak inside my china hutch.

In here, I have several floral plates that to me just scream “Cottage Style”. I love the pretty floral patterns on these plates. The colors are so soft and soothing.

There is also a mixture of other pretty things including china creamers, more vintage Easter postcards, a few small teapots, teacups and other bits and pieces. Do you notice the pastel theme that runs throughout? I love the soft pastel colors and having a china hutch full of them is pure eye candy to me.

I wish I could have gotten some better pictures for you, but I was having a hard time with the lighting and also only the center door of the china hutch opens. The right and left sides of the hutch just have glass panes and no doors so I wasn’t really able to get pictures of the items displayed behind the side panels.

Sure hope you enjoyed seeing some more of my favorite things.

Happy Easter !!

Wishing all of you a glorious and Happy Easter.

I'm off to spend the day with my family enjoying good company and good food and watching my nieces and nephew hunt for all of their hidden Easter treasures.

Take care and have a great day!!

A Basket Full of Easter Pretties....

Here’s a peak at some of my Easter collectibles that I’ve acquired over the years. Because I love the soft pastel colors of Easter, I like to keep these displayed all year around, just like my little bunnies. I have them tucked into a wicker basket which I have displayed in a china hutch which is in the lower level of my house. There are some pretty vintage Easter post cards, an Easter egg, a sweet little egg shaped Easter box and a pretty vintage handkerchief lining the basket. I'm showing a couple different photos of the basket. The one below shows the postcards, or at least the front one a little better.

Here’s a shot of the china hutch itself. Forgive me for the glare of light on the glass panes, there is a window on the opposite wall and I had no way of blocking the light without covering up the window.

The china hutch itself is another story. About 5 years ago or so, my oldest cousin Christy who lives in California was temporarily transferred to Minnesota for a few years for her job. This was her china hutch that she brought with her on her move from California. When she returned to California she did not want to take the china hutch back with her as she no longer wanted it and she knew that neither of her daughters wanted it either. When she asked me if I would like to have it, I jumped at the chance and said YES!!! I would have been crazy not to.

If you’re wondering why I have the china hutch in my lower level family room instead of my dining room upstairs, there are a few reasons. First, it’s actually quite large and my dining room isn’t and I think the size of it might overpower my dining room area and make if feel somewhat cramped. Secondly, the darker wood of the china hutch does not match the lighter wood pieces I have in my dining room and it would look very out of place the way it is now. Someday, I plan on painting it (or truth be told, having someone paint if for me) a cream color and distressing it a bit and maybe then it will move upstairs, but for now, it’s perfectly content to sit in my family room and display more of my collections.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Come back soon!!

Teacup Tuesday - Week 3

Hello Ladies...

Well, it's Tuesday once again and that means that it's time for "Teacup Tuesday". This is the day of the week that I have designated to share with you photos of the teacups that I have in my collection.

I must say that there are quite a few teacups considering I started collecting teacups, teapots, desert plates, etc. about 20 years ago. A girl sure can accumulate a lot of pretty china in that period of time.

This week, I am showing off my solitary Royal Albert "American Beauty" teacup. This is a lovely pattern that has large deep pink (almost red) roses. I love both the pattern and style of the teacup.

I was thrilled to bits this past weekend to be shopping at one of my favorite antique stores where I happened upon a set of 4 matching desert plates that I just had to add to my collection as well (I propped one up behind the teacup so you could see!!) . They were a steal at just $12.50 for the set of 4 plates. That's a very good price considering how the cost of desert plates have skyrocketed over the years. Now, if I could just find a matching teapot, I be even more thrilled.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I love having visitors and reading your comments.

Come back next Tuesday to see more of my collection!!

Pink Bunny..

Oh my, now what do I see there on my shelf?

Well if it isn't just an itty bitty cute little pink bunny.

Isn't this just the cutest? I found this at Target in their Easter decor isle and it hopped right into my shopping cart so I could bring it home to nest among the other pretties on my shelf. This bunny, like all my others, will most likely stay out all year round so I can admire its charm everyday. Some things just aren't meant to be hidden away once the holidays are over.

Don't you agree?

Happy Sunday to you all. Hope you are all having a fabulous spring weekend!

How Cute Are These ?

I’ve become obsessed with a new collection.

Awhile ago, I showed some pictures of a few “Baby” planters that I had found in the antique and thrift stores. Ever since then, I’ve been on the hunt for more and over the past two weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to find several of them and at a very good price. They only cost around $5.00 a piece and some were even on sale for 20% off. Can’t beat that. So for around $20, I now have added four new Baby planters to my collection.

The first one is in the shape of an old fashioned bassinet…

The next three were all found in the same antique shop in a case full of Baby planters. There were so many too choose from in so many different styles, but these were the ones I was most drawn to. Sorry that the colors aren't better. I have such a hard time with my camera sometimes trying to get the sharpness and color quality I want no matter how may adjustments I try and make.

A little buggy shaped planter with pink, blue and yellow flowers…

A pink, blue and yellow planter in the shape of a dress….

And finally, a planter in the shape of a baby’s bootie, with just a touch of pink and blue….

These may be the last planters that I will add to my collection as I am definitely running out of room to display all of my new found treasures, but you never know. I may add more of them if I find one or two that I just can’t pass up.

Oh my, I also just realize that this is my 50th blog post. Yippee for me!!!

Sorry, no fun giveaways or anything like that. That will have to wait until some other time. I'm just amazed at how much fun I've had blogging and getting to meet so many wonderful new people and being able to share with you my passion for collecting and decorating my home. What a fun journey this has been.