Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Shelley Combo Teacup, Dishing It At Anthropologie

Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! 

I hope you have had a great weekend. It has finally been clear air for us here after a 10 day inversion that kept me indoors with bad air quality alerts. It's the first time in 40 years. Amazing! And it did funny things to the temps too. We never got beyond cloudy and 42 degrees here at sea level while it was in the 50s up at Hurricane Ridge above the layer. It even got into the 60s on Mt. Rainier! Amazing! This was taken at Hurricane Ridge ski area in Olympic National Park during the inversion, while we had clouds and fog.

Today I have a new Shelley that I found recently. This is an unusual combination pattern that Shelley china did periodically. The teacup and saucer has no name and also no number which is the case for only about 15-18% of Shelley teacups. 

The shape is called Lincoln and has a lovely pedestal and gold trim, then the bands of forest green with gold floral overlay. The combo comes in because the cup and saucer centers feature a floral bouquet from the Georgian pattern. Apparently, the artists were allowed a certain amount of leeway to experiment with the various elements used in the designs. There is a whole separate group of Shelley collectors for combination patterns. There are Shelley China collecting societies in the USA, England and Australia with those who collect by pattern, or by shape, by function, combo patterns, miniatures,  favorite colors....you name it! Very fun! This beauty is available at Antiques And Teacups. For more info, click on the photos.

I wanted to share 2 store design photos from Facebook that were unattributed, but I figured them out. These are designs from a Southern California Anthropologie store using odss and ends of china pieces. I think they are so clever!

As a correction...the dress photo is from the Atlanta Anthropologie store and was originally taken by Angela at Tea With Friends, although I found it on Facebook. The peacock is from the LA store. Thanks Angela, I always like to give credit if I can!

Isn't that incredible? I don't like china being used unless it's damaged...so I hope these were.
In our local weekly crafts and organic produce market over Christmas, I saw a young woman selling gorgeous cups and saucer she had turned into birdfeeders, mobiles, bird houses etc, and she had a huge enamel dishpan filled with broken china pieces she was selling by the cup full. She had also taken china pieces and used the pieces to mosaic over bowling balls for yard art. Well and good. BUT, and here was when it got bad!   Being a china person, I noticed Shelleys, Royal Alberts, Coalport, Mintons, Rosina, Royal Chelsea, some really spectacular, valuable and collectible cups and saucers. I calmly asked her, sounding interested, where the teacups came from

"Oh...my grandmother left me her teacups collection that she collected all her life and that her mother collected. I hated them, thought they were ugly and useless so decided to make something pretty and worthwile out of them. Who ever uses teacups nowadays anyway?"

I nearly fainted and left with tears in my eyes. It made me so grateful to all my  blogging friends who appreciate the value of teacups as things of beauty and as standing for a life of beauty, graciousness and loveliness. Thanks you dear friends!!!!

Okay...I'm off my soap box! I really do love the Anthropologie displays. I only wish there were one that isn't 2 1/2 hours away!

I have designed a logo for our Thursday teacup meme, Thursday Tea Things And Talk. I hope you will join me for that as well. And I won't be on a soap box then! LOL!

So thanks for joining me today. I hope you will also visit my facebook page at AntiquesAndTeacups   where I daily share various things about tea as well, many more than I get to share here.  Please visit the blogs listed here, some of the ones I am visiting and I would be honored if you would link  your tea related post to the Tuesday Cuppa Tea Linky. And remember Valentine's Day is fast approaching! Have a wonderful week!

Common Ground ~ http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com

Monday Marketplace

Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday

Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 

Tea On Tuesday
Miss Kathy ~http://thewritersreverie.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Tea       

Michelle ~ http://www.finchrest.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Betty ~ http://teacoziecottage.blogspot.ca/

Tea Tuesday

Phyllis ~ http://www.relevanttealeaf.blogspot.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Shawn ~ http://poetryinapotoftea.blogspot.com/

Poetry In A Pot Of Tea

Bernideen’s ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/

Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

 Ivy And Elephants ~http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

What’s It Wednesday                                           

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Home On Wednesday

 A Tea Lover     ~http://the-teaist.blogspot.com/

Tea Talk Wednesday