Antiques And Teacups: April 2014

Monday, April 21, 2014

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Birthdays And Royal Bits

Good morning! I am a bit later than usual with my Tuesday Cuppa Tea post. I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend...Ours was quiet...we are anticipating major surgery for our dear daughter in law on Tuesday morning, so we are praying and preoccupied. Plus, we are set for visits to friends and family with a buying trip added in starting later in the week, so...a bit scattered. But...on to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!

Because of today's theme, this is my teacup for today...as William Shakespeare's birthday is April 23rd...

so my teacup is the ubiquitous and perennial favorite design theme of Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, which is quite close to my husband's birthplace.

As you probably know, Anne Hathaway was William Shakespeare's wife and lived in this thatched cottage in Stratford...which has become so synonymous with Shakespeare, and is now a museum...

The design of the cottage has been has been used in one form or another for centuries, and has been popular in this particular decal design since the 1950s...

The decal was designed by either a person called Capper, or a design firm called Capper...I have been unable to figure out exactly which...and is sometimes's marketed by various manufacturers as Capper's Cottage...

This particular example, with the Royal Sutherland is from the 1980s and is a small potter who developed in the major pottery house changes that left gaps for small potteries to immerge...

The following Shelley cup and saucer in the Stratford shape is from 1959-1966 and is also a decal from Cappers. The pattern design is Capper's Rose. It was the only other Capper's design I could find quickly.

For those who don't know about china making, a decal sheet is applied to a bisque, or dried and fired china body with water and a tool. Then the item is kiln fired. Which is why on decal pieces you can sometimes see a missing pattern line, a slightly darker line, a pattern miss or whatever, as the pattern decal is applied to a round item. Like trying to fold a piece of paper around a ball. It is actually skilled work. They are now designing machines to do it...we'll see.

So now you know why you see the same design sometimes by several makers. The best potteries also employ their own designers, but as that is expensive, many of the small firms buy their decals from a separate design firm. Transferware was similarly made.

Okay...back to birthdays! Happy birthday to Queen Elizabeth II who is 88 today, April 21st. This is the artist Jane Perkins fab portrait of the queen done for her Diamond Jubilee last year of found and recycled bits, using one of her 1953 Coronation photos as a model. It is amazing.

This is Queen Elizabeth's official Diamond Jubilee portrait...

This is another official portrait unveiled in New Zealand last week by William and Catherine, Duke & Duchess of Cambridge who are representing the Queen on a visit to New Zealand and Australia. And for the Prince George watchers, here is the plush Wombat sit on toy given him by the Governor...

Also interesting to me was when Kate got off the plane in New Zealand, she was wearing a Diamond fern brooch...

The brooch was presented to Queen Elizabeth on her first visit to New Zealand in 1953-1954...

And she wears it often...

and it is in the official portrait...as well as used as a design element in Kate's dress...

These are Getty images from Google...I love the history of jewelry...that's from being married to a Diamond setter...I call him my English Setter...for 40 years!

For more info on the teacups at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos. I may be a bit late responding to posts this week with the surgery and preparations, but I so look forward to what creative and uplifting things you all have to share! It's a privilege to have you all friends! Here is the linky for you tea related posts. Have a wonderful week!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Tuesday Cuppa Tea Easter Week, Shelley Spring Bouquet Teacup, Antique Postcards

Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! This week I have a spring theme as well as a an Easter theme, as that is fast approaching.

I am sharing a new to me Shelley England teacup from an estate group of Shelleys I recently acquired. This one was a pattern I had never had before in 25 years of collecting and dealing in Shelleys...

The pattern is called Spring Bouquet and is number 13561.

The pattern is a lovely mix of different spring flowers, with gold trim.

The pattern is in the Gainsborough shape, which is a favorite of mine, and the teacup and saucer was made between 1940 and 1966 when the pottery closed. I love the twisting handle, pedestal and flaring rim. For more info, click on the photos or visit Antiques And Teacups.

I found a little friend this last week on a visit to JoAnns Fabrics for some material, and brought him home...

I just thought the little guy was so cute! His fleece is actually stiff fabric ruffles.

I took these photos on a sunny afternoon in the sunroom, but today when I went to photograph my afternoon tea...it was cloudy, and not nearly so bright...but it is the Pacific Northwest, and sunny weather in spring is a bit unpredictable...

My little friend joined me with my Shelley teacup filled with Darjeeling tea from Harney & Sons and a plate of mini confetti cupcakes with bunny ear and egg confetti and mini lemon cakes...which I didn't make...and some milk chocolate Easter eggs I borrowed from my honey's stash....on my Shelley cake plate. The embroidered cloth I have had for years, and love the fine cross stitch and inset thread crochet.

Easter is a special time of year..cementing the meaning for Christians of their faith. But I also want wish my Jewish friends a happy Passover which begins today.

This is my Passover or Pesach plate I brought home from Hebron in Israel several years ago. To read more about it,the meanings of the symbols and to find my recipe for Choreseth, you can read my Easter week 2011 blog post about it HERE

So I hope you have a wonderful week! The message for Christians is bound up with the message of this antique Russian Easter postcard...

In Russian says Christ is Risen! The same greeting we would say in English...He Is Risen!

I am joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for her Easter tea...

Below, there is the linky for your tea related posts. Please remember to take your time when linking up...sometimes he is SSSSLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW...but get's there. Helps us develop patience, I guess! I love to hear from you! Have a wonderful week!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

London Transport Museum By Covent Garden

Hi there. I mentioned in my last post that I had more to share about the London Transport Museum by Covent Garden in London, England. Whenever we are in London, we are at Covent Garden at least twice a week for antique markets. We passed the Museum often and then decided to visit.

I am fascinated by old transport...having inherited a huge collection of English railroad and transport postcards from my English Nana. The card above is an 1870s real photo postcard of a London & North West Railroad horse drawn parcel van....postcards at Antiques And Teacups

And this postcard is an 1880s L&NWR passenger van transporting passemgers between train lines in Holywell....so, we decided to visit the London Transport Museum...

The Museum covers a fantastic length of all sorts of transport from the early horsedrawn street cars and omnibuses...

through the Victorian period to Edwardian period motor drawn vehicles...

to the history and evolution of the Underground or Tube system which we enjoy when we're in London...

Last year was the 150th birthday of the Underground system and they had a gala celebration dinner at the museum...this photo of the dinner is from the DailyMail...

The Museum has a wonderful display of transportation signs, model railroads, underground maps...

And a collection of posters and artwork...

There is a gift shop, a snack bar, and as of last year a new cafe that is said to be very nice...

So if you have an interest in London's transportation system or want a nostalgic look at old London, this is a fun place to visit!

Have a wonderful weekend. I am joining:

Coloradolady ~ http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Mrs. Olson ~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Share Your Cup Thursday

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, The London Transport Art

Hi and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! Kind of a different theme this week...again, things spin off what's in my life!

My teacup this week...is a tea mug! A Dunoon, England bone china mug in a London transport design by famous British watercolourist Emma Ball. Dunoon began with stoneware in Scotland...hence the name...but for the last 20 years has focused on their bone china business in Stone, a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent in the potteries.

Sometimes it's tea in a cup and saucer, but sometimes it's a mug. Yesterday I sat in the sunroom with this mug full of a tea with a scone, and was going through my engagement calendar when...inspiration struck!

The mug is such a compilation of London landmarks...and many around transportation themes...

And voila...I looked at the engagement calendar...

And there you have it! In the early 20th century, the London transport system of tube trains, trains and buses employed the best artists of the day to make advertising posters for the routes and places they served. They are so very evocative of the times and places, so I thought I'd share a few with you...

Viktor Hembrow, 1927...above

Robert John Gibbings, 1922

Elijah Albert Cox, 1916

Dora M. Batty, 1932

F. Gregory Brown, 1916

Haddock, 1912

What a fabulous glimpse of England and London in those departed days! I don't want to give this blog post a picture overload, so will do a blog post on Wednesday on the London Transport Museum...a place we love to visit. So...here is the linky for your tea related post and a list of some of the blogs I am visiting. Until then...