Welcoming Christmas with Red Transferware And Cheer!

Welcome to you indeed! 

December continues, and what a different Christmas season this is!

I have pulled our my seasonal cross stitches and this Welcome board I painted in the 1990s...

My grandfather was a professional painter, and I had a minor in art at university, but I basically only dabbled. But this turned out well, and is nice and seasonal, so it is still around.

What isn't, is the 200 pound cast torso of a nude woman I did for a sculpture class final! That was destroyed long ago... Lol!

I wanted to share with you one of the antique sterling silver teapot spout tea strainer baskets I have periodically. I had a Gorham one last week that was purchased for a Christmas present. 

This one is US made, by Whiting Manufacturing, USA and has a pattern number date of 1887.

It is used to strain the tea leaves from the teapot as the stream of tea pours though the pivoting tea strainer into the teacup.

There is quite a debate as to who and when these fun tea gadgets were contrived, and I know of some that date to the 1780s from England at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, but others think France, and they were certainly made in England, Ireland, France and Belgium as well as the USA before and after it was independent.

But... so fun! They never stay in my shop long!

Some people are not found of white china, but I always think it is so versatile, as it goes with everything. This is the Patrician pattern from Wedgwood, England from the 1960s of cream ware or Queen's Ware with a lovely embossed pattern.

Elegant! I always love finding this pattern!

The mark dates it easily to the 1960s. This was quite a popular pattern, with several version, some which include transfer printed floral borders or centers with the pattern, some with different names with the shape referred to as Patrician.

And how can I not include red transferware during the season!

This is the Johnson Brothers, England pattern called Castle On The Lake in a romantic landscape pattern with the noted castle, lake and beautiful gardens in what is called variously red or pink transferware.

The pattern itself was registered in 1890s, but not used until 1939 and discontinued in 1970. I love the sort of rope edging.

This is indeed an historic and divergent season indeed! But I pray you are able to still enjoy the season, it's meaning and it's joys.

I want to also say Happy Hanukhah!

December! Christmas Book From Angela And A New Christmas tea

Welcome to December! 

Isn't that amazing?!

A lovely Thanksgiving, spent on Facetime with our out of state kids was wonderful. Maybe next year it will be different... The last 2 weeks have been some more medication adjustments for my husband, so not much happened except monitoring him.

But the arrival of a book I had ordered authored by my blogger friend Angela Webster McRae of Tea With Friends blog and a new tea lifted my spirits and prompted this post, as I had been without inspiration.

Besides being a cookbook and a praise of vintage, The Vintage Christmas Cookbook is also was filled with charming anecdotes and wonderful photos...

If you follow Angela's blog, you know she is a vintage lover, and we have so much in common!

I especially loved the photo of Angela with her iron and ironing board with the aluminum tree in the background!

And of course, if you know Angela you know of her love for Santa mugs. I can never see one without smiling and thinking of her!

Altogether a wonderful, tasty, nostalgic enjoyable book.

The book is available on Amazon... I asked Angela for the link in case you are interested. I am so glad I ordered mine!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1087923875

I have been getting out my Christmas china, and this is by Tuscan, England from the 1950s in the Noel pattern. As I have mentioned before, many potteries shared a decal maker, and this Noel is found on china produced by at least 6 potteries that I can think of. Which is good if you are completing a set of something.

And oh the joy of a new Christmas tea! This is Silent Night from Smith Teas in Oregon. I got a sample pack of loose tea to try, and am ordering a bigger amount

As they state...

A caffeine-free candy cane in a cup. Northwest-grown peppermint leaves waltzing in a winter wonderland of cinnamon, ginger, and sweet licorice. Tastes especially delightful when the weather outside is frightful.

TASTING NOTES:

Cinnamon, mint, licorice

I really enjoyed it. Sometimes flavored teas are overwhelming to me, but this was a lovely cup!

And, on my family Royal Doulton Rosebud plate, you can see lots of good things in it!

No baking this week, but I got a pack of Bisconies and vanilla chocolate shortbread brownies from Costco, so we are not bereft!

Hopefully this will be a more stress free week...

Here's hoping you find time for A Cup Of Christmas Tea with a friend, even if virtually!

Thanksgiving Counting My Blessings Pumpkin Streusel Bars Wedgwood

I first posted this last year at this time... as our daughter and son in law had just closed escrow on a lot for building a home here close to us.  Little did we know there was a pandemic in our future, but... despite all that... we are still counting our blessings! I am doing this post with such a joyful heart full of thanks!

We are feeling so blessed anyway!

By Melody Beattie

Fall is here, and I made some cookies, and decided to make a fall teatime for us in the sunroom....

I used some black and white transferware I got a  while ago and some fall decor I filched from the living room and dining room, including the gold and pumpkin colored woven runner that is usually on the buffet...

along with various pumpkins and gourds, and other autumn colored things...

I always display my cross stitched wall hanging of the Fruit Of The Spirit from Galations 5:22-23 that I did a few years ago during the autumn and Thanksgiving season....

And I added one of the fall pumpkins and gourds padded tea cozies I have in the shop because I love the colors!

My teaset is by Wedgwood, England in a black transferware Italian landscape design called Lugano...named for a lake town in Italy....

If you look closely at the pattern, there is a man with a goat walking by the lake...how cute!

Here is the cream and sugar. The set is made of Queen's Ware, or what Wedgwood calls cream ware.

The shape is an older Wedgwood shape dating to the 19th century, but the pattern was actually made between 1962 and 1980. I do love Wedgwood.

A couple of weeks I pulled out the holiday teas. This is my favorite fall flavor...Pumpkin Spice from Republic Of Tea...yummy! Just makes my taste buds know it's fall!

For more information on any of the Wedgwood, Lugano pieces on Antiques And Teacups website, just click on the photos.

Those cookies are long gone, but yesterday found my pulling out the favorite Pumpkin Streusel Cake or Coffee cake recipe from King Arthur Flour. Now I am back to thinking of having something on hand when the kids stop in on a work break...

Anyone tired of pumpkin yet??? We are not! Pumpkin is still around here...

I found the recipe on the King Arthur Flour website a few years ago, and it is definitely a go-to......

Pumpkin Streusel Coffeecake

AT A GLANCE

PREP

20 mins. to 30 mins.

BAKE

40 mins. to 45 mins.

TOTAL

60 mins. to 1 hrs 15 mins.

YIELD

about 12 servings

Topping

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, optional

Cake

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" square pan or 9" round pan.
2. To make the topping: Whisk together the sugar, salt, flour, spice, and nuts. Add the melted butter, stirring just until well combined. Set the topping aside.
3. To make the filling: Mix together the brown sugar, spice, and cocoa powder. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like. Set it aside.
4. To make the cake: Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
5. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
6. Pour/spread half the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it all the way to the edges. If you have a scale, half the batter is about 13 1/2 ounces.
7. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.
8. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
9. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
10. Bake the cake until it's light brown on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve the cake right from the pan.

Tips from our bakers

• For a less sweet streusel, reduce the amount of granulated sugar in the topping to 1/3 cup.

Which I didn't  :)

So have a lovely week! We certainly will... 

a dream come true having some of the kids close!

Above graphic from The Cottage Journal

A Tale Of 3 Generations of a Chintz The Joy Of Birds And Flowers

November continues... and has arrived here with cold temperatures that have had us putting on fleeces an adding another blanket! 

But flowers and birds on chintz immediately lifts our spirits and warms us!

I have been enjoying researching some new items, and have enjoyed learning about a chintz pattern that morphed through the years into 2 other versions... similar but different.

And one of my reference books, held the key.

The Charlton Standard Catalogue Of Chintz is always a star of the chintz research books. It has been published in several editions, but this is the most recent which dates to 1999. I don't think they have published one since.

The chintz pattern I am speaking of today is by Crown Ducal, England, which was debuted in 1918, the first chintz pattern the Crown Ducal... a trade name of A. G. Richardson & Co. Ltd made.

The original chintz, pattern number A500 with the above one, here on a teapot stand, with colorful roses, berries and fantasy birds, and was released in 1918 and was an instant success, although not seen much today.

another example...

A few years later, the pattern was updated with a matte black band, and became Ivory Chintz noted as pattern A559.

The final version was released in 1926 with lovely pink roses added to the black banding and renamed Roseland...

A wonderful art deco pattern really, and love the octagonal shapes....

All versions continued to be made, so purchasers could mix and match... always a fun choice.

A. G. Richardson, the maker of Crown Ducal, which opened in 1915,  finally closed in 1974.

But what a great legacy of chintz and other quality English pieces!

These and more items at Antiques And Teacups

https://www.antiquesandteacups.com