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Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Care to Join Me for a Cup of Tea?


Good Afternoon, ladies!  It sure is hard to believe that another week is soon coming to an end! I hope you all have been having a great one!

I wanted to share with you today our tea cup collection. Actually, it belonged to hubby's mother, and when she passed away hubby inherited it.  Sadly, I never got to get to know her, as she passed away long before we met.  Anyway, hubby made her a cabinet to hold her collection many years ago. It was his own design. I am so lucky I married a handy guy!
Here it is, hanging in our dining area.  It's quite large, and holds 36 cups & saucers.  I really like the arch design at the top, and the mirror backing, as that not only reflects lots of light, but the pretty tea cups, too.  What I don't like about it is that it's a real dust magnet!  When I do clean it (which is admittedly not as often as I should!), I have to use the stepstool, and I remove all of the cups & saucers and wash & dry them oh-so-carefully by hand.  Then I have to windex the mirror, and dust all of the wood! So it is quite the project!  Ok, I will let you in on a little secret!  When we have company over and I don't have time to clean the entire collection, I just dust everything on the bottom row!  And if we are having tall company over, I do the bottom two rows!  Shhhhh!  Don't tell!

Here is a closer look at some of my favorites in the collection:
Violets are my very favorite wildflower, so I just love this cute one! And I think the cut out pattern is so pretty!

Here it is again.  Isn't the gold detailing pretty?

By now you probably know how much I love blue and white, so I just adore this forget me knot tea cup!
And who doesn't love roses?!
I think this one is so pretty.  It's the coat of arms of all the Canadian Provinces.

I love birds, so of course I really like this robin cup & saucer from Wisconsin.  Many of the tea cups she was given were picked up by friends & family when they traveled, so there are many that represent various states.  Hubby gave her quite a few of these, so the collection has even more meaning to us!
I really love the unusual stem to this cup. And the colors and design are just so pretty!
This is another one of my very favorites.  Isn't the cutwork around the saucer pretty?

This cutie is from Holland, Michigan.
And I love this one by Nippon.  It appears to be very old.
Here's one last look at the entire collection.  What is that unsightly vent thingy above the cabinet, you ask?  Unfortunately it's an a/c vent, and I can't think of any way to disguise it that wouldn't draw even more attention to it!!  At least it's up high and not at eye level!

Oh a side note:  Have any of you seen "Eat, Pray, Love" yet?  We don't go the the movies very often, but we went & saw it yesterday. I really didn't know anything about the movie, other than it was filmed in Italy, India and Bali.  I like Julia Roberts, but the main reason I wanted to see it was because hubby & I went to Italy 10 years ago & fell in love with it!  We can't wait to return!  So the scenery of Italy and Bali were very pretty in the movie.  But it was very slooooow, and very long! (as in 2 hours and 15 minutes long!!)  If I had known, I would've just waited for the dvd to come out.  Oh well, that's just my opinion!

Have a great night!
I am joining Cindy over at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.
I am also joining Cindy over at I Owe it all to Him What do you collect party.
Be sure to check it out!

25 comments:

NanaDiana said...

I love the cabinet and cup collection. What a wonderful son he must have been to go to all that trouble to make a piece to display those things his Mother loved so much. They always say you should marry a man that treats his Mom nicely...he will be the same with his wife. Hmmm...that said...my hubby didn't like HIS mother very much...hmmm...

Anyway..Thanks for the display and I love the little foget-me-not cup...that and the violet one are my favorites, I think.

I haven't seen the movie and I have heard mixed reviews from friends that did...some loved it...some thought it was a bit boring...I think I will wait for the dvd.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend- Diana

Unknown said...

Your cupboard and collection are gorgeous!!! How amazing of your husband to build the cabinet! What a great thing to share..
I read the book, and loved it until the last chapter where it seemed the author threw out everything she learned in Italy and India and went nuts in Bali...don't think I will go see the movie!
xo
lynn

Leo said...

Hi Donna - this is beautiful. What a wonderful son you husband was to build this for his mother and then to keep it after she passed away. Not everyone would have done that. The fact that many of them were gifts from him to her - that is even better!

I did not even notice the air conditioning vent. Its funny how we notice things/flaws that other people don't. So I wouldn't even bother with it...most people would not even notice it is there.

I read the Book Eat, Love and Pray...and it was also very detailed and in depth - it was a long book. I have not seen the movie yet...and not sure I am going to. The book was great...but I am not one to watch a 2 1/2 hour movie unless it was action packed!

Debbie said...

Hi Sweetie~~LOVE the teacups! Your hubby sure is talented! The vignette with the book and cup is beautiful! That candle holder is AWESOME!!!!!
Debbie@houseatthelake

Olivia said...

Wow, what a beautiful collection, I can imagine that is time consuming to dust. Don't you just love a handy man husband, mine builds things when he has time!
Thank you for sharing
Hugs,
Olivia

Susan said...

Great tea cup rack! Wowsers. It holds a lot of tea cups! Why don't you think of joining Martha at marthasfavorites for tea cup Tuesday? You'd be able to feature one cup for many, many weeks! You inherited an awesome collection. Susan

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh this is breathtaking, Donna!!! I just love it and such a precious way to display your gorgeous treasures...I am having a link party right now on my I Owe it All to Him blog..It runs thru Sunday...Guess what it is.."Show us your collections!" So, feel free to link this up...it would be awesome!!
I know everyone would love to see it and everyone is so sweet.
Hugs,
Cindy
xox

Anne Lorys said...

What an amazing collection, wow!

By the way, I love your blog background, that was the very first background I ever used on my blog. Very pretty!

Have a wonderful Friday!
Hugs,
Anne

Hootin Anni said...

It's all so breathtaking!!! Such beauties...such treasures.

Here's My SnT for the week Hope you can drop by for a visit.

Heaven's Walk said...

Hi Donna! Awesome collection, girl! It must be very impressive in your room! Just beautiful! I love the blue forget-me-not set. So pretty.

You commented on that incredible china cabinet on my blog. I sooo wanted to bring it home with me (and paint it white), but....no place to put it! Darn! :)

xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

Susan said...

I love how you displayed your beautiful teacups!!

Wendy said...

The teacups and cupboard are beautiful! :)

And I didn't even realize that was a vent above the shelf! I thought it was black or brown detailing on the molding! haha! :)

Cindy Adkins said...

Hi Donna,
I'm so happy you linked them up!! They're so beautiful!
This is awesome and I know that people will love to see them...
Hugs,
Cindy
xox

Pink Roses and Teacups said...

Hi,

What lovely teacups you have. that is a beautiful cabinet your husband made, and so nice that he kept it after she passed away. I collect teacups too. You should come and join the fun over at http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ for Teacup Tuesday. Lots of ladies join in to share their favorite teacups.

I have seen the movie Eat, Love, Pray. It was looong, and not what I thought it would be.

Debbie

Faye said...

Oh, Donna, what a fabulous collection! That it belonged to your husband's mother is so special. And what a handyman you married (you lucky girl! Some of us have to hire things done. My dh is wonderful and loving, but not a builder.) I love your teacup collection, so very beautiful. BTW, for a fast dusting, could you use one of those cans of air people use to clean the keyboard?

Ms Bingles Vintage Christmas said...

Wow! That is an absolute wonderful collection!
Love it!
Leticia

Junibears said...

F-a-b-u-l-o-u-s!!What a gorgeous collection and that beautiful cabinet your husband made. Wonderful.
Thank you for sharing those beautiful photos. You have a treasure indeed. xx

Patti said...

Hi, this is my first visit to your blog. I'm visiting from Cindy' link party. Not sure I'm going to link up this week, but I did want to visit those who are.

I, too, have a teacup collection, and I show my teacups with the Teacup Tuesday party. You might want to get involved in that.

Your teacup collection is exquisite. And your display rack is beyond beautiful. I LOVE it. My husband enjoys woodworking, so he has been promising to make me a pretty display cabinet, but he's been so busy with other items (for his Etsy store) that he hasn't had the time yet. Until then, many of my teacups can't even be displayed...as you can only put so much on a tabletop.

Have a lovely day,
Patti @ Fill My Cup with Beauty

Karen said...

Ladies, I have seen Donna's teacup collection and handmade cabinet and it is indeed gorgeous. Very nice collection and all dust free!
Karen

Kaye Swain - SandwichINK for the Sandwich Generation said...

The china cabinet is gorgeous and the tea sets are exquisite - a feast for senses for grownups AND grand chldren! Such a delightful collection. And I am SOOOO with you on dusting technique. When it comes to dust, what isn't seen... :)

Miss Hillbilly said...

Oh, WOW!! BEAUTIFUL collection!

Anonymous said...

I have a tea cup just like your lily of the valley but my flowers are yellow. I also met a gal at a thrift store and I told her I was looking for tea cups. So she had me come to her house and she had several different ones for me to choose from. One I decided on because it was different, it was white and has black dear on the pattern. Black and white tea cup. Lovely collection you have.

Anonymous said...

I should proof read my note; that should read black deer!

Henna @ AboutCabinets Blog said...

wow, you have a great collection of tea cups adn tea sets, love them, too good

Annie's Online Store said...

you have the greatest collection of tea sets i have seen, even the cabinet in which you have stored them all is too cool, apart from your site, there is Annie's Online Store where i know i can find great variety in crockery