"Sandie's Fantabulous Pottery Tour (w/lunch)- The Sequel".

What can I say, it was an amazing trip! It doesn't get any better than going out to Stoke-on-Trent with ones girlfriends! I can't begin to tell you how much we laughed. The places we went, the thing we saw and ooooh the things we bought!

For me, it was magical! I'm all about the girly stuff, you all know that. The colors, textures and various patterns of the pottery was intoxicating! To describe the euphoria I felt ...for me the analogy would be as if I was an alcoholic and I was swimming in wine. Yes, it was THAT good. You've got to be there when the doors open at the Wedgwood outlet- I learned this from my very first trip out there. If you go in the afternoon the shelves will be picked bare! We arrived at 9 am (just as I planned) and I set my girlfriends loose in the Wedgwood outlet! The selections were fantastic and extra discounts were being given to us- life is good! We were all dizzy when we left, we were all swimming in the wine so to speak. But a few minutes back out in the cold British air and we were on our way to the next place!

Next stop Burleigh- it's my own personal little slice of heaven! One of the things on my list- and yes I had made a list of things that I wanted to buy was a lamp. Not any old lamp would do either, I wanted a blue and white lamp as I'm trying to put together a "look" for my formal living room in my next house. I had dreamed about buying a Portmeirion Botanical Blue lamp until I saw the one at Burleigh. Bluebird is the patterns name and it's a rare pattern at that! Once I saw it I knew that it was the lamp for me! There were a few other items that I picked up while at Burleigh, some really cool items at that! They had these beautiful Christmas themed 8" plates for a whopping 50p each- I bought 12. They will go great with my Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware! There were tons of great deals to be had!

Now on to Cauldon Ceramics, home of the Original Brown Betty Teapot! Sure it's a small business, but inside that blue door was a magical place full of brown earthenware pottery! All 4 of us bought teapots galore, and ordered more to be delivered to us this week. Me? Well, I've got a covered sugar bowl and a creamer coming to me this week ;-) There's something about the Brown Betty that I simply LOVE! It's simple everyday look makes me feel as if I've come.

Now over to Portmeirion- This place (for me) is like walking into a British Flower Garden in full bloom! It's overwhelming in the sense of the selections and intoxicating! Since I already own quite a bit of Botanic Garden tableware, I was looking to get a few more serving pieces. I found that my pattern was on sale for an extra 30% off- yeah momma! I came out with bowls and platters and was very pleased that I didn't spend as much as I thought I would.

Now for those that don't know- Portmeirion also owns Spode- Oh yeah! Life IS indeed GOOD! Tons of Spode products in stock and I was looking around with big eyes. It finally happened...I found the pieces that I've been wanting for years for my Christmas Tree service. The last pieces to fall into my lap are the Teapot and the Sauce Boat with stand. The store had them on sale at an extra 50% off, I could not resist! For years I refused to buy those pieces because they were so costly and suddenly they were in front of me saying "look at me". I was like a kid in a candy store! I even bought some of the cutlery items. I came out of there one happy woman!

Last Stop, Ainsley China- I came here because I wanted to get a couple more Belleek China pieces. Belleek is made in Ireland and I blame my addiction to it on my mother-in-law as it all started with a cup and saucer. I now have a handful of pieces and I cherish them all!

I know that I will never be able to buy any kind of British or Irish made pottery at these wonderfully low bargain prices like I've been able to while living here in England. I'm going to have such wonderful memories wash over me every time I use any of my place settings and serving pieces. At times I feel as if I've been on a treasure hunt and found the most exquisite gem stones and pearls.

So the best part was being on a treasure hunt with my girlfriends and seeing them find treasures of their own. We all came away happy and content. Okay so that gourmet picnic lunch that I made for all of us helped too.

Oh do be Serious!

I'm beginning to think that some of the folks that have Portmeirion items listed for sale on e-Bay USA are either delusional or are on crack. I'm hoping the former and not the latter. Are people actually willing to spend $150 on a retired Portmeirion rolling pin? $350 or more on a soup tureen? IN this economy? Oh do be serious! I keep telling our US military folks to buy the British pottery here, now while you can and while it's CHEAP! I love going to Stoke on Trent! I've been able to buy things here that I know I wouldn't be able to get back is the USA- not for the prices I've paid for here!



I'm getting excited about my trip on Saturday! It's not as if I "need" any more pottery, but I would like to pick up a few more pieces of Portmeirion Botanic Garden and maybe even some more Burleigh Pottery...who knows what I'll come home with ;-)

Visiting the German Christmas Market

After being stuck at home for several day because of snow I finally was able to get us out of the house and off to Birmingham to visit the Frankfurt Christmas Market. It was a cold day 30º (22º with the windchill). We stayed as long as we could tough it out and in the end it was our Hannah who could no longer take the cold. We or should I be saying "I" bought a few things that were different and very unique.

Apparently this Christmas market happens every year in the city of Birmingham. parking garages are quite close and I highly recommend parking in one as the prices for parking on the street and twice as much! This Christmas market IS something that "I" would come back to see and shop at year after year.




Our son Andrew is home for the holiday and he brought his girlfriend Tamora. It's nice to see them together and better yet, to see him happy. They enjoyed the Christmas market but they too became chilled to the bone. Apparently I was the only one that wasn't freezing - I have no idea how that occurred as it's usually me that complains about becoming a Popsicle.
There were many wonderful things available at the market- from beautiful table linens, hand knitted woollen hats, scarves and mittens, wooden toys, Christmas ornaments, ceramics, clothing,German wines and foods and well there's more than I can recall right now. It's really worth taking your family to see and experience this event.

German Christmas Market

I love Christmas Time! Here in England they have this wonderful Christmas Market thing that is set up various cities throughout the country. Today I am off to embark on an adventure to visit one such city's German Christmas market. When I get back I hope to be able to go into detail about where we went, what we saw (and bought) all with pictures!

Confessions of a British Pottery Addict

So what is it with me and British pottery? I can't seem to get enough of it! But I'm picky you see, I'm one of those purists...I refuse to buy a piece under the guise of "it was designed in Britain" (it's something that my girlfriends don't seem to understand).
Take Spode's Christmas Tree and Royal Albert's Old Country Roses patterns for example; all now being made in Indonesia and China but the companies are charging the same prices as if they were made in Britain. These patterns are those companies top sellers and they're being made where? The fact is that it's not the same- well it's not the same to me anyway. Even when shopping for my beloved Portmeirion Botanic Garden pieces I have to turn the item over and look where it was made. I have made the mistake of thinking that all of it was still made here in the UK- which is not true. I have 3 pieces that were made in China (no joke) they are the pierced cake plate, the set of 4 measuring cups and the multi purpose jar. I had bought these before I had realized that not all Portmeirion pieces are made here in Britain. Alas, as it is, this is something that seems to only matter to me. But with so many things that have been made in China these days that are recalled because of lead content makes me wonder how some of the world's finest pottery companies are turning to the "Made in China" label on their pottery pieces.

What can I say, I'm a purist. I want my British Pottery and Bone China to be made in Britain and I make no apologies for it. I've gone to the extreme to get my "Made in England" pieces, spending many hours sifting through dusty antique stores, browsing crowded charity shops and every now and then I go to eBay UK. I'm happy with what I've bought and the great memories of my "treasure hunting" experiences will be with me for a lifetime!

The Bazaar

Being a military spouse you hear things from your girlfriends about these "Holiday/Yuletide Bazaars" that are held at overseas bases, they are said to be the end all be all of holiday shopping experiences. Oh I had been so envious of my girlfriends whose husbands had overseas assignments that were able to first off be overseas and live the life and secondly for being able to shop at these "holiday bazaars".
My girlfriends would tell these fun stories about how they got their Polish Pottery (it was such a novelty item 14 -15 years ago) or their tapestry rugs and wrought iron pieces from Turkey, their handsome furniture pieces from Germany and their bone china service from England. There we were, assigned to a duty station in the Midwest- we had a whole lot of Tex Mex food and that was about it. To be honest, we lived in Abilene for 7 years and the only furniture we bought was a bed and a dresser for Andrew that we ordered from a company in Maine (we love handcrafted maple furniture). Nothing exotic going on at our house that's for sure. Okay so I did buy a lot of Longaberger baskets, pottery and wrought iron- but then again that was made when all things Longaberger was still being made in the USA (it's a whole different story now).
Now for me to tell you about the unique things we came across yesterday at the Mildenhall Bazaar- Where to begin...
There are these 2 little old ladies that card and spin wool and make their own yarn! Their hand knitted creations are true works of art. Last year I bought quite a few hand knitted sheep and other little creatures from them. Too darn cute!!!
The ladies that do the egg crafts-seriously cool stuff there! Picture it,enameled and bejeweled duck, goose , emu and ostrich eggs (hollowed out of course). These eggs are true works of art! They were made into music boxes and jewellery boxes. I fell in love with 3 different ones yesterday- the price charming (it's a bejeweled frog with a gold crown and tigers eye stone for eyes), the Christmas Tree music box, it was VERY ornate and the Regatta, it had cut out parts in the top egg shell half, lots of jewels and little pearls here too. I was in love, talk about something not every has. Last year my darling husband surprised me an enameled egg from these ladies, mine had a dragon fly theme (I adore dragon flies). This year, he bought me another one but this year it was not a surprise, I got to choose one.
I simply Loved the folks who were selling the Russian Matryoshkas those adorable nesting wooden dolls (click on the words and it will take you to the history of those dolls). I got my first matryoshka or babushka (Russian for grandmother) from my aunt who went on a trip to Russian in the early 1970's. It was a little 3 piece nesting doll set and I was in love with them from then on. I now have a small collection of them and cherish each and every one! I knew that I wanted to get another one but which one- they are all so pretty (my tastes go towards the traditional and floral designs). The one I bought yesterday has 15 pieces and is of a traditional design. Here's a side note- all of my nesting dolls with exception of one have blonde hair.
Many vendors selling Pashmina Scarves, all of them had excellent prices and color selections. Needless to say I bought a few to give as gifts, with the great prices at the bazaar, I can look like a spent a million dollars!
Loads of antique furniture! There were many great pieces on display. I only wish that I had room in this house to put them (even if it's only for a few months). But alas this house is pretty cramped for space and I couldn't do that to us now...talk to me after Christmas though ;-)
The handmade blown glass perfume bottles- oooh how pretty! The pieces came from Egypt and were just like the ones I saw at the perfume factory in Egypt but at a faction of the price!
There was the lady that was selling hand carved Welsh loving spoons (yes she traveled from Wales for the bazaar). Talk about more of this one of a kind handmade with love art. Friends of ours have one in their home and we both have admired it. Now we have one commemorating our 20 years of marriage. Take a look at the website and learn the history of this unique craft.
There was so much more there and it would be a shame not to mention them all but alas I want you to go there and experience it on your own if you can.

some of my other antique shop finds...

I confess, I am a hopeless Pottery Addict! Living here in England has enabled me to find a wider selection, better prices and better quality pottery!

Take this Portmeirion Basin and Ewer in the Christmas Rose pattern- I could only dream about owning something like this. But living here in England has given me the opportunity to be able to own such fine pieces as a fraction of what it would cost me back in the states. Now to replace them if they were to break during the move- now that would cost a mint!


Now who can resist a covered casserole dish? This was calling out to me, a brand NEW Portmeirion casserole dish that someone received as a wedding gift and they didn't like it. Left abandoned and on it's own to find someone who would love it...then I came along! I paid a third of what full retail is on this lovely piece of British made pottery! I will treasure it for many years to come!

These platters are so seriously cool to look at! The style is called "Flow" as it has to do with how glaze is applied before the firing process. Believe it or not but the Turkey Platter is in mint condish and I got it for the whopping price of...£5.00, no joke! It dates to the early 1900's and has clearly only ever been on display. Apparently turkey platters aren't much in demand out here.

The Fleur di Lis platter is supposed to be late 1800's and did cost me a little more than the Turkey Platter, but look at it, it's seriously cool!

Now as for being "collectible", apparently it's the Asian or Oriental designs are the ones that are highly prized and sought after by collectors. Me, I don't much care for the Oriental designs, I'd much rather have a nice pretty floral pattern or something else that strikes my fancy than Blue Willow.

AAhhhh, more great finds in Portmeirion. This is a retired floral pattern and it's one heavy bowl! It's lovely! It will be well used in my home!

This lovely little vintage piece is made by Portmeirion, it's from the 1970's and I do not know what the pattern is called but it's pretty none the less! The piece is a Sandwich tray, but it's great for serving all kinds of yummy treats!

The little bowls you see are made by Burleigh and are small sugar bowls- which are great for serving wonton soup, salsa or ice cream!

Here's my best deal yet on Burleigh Pottery- the large Chinese bowl which retails for £54.50, I paid £15.00. There's no way on this planet that I would ever find a deal like this back in the states...no way no how! I felt as if I had won the lottery that day!

There are also the Unusual finds- take this Portmeirion Halloween Bowl. Since Halloween isn't all that "big" out here in England like it is back in the States one would never expect to find something like this.

As you see, it fits in perfectly in my kitchen table in the breakfast room filled with Halloween treats!

With only 6 more months to go out here, I look forward to seeing what other great deals I'll come across and discover. One never really knows where the next bargain is lurking.

My Antique Shop Treasures

I saw (it's been many months ago now) in a magazine, a sitting room decorated in a manner that has stuck with me and has been in my head for quite some time. I'll have to wait until we get state side once again to find some wing back chairs, I've got the Turkish Rug and maybe I'll get lucky find a small table while here. Okay lets get back on topic- Then a little while back on the internet (HGTV to be exact) I saw a formal dining room decorated in a manner that I thought quite pleasing. Elegant yet not too formal to make ones guests feel uncomfortable. Then I saw a some more photo's of this persons house and loved what she had done with her Blue and white Staffordshire pottery collection. I knew that I wanted to recreate a similar look for my own home with my collection of blue and white pieces. Here's the link to Tetbury's photo's over on HGTV's website. Now here's the look I've recreated...

Actually it's 2 of the looks combined into one. My British house alas has narrow poky hallways and compartmentalized rooms. The picture you see here is in my breakfast room. But once I get back to New England I'll be able to have a larger house (hopefully one with an actual entry way like I had in my last house). I've found these items in various Antique shops here in the UK, on e-bay UK , the RAF Croughton gift shop and of course at the Burleigh Company factory shop in Stoke on Trent. Now if you'd like to catch up on the lovely person who created those wonderful rooms over on HGTV, well here's a link to her Blog Antiqueaholic, it's well worth checking out!

My British Goodies!

I have loved Royal Albert's Old Country Roses China since before I was married. My mother-in-law has this pattern and when I saw it I knew that THIS was the china pattern for me! Did I get this as my wedding china? No. Would I have liked this as my wedding china? You know it! So I made up for lost time and bought this pieces a little at a time on e-bay UK. There's no way I would pay the awful high prices back in the states for something made in Malaysia when all I want is the real deal that was made in England! I found a couple of pieces (cups and saucers) in antique shops but I was wanting more than teacups and saucers, I was in want of a dinner service! I bought a little here and there and now I have the china service of my dreams! Granted the only so called extra pieces I have are the teapot, creamer and sugar bowl and a cake/sandwich plate- but I'm fine with that. Platters and bowls- well I have plenty of those in other patterns!

Here we go with other things...Lilliput Lane houses. I got my first one back in 1992 the year our son was born. My husband was on tdy (an acronym for military business trip) to England. He brought my back "Penny Sweets". I was in love! Over the years he would bring me back one whenever he went to England. The rest I've managed to find here and there in Antique shops, Charity shops or have bought at the BX at RAF Lakenheath.

Now the Curio cabinet- we bought this yesterday at our favorite Antique Shop, The Brackley Antique Cellar. We've been looking for a curio cabinet for years, never found one that we really liked. So we've waited. I saw this on Friday and hoped and prayed that it would still be there on Sunday when I could take my husband in to see it (and check it over). It's got claw and ball feet and a skeleton key that lock it closed, how cool is that?!! We plan on add lighting to the cabinet once we get state side.

Burleigh Pottery- I thought that I was immune to the Blue & White pottery phenomenon that is after all, a very British thing to collect and display and I was for the most part since I'm not into the Asiatic Pheasant or the Oriental Blue Willow designs (and that's what seems to be most prevalent out here). Then I went to the Burleigh factory and saw all of the blue and white (and other colors too) that were all out on display before me and then I knew...THIS is the Blue & White pottery for Me! I'm standing there looking at all of the different flower prints and I could not make up my mind, I liked them all- okay I liked most of them (dark blue and red). The pale blue prints aren't really for me, it was dark blue that really caught my eye! I started small, only a few teacups and dessert plates and I worked my way up from there. The cow creamers are adorable! Seriously, who can resist buying at least one? I don't have it all out on display, I have some more pieces tucked away in my sideboard. I even own a piece of green Burleigh (a serving bowl in the retired pomegranate print- which is apparently a pretty rare piece). I've got pitchers, soups bowls, cake plates, a sandwich tray and my cool little canister that holds my loose tea. The Burleigh teapots are awesome because they don't dribble, not at all!

My new to me Sideboard was a stumble upon find at the antique store yesterday. As my husband and I were poking around in what I call "spooky corner" (it's the part of the store where there's so much furniture china and stuff piled up that if it fell on you, you'd never be found alive). Well... as were in spooky corner waiting for the sales staff to dig out a path to take the Curio cabinet up to the check out desk were looking around at "things" and as I see my spouse looking at stuff it's then that I realize that I'm standing right in front of a really neat Sideboard. We start looking at it and I of course look at the price tag, I couldn't believe my eyes- the price was seriously reasonable, so much so that I first thought that it must have been a misprint because other Sideboards in this place were priced MUCH higher, at least £100 or more higher! I also felt the same way with the Curio cabinet. The spouse and I check the Sideboard over from top to bottom, it's in great shape minus a little ding or scratch from normal wear. He looks at me I look at him and we know that we've got another great find! I would have been stupid not to get this piece. I've been looking for a sideboard ever since we got here and I've never found one at this price! It's in great condition and it's the size that I wanted!

All this happened as I was about to give up hope that we would ever find a piece of Antique British-Made furniture to take back with us when we move state side. Many of my friends have found furniture pieces that they like and enjoy and all I've found up to this point were books, shoes, clothes and of course pottery. Now I have real conversation pieces!

WOW! What a weekend!

You know how some weekends can go by so quickly it all seems like a blur? Not for me, not this one! I can recall and savor each and every sweet moment!

Saturday's trip took us to London where we saw Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews and Westminster Cathedral. The weather was a little on the brisk side but not so cold that one needed a heavy jacket, for me a blazer and a silk scarf was enough.

The Royal Mews- what a neat place! This is the livery area, where the horses, carriages and cars are kept (in plain terms, the transportation area). The carriages were really something to see- my favorite being the glass coach as it wasn't too ornate (like something out of Cinderella). Each carriage was lovely to look at and I took pictures of all of them! This is the glass carriage below.

There was a 2 hour or so break between our tour of The Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace so we went walking around for a bit. It's a short walk over to Westminster Cathedral. I loved the pedestrian signs, here's a picture of one of them.

Westminster Cathedral- it's the most beautiful church I've been in to date! The tile mosaics were amazing! I didn't take any pictures in the inside as my husband misread the no photography signs. No photography while Mass is in session, not NO Photography. So again I bought a tourist type guide books that tells about about the history of the place AND a book on the mosaic tile work. We went to the top of the bell tower and took photos of the surrounding area- the view from up there absolutely breath taking!

While walking Through Buckingham Palace all I could think of was "wow, it must have been something for the royal children to have grown up in a house this size" - talk about not having a real perspective on how everyone else around you lives. Of course "NO PHOTO'S signs were everywhere and obviously I didn't take any pictures indoors. There were many rooms that I wished to take snapshots and learn the history of, so I did the next best thing- I bought the tourist guide!

We walked through a park that was near the Palace and saw some interesting things...

Love the monogrammed gates!

These gates are quite impressive!

A view from the park of the palace

This water feature is a Canadian memorial, I especially love the leaf design in the concrete.

above- Princess Diana Memorial walk

below-an extra circle added for the Canadian Memorial

There were so many lovely things to see and experience that day. What ever you do, make sure to wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers!

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour- the details

It's the little things that one does for ones friends that end up being the really big things. On this trip there were 4 women, 1 Honda Odyssey minivan and an ice chest full of treats! We were driving down the road by 7 am -yes, we really were!

♥ Our first stop was the Wedgwood factory Shop and we were there by 8:45 am! This time around we were able to take our dear sweet time shopping as the shelves were fully stocked and for the first 30 minutes were were the only customers! everyone found something that they liked, and we found some prizes for our bingo event for the spouses club.

♥Next stop was the Burleigh factory Shop Oh my word were we ever to find some great items in there! I found a few rare pieces done in retired colors. Oh I think we all found a little something something at Burleigh! I bought an entire place setting in the Dark Blue Felicity pattern now that makes 8 place settings and I'm done! Okay not done as in done buying any more Burleigh period, more like done with buying place settings.

♥Onward James to the next stop...Portmeirion! Holy Catfish did the others go wild in that shop! Granted I came with a list and an idea of what I was interested in buying. I have to say that I was VERY pleased with what I came home with :-) I was able to get the 50th anniversary Parrot Tulip Teapot , to be honest,that was the #1 thing on my list! I was able to pick up the Spode dinner plates for a friend (she's now on her way back from Texas after being stuck there for a little over a week). More Bingo Prizes from here too!

♥We were trying to get to Churchill pottery but after driving around in circles for 40 minutes we figured out that this outlet was no longer in business at this location so we decided to go to Aynsley China and along the way we stopped at yet another Portmeirion outlet shop. Every place carries different items and here was no different! I was able to find the ever elusive Portmeirion measuring cups (they're new) and a 2 cup measuring pitcher (another hard to find item) and this one had American measuring lines as well as metric!

♥Number 5 on our tour Aynsley China what a lovely shop! I read up a bit on Aynsley and knew that they were acquired by Belleek China (Irish bone china) back in 1997. We all found a little something here! I came out with a Belleek bread plate and a Belleek Templemore Vase at a price that I couldn't resist! Needless to say, I left there doing the happy dance!

♥Last but not least on our Fabulous Pottery tour we found Churchill China! We were not disappointed in this shop in any way shape or form! We all found more goodies to bring home. I'm in love with Churchill's Eden pattern and bought a few serving trays. Nothing like having serving trays to help you bring loads of clean or dirty dishes to and from the kitchen! And after months of searching, I was able to find a Brown Betty Teapot HERE for my Mom! I also bought one for our Bingo event and will pair it up with some PG Tips Tea (that would make a sweet prize).

For lunch- Well I packed a gourmet picnic basket. There was Flock of Geese Chicken salad, marinated Italian Pasta Salad, Caprese Salad, Babybel Cheeses, croissants, baguettes, yummy herbed olives, mini almond poppy seed muffins, Ghirardelli Chocolate brownies and mini New York Cheesecakes! Evian bottled water was the drink of choice! We never touched the bag of kettle chips- probably too full of the other stuff to worry about it, LOL!

I'm assured by my girlfriends that they've never had a picnic lunch like that before. I'm glad that I was able to give them a happy shopping and dining experience :-)

Sandie's Fabulous Pottery Tour (with lunch)

I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, I try to laugh daily and today is a day that I hope to be laughing nearly every minute of the hour!

In about an hour we're setting off to go to Stoke-on-Trent. Oh as it is, I'm the one driving. Distance wise it's not that far but the crazy road system here in England makes it a 2 hour adventure (one way). Off we go!

Count down to FUN!

I've got a busy day planned for myself...I've got gourmet cooking on the brain (that’s why I’m up so early). I’m making the following for our trip;

*Caprese Salad –tomato slices drizzled with olive, a little fresh ground gray sea salt (it’s a moist salt and it’s yummy), herbed feta cheese That’s it and it’s soooo yummy!!! I also make this with fresh sliced mozzarella but right now I'm on a Feta Cheese kick.

*Marinated Italian Pasta Salad- twisty pasta with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red bell pepper, red onions, finely chopped black olives, some fresh parsley and some made from scratch Italian salad dressing.

*Chicken Salad- it’s got a dressing made from sour cream and mayonnaise with a dash of lemon juice, there’s roasted chicken (of which I did yesterday), seedless grapes (bought these huge dark purple ones), celery and topped with roasted cashews. I've had this several times made by others and it's to die for- yes it's a total chick food item!

*Marinated green olives- I get these at Tesco and they come in a pouch(bag) oh my gosh they are seriously addictive! I almost ate an entire bag the other day- good thing the bags are quite small, LOL!

*Baguettes (for the chicken salad- no I'm not making these I'm buying them)

*Almond poppy seed mini muffins- morning snack on the road (now I am making these)

*Brownies- afternoon snack on the road (and these too)

*New York Cheesecake- hey a girl has got to have dessert! (and yes I'm also making these).

*And of course Evian bottled water ♥

So do you think that my girlfriends will like their lunch? Two of them are PCSing (one to Turkey and the other back to the USA) and this trip is like a big final farewell to England. So I’m sure that they both will be loading up on china, crystal and pottery of all sorts!

Meanwhile in-between all of this cooking I've got to take the hubby to work, do some grocery shopping, gas up the shopping mobile, call a couple of Portmeirion stores to see what their in store specials are, get the exchange rate of the day, finish up my pottery quiz, get some more GPS coordinates for a few more pottery places in Stoke-on-Trent, clean the house, fold a mountain of laundry and squeeze in a nap ;-) Wish me luck!

Teacups, Teapots, and Coffee Pots

I have collected teacups since I was 8 years old. My Grammy Lola gave me my first two teacups, oh how I cherished them! I wouldn't let my sister touch them. I still have them and to this day I regard them as prized possessions. Over the years my collection grew to include creamers, sugar bowls, teapots and even coffee pots. Needless to say I am a pottery hound! I simply can not ever have enough dishes to suit my many food and catering moods!

I have had such a dear and sweet love of dishes and pottery ever since I was a little girl- I don't know any of my friends that can say that about themselves. I remember the first time I saw a table set with Spode Christmas Tree dishes and serving pieces- how it made my heart sing. I told myself that very day that I would one day (when I was grown up) that I would have a table set like that for Christmas.

I hosted my first tea party when I was 8 years old. I hosted my first dress up Christmas Tea Party when I was 17 years old. Needles to say, I have enjoyed hosting Tea Parties ever since! And now that I'm living in England...I'm going to have a summer tea party and we'll all wear hats! But that is going to have to wait for a bit.


When my husband announced that he indeed got the assignment here and we would be moving to England my heart leapt for joy! We would be moving to such a beautiful part of the world, a place where I would be surrounded by the best Bone China manufacturers in the entire world! Since moving to England my collections have grown. I am proud to say that my knowledge of china, bone china and iron stone has improved as well. I think that the next time I go on a trip to Stoke on Trent that I can give a quiz on the various pottery manufacturers and their history and be the only one who knows any if not all of the answers.


Old Country Roses- I know that not everyone likes this pattern but for me it's got great sentimental meaning. I adore flowers in general but roses have to be my all time favorite not to mention that they are my birth flower and that the pattern came out the year of my birth. The roses are in clusters of red, yellow and pink and (and I take this from the Royal Doulton website) go from any style table setting- traditional to modern to shabby-chic. How can you not love it? I mean really! I'm working on having a tea service that I hope will eventually evolve into a dinner service.

Burleigh Pottery- While this is not Bone China, it IS very nice pottery indeed! I love the history of this pottery and to think that a family loved it to much that they bought the company and it's still alive and well today is a testament to it's quality. I bought some pieces to give as gifts and yes I bought pieces for myself too ;-) Reading the story, history and the process that the pottery goes through and it will bring a smile to your face. I wish that you all could come here and see the place in person, it would give you a true appreciation of it. Before our tour over here is done I will have a collection of Burleigh pottery ;-)

Portmeirion Pottery- Seriously, what is not to love about this stuff? When I'm in a Portmeirion shop I feel as if I am walking through an English Garden full of flowers all in bloom!

So today I'm dreaming of pottery and what kinds of meals I would serve on the various pieces. Happy dreaming everyone!

I'm Bummed!

Do you remember how you felt after your parents told you that Santa Claus wasn't real? Well that's how I feel right now after finding out that the china pattern I have long waited for these past 20 years is no longer made in England! Old Country Roses by Royal Albert China has been being made in Indonesia since 2002. I'm so angry I could just kick a box!!! I am kicking myself for waiting so damn long!!! I am sooooo seriously disappointed! Why the hell did they go to out sourcing? Was the profit margin of having the #1 selling china pattern around the world of all time not making enough money for them??? I mean it, I'm mad and very dissapointed with Royal Albert, I really am!

So now I am relegated to hunting for pieces at antique stores, second hand stores, thrift shops and the internet for made in England versions of this china pattern-ugh! So much for being the first people to eat off of those plates. Maybe I should just throw my hands up in the air and call it quits. I need more coffee....

Portmeirion

I wanted to share some pictures of my dining room set up with my Portmeirion Botanic Garden Dishes. These dishes are my special gift to myself. They are that special something from my stay in here England that every time I use them I will remember the good times and good friends that I have made while living in this beautiful country.

This Blue Iris Pitcher was so lovely that I had to bring it home with me!

I've found cups and saucers everywhere, this violet cup I found in an antique shop here in England.

I first fell in love with this style clock in an antique but had a hard time paying £45 for a plate clock. I had a much easier time paying £16 for it. While at the outlets I saw about a million and a half of these Portmeirion clocks- this particular pattern is called "Variations", I decided on buying this one because it had a wild rose and a big fat bumble bee!

This is the anniversary vase- LOVE the tulips! And it was kind of funny that my friend Linda brought over this bouquet of tulips for me the morning of our pottery trip.

My Buffet set up with dessert plates, luncheon plates and dinner plates.

I put a freshly ironed linen table cloth on and set the table with my newest purchases. I only set out 4 place settings as I didn't want to put the leaf extension in the table.

Is it any wonder why I fell in love with this pottery? I adore flowers and this is perfect for me!

Coffee

As you know besides crafting, coffee is always on my mind! I can't help it, I LOVE the stuff! So you wonder where am I going with this coffee topic right? Well...I bought a French Coffee Press or at Portmeirion better known as the Botanic Garden Cafetiere Coffee. I've wanted one of these French Presses for years! So many of my girlfriends swear by them and well I finally got the chance to buy one and at HALF of the retail price! So here I am typing while drinking a cup of freshly brewed coffee using my new French Press and I have to say- OH my word is this ever one smooth cup of coffee!!! I am doing the happy dance today folks! Check out Coffee Geek to learn how to use a press pot.

The Pottery Trip

Our motley crew consisted of 8 women and 1 male driver. Our trip took us up to Stoke-on-Trent home of where pretty much the majority of all of British pottery is made. Our guide took us to several of the most popular pottery outlet shops. We went to three different Portmeirion shops, and each was awesome! Besides Portmeirion, we also went to Burleigh, Emma Bridgewater and Wedgwood. There were many more labels than just Wedgwood at the Wedgwood outlet- there was Waterford, Johnson Bros., Rosenthal, Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Coalport and Minton and that was just for dishes, there were more in the Crystal department.

I can't begin to tell you what it was like to see of all of those beautiful dishes on display. Every store was set up in such an appealing manner and there were great buys to be had at every shop! Okay I'll confess, I didn't buy any crystal- my purchases consisted of 1- Waterford item, (my token purchase for the store) which is a Bone Chine Coffee pot, of course I bought oodles of Portmeirion (my main reason for going on this trip in the first place), a couple of Emma Bridgewater chicken themed items and several Burleigh 3 piece teacup sets that I plan on using as thank you gifts in the future...that is unless I become attached to them ;-)

They give you free tea/coffee and biscuits (cookies) at the Burleigh outlet and in case your shopping has you working up an appetite, there are tea shops in the Emma Bridgewater and Wedgwood stores where you can have lunch with your girlfriends :-)

It might have been in the 30's all day long BUT I dare say that I had a very pleasant day to say the least!

Ps- We all bought so much that we were dropped off at our front doors with our purchases :-)

Bicester Wool

I love that little shop! They're closed Sundays and Mondays BUT they have something NEW...I saw in their store window Moda fabrics, jelly rolls and charm packs!!! I am thrilled beyond belief! I can't wait to go back and see what kind of the quilting goodies that have to offer. :-) I am doing the Happy Dance!

Embrace your Space- UK version of My Scrapbook Nook unveiling

For inspiration for my new "nook"I looked at pictures on the internet- to see what others have done with small rooms turning them into their crafting spaces. It was important to me that I incorporate pieces that I already had. 1-this helps me to stay on budget and 2- these pieces work very well for me. After looking at what Ikea had to offer I was able to make a decision on what work best in the room. I wanted to give my space a total overhaul but also staying within a budget.
Measuring the room is key- don't go anywhere before you measure everything twice! Measure the items you want to use in the room. make a graph and move the pieces around. For me, I had to contend with a radiator, hence this work desk you see in these pictures, it's perfect for the space!
I also wanted a fresh color pallet- that's one of the nice things about moving every few years, getting to try new things. The black/white/silver makes it not look so overwhelming. Too much color can make small spaces that need to hold a lot of things look unorganized and cluttered. The black and white floral boxes you see in the picture give a uniformity to the space and keeps clutter hidden in a discreet manner.
Any questions- please e-mail me and I'll be more than happy to help you.

I love this glass door shelf unit, there's a large drawer underneath the shelves for storing large tools and such.

I've obviously embraced IKEA- these fabric bins are fantastic and the price is pretty reasonable too!

My IKEA work station

I lined all of these drawers with black cardstock for contrast, that and the fact that I didn't want to see the stacks of stamps.

Same stuff on the shelves as in South Dakota with exception of the Ikea Boxes

My TALL chrome shelf unit- LOVE this thing! Bought it at Lowe's in Rapid City and I've never regretted it! As you can see, this baby can hold a lot! Same items I had on it back in SD now I've added 2 jumbo storage boxes from Ikea. I can hide tons of bulky items that make my nook look messy- love it!

The lower closet area-not sure if I'll use the Cricut while here but I bought it anyway, I'm worried that it will die an early death.

The upper closet area. I used a shelf unit that I had in the home office/guest room at our last house. Black and White containers are from Ikea.