Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"CARVING PUMPKINS "


Wishing you all a safe and happy All Hallow's Eve.... Carving pumpkins is always a delightful experience. Our three year old grandson, Bodhi and Grandpa enjoyed a exhilarating afternoon preparing the jack-'o'lanterns.  Lighting them up was even more exciting, especially on a dark, windy night.

Coming to our house, mean't you had to be careful or you'd get a terrible fright from the six blazing  pumpkins.... We didn't have too many little trick or treaters knocking at our doors, but the spirit and laughter  was an exhilarating way to enjoy the festivities of the October's , All Hallow's Eve ... together.

Monday, October 8, 2012

"TEATIME SPLENDOUR"



" I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree".... The autumn splendour is intoxicating with it colourful array. The awesome scenes encourage my soul to be happy and thankful  for this Thanksgiving .


After a brisk  twenty minute doggie walk,  the  warm nectar of the tea nymphs was all I needed to soothe my already awakened spirit. Goodness, it looks as if some mischievous little golden boy has already been sipping into my cup.


 While the crimson leaves of season are my favourite ... I delighted in choosing a complimentary,
 " Kahla "teaset to rally the vibrancy of  autumns flaming colours.


It's a lovely set that blushes with the autumn flowers in their last dance of the year  .... See how   the three stems are so elegantly poised in a floral ballet ... Note that the cup is only 2 inches high. It was a gift from my mother, so it's befitting that I invite you to share midday tea with mother and I.
Shortbread is a family favourite so, help yourself to the dainties while I chat up alittle Kahla history.


It seems that Kahla has a 150 year old history that  really dates back to 1814 when Christian Jacob Eckhard requested Kahla citizenship. In October 1844 production begins in Kahla, a town in the Saale-Holzland district in Thuringia, Germany. Cups, pipes and doll heads are created out of porcelain and it develops into a major enterprise  employing many of the surrounding villagers.


In 1856 a Prussian business man takes over the factory and continues to produce porcelain dug from the grounds situated near the Leuchtenburg Castle. Porcelain is created out of three basic materials: quartz sand, feldspar and kaolinite, which makes each and every china set an elegant work of art. 
Have I got your interest ? 

Unfortunately, the Kahla journey is far too extensive for me to post here. It has a full tapestry to explore... so please take your time ... but I warn you it's very exciting and you may have to go for a holiday over  to Germany.  Maybe even  to visit Johanna!! ( Ha Ha)

 For more information, it would be advantageous to visit sites pertaining to Kahla and Walpersberg, where there is a fabulous wartime history on the pottery factories. 

 Would like a little more sugar in your tea?


  I really admire that in the thirties  the Kahla-Group was taken over by designer, Dr. Hermann Gretsch
( 1895-1950) as the Arzberg-Linie" company brand, then  in 1972 with Hutschenreuther, one of Germanys' most prominent china manufacturers.  I have collected their figurines and pottery for years... never knowing the history... What goes around finally comes around...Amazing !!!!! Please do take the time to research this china. It's fascinating.


Hopefully, I haven't tired you with all this chit chat... and please do indulge yourself with a little teatime reading when you get home, my Friends.


In the meantime , enjoy the music of the leaves beneath your feet. Thanks for the pleasure of your teatime company ( crunch crunch)


Savour the warmth and dusty rich fragrances of the season.  




Be creative and express how you feel about OCTOBER
EXHILERATING!!!!!

"HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING "


Check out my (http://www.zaaart.blogspot.ca) for a" cut'npaste"  ATC tutorial 

I'm sharing Thanksgiving Tea with:
Sandi .... Tea Time tuesday( http://www.sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.ca)
Terri ....Tea Cup Tuesday....( http://www.artfulaffirmations.blogspot.ca)
Ruth ...Tuesday Cuppa Tea ....( www.antiques and teacups.blogspot.ca)



Monday, October 1, 2012

" MY AUDREY CUP "




Late night movies and goodness, it's already morning, but I just had to watch Leo Tolstoys ' War and Peace"... It's  a full length 1956 epic, surrounding the 1812 French invasion into Russia and the impact of the Napoleonic era on the Tsarist society, as seen through the personal lives of two aristocratic families.. The stellar cast included, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer and Peter Fonda ... It's a lengthly movie, but truly a classic.


Please pardon  my tardiness in preparing  our teatime.( yawn) I'm peeking into cupboards with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage today  so I best choose my teaset quickly and get the kettle boiling.

It's a rather rather brisk day that is filled with the aches and pangs of the season ...  The trees are turning so quickly and now float restlessly to the ground. I am reminded from the chilly movie scenes( above) that it's getting cold outside .  It's definitely a harvesting time for all god's creatures, including myself. Today I am lost in a myriad of thoughts that fall and scatter  just like the leaves.

 I smile, as the chipmunks and bluejays rally over the peanuts that  have been left on the doorstep for them.
 ( hurry, scurry)... because, I , too, just want to snuggle into the warmth and comfort of the day.  Yes... Autumn is a time for helping and supporting one another.

While  the kettle was whistling, I was rummaging through old papers and found this beautiful quote from one of my favourite personalities ....  We can ponder it over a steeping hot cup of tea.


" Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,
it's at the end of your arm, as you get older,
remember you have another hand:
The first is to help yourself,
the second is to help others ."
... Audrey Hepburn

Don your coat and hat before coming over. It's just a short walk over the bridge to my house. I'll have a  cup waiting for you!!!!



My cupboards are filled with such a wide variety of brightly coloured teasets, but stacked on the left hand side, are a collection of white cups and saucers, that I have rarely used ...Today, I've decided to break the habit.

What a lucky decision, as I have found such a wonderful history for this elegant little teaset. Look (above) .... Doesn't it remind you of a soft vanilla ice cream cone with all those pretty swirls? 

 This " Royal Tuscan " has a most interesting potted history, that is quite well documented.




Tuscan Tableware was founded in 1878 Staffordshire , England by R.H. Plant. The records show that the Plant family were potters of renown going back at least as far as 1775. There were jugs, white glaze baskets and a pair of lions produced about 1780 - marked J. Plant and  B.  Plant respectively.

 Also the 1775 diary of the same individual is kept in a private collection showing how much he paid for glazes and other potting materials. Isn't that a unique insight into the history of Tuscan  tableware!!!!

About 1900, two brothers, R.H. Plant and S.L. Plant established a major factory called Tuscan works and in 1915 became a limited company., R.H.Plant & S.L. Plant Ltd. Blazoned on the outer factory building were the words, " Our Work ... Our Pride ". 


Tuscan Works produced what is widely considered to be a fine line of china 
Their branded bone-china was known as " Tuscan" until 1967 after which they were taken over by a new parent company, Wedgewood, who added the " Royal" prefix for marketing purposes.
 My cup and saucer would have been made  at this time as it is marked " Royal Tuscan ".



This unpretentious teaset is deliciously decorated with a generous amount of decorative gold, yet it retains a very simple integrity that is gracefully poised, much like Audrey Hepburn. SO, that is what I shall call this china setting ... " Audrey " ( ha Ha)... and with every sip I shall feel elegant and beautiful.


In the mid 1900's, the factory was considered to be very modern for the times, with one gas-fired and two electric kilns, which were the heated enclosures used to process their decorative china, by firing, burning or drying.

Today, the factory is closed, but many pieces can still be purchased through websites. I checked ebay and found a generous amount of beautiful teasets and table settings still available at very reasonable prices.


Although I did not find this exact set, there was an abundance of this swirled pattern, minus the gold gilding, in a plain peachy pink , " Peach Bloom " which was one of the company's noted china patterns. If you're looking for new additions to your tea collection, an online search of " Tuscan china " is well worth your time efforts. 

Talk, talk, talk....You hardly got a word in.... Thank you for being such good listeners ladies .... Have a few more nibbles and one or two more sips for the road... Teatime  has been simply divine !!!!


Brrrrr...It's still a little chilly outside ...Please bundle up warmly  .... Check your cupboards for an
 " Audrey " cup when you get home. You know, one of those unsuspecting little treasures, that hide in the cupboards. Fill it with your favourite tea, warm your heart and your hands on it  and feel the BEAUTY WITHIN .... breath in the aroma and say to yourself " I AM BEAUTIFUL.




                                              HAVE A PEACEFUL DAY, LADIES !!!

I peeking into cabinets and sharing teatime with:
Sandi .... Tea Time tuesday( http://www.sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.ca)
Terri ....Tea Cup Tuesday....( http://www.artfulaffirmations.blogspot.ca)
Ruth ...Tuesday Cuppa Tea ....( www.antiques and teacups.blogspot.ca)