A Message from Ruth at Antiques And Teacups

Welcome to the blog of Antiques And Teacups! Let's share a cup of tea and talk about the things we love...like teacups, antiques, collectibles, visiting England, antiquing and learning about victoriana and quirky gadgets. Fun!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Ice And Bears, Oh MY!

Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! A mixed bag today...teacups, glaciers and bears! The linky and the list of other blogs I am joining is at the bottom.



As this post is mostly Alaska, I chose an American made teacup today...Magnolia by Stangl, USA from the late 1950s.







I'm sure most of you know that I favor bone china, but this Stangl cup and saucer is so neat and colorful. The hand painted design is fun, and the pottery has a nice heft when you use it. Stangl is quite collectible, and is especially famous for their bird figurines. Stangl grew out of the Hill and Fulper potteries in New Jersey, and became Fulper/Stangl in 1926 when Martin Stangl, previously an artist with the firm, became president. He later bought out Fulper and changed the name to Stangl in 1955. In 1979, Pfaltzgraff bought them out and closed Stangl for good.  I love their retro, mid century colorful hand painted designs! For more info on the Stangl teacup at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

Well, I promised I'd share a bit more about my holiday last month which included an Alaska cruise. One of the days we visited Hubbard Glacier, and a lot of folks from the south and mid west came just to freeze for a few hours, and coll down from the heat they had been experiencing. One Texan announced as we stood at the face of the glacier at 28 degrees, that it was 103 in Dallas.







Although the face of the glacier doesn't look that big in the photos, it was 200 feet high. We were nearly a mile away. This is a tidewater glacier, so named because it dumps into the ocean. Hubbard Glacier is actually advancing, not retreating. As you can see, we actually had a sunny day. Which has drawbacks, as the deep gorgeous blue of the compressed ice is actually bluer in clouds, as the sunlight bleaches it out, so to speak, before it reaches our eyes.

We have a friend who grew up in the town of Hoonah, Alaska by the tribe owned and run cruise port of Icy Strait, by Icy Strait Point. He was there waiting for us when we got off the tender and took us bear watching.












We drove about 15 miles out of the small settlement on old logging roads to Game Creek, where Chris had seen a bear earlier in the day. We got out of the car and walked onto the bridge above the river. Chris had his 44 side arm. The bear was about 150 yards downstream fishing for salmon and we watched him as he came towards us. He'd catch a fish, take just a bite & throw it away, then look for another. Chritold us it was a large male, 700 to 800 pounds, and very well fed, which was why he was just taking the best bite and tossing the rest. Just before he passed under the bridge, he looked up and saw us, then kept right on fishing and walking. It was wonderful!




This is the Celebrity Millennium at anchor, and one of the tenders that brought us to shore. Because the tribe owns the port, they strictly regulate the cruiselines. Only one ship a day is allowed in, and the tribe does all the businesses on land....no Diamonds Internationsl! WooHoo! It's about the most natural Alaska port there is...but I heard folks say...what a waste of time...nothing there. How sad!!!


Tidelands Bait & Tackle, Chris' family's business. He also does stream fishing tours/guiding.




Well that's about it for today. I have a ship dining experience to tell you about next week. Have a wonderful time visiting the other blogs below and have a great week! Please join Sandi for What's In Your Cabinet on Oct. 1st. Click on the logo below for that!




Monday Marketplace
Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday
Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday
Teatime Tuesday
Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness
Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Afternoon Tea
Tea On Tuesday
Tea Tuesday
Tea On Tuesday
Poetry In A Pot Of Tea
Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

Thursday Tea Things And Talk

Friday, September 28, 2012

Pink Saturday Hydrangeas and China

Hello and welcome to Pink Saturday...I am joining How Sweet The Sound.

A few weeks ago we were in Victoria, BC Canada for my birthday, and I photographed these lovely pink hydrangeas by the Inner Harbour sea wall



My uncle owned a nursery during my childhood, and I remember him telling me that the color of hydrangea blossoms could be affected by what minerals they were fed. I don't remember what caused the pink, but I do remember that the addition of copper pennies to the soil turns the flowers bright blue. As that is my favorite color, no wonder I remember that!

I was looking for something else to share that's pink, and found this cream and sugar set from the 1940s by Homer Laughlin, USA in the Eggshell Nautilus shape. I don'y know what the pattern name is, but I liked the stylized, almost art deco retro modern pink and grey flower buds. I really like it! For more info on the cream and sugar at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos!




I also found a photo of a pink kitchen from Coastal Living magazine from a year ago:


Now that's a pop of color!!!!  Have a great weekend, and enjoy visiting the other Pink Saturday participants.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Happy 50th Birthday Seattle Space Needle! Teacup Included!

Happy 50th birthday to the Seattle Space Needle, so much a part of our world here near Seattle, Washington.


For Teacup Thursday, Vintage Thingie Thursday and Share Your Cup Thursday (please see the links at the end of the post), I have a souvenir teacup of the Space Needle from the 1960s that was made in Japan.






I really love souvenir china for that snapshot of special times and places.




The Space Needle was designed as the futuristic icon of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Although, as is often the case with far thinking, ahead of it's kind designs, the Space Needle was thought by many to have been a waste of money and a terrible design, it has etched it's way into everyone's view of what Seattle is.




 An old postcard from the World's Fair site artist's drawing



The local favorite "Bubbleator" elevator...now a greenhouse in someone's back yard in Ballard, WA, I think...



The monorail that still moves between Seattle Center and the downtown hotel and shopping core. It's fun to ride!

Although the World's Fair is mostly forgotten, several things remain including the buildings that are now the aquarium, Pacific Science Center, the monorail and the area called Seattle Center that now houses the Chihuly Garden Of Glass.


The Chihuly exhibit even rated a shout out on Monday Night Football Seahawks game this week....cool!!!


So Happy 50th Birthday, Space Needle...and many more! Have a wonderful day!


Cake from Jacqui's Cakes

Interesting Space Needle and World's Fair websites:

Main Seattle World's Fair website: HERE

Happy 50th Birthday, Space Needle website:  HERE

I am joining these great blogs:


Teacup Thursday
Vintage Thingie Thursday

Share Your Cup Thursday



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Canada Coat Of Arms Teacup, Vancouver, BC and Tea At Sea




Hello and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!   I hope you had a lovely weekend. Ours was gorgeous with mild fall weather...once the morning marine layer/fog disappears. See my previous post for what that looks like!

The Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky and the blogs I am joining is at the bottom of the post.







My teacup today is a Canadian souvenir cup and saucer featuring the coat of arms for Canada...or at least that's what it's called. I hope my Canadian friends can tell me if it really is. I love the fish and thistles on it! The maker is the famous Royal Winton Grimwades, England and the teacups was made between 1934-1942. The company is famous for it's art deco designs, Cottage ware and chintz, but this is a fun departure. I found this a few years ago in Vancouver, BC Canada, which is why I chose it for today.

Last month, we were able to do an Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Millenium from Canada Place in Vancouver, BC.  What a deal we got! I couldn't believe it! Cheaper than staying home. WooHoo!!!!







Sailing out under Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver



Stanley Park and the seawall...



My honey relaxing on a teak lounge in the Solarium 


 Onboard we loved the Olympic specialty restaurant onboard, which is named Olympic after the sister ship of the Titanic. The Olympic was also a White Star Line ocean liner built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast Ireland in 1910. White Star ultimately became Cunard. The dining room has the original paneling and murals from the Olympic. I have found a YouTube video with more info about how the dining room, the Olympic specialty restauraunt came to be on the Celebrity Millennium: 


We were invited to a tea in the Olympic restaurant, and I share here a few photos of that. We were so busy talking to friends I forgot until the end to take photos. Also, some of the original Olympic artifacts were in glass cases and did not photograph well. Sigh...
















So there you have it. Next week I'll share about our glacier viewing and bear hunt!

Here is the  linky for Tuesday Cuppa Tea and the list of some of the blogs I am joining. Have a great day, and don't forget to have a cup of tea with a friend!


Monday Marketplace
Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday
Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday
Teatime Tuesday
Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness
Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Afternoon Tea
Tea On Tuesday
Tea Tuesday
Tea On Tuesday
Poetry In A Pot Of Tea
Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday


LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...