Gin in Teacups in Dundee!

A great day out in Dundee, Gin in Teacups' first Dundee fair, in the lovely Queens Hotel, catering for so many tastes, from the Mohican to my Mother's handmade 1970s jacket,

modelled by Dundee's own Martha, AKA Delilah of Delilah and the Samsons.

The fair had been very well publicised on the streets of the city for weeks in advance 

- arranged by Laurie (red sleeved T shirt)

and Sarah -

and it was worth it, because the place was hoatching, but at peak times stallholders were too busy to take photos.

These were taken at 4.30, half an hour before closing time, so apologies to everyone in the other two rooms, because I took these very quickly and didn't even think to go next door. 

Usually I forget to take the camera out of its case, but I wanted to get a pic of Martha in Mama's jacket, just to let her see.

 As Little Richard sang, The Girl Can't Help It - can she?
AND . . .
Just for the crockery fans,

You know what you like, don't you?

I 'll have some more pix for you people, later! 

Muddy, Wet, Miserable Day

It is a nasty day today. The fire is on and I've made vegetable soup with lentils and that's cheered me up.

Here is a memory of warmer days.

A 1960s /70s picnic table and deck? chairs.

They're bright enough to cheer up a miserable day.

I'm looking forward to the Gin in Teacups fair in Dundee this weekend and in the process of sorting out clothes to take with me, but I don't think it's the right weather to take the picnic set!

China Tea Pot

A willow pattern tea pot for Carol; I have the matching sugar and cream jug too.

Carol, you can leave a comment here or contact me though Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/RuralReadsThReads

Aprons on the line

 For a wee while today it was dry enough to put these aprons out to photograph, but not dry enough to dry a washing.

 This is a small apron or lapbag with a big embroidered pocket to hold knitting or crochet wool clean and keep pins etc handy while working on project.

 These aprons are nylon and blew nicely in the breeze

 I think they would have been for impressing the kind of guest who might be impressed by the frillieness of an apron!

 The camera doesn't quite do justice to this one, the dots are white, lime, jade and mustard.

 The yoke and frill are cotton with a kind of transparent voile frill in between.

 The blue and white striped one is best described as 'pretty but practical'

I hope you find one you like, Laurie Lee.

Overflowing with cups

This is a cute little set, no plates, but pretty; 

flowers on the back, front and inside of the cup and at two places on the saucer.

This set is beautiful, look at the lines of the jug, the simplicity of the pattern, 

absolutely beautiful;

the cups are smaller than most, 

but they are beautiful

This bone china set has a muted palette too,

but look at the quality of the gilding

A pastel coloured harlequin set

with a swag of gold flowers.

A bit more bling!

Fire King oven ware, in a peach lustre

A traditional, vintage pattern with all the favourite elements

- soft, pale green, pink and white apple blossom and fruit,

and just enough gilding . . . to glow.

Funk Fair - Dundee

A lovely venue 

and lots of lovely stalls.

There was some interest in books 

 . . . and music,

 but what the Dundee girls like is to get their hands on clothes they haven't seen before!

And if their mums and grannies wore them before them, so much the better!

After a long day, it's time for a cuppa

Anyone for tea?

I hope you like the gilt harlequin tea set - and the cakes.

Following Funk Fair

A quick hello to people I met yesterday at the Funk Fair in Dundee. No time to look at pix yet, but here is a pic for Vera from Finland who admires the Scottish scenery.

Just a fraction to the left of the middle of this pic, (you might have to blow the pic up), above the dark wood, is a tiny white dot. It is a house I used to live in and to the left of that is the roof of one I lived in after that. Now, I sometimes stay in a space in between both these houses.

I will put up photos of teapots for Carol ASA I have time.

I'd like to put his address on the sidebar, but I'm not sure how to do it. Any suggestions?
http://www.facebook.com/RuralReadsThReads

Cups, saucers and plates

Here are some new things for anyone who is fed up of seeing the cushions and green teacups. These saucers have little silhouettes of Mickey Mouse round the saucers. There are four cups and saucers, but no plates. The cups are plain, glossy black inside and outside; so glossy that they reflect the pattern off the saucers. 

This is a beautiful set I might call creamware - they are cream, with a moulded band of fruit or flowers, but the band is tinted a darker shade, beige maybe, The flowers in relief are not coloured, but because they stand slightly proud of the beige, they throw the colour off and look paler. The pictures genuinely don't do justice to the set, which is really lovely. I'll try to take a close up later. 

 These are some other things that  are cute more than anything else, cute but functional, of course. The glass dish has a 'flower' embedded in the clear perspex handle of the chrome lid.

The silver plated cake knife was still in the box - until I took it out. the cake plate is typical of its style. Bright white bone china with a simple pattern in clean, clear colours and black.

  The 'Retirement' cup and saucer has a pretty cottage print on it, as does the separate tea plate, but the cup is bone china while the plate is thicker - I don't know if ironstone is the right word for it. The plate is very colourful, with the orangey red, blue and chrome yellow combination that is so well suited to painting flowers.

 A sweet to finish with - a honey jar? but the honey spoon doesn't fit the lid. Maybe it's a jam or mustard dish and the honey spoon just felt attracted to it.