collecting — Page 38

The Big Corral Fizzle & The Egg Cup Finale

March 30, 2015 at 9:11 am by Claudia

I don’t want to dwell on this, but, as I write this, there is a dusting of snow on the ground.

I can’t go there.

Besides, it’s going up to 53° so it will be gone shortly.

Nevertheless….enough already.

So, yesterday I was determined to open up the big corral for Scout. I enlisted my husband and we picked up all the dog poop that had been under the snow. Then we put straw down everywhere there was mud. Then we moved the bench that blocked the entrance.

I grabbed my camera. Don got his iPhone ready to record video. (Yes, we’re nuts.)

We let her out.

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As you can see, she wasn’t sure what to do. We encouraged her. “Go on!”

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She walked around a small area. We walked up the hill, ready to record the momentous event. While we were talking to each other, we didn’t notice that she’d walked back down the hill and into the house.

Clearly, she wasn’t as excited as we were.

That’s what I get for planning the ‘big event.’

Later on, she did explore a bit more. I think she was sleepy the first time. She now seems to like going back and forth between her corrals. Her kingdom has become even bigger. There will be no stopping her Dameship.

Just a few more egg cups for this 2015 Finale.

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1. Oh, how I love this cup. The bunny rabbit as painter. Yes, you’re right if you’re thinking this was a middle of the night eBay bidding frenzy. You see why, don’t you? The painter’s smock, the palette, the face painted on the egg…who could resist? (I haven’t seen this one on eBay or Etsy for a long, long time.) One of my favorites. Marked: Japan.

2. Truth in advertising: this isn’t an egg cup. I think it’s a toothpick holder. But I consider it part of the egg cup collection. So let’s just pretend it’s an egg cup. First of all, that cheruby face kills me. Then the little green hat, the clown-like clothing, the cracked egg…I adore it. Marked: Japan.

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And finally, from my dear friend Judy, this series of four bucket egg cups. When that package arrived at my door a couple of years ago and I opened it, I squealed. Truly. And then I laughed out loud. For aren’t these the perfect words for egg cups? They never fail to make me smile and they’re on display in our kitchen on a little shelf. Love them.

There you go, my friends. The annual tour is over. Though I have some egg cups coming in the mail, so more will be revealed. Recently, I’ve seen some of the cups in my collection online on eBay and Etsy. If you’re at all interested, I can try to provide the links tomorrow. But you have to let me know, okay? It takes time to scroll through all the auctions.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Monday.

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Egg Cups: Sunday Edition

March 29, 2015 at 9:43 am by Claudia

Just two more egg cup posts – we’ll finish our tour tomorrow. This annual tour has been a bit of an enabler; I spotted an egg cup I’ve always wanted on Etsy and it is now on its way to my mailbox. No, you guys are the enablers…that’s it. I’m going to blame it on all of you. After all, you asked for this tour and I complied and then I took pictures of all of my egg cups and then I got excited about all of my egg cups and then I started looking at my reference book and then I started looking at eBay and Etsy and then…I bought one.

Here we go: Egg Cups, the Sunday Edition.

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1. The adorable egg cup on the left was a birthday gift from Linda, one of my dear blogging friends. (Linda also collects egg cups.) I am crazy about that face! I’ve included two photos so you can see that the tail functions as a salter. There’s a stopper at the bottom of the tail to keep the salt in. The sticker on the front says: Our own import. And marked on the bottom with another sticker: Japan. It’s in perfect condition. And that aqua is my favorite color!

2. The cup on the right isn’t really an egg cup. It’s an egg coddler and it was a gift from my mom. Beautifully decorated with one bird on one side and two birds on the other, it’s marked Royal Worcester Porcelain, England.

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1. I found this egg cup at my favorite shop in San Diego, Vignettes. You do see why I had to buy it, right? Those are my favorite colors! And the design is delicate and lovely. It’s unmarked. I keep it in the den china cabinet with a tiny little bird nest that I found placed at the top of the cup.

2. This goose egg cup is a favorite. Marked: Sarreguemines France with the letter A. Sarreguemines is an area in France where faience and majolica was made. It has a lot of crazing and is vintage. I found it, much to my delight, at a local antique shop a few years back. I’ve never seen it anywhere else.

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1. Oh, this guy…he was the result of a bidding frenzy on eBay many years ago. I had to have him. He’s very tall. I didn’t realize until last year, when I saw them offered on Etsy, that he is one of a pair that function as egg cups/shakers. There are supposed to be holes in the top of his hat for shaking the salt onto the egg, but there aren’t, which makes this piece even more intriguing. There is a hole at the bottom of the head for a stopper. The egg cup itself is revealed when the head is taken off the body. I love his face, his rosy checks, the clothes he’s wearing, everything. Marked: Ardalt 6343 Occupied Japan. The Occupied Japan mark means that the piece was made during the American occupation of Japan after WWII, which lasted from 1947 – 1952.

2. Humpty Dumpty, made by Mansell in Great Britain. I usually put a decorated egg from Prague in the egg cup, so that his poor head is intact. Crazy about this one. I saw one on eBay the other day, so you can still find this guy. Marked: Collectible Porcelain. Mansell Print Ltd. ©

It’s sunny today and the temps, though chilly, are rising. This may be the day that we open up the big corral for Scout. The remaining snow should be gone by mid afternoon. She’s going to be very happy.

Happy Sunday.

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The Tour: Egg Cups, Part Four

March 28, 2015 at 9:52 am by Claudia

The wonderful thing about doing these annual egg cup posts is that I am forced (in a good way) to look at them again, do a little more research if necessary, and what do you know? I fall in love with them all over again. Let’s face it, it’s easy to take a collection for granted. You see it every day, you walk past it on your way to do something, you forget how amazing it actually is.

So I thank you for requesting this little Easter egg cup tour. Gosh darn it – I love these guys!

And on to more egg cups.

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1. Another bunny rabbit, this one scampering, in front of an egg cup. Marked: Japan.

2. A rooster pulling a cart. It still has the original sticker on the cup (a good thing in collectible-land) that says, “Made in California. Rio Mondo Potteries. El Monte, CA.” I love the cream and pink and brown color combination. I found it in a local shop.

3. A chick emerging from an egg. This cup is vintage, from Bordallo Pinheiro, Portugal. This design is still being made and has been copied a lot!

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1. A cute little white bunny rabbit carrying an orange egg cup. Unmarked.

2. This gorgeous cup was a gift from a sweet reader of this blog, Teresa. It’s hand painted and has the initials LH and ’58 on the bottom. How can you not smile when you see the the joy on that duck’s face? As you can see, it’s quite tall and is simply wonderful. It’s made from a Holland Mold.

3. A lustreware duck egg cup. Marked: Made in Japan. A gift from my mom.

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1. An egg cup that is part of a series called Walking Ware. Made in England by Carlton Ware. There are several whimsical designs in this series. Marked: Carlton Ware, England. © Lustre Pottery. 1973.

2. This egg cup, though like the first, is unmarked. I have a feeling it’s a copy of the much sought after Walking Ware line. Different color glaze, slightly larger.

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1. A lustreware goose pulling an egg cup cart. This one is lovely, with soft colors and beautiful detail. Marked Made in Japan.

2. Another egg cup from the Fanny Farmer line – this one made by Brush McCoy Pottery, which is the same McCoy Pottery that I collect. I found this one early on in my collecting and it’s in perfect shape. I really love it. I see a lot of these that are missing the red paint, so the rooster is simply yellow or pale yellow. I am fortunate to have found one with paint intact. You can see the words Fanny Farmer and Made in USA on the base. It’s quite heavy.

3. A chick emerging from an egg. Lovely little flowers and grass painted on the base. Marked Japan. A gift from my mom. (She really liked to find egg cups and send them to me.)

I hope you’re enjoying this little series. I sure am.

Happy Saturday.

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The Big Corral Fizzle & The Egg Cup Finale

Egg Cups: Sunday Edition

The Tour: Egg Cups, Part Four

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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