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Collecting, Collecting

April 6, 2015 at 9:58 am by Claudia

4-6 egg cups in a row

All of the various shelves that house my egg cup collections are full up, which has necessitated a new display here in the den. I’m always on the lookout for little ‘what-not’ hanging shelves, but until I find some this will do.

4-6 egg cups in a row 2

The four newest egg cups: On the left, a chick – a gift from Linda, the sailor – a gift from Scout and Don, the little boy – a gift to myself, and the rooster – a gift from Susie.

They make me smile.

Scoutie thanks you for all your Easter greetings. Saturday found me looking for those darn bunny ears in my sewing/craft/whatever closet. That ended up being a good thing because the closet was the kind of mess you see in old cartoons – you know, where you pull out one thing and everything else falls out of the closet. Don wasn’t home, so I took the opportunity to yank everything out of there. Three trash bags later, I had restored some semblance of order. I still have to go through all my fabric (yikes) but I hesitate because, even though I haven’t used much of it in years, I just might need it one day…

Here is Miss Scout at her most pensive – from my Instagram feed:

IMG_2890

If you’re interested, you can subscribe to my Instagram feed by clicking here. I really love Instagram, but it does not replace a blog post. I saw a post from a favorite blogger the other day that said she could be mostly be found on Instagram nowadays instead of her blog. I was so disappointed. I understand time constraints and families and all that kind of thing – but an Instagram post is not  a blog post. Nor should it be. When I flip through my IG feed, the whole idea is for it to flow rather quickly. If I find a post that’s too wordy, I keep moving. Blogs are for depth and words and stories. IG is for a quick peek into the lives of those we follow.

Today, after a couple of cold, windy and very rainy days, we have sunny skies and the temperature is supposed to hit 60 degrees. Huzzah! Boston plays baseball today. We watched the opening game between the Cubs and the Cardinals last night. We’re ready for baseball!

You all know I love collections, right? I love collecting things that I love. And, try as I might, I keep on collecting: McCoy Pottery, egg cups, bakelite, books, Roseville Pottery, miniature pottery, china, bride and groom cake toppers, fabric – I’m sure there’s more, but let’s stop there. Most everything I collect is on the smallish side, simply because we live in a tiny cottage.

I’m starting another collection.

I grew up, as I’m sure most of you did, reading Nancy Drew books. They were my first introduction to mysteries, which, all these many years later, remain my favorite kind of book to read. A while back, I found this book in a used bookstore:

4-6 nancy drew

There are all sorts of editions of Nancy Drew Mystery Stories out there. I grew up reading the ones with the yellow covers. But this one really drew me in. I fell in love with the illustration by Russell H. Tandy. He only did 25 of them, from 1930 – 1949.

These are the editions I’m going to collect. I love the vintage look to these covers, the period clothing, and Tandy’s particular style. I’ve done a lot of research, something I love to do, as you know. I see them on eBay and Etsy, so I know they’re out there. This will be fun! And won’t they look lovely on the bookshelves?

The winner of a copy of The Dead Key  is Sylvia. Sylvia, I’ve sent you an email. Please send me your mailing address and I’ll forward it on to TLC Book Tours. Congrats!

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: books, collecting, egg cups, Scout 68 Comments

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.

3-30 scoutonpath

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

3-30 scoutonpath2

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.

3-30 egg cups fig 13

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.

3-30 egg cups fig 14

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.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Tagged With: collecting, egg cupsFiled Under: collecting, egg cups, Scout 29 Comments

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.

3-29 egg cups fig 10

3-29 egg cups fig 10a

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.

3-29 egg cups fig 11

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.

3-29 egg cups fig 12

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.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Tagged With: collecting, egg cupsFiled Under: collecting, egg cups 19 Comments

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I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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