I don’t really need to elaborate on the fact that it’s been quite cold the last few days. Suffice to say that Don and I are feeling a bit blue. It’s going to rain later today. The peepers have stopped peeping, which is what they do when it gets too cold. Let’s warm it up, Mother Nature – I miss my little friends.
Egg cups, anyone?
On the left: a charming little egg cup from a line called Cottage Ware.
Center: an egg cup with a built-in saucer. I found it at the flea market in Paris. It’s marked, but I haven’t figured out what the mark means.
Right: This cup is from Devon in England and was a gift from my longtime blogging friend, Mary. She was born in Devon. A sweet little cottage nestled among the trees. Marked.
On the right – the other side of the egg cup from Devon. Could this be any more charming?
On the left: a pair of egg cups marked “Germany.” I fell in love with them when I saw them a few years back on eBay. I love seeing bluebirds on anything (two of my favorite Christmas ornaments have bluebirds on them.) These are beautifully painted.
On the right: two gold lustreware egg cups. They’re not a pair, as they are two different sizes. Remember my knit bunny rabbit egg cup cozies? One of them is sitting on top of a cup that matches the one on the left. The one on the left is marked but I can’t read it. The one on the right is marked “Germany.”
Two large double egg cups.
Left: a charming egg cup from France that I found in Vignettes, an antique shop I used to haunt when I was working in San Diego on the Shakespeare Summer Rep. It’s not marked. You know I love those colors.
Right: a very old cup that I found in a local antique shop that, sadly, is no more. It closed during lockdown and I really miss it. I love this design, which reminds me of Clarice Cliff pottery from England. It’s not marked.
Oh yes, there’s more. Coming soon!
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
We’re having cold mornings here, possible rain this weekend. Nice to see clear afternoon skies. I really like your bluebird egg cups…and also the one from the antique store in San Diego, cherry blossoms, I believe. Stay warm!
Thank you, Barrie!
Stay safe.
I thought Clarice Cliff when I saw that one, too. Wow, what a collection you have! Ever tried to count them?
Yes, but I can’t remember the count. I’ll try to do that again.
Stay safe.
more beauties! i think my favorite of today’s egg cups is the one you said reminds you of clarice cliff pottery (new to me, will check it out). and one of my most favorite colors forever is that blue on the back of the little wall-cupboard in the top photo … love, love, love it!
because i am a collector and especially because i love getting to know people and find them great and because there is so much beauty in the world, i love seeing what people collect, how they display their things, if they use them and why they collect what they do … so thank you for this egg cup tour.
cold here, too. might reach 50 one day, otherwise low 40s for the highs over the next week. i am good with that for myself, but feel bad for plants and animals that get confused by very early, very warm weather and for gardeners, farmers and others who want/need to be outside.
thank you for the kind wishes for my birthday on monday. it was quiet (good) and bittersweet (still grateful, even with the bitter). went for a walk, went for a ride, had some birthday cake, opened cards and presents with my sister and father and other family members reached out, were there in thoughts and spirits and love as did friends (including you here). thanks again.
confirmed with the tax preparer that my tax returns were filed and an “accepted” response was received from both the state and the irs. was told my federal refund should only take “two to four weeks”. that’s not ever been my experience in the past, but it sounded good and i hope it’s what happens!
i am less than 140 pages from finishing “war and peace”. going to miss that book when done, but have decided my next book to read and it seems rather fitting … “a gentleman in moscow” (finally!).
hope you and don can chase away those cold-weather-blues by enjoying good books, watching a favorite movie or doing whatever else sounds good to you. hope you, don and everyone else here have a wonderful day. stay safe!
kathy
I’m always fascinated by what people collect, so much so that I have books on that subject! I might pull them out and look through them later today.
Glad you had a nice day celebrating with your family. My birthdays started becoming bittersweet when I reached the age of 45, a birthday my brother never had the chance to celebrate for himself. Ever since then, they’ve not been the same. Add into that the loss of my mother and then my father and they’re often sad. If Don wasn’t in the picture, I’d probably not celebrate, but he makes them fun.
Yay for A Gentleman in Moscow! I’ll probably read it again sometime this year. That would make four times.
Thanks, Kathy.
Stay safe.
claudia, i am sorry for the loss of your brother and parents. too young, very sad. :(
for my family, birthdays have pretty much been a family get-together. had a couple of birthday parties with friends over when we were young kids and in grade school we took cupcakes baked by my mother to share with classmates/friends, but most birthdays in our family have been low-key family get-togethers and that is the way i like it best. of course that had to change as we grew up and moved away to school and for jobs and it’s been hard on them and me, not being able to spend birthdays (mine and theirs) and other extra-special days with my parents, brother and sister (and sometimes grandparents and the rest of our family). all that to say i understand the bittersweet birthday feeling. that is, like it or not, how life can go so we just do our best and get together as we can, right?
oh, life …
…
hope you and don are having a good day. almost wrote “weekend” because it feels like a saturday to me. haha.
xo,
kathy
Thanks so much for your kind words, Kathy.
xo
It’s just amazing the variety in egg cups over the years (decades? centuries?), from the type of material used (you even have the one with wood), the design and artwork. A lot of creativity from the makers. Could the little cottage be any sweeter, and I really love that ‘pearlized’ look of the lustreware.
And you’re just one collector, so it’s mind-boggling to think of what’s out there in the world to collect beyond your own extensive collection (probably enough egg cups to go around [so glad that people protected and saved them, considering the frequent/daily use {washing and handling!}]).
Any idea how long egg cups have been in existence in the U.S. or even Europe? Okay, couldn’t wait, just answered my own question via a quick glance on a very-brief Wiki page: ‘An early silver egg cup was found in the ruins of Pompeii (I looked that up, too: 79 A.D.!!) … collecting egg cups is called pocillovy.’
Hmmm … I need to read up on the subject more in depth.
I’ve come across a ‘concept’ or guide or theory so many times, that we should only surround ourselves with objects having beauty AND function, but also ones which touch the heart, make us happy and give us self-expression (objects that ‘say’ who we are, what sings from our soul … something like that [stuff we LOVE!!]). Your egg cups fit this description.
Have you ever seen a metal egg cup, Claudia? Did you have one that I missed (or maybe you have one and haven’t shown us to date on this tour?). Pewter? Or do you think any were ever part of a sterling-silver service along with a perfectly-polished teapot and shiny-silvery flatware (I feel like I can just ‘see’ a sterling egg cup on a fancy lady’s sterling breakfast tray along with a crystal goblet for juice and beautiful china plates for toast squares and marmalade).
I know you’ve said the egg cups have delighted you from early in your life; what do you think drew you to them? Was it because you loved a coddled egg/boiled egg or did they just catch your eye as you matured and got the bug to collect something manageable/small? Did your mom serve you an egg in a certain favorite which is a sentimental memory; did your family have more than one, so that you looked forward to a different egg cup every morning before school? The stuff of ritual and traditions! (If you’ve told us these things and I’ve forgotten or missed it, sorry for being late to the table.)
It can’t be understated, Claudia; you have a stunning collection of egg cups! Thank you again for sharing with your readers. I’m certainly enjoying your Easter-springtime tour.
Speaking of the season (first full day of SPRING today!), hope you warm up in the Hudson Valley SOON!
There are collectors out there have 30,000 egg cups! I’m not kidding. My collection is rather modest.
I have a silver egg cup. Do you remember? Don bought it for me in Paris. I’ll show it in the next couple of days.
No, I started collecting because I loved the fun figural egg cups. I love anything whimsical. And they are small, can be shipped for very little money, and mostly – they’re delightful and make me smile. Egg cups didn’t really delight me in general when I was young. But I loved the one my godparents gave me and I kept it safe.
Thanks, Vicki.
Stay safe.
Where on earth would someone put 30,000 egg cups; gracious, you’d have to have a heckuva lot of storage cabinets (and a big house!); I think the size of your collection is just right! Okay, I definitely AM vaguely-hazily remembering that Don bought you a cup in Paris; so, I just have to see it again! Thanks for your personal history on the egg-cup collecting. I feel like I’m brought up to speed now.
Do you still have your butter pats?
I sold my ironstone butter pats on Etsy, but I still have some Noritake pats and a couple of others.
xo
Loved today’s array of egg cups. You have such a variety in your collection. We watch a show on youtube called “Antiques Road Trip” where two antique experts vie against each other. Each are give a sum of money and must visit the many antique shops in small towns in England and buy items they think will make a profit at auction. It’s a lot of fun and sometimes the items do not sell well at auction and others surpass their expectations. A lot of haggling goes on. Winnings are given to charity. We are under a weather warning here in Toronto – high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility. Yikes! The sun is shining and the sky is blue! Hugs, Elaine
I’ve seen that show!
Thanks, Elaine.
Stay safe.
I was reading the comments and was enjoying the conversations about collecting. I guess I fall into the casual collector. I have several collections, from paperweights to metal wall hangings. But, when I run out of room, I stop. I guess it’s because I want to enjoy my collections, and if I have too many, they’d have to be stored, and I can’t enjoy them. You found the perfect cabinet for your egg cups…so they are perfectly displayed. My two favorites are the one from Paris, and the last one that reminds you of Clarice Cliff. That one seems to be a crowd favorite.
Weather cold and sunny here….but sunny. Snow Thursday into Friday. 4-6 inches predicted. Really, really hope they are wrong. Enjoy your day! ;)
Oh no! I’m hoping that the predicted snow never appears!!
With all my collections, I seem to know when to stop. I get to a point where I’m no longer searching and am satisfied with what I have.
Stay safe, Donnamae!
I loved eating soft boiled eggs. My mom used to serve them in an egg cup. I never mastered the skill of cooking them.
I enjoy the annual egg cup tour.
Happy spring.
Thanks so much, Kay.
Stay safe.
Oh, those bluebird egg cups make my heart sing! Let’s bundle up and hope for springtime soon.
Take care,
Kay
Crossing my fingers!
Stay safe, Kay.
The egg cup from Devon is called Devon mottoware. There were several companies there that made it. I have a collection of Devon mottoware, but no egg cup…yet!
Oh, yes. My friend told me that, but I forgot!
Thanks, Robin.
Stay safe.
And yes… I have to try and find a pretty bluebird for my collection too !!! YIKES.
Always good to get new ideas!
Stay safe, Dawn.