Wednesday, February 3, 2016

A Winter Spruce Up and Growing a Collection of Pretty


Hello, dear bloggy pals and beyond!

Over the winter, I like to downsize, reorganize, and refresh the house for the new year.  There's nothing like starting the year anew with a fresh perspective. 

I am definitely a fan of collecting, but not so much one of overage, so in the month of December, we usually go through everything and try to donate or eliminate as much as possible.  One thing I have an extraordinarily difficult time parting with is my dish collection. 

I have always had an adoration of blue and white...beginning back when I was a teenager.  When my hubby and I began our lives in our first rental together, a tiny yet charming 1900's bungalow, the first dishes I snapped up were blue and white....

Here I am in my twenties, setting a table in blue and white for company while the hubby snapped pics.....





Not much has changed (OKAY, maybe the petite physique, lol).

A while back, I was on Pinterest and stumbled upon a fabulous pin showcasing the collection of John Rosselli.  If you don't know who John Rosselli is, he is a renowned antiquarian, a man after my own heart, a collector of gorgeous blue and white, and husband to the fabulous Bunny Williams. The two make for a dynamic duo in the area of design with Bunny's attention to detail, and John's ability to seek out the most wonderful pieces from all over the world.

What a fabulous room!  The warm wood, beautiful ceramics, and soft azure is so appealing to me!  To see this and more, you may click here to view the article in House Beautiful Magazine.



An antique Delftware piece from his collection.  Beautiful!  To redirect to his website of treasures, you may click here. Along with sublime, timeless antiques, you will find a plethora of beauty, including fabrics, lighting, wall covering, furniture, and rugs.



In this picture, Mr. Rosselli stands in front of some of his wonderful collection from his New York flagship.  I very much liked the juxtaposition of the beautiful dark wood and the blue and white shown in this photograph, and it is the inspiration for my post today.  To read more about him, you may do so by visiting the article from Elle Décor by clicking here.


For a few years now, I have been growing a small collection of china, and my favorites have always been the blue and white pieces.  Over the holiday, I reorganized all my pretties, so today I would like to share them with you.  While nowhere near the fabulousness of the Rosselli collection, I do hope you enjoy the post!

Some of the first pieces I ever purchased were from Spode's Blue Room Collection.

Spode Blue Room "The Kangaroo Enclosure."


Spode Blue Room "Lucano."



A few pieces from the Gainsborough 250th anniversary by Staffordshire.


Next, I acquired a few of Wedgwood England's beauties.

1956, University of Iowa


Wedgwood Queen's Ware, Huddington Court.  I love this pattern from the Romantic England Collection.


Wedgwood Queen's Ware Willy Lotts Cottage teacup, also from the Romantic England Collection.


My favorite Wedgwood....these sweet little demitasse cups, saucers, and lidded sugar.


More recently, a few pieces of Johnson Brothers' Indies Collection,



a Johnson Brothers candy dish.


My latest find was this adorable Sadler teapot.


Being that the blues and whites are my favorite of all, I decided they should hold the first position in the china hutch.  Much better than the mismatched hodgepodge I had before!

 

The next shelf is where I keep my whites, which is an eclectic mix of Haviland France, Ralph Lauren, and Godinger.


All of my silver save for the largest pieces are organized and nestled snugly on the next shelf.
 

The smaller side of the hutch houses my every day fleur-de-lis French blue china from Tai Pan Trading and an Italian jug from Neiman Marcus which coordinates quite nicely.


This shelf is mostly for entertaining, and it holds my collection of Glen Plaid and Equestrian barware from Ralph Lauren.



Finally, also used for entertaining, is my collection of Ralph Lauren Wentworth Tortoise.  I love this collection for use when the day or evening calls for a masculine touch.


On the top of the large cabinet, blue and white jars and a tray....


on my other cabinet, antique Pilgrim silver filled with a bit of pretty....



and a ginger jar from Ralph Lauren's Mandarin Blue Collection.


I am so happy everything is organized!  Color-coordinating everything makes for easy accessibility, and much better when entertaining. 

What is your favorite china?

Until next time......

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,  

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤



Saturday, January 30, 2016

Our Recent Travels and Wintertime Tea

Hello, friends!  How have you been enjoying 2016?  I am finally assimilating back to my normal schedule after a busy holiday season of travel, work, and family fun.  A tiny bit before Christmas, the hubby and I took a quick excursion to Seattle, returned, celebrated the holidays, and then we were off again with the whole family to Solvang, back for the Mission Inn Festival of lights, and finally, to the California mountains for some much needed fun in the snow.  Today I am sharing a few of the highlights of our travels.


Seattle
The mountains of Washington were quite beautiful....


lots of trees with a smattering of snow....


Charming little structures amidst nature in all her glory.


A shot of the space needle.


A few shots of our view from the space needle looking over the city.












At the original Starbucks...







I was so excited to attend an exhibit showcasing the art of Dale Chihuly...his beautiful blown-glass creations are just spectacular, and even better in person.

Gorgeous color!









I really loved the garden...





Overall, I had such fun in Seattle!

Solvang


Have you ever been to the charming town of Solvang?  I was enamored with the sweet, quaint architecture...reminiscent of a time long ago.





Such a pretty little Inn!












We visited a darling bakery





quite a few vintage shops (of course)





and took in the sights.





 

Mission Inn
The Mission Inn Festival of Lights is in almost its twenty-fifth year and was voted by USA Today as #1 in the nation as a readers' favorite must-see attraction (for holiday/lighting attractions).  We try to go every year.  

Beautiful lights.  Over 4 million....you must go to appreciate it fully!







Boarding a magical horse-driven carriage ride...my daughters love this.  :)



A few weeks ago, during the first week of January, as I bade farewell to all of the Christmas décor, I treated myself to a sweet wintertime tea.  I can't bring the charm of the snow-capped mountains home with me to southern California, but I can certainly reminisce. 


A simple tea in winter white,















a cozy throw to snuggle under


as I peruse the pages of a new cookbook I found at that cute little bakery in Solvang.


How is your winter?


Until next we meet---

From my collection:
Teacup and saucers, Haviland France Limoges Ranson and Marseille Collections
Teapot, antique Godinger
Spoon, antique Wallace Silversmiths
Throw, Ralph Lauren


If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,  

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 
Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤