Danish China, Film Noir and Lavender Tea

We've been a little iced/snowed in around here lately, with most of our usual activities cancelled - including school, which means I've been out of the office - so I've had some time to think about some other things.

I've been window shopping on some Danish websites lately, as my husband is making a biking trip over there this year, and I'm sure he wants some ideas for something to bring back since I won't be going... Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen, Bing & Grondahl...

...which got me thinking about a pretty set of china that my mother-in-law gave me several years ago that I wanted to learn more about. I found this website: jamerantik.dk which has a wealth of information about marking and dating systems for Royal Copenhagen china and collectibles.

The pieces in my set, I learned, are from a few different years. This cup is from 1957, indicated by the little line under the "N". "E" indicates the artist (the X can be used to indicate "painted by" so this one may just have one intial, not two). The use of upper case letters indicates (with a few exceptions) painting done in 1950 or later.

We have some collectible pieces and old silver I'm looking forward to learning more about also.

So, I've caught up on my DVDs recently and one of the movies I most enjoyed was The Fallen Idol from 1948. If you like British films, film noir, old black and white movies, thrillers, suspense, or looking at pretty interiors or European balconies, I highly recommend it. The Seattle Art Museum is going to be showing it as part of their series "Shadow Street: The Best of British Film Noir" in April.

Hot tea is so soothing on these cold days. Also, when watching suspenseful movies. I recently found this one, and while I wouldn't say I have a "nervous stomach", I sometimes find myself a little anxious or stressed and I think lavender is so incredibly comforting. The combination with chamomile is lovely and it is caffeine-free and organic:

I'll be continuing on with some looking-back-at-vacation-days posts over the next couple of weeks. I haven't been wearing anything remotely interesting lately or doing any clothes or accessories shopping. Once we thaw out and start thinking about Spring (and I get my closet cleaned out and organized) I should have some more dressing and shopping related posts. I have a couple of new recipes I'm going to try too - featuring quinoa and polenta. But tonight, I think it's out for Mexican. Hasta luego and Happy Friday!

xoxo

Gifting Themes {2011 = tea + shoes}

Many of our Christmas gifts seem to run in (unplanned) themes around here. One year it was pants (I suppose my husband had worn through most of his that year), or socks, or sweaters -- or (more fun) jewelry. 2011 appears to be the year of tea and shoes, along with some cashmere thrown in owing to a great sale at Lands' End just before Christmas, plus free upgraded two-day shipping that got it here on time.

I gave my mom a Lenox teapot from a pattern she had admired since I was a little girl, and happened to remark on when we were shopping in Atlanta last summer. I love it when I remember something. I also had fun shopping varieties of tea at Teavana, and found pretty tea canisters, tea cups, a glass tumbler and some different blends of tea and German rock sugar there for her and my brother and his girlfriend.

My parents arrived from the airport bearing suitcases of treats - mostly of the homemade cookie, candy and coffee cake varieties (my grandmother's toffee candy was highly requested this year), but also some incredible teas. One of my favorites is this Chinese Green Kiwi Strawberry Tea from The Salt Table in Savannah, Georgia. I haven't been to Savannah in ages, but my parents are closer and can visit more often and this is one of their favorite shops. I'll be perusing their website soon as they do ship (free 3-day on orders over $25. in the lower 48).

On the shoe theme, parcels from John Fluevog (for my brother) and L.K. Bennett (most definitely a happy surprise for me) arrived ahead of my parents, along with a big box which turned out to contain those drizzly-puddly-perfect wellies from Hunter in classic green. I wore them for three days straight. The L.K. Bennett package turned out to hold the nude patent Maddox I've been wishing for since my summer trip to their Atlanta store. It was the last pair in my size, and they sent them out to me with a sweet note. I look forward to popping in again this coming summer.

So. Our houseguests have all flown off, the extra dining table is put away, my husband is back to the office, and I suppose it is time to start taking down the decorations. How long do you leave them up?

xoxo