Transferware & Valentines

Greetings everyone.  Finally starting to feel like my "ole Sea Witch" self now that my nagging cough is all but gone. After being housebound for nearly 2 weeks, I had to bust outta my digs and head out to my booths and just mingle with the people for a few hours.  The wall paper I had planned to hang this weekend fell through.  Didn't like what arrived.  It was pretty enough, but not what I wanted when I began to unroll it.  You know how it is; you have a specific look in mind and I just want it the way I want it. So no wall paperhanging for me this weekend.  LOL  Instead, I concentrated on pricing and displaying transferware and antique valentines. 

Came across a lovely set of Theodore Haviland Limoges bone china.  Pretty pink roses on the most delicate beaded and bows  bone china.  Dates from 1893 and I had enough perfect pieces in the group to put together a basket for two.  Can you think of anything more romantic then an intimate picnic or dinner for two shared on antique bone china?  (all photos enlarge when you click on them)

I am a sucker for antique valentines.  From the exquisite Spencerian scripts written on them to the sweet cherubs and pretty honeycomb hearts.  Everything about these paper love letters makes me smile.

The valentine on the left sports a mechanical wheel that you can spin offering up different tokens of love.

You can see the scale of these antique valentines by the large candlestick next to them.

I adore transferware.  There is something so lovely about the detail of the patterns on fine bone china or simple soft paste earthenware.  From vivid flow blues to unique colors such as teal, black or mulberry all displayed on a million different patterns.  I personally like to mix and match rather then stick with a single pattern and color. 

Blues seem to be the favorites, especially the flow blue when you can find it at affordable prices.  The three pieces of "Willow" to the left of this photo are actually Homer Laughlin pieces made expressly for the Woolworth Company.  All still have their original store tags on the bottom.  The large plate as a price tag of 39 cents.  How fun.

Had to mix in some Bristol glass and Victorian china painted pieces of cabbage roses just for a pop of color.

Lovely mulberry and brown transferware pieces. 

My two favorite pieces in this collection.  The very large, deep dish dinner plate from the 1830s and then the unique, flow blue "faux marble" octagonal plate in soft paste also from the 1830s.  Truly marvelous plates and I wonder how many dinners were served and what was eaten off of these two pieces.  You can still find some great buys on transferware if you are looking to begin collecting and using it.  Have a wonderful week everyone and my best to you and those you love.  Sea Witch