There are many of my favorite things pictured above! I have been a little lagging in posting because I finally took a vacation. I will admit, it was a little odd, with masking, more hand sanitizer than my skin can handle and no plans! Yes, I took a vacation with no plans, in fact, we only had hotels booked for part of our stay when we landed in Florida!
Anyway, pictured above is a stunning very old lace centerpiece. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is a light ivory color and is in mint condition. I simply love the intricate details of the willow pattern. A girls dream would be to have a little jacket like this to walk on the beach in the early morning!
The shells pictured are from our recent beach outings. I am that lady who bought a suitcase to bring my shell finds home to me safe and sound! I know insane right? I love shelling, mostly because it has my mind occupied, so the rushing thoughts of work, worry, and ministry are put to the side…and for that little bit of time, I am living in the moment. This recent trip brought the most shelling we have ever done on a vacation and the most relaxation. The highlight was taking a shuttle out to a little island off of St. Pete called Shell Island. It is called that for a reason!
Now on to that amazing willow pictured. Last month I blogged about a piece I received in the mail that arrived broken. I was so afraid when I purchased the piece above, with its delicate edges, the same would occur, but it didn’t. I have an amazing supplier for my willow addiction! I truly love these pieces with lace edges.
I honestly wonder how these pieces were made…was a mold used to make those pierced edges? I really don’t think so, but I could be wrong. All of the pieces pictured above have no manufacturer mark, other than the fruit compote has a 2 on the bottom. The platter looks to me, like the edge was probably added by hand and then put in a kiln. I think the edge was probably hand turned and pressed onto the platter, but I could be wrong.
The other pieces are more refined and appear to either be done with a mold, or they were cut out by hand. I looked online to gather data and was completely unsuccessful, but I did find a video of a gentleman making a bowl with this type of piercing. Watching it makes me think these pieces are way undervalued!
This looks like such a tedious process, that I for one would not have a steady hand to perform! Then to think about how they applied the center pattern using a copper printing plate, simply makes me fall in love with these pieces all over again.
This compote or fruit bowl is simply gorgeous. It looks to me like this piece truly had the edge cut out by hand. I am amazed these pieces survive, not only shipping, but just time. It tells me that whomever had it cherished it a great deal. It is obviously English in origin.
The small side plates are gorgeous and match perfectly. They were definitely part of a set. What would you have used these pieces for?
This is the piece that appears to me the edging was applied by hand. Again, I may be crazy (others think I am), but the edging is raised above the center platter making me think it was pressed on then something pulled through the pottery to make the ridges. This piece is unmarked as well.
Last but not least is my favorite shell from our vacation. While walking on the beach with my husband our last day in St. Pete, my husband was walking in the water, while I combed the beach for new finds to bring back home. This was our morning pretty much the first 3 days of being in Florida. After he would get enough he had picked up he would being them over to me since I was carrying a shell bag.
He handed me this one and said, here is the best one, it is beautiful and dainty like you. I am far from dainty but it still made my heart melt and made me smile. I don’t think he realized that shell never made it into my bag! It is now displayed with my willow so I can cherish it.
The shells in the bin used to weigh hardware at some point all came from our vacation. The hurricane that passed through a few weeks before made finding these beauties super easy…and I couldn’t pass up bringing them home. Now to begin displaying them with my other love…..blue willow!
Until next time, much love my willow friends.
Blue Willow Treasures - A collectors showcase 
Awww!!♡♡♡ I love it! The edging on those pieces is amazing! And you are totally beautiful and dainty, my friend! Treasure that beautiful moment! ♡
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