Collecting is Slowing Down!

This past few months have been fairly tough ones. We are empty nesters and unfortunately loved ones have been having a tough time with their health so it is has created some added pressure. I have also felt less like spending time online searching out my next willow find.

In October of last year, I received a promotion at work. It was very exciting but seeing the package include a great deal of disability packages, long term care insurance and the like made me really sit down and think about what on earth would my kids do with all of my stuff if something happened! I know, terrible thoughts, right?

A year or so ago I inventoried one cabinet because…well that took over a week and then I lost interest in finishing, so I stopped. My kids would have no clue as to what to do, so I will be working on the coming months of giving them some guidance to be tucked away in the lockbox.

Anyhow, because of all of this, I have really begun to be very picky about what I purchase. I am completely out of space now! I need to find the time to set up a small booth somewhere and begin selling off some items, I just am no longer in love with. I just haven’t found the time just yet….but I will. I will get there.

I have found my collecting is changing rapidly. I either purchase items for every day use, like the plates and bowls I bout at TJ Maxx last weekend or I am prone to purchase very old English pieces.

I thought I would go ahead and share some of the pieces I have purchased in the past 6 months. You will see my taste in Blue willow has really changed. I have been collecting since 1996 and didn’t own a piece of Mason’s until this year! Just crazy.

I completely fell in love with this Mason Ironstone flask. It isn’t marked but I believe it to be Mason’s. I love the whimsical impression put on this pattern as well as the floral border around the edge of the flask.

Next was this gorgeous Mason Meat Drainer. I am on the hunt for a platter, hopefully the willow convention this year will help me with my looking! I always find amazing things at the convention.

Next is a cute pair of Mason’s vases! I don’t often find vases but these two were so cute I just couldn’t pass them up. They are more modern than the pieces noted above, but O love them none the less.

I truly love the uniqueness of this spode serving dish. You can find this piece in Richard Copeland’s book Spode’s Willow Pattern on page 52 listed as an Asparagus butter dish! I love this sweet piece of pearlware.

Above you will find an Albert Smith plate made my Copeland Spode. This was manufactured to be sold as a souvenir at the Egyptian Hall. This plate came from the estate of Alberty Smit’s sister Laura Eady! I was super excited to get this piece.

And last but not least is this cute little sugar dish attributed to Worcester. I fell in love with the butterfly on the top and on the sides. I have seen other pieces adorned with these handles but just not in the willow pattern. I find this piece adorable!

Well, I suppose it is time to wrap up and get myself prepared to go to church. I hope to see many of you at the convention in Kentucky in a couple of months! I look forward to seeing amazing finds, selling at the sale and showcasing some of my collection!

Happy Willowing, Christine,

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Tams Ware Willow is one of my Favorites!

This past week I finally found my second piece of Tams Ware in what I would call a Tiffany Blue shade! If any of you follow my blog you know Tiffany is one of my favorite brands and if I could have this color everywhere, I would!

The pieces above are the only two pieces I have in this color. I have several pieces of Tams ware with a cobalt blue background. Ben and I went to our very first IWC convention back in the early 90’s in Richmond Virginia. The convention theme was bed and bath, so of course there were Wash sets, a bidet, and many other items. But front and Center were various pieces of Tams Ware.

I was in awe of what I was seeing. That convention we didn’t buy anything because we were so poor! Infact the only thing we came home with was a 3-piece planter set that was the centerpiece on the main dinner the last evening! Not to worry, it sits in my window seal full of plants and I cherish it. I just recall walking away thinking I had no idea there were so many colors of willow and holy cow, a bidet?!!! Needless to say, this fueled the fire to hunt even harder.

A little history about the manufacturer:

Earthenware manufacturer at Crown Potteryand the Blyth Works, Longton, Stoke-on-TrentJohn Tams and William Lowe were two pottery companies who came from a partnership “Tams & Lowe” which split up in 1874. In 1903 John Tams took his son Edmund into partnership and traded as John Tams & Son. The business was incorporated in 1912 – trading as John Tams & Son Ltd.John Tams retired in 1917 and the business continued to be run by Edmund Tams and his two sons Philip & Peter.From the mid 1960’s the business was run by John Tams’ great-grandsons Gerald and Peter Tams.

I wanted to add a mark for reference. Now to show you a few of the pieces I have in the cobalt blue.

While it may have taken me 20+ years to get here I have a fairly complete wash set and dresser set in the blue. Now to find more pieces of the Tiffany shad! If anyone has pieces they want to part with, I am your buyer!!!!!

As always, keep willowing, eventually you will find it!

Christine

A few new Willow Pattern Items

This week has been a long hard week for me. I am blessed that I had some packages delivered and when I came home it brightened by day. This week after ministry my laptop came up missing along with my favorite bag. I have been quite the hot mess, but thank goodness I had it locked, and face ID installed. I am hopeful it will return or show up somewhere.

In any case, I bought these cute little knives a few months back. I loved them as soon as I saw them. I had a friend let me know there were matching knife rests, but I couldn’t find them at that point, then last week on Ebay these two popped up! I was super excited and not sure if they would match, but I think it’s close enough for me!

Opening my packages definitely brightened my day! Next up is another purchase that arrived and I opened yesterday. Another Frog Mug. I have 6 now. I parted with one a couple of months ago and I have been fairly upset with myself after I sold it, so now I am back to where I was! This piece is very old and is a in great condition for its age. The frog is a lime green shade and very detailed.

In closing, I really hope there is some good in humanity and my stolen items get returned to me. I have turned my house upside down, got everything out of my car and looked everywhere I could think of. I have filed a police report but honestly hope someone just hands it over and we can move on.

In any case, the moral of the story, willow makes my heart feel better when it is broken!

Happy Willowing!

Christine.

Broken Blue Willow China!

Have you reached a point in your collecting where you pass up anything with damage? Well, I have not reached that point. In fact, I have begun to seek out those pieces. The piece pictured above is one of those pieces. This is a beautiful chestnut basket most likely by Spode. It is mid 1800’s and, in my opinion, given it’s age, in great condition.

I tend to love pieces that have staples in them. I don’t know if anyone has seen the way they used to do this, but it truly was an art to not shatter the piece. I will be sharing a video below.

In my honest opinion the item being repaired had to be adored and valued by the owner in order to pay to have someone do the repair. This seems to be a very pain staking process and only the most cherished pieces would be valued.

My chestnut dish is one of 5 or 6 pieces that I have stapled repairs on and I bought it knowing the repairs were present because I could picture a lovely lady holding tight to the pieces of her favorite dish thinking it just was not time to let go and here we are over a hundred years later and it is still a functional piece.

I hope you enjoyed the video, happy willowing!

Remember we are all broken, grant someone some grace today.

Christine.

Blue Willow Printing Plate Origin

Good Morning! Happy Saturday my fellow willow collectors. Today’s topic is researching an item. While at the IWC convention this year in Oklahoma City, I took the collectors back to where it all began! Some artist painfully carving the willow pattern into a heavy piece of copper to design a new willow plate!

The plate above I had no idea who the manufacturer was and quite honestly still don’t but now I have some clues! I met my new friend Len Kling from the Transfer Collectors Club and after the convention he sent me an email that sent me on a wild goose chase…or at least two wild doves!

The printing plate above does have some unusual aspects. If you look closely at the birds, their tails are split and feathered like a fountain. Not all willow patterns have this effect. I can often judge a Japanese piece by their chunky little birds!

There is a mark on the front of the printing plate but as of now it has not turned up in any database that we could find…however on the back of the printing plate there is another pattern that gave us the clue to get as far as we have gotten!

It very much appears someone wanted to ensure the tracking of the back of this printing plate was not easy so the remainder of the mark has been blotted out…but my friend Len..well he did some digging and found exactly who the manufacturer was.

I am guessing someone ran off with a printing plate they were not supposed to have, and this was essentially the end result. This company had its issues. You can find more data at this link: http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/734.htm

Below you will see the Windsor pattern above. I am amazed that something from 1849 has survived this long!

I think we without a doubt, know who made the pattern on the back side of this plate. Now, I decided to look in Connie Roger’s Encyclopedia on British Pottery specific to willow but I had no luck, that manufacturer was not mentioned anywhere. I still have yet to find that specific mark!

But….thank God for Ebay! I did find a willow plate by Mellor Venables! The mark is not a match, but the birds have the same fountain design so I take that as being close to a win!

Now the mark on the actual face of the printing plate is as below:

It makes me wonder if the printing plate were sold to another manufacturer or stolen. Regardless I do see a great deal of similarities between the actual plate I purchased off of ebay and the actual printing plate, so I feel like I am pretty close! I will keep digging for you all and maybe in Kentucky I will have some examples of each item with the respective printing plate.

If anyone has the Twigg Brothers plate from Connie Roger’s collection, I would love to have it or at least get pictures! I have the printing plate that it was made from!

I wanted to send a couple of links to remind us of why we fell in love with these pieces. This my friends is on my bucket list. I have always wanted to see a willow plate be made and would love to go to the Spode factory/museum.

Spodeworks often posts videos of artisans keeping the Heritage alive by doing tutorials featuring the willow pattern plates. Can I tell you every time I see a video pop up, I drool?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Happy willowing!

Christine

Blue Willow – Back to the Beginning

I began collecting blue willow back in 1996. The same year my husband and I got married and were expecting our first child. We were still in college, really had a rough start trying to make ends meet. My parents and my in-laws were such a huge support. The picture above is my first piece of willow, and it holds a very special place in my heart. The salt box is vintage and made in Japan. Unfortunately, it was missing its lid, so my mom used it to hold her bills until they were paid and then filled it back up again!

Ben and I moved into the old house I grew up in. The kitchen counters were yellow Formica and the cabinets a bright white….so we decided blue and white would work and since my mom didn’t have the lid to the salt box it became mine! Soon she was clearing a shelf of blue and white dishes from her antique shop, and we were ready to decorate. That is how it all began. For years, that was my most valuable piece of willow.

Last week, my husband and I got to enjoy some fellowship at the IWC convention in Oklahoma City. It was a wonderful time with about 60 other willow collectors. The auction, flea market, teachings and sale are always favorites. But right before we left, I had made a decision to step back from Recovery ministry. Anyone who has worked with folks in recovery, understand it isn’t an easy task and 10+ years volunteering has taken its toll on us.

Anyhow, I had made my mind up and like so many times before nothing was going to change it. On our way out of town I get a message from a girl who we had worked with through that very recovery program. She was out and about and found a beautiful blue and white gift for me and she promised the next time she saw me, to pass it along.

Yeah, you see where this is going. God connected the two just to remind me, people do appreciate the work we do and while the rewards are few, they do come when we need them the most! So today I had to take my mom to an appointment so we stopped so I could see what my gift was….and here it is!

It is funny how God always sends us a reminder when we need it and oftentimes, we don’t even feel deserving, but he still provides. I almost cried when I saw it. It was in perfect condition and the even better part; it is different than my other one pictured above!

Here is to realizing God always has us, and when we least expect it, blue willow gifts sooth the soul!

Happy Willowing!

Christine

A Willow Tea Set – Easy on the Eyes!

I don’t often purchase full tea sets because I have zero room to store or display anything else. I continue to tell myself if I want to purchase anything something must go but I always locate just enough space if I stack it all just right! This set, though caught my eye.

This is a beautiful deep teal blue tea set with hints of red orange and tiffany blue adorned with tons of gold gilding. It is simply gorgeous. The tea set is made by E Hughes & Co. whish was open from 1889-1940. According to British Willow Ware by Connie Rogers, on page 169 it states the company specialized in tea and breakfast sets. I have to say, they were good at it.

This set is in mint condition with no cracks or repairs. To think it has survived all these years and survived the shipping from the UK to West Virginia is in itself a miracle! This set has a teapot, a creamer and sugar and 6 demitasse cups and saucers.

I have to say the tiffany blue coloring on it sold me, but I probably would have bought it anyway! Now, all I have to do is sell a few things to make room for more!

I am considering taking this beautiful set a show and tell item to the Annual Willow Convention to be held in July in Oklahoma City. I hope if you are reading this, you check out the event. It is totally worth it.

https://www.willowcollectors.org/conventions.html

The link above takes you right to the details of the willow convention scheduled in July. I plan on selling items int eh flea market, entering the place setting competition and entering a craft item for the competition. I cannot wait for the willow auction and the grand sale.

Come see us! Happy Willowing! Christine

What Time is It? – Time for More Willow!!!!!

Royal Doulton Blue Willow Clock

I don’t know about you, but as a collector we have those “willow pieces” we dream about. I have never laid eyes on one of these before, but I have seen these in the Mary Frank Gaston’s Third Edition book on Blue Willow. Pages 48-49. These are the dream pieces for me.

Now having said that I was only able to get the clock, not the frames but I am on the hunt now! The book referenced above notes this clock dates from 1882-1890. This clock would have been part of a mantle set. It has gold spattered work, gold edges and a brass frame and is 8 ” in diameter. The clock was made by British United Clock Company. Below are the book references:

My clock is not without imperfection but if you were made in 1892 you might have a few extra cracks too! This piece is 130 years old. Honestly it is a miracle it survived and an even bigger miracle that it survived shipping when the other clocks in the box were shattered.

I am pretty pleased that I was able to get this adorable clock. I have a full collection of willow clocks I will share here in a bit, but first, I have another item to share with you.

Royal Doulton Clock 1882-1890

Above is the second clock I managed to come by. This piece is simply stunning. There is no gold on this piece, but the raised flower edging is simply gorgeous. This one is larger than the other at 10 inches. The clock is brass in the center, but the framing almost has a rose gold tint to it. It is simply gorgeous.

Below are some additional pictures of this clock. I would anticipate each of these having a value between $500-$600 each but I am definitely not an expert. But….I would pay that to have them in my collection.

My husband says it is time for me to stop buying, but I say it is time for me to make more money so I can buy more!!!!! My timing is always off, and he always has to go pick something up at the post office for me! Now for other clocks in my collection!

I think it is TIME for me to find the rest of the mantle set and make my clock collection complete!

Happy Willowing and Happy Easter – Remember Jesus died for us, but he rose again!

Christine

Blue Willow Dreams!

I must admit there are times in my collecting where I am amazed that I managed to find a certain piece that may complete a set or it is something I passed up buying and well…..I was mad at myself for walking away. I am probably the only one that has a non-buyer remorse!

When it came to these guys, I purchased three of them together and then a lovely friend brought them to an IWC convention. These are prestonpans and are some of my favorite toby pieces. I truly think each of them take on a personality all of their own. I loved the yellow jackets and I knew when I bought them I was going to search for a long time to find the remainder of the set…the open salt.

In November I caught the lovely Covid and was shut in for 10 days. During that 10 days I did a great deal of Christmas shopping for the family but I also came across a lot of toby prestonpans of all patterns so I decided to bid on a whim. Well as of today they were finally delivered. Unfortunately, Covid hit the auction house and so I patiently waited. After all I knew how bad I felt, so I understood.

I now have a full set with the red/orange jackets, blue jackets and now yellow. I honestly could have washed this open salt but I kind of dig his pigpen look. A little dirt never hurt anyone. Look how cute these guys are!

I guess it makes my heart smile when I complete a set and find all of the pieces. I truly love these little men and I now have a full set of 12! I’ll post the others later.

For now, happy willowing!

Christine

I have been so “Eggcited” for this piece!

I am the kind of Blue Willow Collector that loves to see other people’s items and collections because it teaches me and lets me know there are other more exciting pieces out there to be had! I look at collections of people like Connie, Jeff, Loren and others and I am simply in awe. If you don’t know these names, you really need to join the International Willow Collectors! You are totally missing out.

In any case, I have patiently awaited this delivery and the boxes when they arrived were not only crushed but wet, like soaked it took days for them to dry and days for me to get up the guts to open the boxes, living each moment in fear of a shattered piece. In any case, my second egg holder piece. I added a post about my first one a few weeks back. I managed to get it for less than $25. This one, not so much! But I wanted it.

I have already sold another piece that was in the lot with this item to cover the shipping cost, so not all is lost. If you have read any of my other posts, I have favorite collections inside of my collection. I have a wonderful serving set that is stapled. If you haven’t seen my post on stapled pieces, they are truly amazing. The way someone cherished these pieces amazes me.

This set has some damage but it is repaired with staples, which I adore. The third picture below shows the staple repaired piece. The sides of this egg holder are formed to look like a basket weave with the willow pattern layered on top. The handle is the same. Regardless of it’s imperfections, I simply love it.

This pieces is unmarked and probably dates to the early to mid 1800’s. I am blessed to have it complete, even though it is imperfect!

Happy Willowing friends.

Christine

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