I am drinking my PG Tips using this lovely little set this morning. The teapot is actually larger than it looks in the picture: it was sitting back a ways so I could get it all in.

This little tea set has simple lines but is a very special set to me. This is the one that started the great inside joke in my family about the elusive teapot. Actually, it wasn't this set, it was the trip we were on at the time. Some people think that one teapot is enough for a person but I just love them. So I collect them. You all know that, right? The first time I went to England, I was with Marca and Matt and I wanted to get a tea set from there since England is, of course, known for it's love of tea. (I think I may have mentioned that before.) Anyway, perfect souvenir, don't you agree? So we went everywhere that we thought you could find a teapot in London. We were on our way to Harrod's to see this incredible store and it hit us that this was where we should look! (ya think?) So we looked and we looked and they had all kinds of wonderful tea sets there and it was very hard to decide. They were all very beautiful but they were not quite what I wanted. I was looking for something that said ENGLAND to me and when I was downstairs in the area where they had some items that I'm assuming were overstocked, I found it. There it was - the one I wanted.

Now came the hard part. Did I want it in blue, Harrod's green, or cream? I went for the blue, of course. I've never been sorry I picked the blue, but because they were marked down, I could have gotten the dark green as well. They say hindsight is better than foresight; I guess they (whoever they are) are right.

Matt was rather shocked. He was sure that I would pick one of the beautiful sets upstairs and they were beautiful, but, I could probably get those anywhere. BUT ( and this is a big point) where would I find one that said Harrod's on it that didn't look like a souvenir but was in a sense. So I bought it and had it shipped home. Now that is where the expense came in. It was all worth it, though. Even all the teasing I have taken since then. And, by the way, no one minds if on our travels Mom goes looking for another teapot. I just have to be aware that there will be a bit of good-natured ribbing whenever we see one. It's all in good fun.

And now you know the story behind the "elusive perfect teapot" idea.

This is one of the sets that I got over in England. This is from Whittards of Chelsea and is their swirl pattern. All those swirls are hand-painted; can you believe it? This set did not have a sugar bowl or creamer - at least that I ever saw - and I haven't been able to find one online either. I have a sneaky suspicion that this set is also retired as they were selling it out when I was there last fall. But I could be wrong on that. Anyway, the teapot holds about 6 cups and the cup holds about a cup. Nice serving ot tea, I think. My daughter got me the teapot last fall for my birthday on one of our jaunts to the tea shop in Newcastle, where they were living at the time, and I bought the cups. I love using this set. I do use it often and each time I do, I remember our good times over there and look forward to many more "tea parties" when they get home!

What kind of tea? A good English Breakfast or PG Tips, of course !!!

A little while ago I mentioned going to Disney World and getting a tea set at one of the shops in the Japanese Section. Well, this is one that I found in the Magic Kingdom. Appropriately. This is the only Tea-for-One set that I have. For a single, it holds quite a bit of tea. This beautiful set is an homage to the Disney princesses, but mainly to Cinderella, I think. ( After looking at the coach, the shoes, the dress, the pumpkin!)
However, I like to think that all the princesses are represented here . The different colors are for the dresses that they wore; blue for Cinderella, as well as one of the colors of the dress Sleeping Beauty wore as she danced with her prince. Pink is the other color of Sleeping Beauty's dress and also the gown that Ariel wore in the palace. Yellow is the color of the dress that Belle wore as she danced with the Beast. And above all, together the colors represent the dress worn by Snow White throughout her story. Each of these lovely young ladies faced huge obstacles or dangers in their quest for their happily-ever-afters before they reached them.
Now, I'm not sure that all my observations are what the designers had in mind for this piece, but that's my take on it.
So if your day throws stumbling blocks in your way and things are not turning out as you had hoped, this is a good set to use and take a moment and relax with your good cup of tea.

And remember: if these girls can get through their problems, so can we!