Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Collections: Teapots

Finally! After many promises, excuses & delays, here's my teapot collection! These are my 8 every-day / decor teapots - I also have 2 Christmas ones (well, one's technically a coffee pot & they aren't shown as they're packed away in storage). As you can see, the 4 lined up in the back row are regular sized pots, whereas the front row are smaller, 2-cup pots.
I wanted to show photos of each in the spot I keep them regularly, but the winter lighting was just not cooperating. As it is, these photos aren't the best, but good enough. Let me introduce you to my teapots, in the order in which I acquired them.
My very first teapot, in a lovely periwinkle blue (way brighter than shown - the colour is closest on the spout). This one was a Christmas gift from my little brother (though my mom picked it out). It came with a sweet reversible cozy & a ladybug drip catcher. This is the pot that I typically use when making more than a mug of tea.

I came across this small metal pot online & just couldn't resist. Not only is it super cute with its red accents, strainer basket & wrapped handle, but it also came with a great story.
The original (known) owner was a Hungarian grandmother who would use this pot for tea leaf reading. How fun?! The metal is a little rusted now, so I don't use it, but it's a perfect addition to my kitchen decor.

Now, chronologically, this was right around the time I started to acquired "my" dishes in the Marcrest Swiss Alpine pattern. They're a vintage set, so I bought most of my pieces from Etsy vintage sellers. Of course I had to get the matching teapot! Devastatingly, the first one I ordered arrived in pieces. Oh gosh! I was so upset! Lucky for me, I found another one within a month or so - this time with the matching sugar dish & creamer:
I love this set! It has a place of honor on top of my fridge.

Speaking of tea sets, here's the only other 3-piecer I have:
My mom gave me this vintage set. It was her grandmother's teapot - I remember it being around the house during my childhood. This is another pot that has a place on top of my cupboards as part of my kitchen decor.

I came home with that set right after going to an antique show with my mom & grandma. At that show, I found this adorable little Royal Doulton pot:
So sweet & dainty - there was no way I was going to leave it on the cluttered table where I found it! I keep this one on my table so that I can see it everyday.

For my birthday this year, my brothers & sisters-in-law gave me this teapot:
Purely decorative, I love the unique shape of it, bumpy texture & the copper handle. I saw it at the mall while shopping with one of my sisters-in-law; it was exciting to see that she had remembered. I keep this one in the living room, on the TV stand.

Speaking of my sister-in-law, I bought her this teapot for Christmas. She's into tea leaf reading & I wanted one with an open spout. This was the first I found, but very plain so I bought paint to pretty it up. Then I found a clear glass teapot that was an even better gift (have you tried blooming tea?) & this one has remained neglected ever since. It has a nice shape though, so I still want to paint it, I just haven't settled on a design yet.

Last but not least, my newest teapot, which I just bought from ModCloth. The shape, bold colours & lovely florals (not to mention the great sale price) were what really sold this one for me, though I'm extra pleased with the strainer insert:
I'll definitely be using this one regularly, as it's a perfect size for one person.

There we have it! That's my teapot collection - what do you think? Which is your favourite?

What do you collect?

3 comments:

Mrs Linee said...

Love the metal pot with the red... Many a cuppa mad in this I am sure...

Lizzie Barbie said...

They are all so cute!

Sarah said...

So cute!

I love the swiss alpine dishes too. I have one serving piece but have been thinking about collecting them to use as our everyday dishes. BUT, my husband really want our everyday dishes to be microwaveable, and I have no idea if these would be (and I'm thinking most people probably don't risk it with vintage dishes, but who knows). Any ideas? Do you microwave yours at all?