Hadley Pottery: An Incredible Gift Linking Women in My Life

Are you familiar with Hadley Pottery? My collection has grown lately, and it makes me so happy. First you need to hear what it is and why I like it. Hadley Pottery was founded in 1940 in Louisville, when an artistic woman, Mary Alice Hadley (who had been born into a family of clay tile makers) designed and painted dishes for her houseboat on the Ohio River. When she entertained, everyone went wild for her dishes and insisted she create a set of dishes for their household in the same style. You can read their legendary story on the Hadley website.

My mother went to college at Denison in Ohio in the early 1950's and she said a Hadley mug was her coffee cup throughout college. I grew up drinking out of that same mug, painted with a pig, and loved that when the mug was empty, I could read "The End" painted inside on the bottom. I thought it was fabulous and drank Ovaltine out of it every chance I got growing up.

When I got engaged in 1991, a young couple I admired from Cincinnati gave us a Hadley salad bowl (Farmer & Wife) as an engagement present. Then when I moved to Seattle, I started going to church rummage sales. One day I spotted a Hadley milk pitcher…price 10 cents! My collection was growing.

When we had friends for dinner, I made a chicken dish with a sauce and served it in my new-found Hadley creamer. I told the story of the Hadley brand as I served salad from the big Farmer & Wife salad bowl. Well, six months or more later, that friend texted me and said that she thought the pattern I was collecting was at a resale shop in the next town. She was out scouting for herself and found loads! I went that weekend, and someone must have donated a lifelong collection! It was a thrill. I bought a giant platter, a covered vegetable, a teapot, and a creamer & sugar. Happy days.  And bravo to Stacie for recognizing the pattern.

Okay, now this is where you will not believe it. I posted this photo below on Facebook, showing that I was finally framing some of my favorite garden photos in some new inexpensive IKEA frames. And I got a comment from my high school English teacher-turned-friend, Pam. “Does that bowl on your table mean you collect Hadley?” What? I was so taken with my project I did not even realize that the bowl snuck into the photograph. I emailed Pam privately and told her about my growing collection that had started back in my mom’s college days. Pam said that loved Hadley china and was so thrilled that I did too. She said that she has a large collection that she has had fun adding to over the last 40 years. She also wondered if I would l would like to take some of her pieces as my own. She was downsizing and was sure that her children would not want as many pieces as she had. Gulp. Oh my, yes. What an honor.

Look how much my collection grew with her generous gift! I now have 2 dinner plates so Dan and I can have dinner together. Her vinegar & oil decanters are perfect with my salad bowl. I now have covered soup bowls for French Onion soup or individual baked vegetable casseroles. I have a honey pot and syrup pitcher too. And some darling holiday mugs and luncheon plates for cocoa and cookies. I really cannot believe it. I feel like an honorary daughter and it makes me misty.

Pam and I have been friends since I was in high school (cough cough). We started off on the right foot because her husband, Tom, had been my Social Studies teacher when I was in Junior High! I loved his class so I remember talking to her about how I knew him. Then when I was her student in high school, in addition to teaching English and Creative Writing, Pam also ran the district's Gifted & Talented Program. 

Pam knew that I spent a lot of my free time doing counted cross stitch and she encouraged me to apply to the Board of the Gifted and Talented Program for high school credit in needlework. The ability for the board to approve/issue high school credit for extra curricular activities had been primarily focused on ballerinas and students in ROTC, when Pam thought to challenge that with another viable creative pastime. 

When I was accepted, we helped the Board figure out what amount of time doing cross stitch should quality for 1 hour of high school credit. If memory serves, I did 134 hours of cross-stitch in one semester of high school. It is staggering now that I think about it, but I accepted the challenge, and it was fun. It was my senior year, and I would often spend that “gifted and talented” time slot doing cross stitch and having tea in Pam’s room. Tea and needlework. I’ve been me for a long time. 

Thank you, Pam, for your generous gift. I promise to take good care of your Hadley and serve delicious meals on it forever and ever. My heart swells with my collection and feels like it may burst.

#hadley #hadleychina #collecting #housewares #collectingdishes #blueandwhite #bluedishes #friendship #storytelling #beautyofeverydaylife #gifts 

 

 

White Antique China: Pretty As A Picture

They got me. I am usually driven by color and sugar, but I stopped in my tracks for this black and white masterpiece. It couldn't be more effective and I salute the vendor that put this collection together. 

Dan and I went on a Sunny Saturday driving trip and ended up in Bellingham, WA. We drove around town, looked in shop windows, shared a butterscotch milkshake and ended up stopping in the Penny Lane Antique Mall. If you're out driving, be sure to stop in and admire their selection.

I saw several collections arranged by color (bravo!) but this all white in a black hutch deserves my top honors. It is one thing to collect vintage items, being able to display them to their advantage is another. This is art. This is delight.

#seattleblogger #visualvitamins #whitechina #vintage #collectingchina #antiquing #winterweekend

Hadley Pottery: Tea Sets the Mood

I have started a new collection! It's Hadley Pottery and I just love it. I think what speaks to me is the fact that its based in blue and that the style is charming. It's sturdy enough to really be used. The themes painted on each piece are sweet and classic. And the style is rustic enough for a man to use too. Dan won't balk at drinking out of a mug with a horse or a farmer on it. I'm just saying.

I grew up drinking warm milk and Ovaltine in a cow mug that had "The End" painted in the bottom of the cup. I loved it then and my mom has gifted it to me since. 

My Hadley collection has been growing quickly and that wonderful story is for another time. Today I simply want to make you aware of this American pottery and show you how cute it looks on my sideboard on a Scandinavian tray. Don't you love it? I see it every time I walk through the house and it gives me Visual Vitamins.

Collecting Chelsea: Having Tea

The funny thing about this picture is that is a great illustration of how my mom's input always seems to make my work a little bit better. 

I have been taking photos of my collections on my iPhone so that I can have a visual index of the pieces I own with me at all times. It has been so helpful and I recommend taking the time to do it.

I arranged some of my antique china (the pattern is called Chelsea or Grandmother's China) and at the spur of the moment it occured to me to spell out EAT with some Ikea cookies that I love. I thought it was hilarious and was ready to go. 

My mom looked at it and said "No, No! Spell: tea" which was remarkable easy because its the same 3 letters - duh. She was absolutely right, of course. 

TEA is perfect and here is the beautiful image for your enjoyment.

Colonial Garden Book

Only a true girlfriend can spot your china pattern in a photograph. When I was in Colonial Williamsburg with my dear friend, Kerry, we were shopping in the Williamsburg Marketplace store when I heard, "Anne!  Where's Anne?!" ring out across the store.

Kerry was browsing the gift book section when she saw my dishes (Lavinia by Royal Worcester) on the cover of "From A Colonial Garden."  She knew I would flip (I did) and rushed a copy over to show me.  You see, my china pattern was never available in stores here.  I had grown up loving the pattern on a demitasse cup in my mom's china cabinet.  When I went to choose a pattern of my own, nothing lived up to those gorgeous black raspberries.  Since they were Royal Worcester and available in England, we had to move mountains to find a source for them here in the United States (I think we got them in Canada).  So I NEVER see my pattern out and about and as a result, they are NEVER in magazine photographs etc.  It was such fun to see this gorgeous book.  Do I sound like a fine china geek?

I had to have it and the good news is that it really is a great book!  It has beautiful photographs, interesting recipes and instructions for making some traditional Colonial decorations, like fruit and flower cones, Christmas ornaments and topiary.  It actually lives up to the Williamsburg in my mind, more than the town itself.  That is the importance of good photography and content.  I remind myself of that every day as I work on my next book.

So thank you, Kerry, for finding this treasure for me.  Good eye!

Tin Plates

I was the happiest girl at Windsor Castle (okay, except for maybe The Queen, because she gets to live there).

I only had a few minutes to shop in the gift shop because we were on a tight timeline to return our rental car to the airport and meet up with our ride back to London.

So when I ducked in the shop, I thought I would pick up a little something, like a charm for my bracelet.

What did I find? The entire line of Commemorative Plates from the Royal Collection! I had seen these tin dinner plates in a catalog a long time ago and I have wanted them ever since. They look exactly like fine china and bear the design from different eras in royal history.

On the back of this plate it says, "The Great Exhibition Plate: This design is from a dessert service by Coalport. The service was used at the Royal Table at the banquet given by the City of London at the Guildhall, to celebrate the opening of The Great Exhibition, 9th July 1851."

Isn't that neat? I alarmed the teenage girl working there and did some serious speed-shopping. She wrapped as I put things on the counter. I decided my best bet was to select one of each. Love them! I have been displaying them separately around the house and so far this vignette has been the prettiest.

What do you think?

Collecting Chelsea

How does a collection begin? Often it starts when someone shows you something that they know "you will love."

My Mom has known about the "Chelsea" pattern for years...seeing it now and then at antique shows or estate sales. Chelsea is a delicate white china with a raised blue-lavender decoration, often enhanced with a touch of lustre (an iridescent glaze).

One day we were at an antique show, and she saw the plate above and together we agreed that I had to have it. (You remember that I have a shelf in my laundry room filled with objects that are lavender.)

Well ever since, my Mom has been finding me these gorgeous pieces for my collection and I love them! Now when I am "out and about" I always keep my eyes open for Chelsea. It is so much more fun to go antiquing when you are searching for a speciafic pattern or style.

Design Note:
I want you to notice the lavender hounds tooth "fabric" that my dishes are displayed on. That is actually 3 sheets of scrapbook paper (!) under a glass shelf. Any glass-covered tray or table can be transformed with paper. Love it!

Hey, Sugar!

Isn't this beautiful? My mom has a collection of antique sugar bowls at the cottage and I just love them. They are displayed on an open shelf that is lined with paper lace.

I was walking through the room one day and noticed that sunlight was streaming in the window and putting a spotlight on them.

I grabbed my camera and this is the result. So pretty. This came out so well, I promised to take a portrait of each sugar bowl this Summer. Now that is a sweet assignment.

Fine China

I love fine china and love to drink tea from pretty teacups. My formal china pattern is "Lavinia" by Royal Worcester. The design is white bone china with black raspberries and branches - just looking at it makes me happy. I know that I chose the right pattern.

To celebrate 100 years, Royal Doulton is offering commemorative 5 teacup sets with one teacup/saucer each of their most popular patterns in an era. A darling idea - check out this link to view the different sets.