A Cuppa at That Old House, and a "Save The Date!"

Remember these guys, below?

I got them at the huge Visiting Nurse Association Rummage Sale last May. (More on that, later!)
Today, I am using one of them to offer a nice hot cup of tea to you!

Welcome to Thursday, surely one of the busiest days in our virtual community.
I'm piling on the parties:

Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps On The Porch.
Vintage Thingies Thursday, hosted by Suzanne at Coloradolady.
And. . .
Thrifty Thursday, hosted by Leigh of Bloggeritaville.

Many thanks to these three ladies for their hosting skills, and inspiration!

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Welcome to That Old House; come for a spot of tea, have you? Sure you don't want to reconsider?
Our coffee is usually better than our tea . . . I'm just saying . . . .

No? Tea it is? All righty, then. Let's just pop into the dining room:

To compensate for the tea-bag tea, I'm using some of my prettiest things.

The teapot is gilt and cobalt, Meissen and quite old:

Lucky me, it was a gift from my in-laws. :-)

I do not make mother-in-law jokes!

A little plate that looks almost the same as the Meissen, but . . . is not. Still, cobalt and gilt:

I got it for a few dollars on Ebay.

The candlestick is one of two Staffordshire pieces I picked up years ago at a tiny antiques shop on Manhattan's East Side. The cheap part of the East Side. Reproductions, but by now almost 30 years old.

At this performance, the role of the napkin will be played by a small guest towel,

very old and well-worn linen, with charming embroidery,

and an intricate hand crocheted edging.

It was in a box of assorted old stuff I got at a yard sale.

The napkin ring is one of the pair that my grandparents used;

it is a heavy, hand carved shell.

And the tea cup!

One of six gilt and cobalt lustreware sweeties I got at the VNA Rummage Sale in May. From Japan, and some age on them.

Now -- a question for all you tabletop mavens out there.
When the dinnerware is elaborate, as is this tea cup, should the flatware be simple, or equally elaborate?

What do you like better. . . .

. . . the tea cup with the very vintage Georgian pattern spoon, a simple classic design,

. . . or the tea cup paired with the swirly, vintage Blenheim pattern spoon?

Side by side.

I only have a few pieces of Blenheim, but I have scads of the Georgian silverplate flatware -- much of it monogrammed with "L" for our last name, and "H" for Howard, and "C" for ... me! I even have some coffee spoons monogrammed with "D" and Dion says they are for him. Fat chance.

I will buy old silverplated flatware with any monogram, and it is just serendipity that nearly all of the Georgian pattern -- bought in many batches -- is marked with an appropriate monogram!

I actually polished the spoons for this post. Hastily, but still . . . .

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And about that Visiting Nurse Association Rummage Sale? If you are in New Jersey, near New Jersey, want to fly to New Jersey, mark your calendars for October 2, 3, and 4. It's the largest and longest-running rummage sale in the state, and it is amazing.

Visit here if you want a little more info.

For more about what I snagged at the VNA Rummage Sale in May, go here. . . and here!

Happy Hunting. Now scat! Go visit other thrifty, vintage, table-topping posts! I think I hear the kettle whistling . . . . -- Cass