How 'Bout A Cuppa Tea, Dearie?

Remember these guys, below?

I got them at the huge Visiting Nurse Association Rummage Sale in May '09.  (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!
And some of you will recognize this post, as it originally "aired" on September 3rd, last year.
Today has turned out to be one of those days -- and I hope you will forgive my archival post!
Can you think of it as vintage?

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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.

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 Howard and I picked up years ago at a tiny antiques shop on
Manhattan's East Side, one Sunday after brunch.  It's a reproductions, but by now almost 30 years old.

At this matinee, 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.

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

it is a heavy, hand carved shell.

Now for the tea cup!

One of six gilt and cobalt lustreware sweeties I got at the VNA Rummage Sale in May 2009.
From Japan, and with 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 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 1, 2 and 3 of 2010.  The VNA Sale is the largest and longest-running rummage sale in the state, and it is amazing.

Visit here if you want a little more info.

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