So I think it was about three, maybe four years ago that I started collecting teacups. Tea is my favourite hot beverage and I could drink cups of it. And trust me, cups of it is no exaggeration because in quarantine, I have been drinking cups of it.
I collect teacups mostly because I love tea and I like having something pretty to drink my tea from, and also because china holds in the heat so well. I love that my teacups are mismatched, from me each holds it’s own beauty whether it is in the artwork of the pattern, the colours used, or the shape of the cup. Sometimes it’s a combination of two or three of these aspects that draws me to the cup and makes it beautiful in my eyes.
I acquired the first of teacups at a localish flea market. They were fine bone china, and they were super cheap. I bought some for as little as three dollars. Now, none of them were Royal Albert, but I loved the shape and pattern on each and to me, that was all that mattered. I think I bought five or six in that first teacup shopping trip.
If memory serves, one or two others were gifted to me by my family. And since I had already owned about three prior before I even started collecting teacups, my cupboard was starting to get full.
Teacup Storage in a Small Kitchen
I’m going to pause a minute in my story telling here to talk about how I store my teacups in my condo. I actually live in a good sized condo. I have two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen you can eat in and a large living room. So it’s not as though I’m squeezed into a tiny space. But it is smaller living because it is a condo, not a single family dwelling. Since I don’t have a dining room, I store everything in my kitchen. And cupboard space becomes precious.
During my Marie Kondo tidy up, I decided that I had to figure out a better way to organize my cupboards to maximize my space. One of the things I did was place my teapot in the top shelf of a cupboard and I also placed some teacups I used less often (since they weren’t favourites) up there as well. I stacked the saucers by two and placed their matching teacup on top. The teacups I used more frequently I stored in a lower cupboard shelf the same way. This way, I can access them easily and treat myself to a different teacup whenever I want.
The Collection Grows
If you have been following my blog, you know that I am engaged. We are getting married in August of 2020, though what that will look like now with all the shut downs and social distancing rules I do not know, and do not want to dwell on. Back to teacups…I had decided before all this virus chaos started that I wanted my bridal shower to be a high tea. And while I have a good collection of teacups, and my maid of honour has some we can use as well, I thought I might as well go ahead and obtain a couple more. So I bought two from an Etsy shop and they are super pretty.
I actually have my eye on some other teacups, but I’m holding off because how many teacups does a girl need? I know a lady who might say, “one for each day of the year,” but I think I’ll need a bigger home before I collect that many! However, collecting pretty things are a vice (virtue?) of mine so it’s likely I’ll eventually acquire more teacups.
What do you collect? Share your collectibles in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to never miss a post!
