Happy New Year to Everyone! A New Venture for Me and Presenting My First Give-Away!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a blissful Christmas and Holiday Season.

2011 is here and with the new year comes a sense of adventure and new beginnings.

After many years of telling my hubby that I am going to sell on Ebay, I have finally taken some measures to do just that. I have been collecting treasures, crafting and refinishing furniture and lamps for more than forty-five years and the time has come for me to let these beauties travel to new homes where they can be appreciated and loved by others. I have thousands of antique and vintage items such as jewelry, clothing, shoes and purses/handbags, crocheted and embroidered linens, art, figurines, depression glass, milk glass, pottery, china, majolica, American and Canadian Brilliant Cut glass, silver (sterling and silverplate), copper, brass, lamps, books, dolls, toys and just about anything you can think of!! So stay tuned for more information about my Ebay selling. I will be posting again in a few days to give you the particulars.

Today is also Tuesday, so I will be participating in Teacup Tuesday with the lovely Martha and Terri of

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

and

http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/

These two wonderful ladies have hosted 43 Teacup Tuesday celebrations. The weekly party allows bloggers to invite new friends into their blogs, showoff their teacup collections, and share a cup of tea or coffee and the happenings in their lives. Martha and Terri were very supportive when I first began blogging in May 2010. I cannot thank these ladies enough! They are both genuine, beautiful human beings to the core!!

We are having a late morning tea today, as it is now eleven o'clock. I am using one of my favorite tea sets; it has roses on it!! The teapot, milk and cream jugs, cups and saucers were made by Wedgwood under the Imperial Porcelain manufacturing name. Some of the cups and saucers do state the name Wedgwood. This pattern is especially dear to me because it bears the name of my father-in-law, "Vincent".

Ther is a wee guest joining us. His name is "Mai" and is made by Goebel of germany. Do you see the butterfly he holds in his hand? He is telling us that on this cold and snowy day we should remember that spring is on her way! Do not give up hope!!

I have prepared some nibblies. You may choose from Almond biscotti, date squares, raspberry coconut macaroon bars or chewy chocolate and coconut bars. They are displayed in a beautiful American brilliant cut glass dish.

I have not yet found a sugar bowl in this pattern so I am using the sugar from my Birks silver tea service. The spoon belonged to Laura Mulligan, my maternal grandmother's best friend; she was one of the women I was named after.

The gorgeous tray that the tea set is resting on, is from England and made in the 1920s. 

I think this is the first time that I have shown you my tea wagon. I bought it from my friend, Dee. It is made by the Gibbard Furniture company of Napanee Ontario, which is just a twenty minute drive from my house. It was made in 1910-1920 I think. Gibbard closed its doors in 2008 after an incredible 173 year period. 

Here is a closer picture of the cup and saucer. Remember that you can click on any picture which will enlarge it and then you can zoom in on the view as well.

I am using five o'clock spoond in Birks sterling Chantilly pattern. They are dear little spoons!! 

Miss Bear has joined us! She is wearing her pearls and mink stole.

I think I'll nibble a piece of biscotti. Which would you prefer?

Yummy!!!  I promise I won't dunk!

NOW!!!!!  Presenting my first EVER give-away!!!!

As many of you already know I love roses! So, I have collected a couple of items which I wish to send off to a lucky someone. This give-away is open to anyone on Earth. I am sorry to exclude my alien friends from Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and the other planets, but I am sure you can appreciate the fact that the shipping to Pluto would be (tee-hee!) astronomical!!!

I am giving away a Royal Albert "American Beauty" cup and saucer, a gorgeous scarf covered with roses made by Tabi, a sterling and freshwater pearl bracelet and a pair of sterling and freshwater pearl dangling earrings. I will draw the winner on my fifty-first birthday!!! January 13th, 2011 at twelve o'clock noon EST (my time zone).

You may enter my give-away by doing any or all of the following:

1. Leaving a comment here on this posting.

2. Become a follower of my blog and leave me another comment on this posting that you have done so. If you are already a follower you are automatically entered into the draw.

3. Tell the followers of your blog about my Give-away by posting about it and then leaving another comment for me here.

4. Post a link to my Give-away in your sidebar and yes, please leave another comment to tell me that you have done so.

I wish everyone luck in this, my first give-away!!

I am off to work on laundry and some more of the everyday life of a middle-aged girlie!

God bless you and give you a blissful life in this new year!

Love and warm hugs, Laura.