Monday, September 6, 2010

Tea Set in Gray Wood

Today I'm looking forward to finally sharing the lovely tea set my mother gave me. I don't know much about this history of this set. I do appreciate that it came from a respectable maker, Noritake china, though the Gray Wood pattern has been discontinued. It is a soft white with silvery and gray leaves in a delicate pattern on it, the lines are I think of a more modern, sleek design. Nothing I would call particulary fancy, not very frilly in paint or style. I have come to really admire its understated elegance and it has great sentimental value for me.

My mother bought this set off her sister, a woman prone to packing up everything she owned and traveling across country to settle where she landed for a few months or a couple of years, until the urge to roam uprooted her again. My aunt collected and purged countless items in her travels, including a few houses and more than a few husbands. On one of her trips back to stay near her family, she had this china set and a full set of Royal Doulton Old English Roses dinnerware. I don't know what my mother paid for it, but I'm sure she got them for a bargain price. My older sister got the Royal Doulton, I got this set. That was over 30 years ago, and the set has remained one of my most treasured items.


Here is the full service for six, so everyone find a seat while I take the scones out of the oven. Heehee, now I'm reminded of a sign I saw today, 'Tea is on me, the gossip is free.'

Do you like my centerpiece I'm using?  It is a lovely Lennox vase my husband and I bought many years ago, in the early part of our marriage, before we accumulated kids and cats and put this and other pretties away behind glass. I brought it out for our little gathering, because you're special. Thank you so much for stopping by for tea. I'm joining this lovely folks at their parties as well.

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Katherine at Lady Katherines for Tea Time Tuesday
Martha at Martha's Favorites for Tea Tuesday



11 comments:

Karyn said...

The China and the Vase are both very pretty :)

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Beautiful. Love the china set and the vase is stunning too. Gorgeous. Thanks so much for linking to TTT. Hugs, Marty

crazymotheringchick said...

I love the tea set, and really enjoyed seeing the pictures of it. The vase is gorgeous as well. Let me grab my keys, I'll be right over. Can I pick up anything?

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Jane, Did you say scones? Should I bring the clotted cream? Beautiful tea set and funny story about your Aunt. Love the vase too. Thanks for the sweet comment you left me. Hugs, Sherry

Blondie's Journal said...

Beautiful tea set, Jane. Your aunt sounds like a real character! How sweet that you inherited the set from your mom, I can see that it is special. I love that vase, too!!

Happy TT Tuesday!

xoxo
Jane

Terri said...

Your tea set is really lovely, so elegant. Just look at those handles, especially on the sugar bowl! The set has a vintage feel to it as well.
How lucky for you that you received this family heirloom.
Thank you so much for showing it to us today.
Hugs,
Terri

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What an elegant tea set!! Understated pure elegance!! So many great tablescapes could be built around this great set!!
Debbie

Bella's Rose Cottage said...

Hello Lady Jane, Whata pretty service, the pot has the most elegant shape! A nice big set too, many nice partys are in your future:-))
Thanks for stopping by to visit:-)
Bella

Anonymous said...

The tea set is very beautiful Jane. When my mother-in-law was alive, buying her tea cups was a holiday ritual. Since she is gone, we all split up the tea cups and have a wide variety of styles and shapes. I have them in my curio cabinet for display. A wonderful memory of her!

Jamie Sanford said...

Thanks for sharing your photos!

The Graywood pattern was introduced in 1959 and was discontinued in 1972. This pattern was only sold through Military PX's overseas.
Such patterns are no longer available from Noritake and unfortunately there is no further information available.

-Jamie, NoritakeChina.com

Unknown said...

I have this set in mint condition for sale. Any interest??

Joe