China, 'LOST AND FOUND'

A few weeks ago my sister, Bev said to me, 
"Let's clean out your garage."

Now I will have you know, that my garage was SO dirty, messy and congested that I couldn't get from one side of it to the other without having to shift boxes and junk all along the way.  It would be take a few steps, move something, take a few more steps, move something else..... You get the idea.

So when I got this proposal, I did what I usually do, and that was to try

 and Stall.

"Hmmmm, okay", I said vaguely
(I didn't want to do it.)

    The thought of going in there voluntarily was overwhelming and the confusion that I felt and the anxiety that came with every visit into that Messy space was  

more than I wanted to think about.  But Bev, would not be put off and bless her heart, she KNOWS me like the back of her hand. 

 SO SHE SET THE DATE!
(now I was committed)

 When the fateful day arrived, she made a banana bread, first thing in the morning and I thought ....

("woohooo, she forgot")

 (No, she didn't ) 

She put that loaf in the oven and then went out and she got started.  Yes, She actually got busy and began hauling the stuff from the garage and out onto the driveway.  I couldn't just let her work out there on her own cleaning up my garage, so reluctantly,

 I  slowly,...   slowly,...    slowly... went to join her. 

  But once I got started.... !
 overdrive kicked in and the two of us, went through EVERYTHING!  It took us 8 hours, from the beginning to the end but  we got it done!  I went through every single box of junk ( and there was Scads of junk ) and bags of fabrics, and old furniture,  books and magazines, papers and lamps, cushions, toys, games, huge heavy rolls of old carpets, golf clubs, art work, canvases, art supplies, frames of metal and wood and broken glass,  and knickknacks, etc. and lots of old dollhouse trash and rolls and rolls of wall paper that I use to buy  for doll's houses, that I hadn't looked at in over 12 years.  I threw it out!   I was ruthless and I combed through it all tossing more and more into the discard pile out in the yard.  And still I kept going!
I had had the roof replaced about 4-5 years ago and the debris that had fallen down into the garage was compounded in equal measure with the accumulated dirt, dust and spider webs up in the loft.  I swept it up and out.   It was a hot day and the clouds of  dust kicked up, stuck to the skin like glue and  yet the 2 of us  kept on going.  I was on a roll and Bev was too.  At 4 p.m. we took a break and came inside hot and sweaty and ate that banana bread that she had baked earlier and washed it down with tea, and then back out to the garage we went. The pile for disposal was growing larger and wider and we were getting very close to the end of the purge.    I found 2 additional doll house kits up in the loft.  That now makes a total of  6!  Who knew?  I went through a ton of old fabrics used for my miniatures and threw out more than 2/3's  and found some nice surprises mixed in with them!  Bonus! While I was busy with the box of materials,  Bev was going through some other small boxes that I had  earlier handed down from the back of loft  to her.  They appeared to be a hodge-podge of forgotten junk mixed in with  layers of dirt.  "What should I do with this stuff?  Throw it out?'  she asked.  "Ya, but better look through it first, and then just get rid of it" I said.....

and that is when she found it!

The missing tea sets!
O happy day!
in the box of junk, carelessly stored but carefully contained were boxes of tea sets that I had entirely forgotten that I had.
 Don't ask me why I have 2 of these Kaiser sets but I do.  The top one was the one that was LOST.   It is without the cups and saucers.  I don't know which I bought first but I have a thing for tea sets so I probably have 2 because I am greedy.   
I was delighted that the great mystery was finally solved as to the whereabouts of this set.  If we had not decided to do a clean sweep of the loft, it would probably be up there still. 

This is the other set by Kaiser.  This one was already found but 2 of the cup and saucers were gone from it.  Lost but that day Found again in another small box in that box of junk.  Now this set is once again complete.   I remember buying these 2 coffee sets at an antique store in town and they cost a pretty penny at the time.    But I was enchanted by them and I still am. They are perfectly crafted and the little cups and saucers are wonderful!   Just Imagine, all this beautiful china in the junk box!

And this was in there too!  More china in the garage garbage.
This set of china is by a Canadian Artisan by the name of Marie Luce-Pelletier.  I purchased these at another Real life store back in the 80's.  I have lost the top to the teapot, unfortuneatley but the top from the sugar bowl fits.  This was not a set, when I bought it, but they look cohesive.  This was something I had totally forgotten that I had.

Then I found this set!
This I remember purchasing in Seattle and it is by Avon  miniatures , a British vendor that  specializes in pottery and china

These little piggy banks are also by Avon and also were lost
and now found

And These are by the Canadian Artisan Janice Crawley!
I bought these here in Vancouver long before Janice became an I.G.M. A. Fellow.
These were found in the box of junk too!

This was Not lost but I have decided to show it to  you anyway as it is favorite.  It is by a Canadian Artisan by the name of Paddy Culhane from Vancouver, and I purchased it at her store Paddy's Place back in the 1980's.  I use to sell my stuff through her store and usually I would spend what I made, on I wanted to collect and I bought this from her while she was still making teapots.  Isn't it cute?  I had built a small shop called
 "Two Bad Mice" and this china Hunca Munca, fit right in!

Signed and numbered

This was not lost but this found a place in my collection when I was down in Seattle last March with Janine and Fatima.  The vendor was selling a astonishing amount of miniature pottery that he threw on the wheel himself.  I misplaced his name, but Fats bought some of his work too and I shall get the info about him and insert it once I have it because his work is truly amazing!  

This little casserole is one of my favorite things

UPDATE!
THE POTTER'S NAME IS JASON FELTROPE of Feltrope Studio, Eureka Springs , Arkansas
 ( thanks to Janine for tracking down this information for me to insert here )

Then I found these in the garage in the same box as the rest.
This is sponge ware and they and the bowls were Lost and then Found

This beautiful glass cake plate was Lost and now found again.
  ( I am glad that these items were at least stored so that were safe from breakage even though they were tumbled about in their safety containers.)
  The tea service below, was another set that went astray.  I found it during my first foray into the garage last year.

This vase was tucked away inside a  miniature metal garbage can.  It was safe but also Lost until I lifted the lid of the mini trash can and wondered what was wrapped up inside of it.

This beautiful pitcher was lost for years and I hunted  high and low trying to find it and Finally it turns up in the box Bev was looking through.  It is by a French/ Canadian I. G.M. A. Artisan
Monique Jouvenel.  I recall when I bought them in 1990.   Monique knew a friend of Janine's and I went to Janinie's friends home and Monique showed us all her pieces.  I chose what I most desired and so did Janine.  I was enchanted with the delicacy of the patterns.  This was well before she became an I. G. M. A. Fellow.  I loved Monique's work and  I felt that I just had to have some of her china. I bought this pitcher and also the 4 plates that you see below.    Each one is signed and dated and numbered.  Janine from Minworks, has this pitcher too I think, and a bowl that she  also bought from Monique, and if you pop over to Minworks you will see that the beautiful bowl suffered  a dreadful fall.  Janine loved that bowl even after it got broken.  Not willing to part with it she still makes use of by blaming it on the mini cat, Cleo! ( but Janine is still is not over the disappointment. )

These are the plates that I had lost and now are found.
Monique, was a self taught artist and hand- painted each plate.  She did extensive research and so her patterns are authentic to different regions of France.

Below is the teapot I forgot I had

I not only Lost this little tea pot in the same box of junk, but I had forgotten that I ever had it!  When I opened up the box that it was stored in, then I remembered it.  I bought it also in Seattle and I remembered how delighted I was with it.  I love salt glazed pottery in miniature and I have some Mt. Vernon salt glazed ware  ( see below) that I bought to accessorize the American Country house that I had planned to someday do.  Now, I have found a doll house kit in the loft that I can use this in.  

I love the color and the quaintness of this little pot

signed "Trip" ???

And now this!

I had been tearing my hair trying to find this teapot!  Of all the pieces that I did forget I had, this was THE one that I clearly remembered. It is my very favorite but I could NOT find it till Bev opened the box and there it was!
This is by a potter by the name of Laurie O'Halloran.  She used to be a regular at the Seattle show for years and years.  I bought a number of contemporary lamps from her in the late 80's and also this teapot.  When I thought I had lost it for good I was so unhappy.  This little pot is eggshell thin and has the most luminescent quality to it when held to the light.  Every detail is extraordinary both inside and out.  The lid has a tiny pin hole so that the tea can pour easily and the pattern is as fine as gossamer.
Just look at the proportion of it and the teeny tiny grip of the lid.  The spout is in total harmony with the body of the pot and the handle is graceful and hold-able.

I am so happy that I found this again.  What a perfect treasure it is and I
 just love to look at it.

And last but not least I end with sheep.  2 of them recently recovered having gone astray.  These I made, and lost through  my own negligence but now I am going to be more careful with them.  I bought the little china house as a pair of earrings last year from the thrift store, wouldn't you know,
 I have no idea where the other one is.!?
so
  Here we go again.
 China Lost 
and then
China FOUND
and thanks to my dear sister Bev, my garage is Finally Clean
 and all
 this china 
can be found back, on my shelf once again! 

Anyone care for tea?

elizabeth