Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Treasured Love


I have been in love with blue willow china for as long as I can remember .
My Grandma had several pieces .
I can remember my Papa drinking his morning coffee out of one of the cups and saucers .
First he would pour hot coffee into the cup
then pour some of it into the saucer to cool . He would sip the cooled coffee from the saucer .

Many years later I was watching the movie Paint Your Wagon
and
Clint Eastwood was drinking his coffee the same way from a blue willow cup and saucer !

When my son was small we went to many garage sales
and
I found so many pieces . I paid almost nothing for them .
Now I rarely find any and it is very expensive when I do !
I have a very large collection .
My favorite pieces are marked on the back JAPAN in black .
I use blue willow china everyday but I use the newer  made  blue willow
because it safe to eat from  . The older pieces contain lead .
Dax and Petra eat pancakes every morning on my blue willow plates .

I am drawn to the romantic elements of the designs on the pieces .
Each piece bears the same elements of
doves kissing in midair above a graceful willow tree,
a pagoda,
a bridge where three small figures hurry,
a fence, an island
and
a man in a boat .

They tell the story of this best known tale first printed in an English magazine in 1849
that recounts the romance between
a young well born maiden, Koong Shee,
and her star crossed lover, Chang .
As they fled her arranged marriage they were pursued and killed .
Merciful gods turned the pair into birds
flying together across a china sky for!

my favorite


I have many lovely reasons to treasure this china forever !!


Dottie


I am linking to Thursday's Simple Pleasures .

25 comments:

  1. Very nice Dottie...
    and so nice to remember your Grandpa drinking from them....how special :)

    Deborah xoxoxo

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  2. Dottie, do you know if all manufacturers used lead in making this pattern?

    I have one very cheap coffee mug, not a very good copy of the pattern, but I love it anyway.
    Every now and then the grocery store has a special on another copy of the pattern but so far they too have not done a good job with the color. One day I willget sertious in trying to find a good copy but still reasonable in price.

    I bet you think of your grandfather every time you look at your china.

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  3. Dottie, I just love blue and white china! I have some older willow pattern but also a mix of designs. My eye is drawn to it no matter the style or cost. One day I'm going cover our dining room wall with my plates! It's so lovely that you have precious memories to enhance the beauty and romance of your collection! blessings..Trish

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  4. good memory re your grandpa. love the romantic story. these are beautiful dishes. rose

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  5. Hi Dottie, What a pleasure to visit you this morning and read the story on the willow pattern. Beautiful. Hugs, Mollye

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  6. Hi Dottie.....Blue Willow is such a classic and beautiful pattern....and you are so right in commenting that it has become so expensive....I always find it wonderful and soothing in this disposable society of ours that people still value the old and beautiful.

    Xo

    Jo

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  7. Dottie...Congratulations you are the winner in my blog anniversary giveaway...
    please email me with your choice of chips, pretzels, or snack mix...and your address.

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  8. Oh yes...blue willow! My mother collects, and then I started to collect and now my daughter is collecting. It's a classic.Lovely and most beautiful.
    We should do a "blue plate special" on-line, somehow. Got any ideas??? We could link with other blue willow fans...hehehe.

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  9. So wonderful that you were able to collect these beautiful treasures over the years. And the story behind the design is as lovely as the piece itself. Blessings!

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  10. I grew up with Blue Willow, but never knew the story behind the scene... thank you so much for sharing. I have a few treasured pieces. Chrisine, my Granddad drank his coffee that same way!! I love knowing that yours did, too. I don't know if I have told you that my Mom's name is Christine. Common threads... discovered through blogging... who would have ever thought?

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  11. Lovely memories. My mother-in-law had a collection of blue willow china too and she loved it very much. It's still in her home, my father-in-law hasn't parted with it, even though she has passed away.

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  12. Hello Dear Dottie...What lovely china. I was saddened to read about your friend who lost her battle with breast cancer so early in her life. Please accept my dearest condolences. Susan

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  13. Hi Dottie - my father loved the color blue and Blue Willow dishes. My mom once had some, we used them of course and over the course of years, they all broke or otherwise disappeared. I've seen it in antique stores and you are right - it's expensive.

    This is a great simple pleasure.

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  14. i never knew the story behind the china! so neat. thanks for stopping by today. i will definitely be praying for your sweet friend's family and friends...including you. so sorry that she had to leave so early. she was a year older than my mom when my mom passed. one day there will be no more tears, no more sickness, no more death. praise God for that!!

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  15. Hi...I love blue and white transferware and have quite a collection.
    Your blue and whites are beautiful..
    Over from Simple Pleasures..

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  16. What a great collection. I've admired the pattern for years. I think it's wonderful that you use yours every day.

    Always a pleasure to have you link up.

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  17. One never tires of blue and white china :-) Thank you for explaining the Willow Pattern story, Dottie. Your favourite is just beautiful! blessings..Trish

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  18. I am in totaly agreement with you that it's one of the LOVELIEST patterns of china ever. My mother has a wondeful antique set of it. Just looking at it makes me smile.

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  19. this is a beautiful piece. I didn't know the older ones had lead. I heard some newer plates do too. But the details are great.

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  20. I love blue willow too. So pretty!

    My grandpa and grandma drank their coffee the same way. I remember thinking how odd it looked when I was small. Now it's a cherished memory. Thanks for the reminder.

    Hugs,
    Cindy

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  21. I also love blue and white china and collect anything in that color scheme. It all goes in my kitchen or guest bathroom. Thanks for sharing the story behind the blue willow and the lovely memories of your grandfather. Best wishes, Tammy

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  22. Oh how I have related to this My dad used to saucer his coffee as well I can see this now !I love the blue willow I have a few pieces . also there was a pink pattern that my mom had I am not sure the name of it I just remember thinking it had horses and a carriage in the center ..thanks for the simple pleasure and a memory I love !!

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  23. Sweet, sweet memories and beautiful china... how perfectly simple!
    Dee Dee

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  24. Dottie, love Blue Willow. I have some pieces myself. Too busy to post today! Just dropping by.

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  25. I too love blue willow and have a few scattered pieces including a cup and saucer my husband found at GW. It is so nice when china or anything else like that brings such wonderful memories of important people in our lives. That's what I treasure about "things." Have a good weekend.

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