Teacups, trios, and a tea angel ... oh, my!

Last week I got a call from a dear friend who will be turning 80 next month. She said she's trying to clear out some things in her house, and she said she had a set of 12 Japanese Flower of the Month teacups that belonged to her late mother-in-law and would be happy for me to have them if I wanted them. She also had a friend who wanted to give me some English china teacups if I wanted them. Friends, I was there the next day!

When I got there, my friend informed me that the Flower of the Month pieces weren't just teacups and saucers but were actually trios! I did not know that these Japanese Flower of the Month pieces had been made as trios, did you? At any rate, I was thrilled to have these teawares with all their beautiful flowers.

They won't all fit on the tea trolley, so for now I am displaying six of them at a time. They are in absolutely pristine condition.

And when I got home, I discovered that also tucked into the giant box of trios was this charming Jim Shore "Angel of Hospitality." I'm still pinching myself that I was blessed with all these new treasures. Later this week, I'll show you more of the goodies from the very memorable day that I went home with 20 new teacups!