An instant Royal Albert collection

My mother has an uncanny ability to predict the gifts I want before I even have a chance to ask for them. For instance, not long ago I saw an interesting black teacup in an antique mall and remembered once reading that every well-decorated room should have at least one black object in it. Now I feel perfectly free to disregard decorating rules I don't care for, but I liked that one, so I decided I would look for a really pretty black teacup. Fast forward to Christmas Day at my mom's, and I opened a heavy box containing seven vintage teacup and saucer sets, including these five black ones. I'm so glad she shops for me at yard sales!

I had learned from reading Denise LeCroy's blog, Uniquely Tea, that Royal Albert produced quite a few series of cups and saucers, so I headed to eBay to see if there were perhaps six or eight designs in this series. Turns out, this Provincial Flowers series honored the Provinces of Canada and there are 12 of them! I found a great web page listing all the patterns (which were made from 1975-2001) and the provinces they represent. (ParTea Lady, which province did you live in when you were in Canada?)

All five are just beautiful, and I think my favorite may be this Alberta Rose pattern.

But I also like the Lady's Slipper one.

Of course, I've always liked Purple Violets as well.

And what about Fireweed? I recently learned of the Alaskan wildflower Fireweed, and I never would have associated such a beautiful flower with such a cold place!

Finally, the classic lily design (Prairie Lily) is gorgeous as well, and its colors are striking against the black background. And you know what else I like about these cups and saucers? The handles! They're not just pretty, they're super comfortable to hold. And now when I'm browsing antique malls and estate sales, I can be on the lookout for dessert plates to go with all of these!