How to shop for a new tea mug — and more!

So I was in England in May when I came across a display of some lovely but pricey tea mugs embossed with the name of one of the potteries. I wanted one, yes, but souvenir space was already at a premium so I resisted. When I saw a similar tea mug at T.J. Maxx on Saturday, however, I did not resist, as this one was just $2.99 and I had no shortage of storage space on the way home. The curious thing, though, is that this short (3-1/8-inch tall) mug does not in fact hold 10 ounces of tea. I measured when I got home and found this mug *comfortably* holds just 8 ounces. Do you suppose someone figured that out about the mugs and that's why these ended up at T.J. Maxx here in the U.S.?

Still, I like my new little tea mug just fine, especially knowing it came from James Sadler! I also like that it features artwork of the potteries, which I learned more about in this book I reviewed earlier this year, the cover of which shows the old bottle-shaped kilns used to make teawares.

My other fun finds from the weekend's shopping with Aunt Jane included this 14-1/2 x 12-1/2-inch pansy teapot print. Just $4.94 at Goodwill. Not sure where I'll use it, but I have a firm policy of No Teapot Print Left Behind.

Aunt Jane has taught me to look for the color-coded stickers and tags at Goodwill, noting that the featured color is half off. I didn't realize until this weekend that the discount applies to books as well, and I found two $1.25 bargains that I love for different reasons. First, I'm already a Helen Corbitt fan, as the legendary cook was once in charge of the restaurants and tea room at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I have a few of her other books but not this one from 1974, "Helen Corbitt Cooks for Company," and I was delighted to find a chapter on weddings, receptions and teas. "I have had tea every afternoon of my life since I was old enough to have 'cambric tea'; tea is a great pick-me-up," she says. (I knew I liked this woman!) The other book is the 2000 edition of "Delia Smith's Christmas," featuring Christmas recipes from a popular British cook, but really I got this book because of what was hiding inside. If you look at right, you'll see a snippet of a Christmas letter from a British couple who gave this book to some friends. The writer in me realized instantly it would be great fun to read this long, rambledy Christmas letter tucked inside the book. When I got home and Googled the first names of the couple and the place where they lived and worked, I learned they are still alive and even saw a photo of them. Yes, I'm nosy, but I'm also amazed at how easy it is to find out about anyone these days. (I'm not planning to do anything unscrupulous with this information, by the way. The couple might be inspiration for some characters in a novel one day, that's all.)

Last but not least, at Salvation Army I found this 50-cent creamer that is in the same pattern as the dishes my family had when I was a girl. It isn't marked, but a little online research revealed this is Homer Laughlin's Brittany Majestic pattern. Maybe this pattern can be my new "casual collectible," the sort of thing I can pick up when and if I see it at a good price. Like 50 cents!