rare Shelley Polka Dot Dainty Coffee Pot at Time Was Antiques

First of all, I LOVE Shelley China. Secondly I LOVE blue...so what's not to love with this Shelley blue Polka Dot Dainty coffee pot I just added to Time Was Antiques.  I love to find Shelley china, and this is a rare one! So cool! 

For more info & photos of the Shelley Polka Dot coffee pot click on the photo.


We are going to the Victoria BC Tea Festival this weekend on the Blackball Coho ferry from Port Angeles, 12 miles away. We love Victoria, BC and this is a great excuse to go...see the Victoria Tea Festival and celebrate our 37th anniversary which is next week on the 16th. Sort of early Valentine's Day & anniversary all in one. We are looking forward to it!

This is a real photo antique Romance postcard. The wording is:

Girl In Hammock Reads A Book, 

Man Comes By And Steals A Look

Cute! To see more about the postcard, click on the photo.

Have a great day, a cup of tea with a friend and think of all the blessings we have!

More on Downton Abbey aka Highclere Castle

After watching the last episode of Downton Abbey on Sunday evening, I was left with a few comments....rather a somber way to end, but not unexpected as the date was 1914. I also felt the last episode was a bit static, felt chopped and hurried to fit the time frame. I know 2 hours total was cut from the presentation seen in the UK, and I PROTEST!!!


That being said, the second season is in production and there is a Christmas special as well. So...not all bad.


I came across an article that covers the setting of Downton Abbey which is actually Highclere Castle, home of the Lords of Caenarvon that is facinating reading as well as viewing because of the photos of the house included.


The article is on a site called Hooked On Houses and is well worth the look and read. Click Hooked On Houses to visit.

I am going to be posting some antique Romance postcards as we approach Valentine's Day. I love them! We have quite a few at Time Was Antiques, and many more to list! This is a typical one from the Edwardian era (the period of Downton Abbey) and was mailed in 1910.

To see more, click the postcard!


Other things I love is antique hatpins and stick pins. This is a heart shaped hatpin or stick pin of 10kt gold set with a diamond in a pretty flower setting from the 1920-1930s. Perfect for your Valentine! Click the photo for more info.

I am fighting off the sinus problem today so low key. Great opportunity to sit, read a good book and sip tea with the vitamin Cs I'm taking.


Please visit our sister blog, Antiques And Teacups for links to Teacup Tuesday in blogland. So fun!! This was Antiques And Teacups contribution today:

Remember...Time Was Antiques is featuring: LOVE Valentine 10% Discount - enter LOVE coupon code 025 for 10% off orders over $50.00. Through February, may be reused. A sweet day for love! Use coupon code 025 when ordering for 10% off when your order is over $50.00.


Have a great day...it's 30 and clear here in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula...and have a cup of tea with a friend!

Antique Pocket Watch Key Necklace 14kt Gold & Labor Day 10% Coupon

I love repurposing antique items....why not recycle an antique to be used today although not for it's original purpose?

This is an antique Victorian pocket watch key used to wind a pocketwatch. The key is 14kt gold and was long ago separated from the watch. But it makes a killer pendant! Cool! We have added a 14kt gold 18 inch rope chain to it and I juist love it.  We have had and sold several of these. The pocketwatch key necklace is certainly an unusual piece of jewelry!

You can read more about the necklace at Time Was Antiques at this clickable link:

Pocketwatch Key Necklace 14kt Gold Fob And Rope Chain

 So what are your plans this Labor Day weekend? Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone on the Eastern seaboard and let's hope Earl takes a vacation too....

We will be going to the Sequim Growers Open Air market on Saturday and who knows what else? There are a lot of great activities but we have no firm plans other than the market.  Enjoy your weekend and knowing the year is turning the corner.....

We have a Labor Day 10% off sale at Time Was Antiques  with the coupon code LABOR or 015. The LABOR coupon can be reused and is good thru Sept. 8th. Have fun!!!

Antique Horse Brass Victorian Jockey Fred Archer 1890s

This is a sad tale of the foremost horse racing jockey of the victorian era.

I have just added an antique horse brass I found in England last buying trip of Fred Archer. Fred Archer was born in Cheltenham England in 1857 and had an illustrious horse racing career. He won the Derby a record 5 times. The National Horseracing Museum describes him as "the best all-round jockey that the Turf has ever seen."

Despite his success he suffered from depression and after the death of his wife he committed suicide at the age of 29 in 1886 and passed into...literally...song and legend. There were several famous music hall songs and ballads at the time. What a shame.

This is an actual photo taken of him at the age of 25.


To see more about the horse brass, their history and other horse brasses we have at Time Was Antiques, visit this clickable link:

Antique Horse Brass Victorian Jockey Fred Archer 1890s

    Today is a lovely day for watching the World Cup final between Spain & The Netherlands. It's warm & sunny...70s. After church we had to hurry home so as not to miss the game. My DH, being a Brit and therefore a died-in-the-wool football fan (or soccer to the Yanks) is still keen although England was sent off rather soon for him. Sigh...Should be a great day. Then a walk and who knows what else! We DO have to get some cat food for our cat, Tinker. But what a gorgeous day today here. Hope it's cooled down if you're on the east coast!
Have a great day! 

Antique English tin pudding mold Steamer...Hot

This is so cool it's HOT...and hard not to get steamed up about it......Okay, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it!

Kitchenalia or kitchen collectibles are so much fun. This is an English tin pudding mold (or if a Brit, a mould) for steaming puddings (or if you're a Yank, desserts) that I LOVE to find in England when I'm there shopping for treasures. This one has a central spire or chimney which was used to convect the heat up through the middle to make sure the pudding is cooked all the way through.

You can even see years of discoloration on the outside caused by the boiling water in the kettle as the pudding steams. These work well for any kind of pudding...as an example the famous Christmas Plum pudding. These pudding tins were popular all through the victorian era to the second world war and some are still passed down in families to be used for special desert occasions.

To see more photos and info about the pudding mold use this clickable link to the listing at Time Was Antiques.

One of the great things about collecting kitchenalia or kitchen items is their relative affordability still. It's a great form of recycling and frankly, most of the older items are far better made and will last longer than their contemporary counterparts.

Here is a link to a great English Kitchenalia blog I found recently: kitchenalia

So the next time you are looking for a cooking ir kitchen item...thing of your local antique shop, flea market or swap meet. Old is new with an economic purpose again!

We have had the most beautiful week here...if you have been watching the Olympics in Vancouver which is northeast of us here at the top of Washington state's Olympic Peninsula you've seen what it's like here, but rain is coming in tomorrow. Sigh...back to normal. But hope it's spring where you are!