For the love of teapots... and cups... and saucers

I love teacups. And saucers. And teapots.

And I'm sure my friends (and boyfriend) would be only too quick to tell you teapots and teacups are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to me and dishes. I love dishes. Obsessively.

I have so many dishes even I will admit (occasionally, under duress) that my dish habit/obsession may be out of hand. But I can't help it. I LOVE dishes. Old dishes, new dishes, family dishes, pretty dishes with flowers. Orphan tea cups - I'm a sucker for those. That's what I call those lonely teacups and saucers you find in second-hand shops and flea markets that have no other matching pieces left to their sets. How can you just leave them there?

I also have a habit of picking up what's left of a collection - I love to mix and match, as you can see from the second photo. The only problem with this, I have discovered, is that I will never have a matching place setting for 12.

The daisy tea set at the top is my absolute favorite. I bought it at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., a number of years ago. In my last move, the second large plate broke into lots of little pieces - and I, ridiculously, was heartbroken.

I am attached to my dishes (and tea sets in particular) for a number of reasons - who gave them to me, where I found them, the pattern, their age, the stories I imagine they could tell, etc. - but mostly it's just that they're beautiful and being surrounded by them makes me happy.

I'm sure I can't be the only person like this...