It's not the sugar that makes the tea sweet; it's the stirring

There is something terrifyingly seductive about a good piece of china. I truly think a good teacup and saucer can really scream sex appeal. Living over in London, watching my guilty pleasures Antiques Roadshow and Dickinson's Real Deal, I set about town trying to reinvent my massive collection which was collecting dust back home. A few pieces of Royal Doulton here and there, but I was still left unsatisfied. Distance makes thy heart grow fonder and all that jazz, and I missed my mismatched pieces of New Zealand Crown Lynn.

I have just come back from a wee holiday back home. One of the first things I did upon arriving home, was get out my beautiful ceramic collection. From plates, to cups to swan vases, Crown Lynn covers all occasions. My Mum still finds it hilaire that I collect such 'naff' China. She grew up with it you see, and back in the 50's and 60's every single kiwi household would have a Crown Lynn dinner set; it was inexpensive and became the largest pottery distributor in the Southern Hemisphere. I think because she was so use to it, and 'everybody had it' she couldn't quite see how beautiful it really was until it was no longer around. She has now fallen in love with my swan. Sometimes we don't appreciate or see the beauty in things until we get a bit of space.

  

The Crown Lynn story is an irresistible mix of innovation, stunning products and vivid characters; different hand painted motifs to suit the times. Whether it was to do with a rugby tour through to the Queen's visit, Crown Lynn was a trendsetter and had it all covered. The stock market crash of circa, '87 saw the fall of the factory. By 1989, it had to close its doors, still with tens of thousands of china pieces boxed away. People forgot about it, shunned it, sold sets of it for 50 cents at garage sales and no-one really saw it again until it started popping up in second-hand stores in the late 90's...

 One of my most dearest friends Lizzie (an amazing published author and fabulous friend with the best eye for home decor) introduced me to Crown Lynn. She collected the white vases and plates etc and her room was adorned with these gorgeous pieces. We would go on secret missions out of Wellington (like a bear hunt), but a 'CL' hunt on a Saturday, searching high and low in all these curiosity shops. I would find different coloured saucers and teacups and we would return that evening with our loot and have show and tell over a good merlot. 

Lizzie was the person who shared with me the story of this beautiful china and its history. Somehow, this made looking at it more so appealing. I guess it resonated with me, because we can always look at ourselves as a bit ordinary, plain, and having no real star potential, but eventually we get that time to shine; when we acknowledge and see our worth, it's inevitable that others soon will too.

 All of my collection (bar the swan and other vases) are all different colours, (I am mad into the colour glaze phase). I never actually find a teacup and saucer which match. It's funny, sometimes it is safe for us to stick to what we know (keep everything matching), not mix it up, and not experiment with other colours; it is easy to play it safe isn't it? Some colours may work together, others not so much, but unless you give it a try you will never know... Therein lies lesson number one. Dad has always taught me to do one thing everyday which scares me. Shoulda, coulda, woulda's will play out like monkeys on your back if you don't take chances. Maybe it is a case of Lou Reed, and taking a walk on the wild side...

On another note, most of my collection has tiny chips and imperfections. This does not (in my eyes) make them worthless, but rather the opposite. Like us, they have a story. We should learn to embrace imperfections as it moulds a grand life filled with lessons. I have many chips, and I have coasted through life thinking people would like me less, see me as damaged and think I am a part-time fraud with how perhaps I live my life after learning my story. It's interesting, the moment I stopped beating myself up about my imperfections and in fact tried to embrace them, I have seen a heaviness drop dramatically from my life.

Take time out to think about what I've said this week and remember, the great thing is, once we let go of being everything, we have the opportunity to be gloriously ourselves... Embrace imperfections, warts and all - it doesn't have to define you, but it is a part of who you are. It's the way you learn to live and deal with it which counts.

Colour glaze bliss...

The white Swan in all its glory...