Discount Code from Dishin-it‏

You might remember this vintage teacup set I purchased from Dishin-it. The lovely ladies at the Etsy store Kathie & Susan are offering AM Dolce Vita readers a 20% discount to any purchase from their store.

Enter AMDOLCEVITA as coupon code upon checkout. Just imagine all this fabulous vintage glassware you can pick up from the store. 

Magazine Feature

I received the latest issue of Canadian Home Trends magazine in the mail today, and guess what's in it?

You might still remember my 2012 holiday mantel and the silver-gold Christmas tree in the foyer like this:

And they were featured in the latest issue of Canadian Home Trends magazine! 

My 2012 Christmas tree inside the cover page next to the table of content. 

Pretty amazingly awesome right? The magazine is on shelves now at major retailers. 

Staircase Ledge Decorating Ideas

I am lucky to have a grand curved staircase in my foyer, but not so lucky that the same staircase comes with a ledge. Seriously, there must be a way for a builder to eliminate it. A few people I talked to actually think a staircase ledge is a bonus feature. Sigh...we are obviously not talking in the same language. Anyhoo, I have to work with what I've got. So this is the staircase ledge I referred to, a completely useless but very visible little nook from the entrance.

A more close-up look at the ledge: do you see the silver-leaf urn with faux cedar plant in it? This is something I thought was cool a gazillion years ago.

I am struggling to figure out how to decorate this tiny little corner. Here are the options I am considering:

Option 1: display a Roman/Greek bust sculpture on a column/pedestal, like this Bust of Greek Goddess Ariadne from Restoration Hardware.

Option 2: display a group of bust sculptures on pedestals of different heights, like in this picture from Wayfair.

Can you tell I am obsessed with head busts lately? I can't think of a better place in my house to use them.

Option 3: display a group of tall vases of various heights. I've seen numerous houses with vases on staircase ledge, so this is a safe and proven solution. It's also very predictable and mainstream. Part of me yearns for something a bit more classic and extraordinary.

Option 4: add a tall (real) house plant. We have tons of natural light into our foyer year round, so a house plant will thrive at that spot.

Option 5: nothing on it, leave it empty. Let the useless space be useless.

So what do you think of a staircase ledge? Which option would you go for?

Vintage Teacup Collection Part II

My vintage teacup collection continues to grow. Unlike other vintage collections I started, I find cup and saucer collection to be very addictive. Why? First of all, over the last century there has been ample supply of fine quality bone china with exquisite designs in the marketplace which makes collect them relatively easy today. Secondly, for the past 200 years, the manufacturers never stopped competing with one another by coming up with better, more intricate colours, patterns and styles. Lastly, online shopping makes it even easier for a collector like me to browse images and see exactly what I am buying from the comfort of my own home. That all goes to say that it doesn't seem like I am going to stop collecting these teacup sets any time soon.

In addition to the four sets I picked up this past summer, I added these three to my collection.

This pale blue Paragon set is from Dishin-it, a vintage china and glassware specialty shop on Etsy run by two super friendly and helpful ladies Kathie & Susan. The set was made in 1959 to commemorate the Royal visit at the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

This romantic rose and gold Royal Stafford number is from vickyg on eBay. Vicky carries a large selection of antique and vintage teacup sets at an affordable price range. I was all giggly when I found out the identical set was for sale elsewhere at almost 3 times of what I paid. Let's talk about scoring a deal and ROI, shall we? :)

I am beginning to see a pattern of my collection: although I didn't intentionally follow the advice to focus on a few manufacturers, I find that I gravitate towards the designs and styles made by Paragon, (Royal) Tuscan and Royal Stafford/Staffordshire. This is another Tuscan teacup set I picked up from mama_bundy on eBay. Isn't the pink porcelain wicked? So far this is still one-of-a-kind as I am yet to find an identical one anywhere else.  

So this is my antique/vintage teacup collection to-date, 7 and counting, following no particular design, color, manufacturer or era. However, they are all at least 50-year old from the 1900 to 1959. They are also all in mint condition, with no chip, crack or crazing. I insist on quality over quantity because fine bone china appreciates in value when they are whole.

Another set that didn't make to this photo shot but is en route to me is this glamorous teal and gold Tuscan teacup set from prissyscollectibles on eBay. Debra has tons of dreamy collectibles in her eBay store like this emerald green Chinoiserie pagoda set by Royal Chelsea. I only wish I could have them all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I am late to post but better late than never right? I hope my fellow Canadians all had a great Thanksgiving holiday. It was a very relaxing weekend for me because unlike any other year when I usually hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, this year we decided to take our feast at a restaurant. And boy wasn't it a good call! We took our time catching up and enjoying our food, and the best part is, nobody had to constantly get up to serve!

This afternoon we took our bikes out to a nearby trail in this perfect weather. This pond is about 5 minutes bike ride from our house. Can you spot the heron in the picture? I could swear I also saw a great horned owl nearby.

The fresh air totally opened up my lungs, and my eyes took in all these stunning fall colours. I felt so thankful that I am living in such a green community - we are so close to all the places we need to go yet still have the nature in our backyard.

Being a city girl all my life I was stoked by these acorns in the grass. Can you believe this was the first time I ever had an acorn in my palm? Before this Ice Age was my closet experience.

To wrap up this post, I will share this picture of a super dorky me next to the giant pumpkins outside of Longo's. My friends said I could ride in them. Yeah laugh away. :)