One of my favorite Franz Collection teacups - this one is the “Mint herb design.” I also love the Floral Bouquet Collection. My china is mismatched white, silver & gold Kate Spade (I’ll do a more detailed post on my table settings later), and I think that these items would be a gorgeous splash of color. 

The longer I stare at these things, the more I realize that they’re totally something you would find in your weird relative’s china cabinet (or buy off of HSN at 3AM)…but I don’t care. I love them anyway.  

I first discovered Franz Collection in a vintage shop in Los Angeles, and immediately bought the cream & sugar set you see pictured above for my mother (who collects cream & sugar sets, as well as teacups) for Christmas. Shortly thereafter, I discovered the teapot in a store in Ogunquit (where we were married), and realized that Franz is not some obscure, defunct company, but is rather quite well-known and available in shops across the country. No matter: I love it. Is it crazily over-the-top and campy? Oh, yeah…but that’s why I think it’s so exquisite. Some of my favorite lines are their “Herbs” and their “Flitters.” 

I’d kind of like to start my own teacup collection, now that I have the space for it, and think that some of these might be a lovely starting point. 

The teacup off to the left is from a different set: I found it at the 39th Street Flea Market and gave it to my mom as a Christmas present last year. Also pictured is a photo of me at age 2 (?) with my grandma and grandpa (on my dad’s side), as well as a letter that Dad received from Eleanor Roosevelt (signed by the lady herself) after he wrote her in ‘61. Oh, and a bottle of Patron that has been sitting in my parents’ dining room for…maybe eight years?