Tea Cup Painting

I've always been drawn to painting the things that I own. I think it started back in college when I would pick items up at flea markets, bring them back to the dorm, and either draw or photograph them. Objects that have a family history are especially meaningful for me. This tea cup is part of a set of china that I inherited from my grandmother. I generally only use them at holidays as they are delicate and the dinner plates are quite small. It seems that people ate smaller portions than they do today. Another drawback is that I was warned as a child that they should not be placed in the dishwasher. I am not really convinced that it would damage them, but I'm not going to give it a try. A neice on my husband's side was married last month and when we drove out to the wedding we delivered to her a set of china handed down from her aunt, but originally from her grandmother. I hope that she enjoys them!