Tea on Tuesday

Hope everyone had a wonder-full holiday!

I am keeping this short - trying not to type too much on the computer- minor horse related incident hurt my hand, not to worry, not such a big deal, that time, and the heating pad won't cure!!

Here is a delightful, totally not tea related artist for you all to enjoy - Adele Enersen and her blog here

A reminder - if you would like to join my teacup exchange, one on one swap, sign up here- closes tonite, and I will assign partners in the next few days, with teacups to be mailed by January 15.

Please visit Kimmie or Patty for a list of t.o.t. participants


Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Tea on Tuesday

Well, here we are again, and only one more Tea on Tuesday before the end of 2010.

Did any of you get up/stay up to take a peek at the lunar eclipse? For the first time in 400 years, the lunar eclipse happened on the Winter Solstice. I should have been holding my Yule log over a bonfire to singe it, sealing in the good luck for the coming year. But,

                                                           I  

                                                                 was 

                                                                                 sleeping............

Only 4 more shopping days 'til Christmas, and I am proud to say, I only left the boonies only ONCE, to venture into the mad crazy crowds at the mall !  This year was less buying, more handmade, or making use of the internet for purchases.

Speaking of internet buying, I have been on eBay, a little too much!! After announcing my teacup exchange (click link to play along!), a friend got on eBay and started enticing me with all these fabulous finds of hers!!!

Below is a pic of only PART of a lot she scored on eBay- and who knows, one of these lovelies may end up in the teacup exchange!!! Or, maybe not!! I know I could not bear to part with any!!

She managed to win quite a few more auctions!! And, in the process, got me sitting in front of the computer, scrolling thru eBay on a search for the perfect teacup!

I have not been so lucky - I lost out on a lovely Willets Belleek cup and saucer, by 50 cents!!!!! I set a limit, and it was not meant to be, I guess. The other bidder got a VERY good deal! I would love to have a piece or two of Willets Belleek - Willets is my maiden name. I have 2 or three pieces of Shamrock Belleek that my mom gave me.  My mom has a few pieces of Belleek of her own- including a Neptune beauty just like this:

She found hers in an antique store a few years ago for a mere (!) $30- they now go for a low of $50 up to $100+- for ONE cup and saucer!!!! Yikes!!

Now, to play in  our teacup exchange, we don't expect such high end teacups - but, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all afford to give away such niceties -LOL!  Just a pretty thrift shop find, or vintage one, or one from your stash that you are willing to part with. You could even buy a new one, if you desire! It's up to you. Only requirement is that they be in good condition, no cracks or chips, and have a matching saucer.

The exchange will be open til the next Tea on Tuesday, then I will throw the names into the proverbial hat, and match each player up with someone - this  will be a one on one exchange.

Teacups should be in the mail by January 15th, after the excitement of the holidays is over!
Leave your name and email in the comments in that post and start thinking about teacups!!!

Thanks for dropping by, and make sure to visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of other Tea on Tuesday folks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote for the day:

Art is a guarantee of sanity.-------sculptor Louise Bourgeois  1912-2010

Anyone for a Teacup Exchange?????

After participating in Julieanna's Holiday Teacup Exchange (see previous Tea on Tuesday post), I decided I wanted to do an online teacup swap.

It will be fun- just sign up, when I think we have enough players, I will put all the names in a hat/bowl, and pair everyone with a partner. It will be a one on one swap, to be mailed out no later than January 15th, 2011. That way, all the hustle and bustle of the holidays will be out of the way, and we will all be looking forward to getting something in the mail again!!!

There are no rules, other than- if you sign up, make sure you put your teacup in the mail, so you don't disappoint your swap partner! -
Just find a teacup and saucer- one from your collection, a thrift store find, a vintage one, or brand new. If it appeals to you, your swap partner will love it too.

You don't have to be a blogger to participate, and you don't have to become a follower of mine to play. Altho', I love followers -the more, the merrier,  I won't turn you away!!!

Here are some I found recently - only 2 were gifts- the rest came from thrift shops. There are also two footed cups, I found recently at a thrift store, will save those for another post!! Teacups of all kinds are out there waiting for a new home!!!

In the back row, one unmarked vintage orphaned cup,  tiny handpainted demitasse, and a Japanese Royal Ming china.
Middle row, from left to right- English Stanley Fine Bone china (w/yellow roses); Federal Shape Syracuse China- Briarcliff Pattern; Lefton hand painted china w/ luncheon plate
Front row- Theodore Haviland Limoges France delicate bone china (gift); cream colored vintage Czechoslovakia; vintage Flow Blue Japan egg shell (gift)

View from the top - I love cups with an inside design!

These last two just came out of the thrift store. The first one looks like a souvenir teacup, with a decal of vintage Washington, DC on front.

This one looks like Lustreware- cute, even tho' it has a tiny chip on the lip.

Soooo, if you want to play- leave a comment, and sign  up. Send me your email address, or leave it in the comments.
We already have 5 people wanting to swap!!
Pat (that would be me!)
Donna
Teresa
Susan
Judy
Keep your eyes open for that perfect teacup to swap!!

Tea on Tuesday

Here is what I am drinking, on this totally frigid Tuesday- Earl Grey's Lady Grey, with dark honey, in this lovely oversized thrift store cup and saucer. The cup is English Royal Castle bone china - heavy- not  vintage, but I like it for the size.My daughter was thinking it would make a great coffee or hot chocolate cup for her!!

Today I am sharing pix of  this past Saturday afternoon's teacup exchange at Julieanna's. This would be their first annual holiday tea and exchange (well, actually the 2nd - they had one on Thursday night also). Both were well attended and beautifully set up!!

Julieanna's is a great little gift shop in Broadway, Va, that I've mentioned before, owned by Julie Wilkins,with monthly tea tastings served by her friend Susan Teter.

The ladies outdid themselves! They hope to open a tea room within the shop sometime next year, and if Saturday was any indication of the quality, their  tearoom will always be full!!

This first picture is of my gift bag, with a tag I made for the occasion. Next to the bag are a couple of my thrift store teacups.

Here's the party:

I got so involved in talking, I forgot to take pictures before we sat down!

The pastries and desserts were scrumptious - didn't write down what they were!!! I suggested a need for a Julieanna's Tearoom Recipe Book, in the future!

Susan had a giveaway- winners had to be able to answer tea related questions! They were difficult!!!

That's Susan in the forefront, Julie in back.

Here are some of the cups that were exchanged- sorry- again, didn't take notes, so I can't tell you the origins- but they were all wonderful!

Last but not least, was the one I received - the lady that brought this one ended up with mine!!! I have always wanted a Shelley cup - and this is what I got!!! Delicate vintage English fine bone china - Shelley, in the Rose, Pansy, Forget-Me-Not pattern. I LOVE it!!!I had given a vintage white swirl English Ironstone, stuffed with goodies and a linen napkin. The set  was plain in comparison to the others - but the recipient loved it - turns out she has all white dinnerware.

Thanks for joining us for Tea on Tuesday- please drop by anytime, and be sure to visit Kimmie and Patty, for links to the other tea partiers!!!!

Some Christmas Stuff..............

Doing a little decorating - here are some of my old glass insulators- I put tiny battery operated votive candles under them, lining the steps. One of them is set on a piece of red barn wood, which I will eventually wrap in cedar cuttings. Yup, haven't gotten around to painting the walls, or the stairs and railing.......sigh.

This is a Yule "disk"- a round of walnut, with lichen, wild turkey feathers, magnolia, foxtail, cedar, teasel, and a variety of pine cones.

 Here it is in my foyer, with some of my Santas- now, if only we could get those walls painted!

Yule Log Central

I'm making up some Yule logs for Julieanna's and Fulks Run Grocery.

This morning, I turned one of the horses out to graze behind the house,(the trustworthy one, who won't wander off when left unattended!) and trudged out, all bundled up, with my basket and shears, to harvest some greenery.
Cedar , pine, teasel, magnolia, acorns, foxtail, rosemary, lavender, burdock, and few other things filled the basket.
I already had some white birch branches from the thrift store (!), and pulled a few small logs from the woodpile to start with.

First mini Yule log of white birch:

Last two of the night above. You can click on the pix for a closer look.

Yule logs are meant to be enjoyed on the mantle or the hearth (or wherever you want , really) and then on Christmas Day, throw them into the fireplace. I will probably make one for myself, and keep it as long as the greenery holds out- they are almost too pretty to burn!!!

Tea on Tuesday

Well, here we are again, for another episode of "Tea on Tuesday"! A week really does fly by!!!

My tea this week is a matcha latte. I was reminded that I had this jar of matcha in the pantry (sent to me from Teresa, who builds up frequent flyer miles going to Japan!) by an article in Sept/Oct's Tea Time Magazine.

Matcha is green tea that is ground into a powder - similar to iced tea, but  a finer consistency. Kiley Holliday, the youngest certified Tea master in the country, mentioned( in an interview in Tea Time Magazine) a chai she loves to drink Indian style. She uses matcha tea, adds almond milk and a sweetener. 

I have been using almond milk lately in other things, in place of regular milk - and love it. So, I put 2 little spoonfuls of matcha in a mug, added hot water, a tablespoon of almond milk, and a smidge of dark honey. Delicious!!

I usually take my tea straight up,  sometimes with honey , and maybe lemon, but NEVER milk. This matcha latte was a nice change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In keeping with the tea theme - here are some recent thrift store scores- below, a trio of English ironstone cups- Hunt Club, 2 different raised hunt scenes on the cup. Guess how much???? 25 cents for the trio!!!! Missing saucers, but who cares!!!

Next, is another little teapot with infuser, and a copper coil to put on the burner, so you can actually heat this one on the stove. I probably won't do that, but it's nice to know you can- I forget how much that was, but it probably wasn't more the $2 or $3.

Next to it, is a lovely orphan teacup- no markings, but very similar to some Homer Laughlin that I own.

Last, altho not tea related, is my favorite thrift find of that day!!! Let me preface this by saying - I have always been averse to wearing fur of any kind. My children were raised with this thought in mind, altho we do eat meat from time to time, and wear leather shoes, sooo....

As a result of their upbringing, when I showed them the coat, they both read me the riot act, "but MOM, it's FUR!!!!!! "
Being a fan of things vintage, I could NOT pass up this lovely vintage custom made jacket, circa 1940's/ 50's, I'm guessing.Made in a shop in Johnstown, PA, that no longer exists.
Since no other animals will be killed to replace this jacket, and I hope there are no PETA activists hiding behind a tree with a can of red paint, I am wearing  and just love this little coat! I am not an expert on fur, unless I have handled it while on the live animal(!), but am thinking this is either a dyed chinchilla, or a sheared dyed beaver. It is sooo soft, the craftsmanship that went into making it is something you don't see often today- the clip closures, ruffled edges in the lining, inner pockets- and it was just being reduced - so it was $21.50!!!! And, it is warm!!!

When I went out in it, my daughter said, Mom, you are wearing a fur, looking like a rich lady (ha!), we live in the boonies, you are driving a mini van,that is covered in mud and missing two hubcaps!!! What can I say, I am a contradiction in terms, an anomaly,a dichotomy....and definitely never been rich!!!!

These are before and after photos- my daughter was taking the pix, and said I never smile and always look so serious, so when I acted like a fool, she snapped a shot!!LOL

Please feel free to join us each Tuesday for tea- drop by Kimmie and Patty, for a list of other tea participants.



Thought for the day:

Our homes are our cocoons, our sanctuary, and our safety nets......

What I've Been Working on Lately......

Here are a few of the things I have been creating, some for the shop, some for gifts, some just because I wanted to!!!!
These gift tags are going to the Broadway shop, Julianna's, and I have another batch soaking in coffee, to use for myself !

The snowman's buttons are from my dwindling collection of vintage abalone and mother of pearl buttons.This snowman is made out of vintage, felted, tea stained wool.Some of the others are made of cotton batting or cutter quilt remnants.

These "zen sticks" are a result of  me playing around with my leftover beads and stones, after receiving a similar one from a "bloggy: friend. .They can be quite pricey to make, especially when using semi precious stones!
I received some  lovely calming beads from "faerwillow"- you can go to her blog and check out her etsy shop to purchase some of hers!She has some gorgeous ones!  My daughter promptly christened mine  zen sticks- they are a new age version of the old time worry beads. After having faerwillow's for a while, I can attest to their usefulness!! Mine are made with 20 gauge copper or silver coated wire. One of mine has a red jasper ring - jasper promotes harmony- we'll see if it's true!!! The other two are a beachy feel. These will just be gifts or giveaways.

The little bead bracelet spells out Broadway Gobblers - for the local high school team.

My feather tree is just a tiny "Charlie Brown" tree, made with a wood skewer, wrapped in floral tape, with faux pine branches, topped with a primitive rusty star. The pottery flower pot sits in a thrift shop votive candle holder made out of a slice of tree.

 I was harvesting herbs last week- and made this little hanger of curly willow (or Harry Lauder Walking Stick, not sure) with similarly scented herbs - lemon thyme, rosemary, and sage.

This bunch of lavender in the vintage silverplate urn may make it to the shop - altho I kind of like it!!!! The urn was a yard sale find - for 50 cents - since it had a broken handle!!! I fixed it!!!

Here's my vintage drying rack in the basement-the rack was also a yard sale find !

The upcycled teacup server and Christmas pedestal servers are already in Julieanna's.

The quilted table runner was one I made years ago out of vintage quilt blocks, machine quilted by Anne Weber of Ashburn, Va.

This last little piece was just me fooling around with a tin pie plate, after seeing Kimmie's tutorial on her bottlecap quilt! The reverse side looks better than the front, I think!!! The front is gessoed and decorated with bits of  clock innards. Not sure what I will do with it now tho......LOL

Now, off to make yet another cup of hot tea with honey, in an attempt to get rid of this cold!!!!

A Talented Nephew.................

My 17 year old nephew has been making award winning, stop action animation Lego videos for several years.
This is his first music video- and I think he did a great job!!!!This is his mom, singer songwriter Jeannie Willets.

His proud aunt (that's me!) has posted this on FB and emailed it to almost everyone on my address list- so, if you are in any of those categories - I apologize for the duplication!!!LOL

Link

Tea on Tuesday

We are all nursing colds post Thanksgiving, so between that and being busy, I have been neglecting my blog!!

My husband brought the nasty cold home, and I was the last to succumb last nite.

I have been downing all types of hot tea with honey and lemon, and chicken soup, trying to ward off the germs.

At this point, I am sick of tea (I know, such a blasphemous statement in a Tea on Tuesday post!)so I am posting about some non tea yummies made a week or so ago!

I found a recipe for pear clafouti on another blog a while back. If you are that blog - please give yourself credit!!! I can't remember where I found the recipe - but it is GOOD!!!!

I managed to eat most of the cake by myself - love red pears - altho no one else in the family is a big fan of pears. Despite my best efforts, the cake did not want to come out of the pan too well - but, as you can see by the last photo- looking less than perfect did NOT take away from the taste!!!!

My daughter made some iced peppermint mochas- totally decadent- for an after clafouti treat!!!!

Please feel free to join us each Tuesday for tea- be sure to visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of other ToT participants!