Tea on Tuesday

Happy Holidays!! This is just a brief tea post, while I get myself organized!!!

My New Year's resolution is to be more organized and to definitely post more on my blog. (Please check out yesterday's post!!! I've already started!!)

Today's tea is a Stash Christmas Morning black tea- really quite yummy with some French honey( gracias, Teresa )!

                     Instead of a teacup, I am using the photo mug my son sent me for Christmas.

 

Also thanking Teresa, a little Xmas goodie - a mate cup and bombilla from Chile! She searched high and low for a gourd, but could only find what she called a muy feo one of the Chilean colors. My daughter thought it was Christmas hued!

Please drop by and visit Patty and Kim for a list of other tea fanciers!!!

Tea on Tuesday- Tea Tasting at Julieanna's

This post will be mostly a pictorial........attended a wonderful tea tasting on Saturday, at Julieanna's shop in Broadway, Va. A peachy ice tea, and little peach scones, with a free neck massage , and the opportunity to make a necklace. An order of some hand dyed scarves came in, and they were being tried on and purchased as fast as they came out of the box!!

So, as I sip my hot mug of yerba mate, on this beautiful, brisk August morn, enjoy your own cuppa and the tour.................( click on pics for a closer look)

                                                                    A peachy iced tea

                                              Peachy mini scones and traditional mini scones

         Color coordinated displays of mouth watering, gotta have 'em teapots, teacups, and jewelry

                           Above is a glimpse of my D/H awaiting his complimentary neck massage (I had one too)

                                  Need a vintage chapeau to wear to tea? - Julieanna's has them!!!

                                                      Sea glass beads and colors

                                                     The glorious scarves................

                                                           The models and buyers!!

                                               One of the necklace samples above and below

                                        Colorful array of supplies to make your own creation

My favorites - the birds - a wool bird perched in a tree branch with paper flowers crafted by Julie's daughter

 

                                                              Tea, tea, and more tea.......................







                                   Some vintage Godey's fashion prints, vintage and new teacups

 

 

My personal favorite and on my wish list - Lily of the Valley!And, oh, I just realized, the teapot is perched on one of my own hand crafted upcycled vintage Wedgwood pedestals

Julie and Susan know how to throw a party!! We can't wait for the tea room to be finished and open! In the meantime, shopping at Julieanna's and going to the monthly tea tastings and fall tea classes are not to be missed!
Also not to be missed - Kimmie's and Patty's blogs- to see what they are having for tea today - and to find a list of other tea fanciers!
Please feel free to join us for tea every Tuesday!!

Tea on Tuesday

As I sit here sipping my matcha lemonade (to be followed with quick breakfast and my yerba mate tea! before I head out the door to the thrift shop for my Tuesday volunteer), I am thinking back on a lovely day with friends.

Two friends from my old home town, made the 2 hour drive down to have tea  and lunch at Mrs. Hardesty's Tea Room in Harrisonburg.
Sadly, Mrs. Hardesty's will close its doors on August 13, so I am glad we got a reservation and were able to be there one last time.
Altho' I wasn't too hungry, I had rooisbos tea in a delicate china cup, and a sweet and very light bluebery scone.

My friends had a sandwich and delicious baby greens salad. Evan had her eye on a neighboring table's dessert, only to find out that lucky lady was eating the last slice!! But there was an array of equally delicious ones to choose from. I think she picked something with lavender and white chocolate!

The tea room was packed to capacity- altho' when I decided/remembered to take photos - the crowd had cleared.

Behind the front counter is a lovely teacup quilt (I would love to have that!!) and right in front, the sniffing bar - where you can take a whiff before you order your tea.

Above (in the sideways picture that despite rotation will not show itself upright!) is the Tea Guide, with a list of every tea that is available to drink, a tiny paper napkin with a note asking lipstick wearers to use this to blot, instead of their white linen napkins. Also a tiny pot of honey - a gift to Evan and I from Montte!

Here we all are - friends since our kids were in preschool together - at least 25 years................from left, Evan, Montte and I.

Below, the view outside Mrs. Hardesty's, in historic downtown Harrisonburg, Va- and the alleyway leading to outside dining.

Thanks for joining us for tea - please stop by to see Kimmie and Patty for a list of other tea fanciers!

tea on Tuesday - Gourd Crazy

 As I sit here sipping my yerba mate, thru a cane bombilla in a gourd- I thought I might post about gourds.

I found this lovely gourd basket at the flea market last week for a mere $2! I could NOT resist- number one it was a GOURD- and number two- it was a basket!!! One can never have too many baskets - and this one was rather unique.

 These others are thrift store finds over the past year or two. The larger green one is really pretty, with carving inside and out.

                                               Written inside one of the gourds........................

                       View of the inside of the large green gourd- such intricate carving...........

                                                                Link

                                                                     link

I am inspired now to do something small with the leftover birdhouse gourds I grew 2 years ago.I sold about 70 of them - unadorned and au natural- to folks who are a bit more creative and organized than I.

I have an idea for some gourd jewelry,- a tiny enough attempt to test the waters in gourd creations!!

Zentangling, carving, painting, wood burning- the paths to recreating a simple gourd are endless.

Some of the gourds in the above links are truly works of art!




Feel free to join us every Tuesday for tea - visit Kimmie and Patty for links to other tea fanciers!!!

Tea on Tuesday

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July!!

Mine was filled with flea markets,
                                               junque-ing,
                                                                   and
                                                                               antique-ing.

As I sit back today, sipping on my yerba mate tea, I thought I would share with you some of my tea related scores from this weekend!!

Above, are 3 Salvation Army finds - a really cute heart shaped Mary Kay c and s, a vintage Mt. Vernon Hall China Harmony House cup and bread plate (masquerading as a saucer), and a Mikasa mug (destined for eBay). 
                                                 You can see the heart inside the MK cup below.

An English bone china mug from a yard sale.............Royal Windsor, made in England- also headed for eBay.

And some tea pots from the Busy B sale that I had to pass up!!! See my previous post about that wonder-full sale!!!

 

I really love the one on the left!!

 

Below is my favorite find, that did come home with me from Busy B!- a silverplate sugar and creamer on a tray - with an English  Mappin & Webb table bell .....

Now, I can summon everyone for tea!!!!

" I'll sweetly sing when you me ring....."

Please feel free to join us every Tuesday for tea - all are welcome - be sure to visit Patty  and Kimmie for a list of other Tuesday tea drinkers!

Tea on Tuesday

Last week, the bluebirds had returned, the temperatures were in the upper 60's, the horses were enjoying the warmth- as was I, and last night we had a mini ice storm! Today, the temperatures are in the 20's-30's, and everything is covered with a gloss that closed the schools and makes driving (or even walking out on the front porch) treacherous!

As I sip my tepid, yet energizing yerba mate tea (and yes, I am using the gourd and cane straw!), I watch the birds tussling for seed outside my basement door. The sliding screen door to their usual feeding station upstairs was iced shut!

Enjoy these photos from this past week- that went from warmth, to heavy winds, to forest fires( which made the air smell like the inside of a wood stove) and finally to coating it all with a glossy sheen. Sigh.........


Smoke from the Peak Mt area- probably started by high winds downing a tree which fell on a power line.....

 

Below is that same view off my front porch, the next morning, after the smoke blew away

Then, the wind changed direction, and a whispy cloud of smoke emerged.

Bringing the haze and smoke that  spread and hung over everything.

This morning (above), the smoky haze is replaced with a snowy/ rainy /sleety cloud cover.

I am going to walk out later and check to see if my old lilac bush has any buds-that will cheer me up with the promise of true spring around the proverbial corner..............

Please feel free to join us for tea on any Tuesday - drop by Kimmie and Patty for a list of all our tea partiers!!