Mosaic Monday - My Walk

I've put together a mosaic of photos from my walk yesterday.  
Top left is a chipmunk which is the first time I have photographed one.  It is quite small and with the stripes quite different from a squirrel. 
Top right is a thistle in bloom releasing it's seeds to be planted by the wind who knows where.
Bottom left is a Red Breasted Nuthatch which is quite small bird which a photographed near a bird feeder near my place.
Bottom right is a purple flower which I have not been able to identify. It was quite tall.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #51.
 

Recent Snapshots

I bought a set of these small white heart tea cups a while back. In white they will fit into any tables cape I am creating.  My sister has the larger ones which were available from Steeped Tea.  I have included the orange one for October in my 2018 Nice Cuppa Tea Calendar.   I love them.

On my visit to Fabric Frenzy this year I purchased some wide lace with these Tea Pocket Coasters in mind. The are the creation of Stephanie at Enchanting Rose.  You can find the pattern in this post on her blog.

I found a few really nice embroidered pieces at the second hand store recently.  This one fits well on my small table on the balcony.

I found this pink Asian Lily at the community garden the other day.

After seeing my sister with fresh flowers on her table I am inclined to grow a pot of mixed cutting flowers next year so I can have some on my table too.

After participating in the family event recently where some meals were potluck I decided I should have picnic dishes to cut down on waste doing to the landfill.

Last week my sister hit the second hand stores and I found these.  Turquoise is certainly one of my summer colors.  A plate, bowl and glass were included. I have added the set of cutlery I used at work.  Now that I am retired, they can be pressed into service in a different way.

I recently bought myself a Contigo Water Bottle. I am sure the quality of the bottle will be excellent.  It is 24 oz which is perfect for me.  A little heavy to carry full of water but it really meant for the car.
I have had their Stainless Steel Travel Mug for quote a while with no spills.  We had a lot of them at the family event and had to manage which one belonged to who.

This is the photo shoot I planned for yesterday but it rained all day so it was done early this morning.

Tea with Raspberry Bavarian.  This is a recipe my Mom made often when I was a home.  She had a large raspberry patch so this time of year this dessert was on the menu.  Served in a small fluted glass dish with a chocolate wafer and set with silver teaspoon.

A frosted vase filled with roses.

I selected my pink Sadler teapot with Roses and Forget Me Nots which is 1937-47 vintage. The Colcough pink tea cup I found to go with it has pink roses and periwinkle blue Corn Flowers filled with Raspberry Tea.

 
Raspberry Bavarian

1.25 cup of raspberries
.25 cup of sugar
Cook these till berries break down.
1 envelope of gelatin softened in .25 cup of cold water. Set bowl over hot water to liquify.
Add to the raspberries and cool in the fridge to set gelatin. This will not be a very firm consistency.
2 egg whites beaten - add .25 c. of sugar
.75 c of cream beaten - add .25 c. of sugar
Mix egg whites and cream together. Then fold into the raspberries and refrigerate to set.




Sharing with the following:

Monday Mosaic 50 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

Through my Lens 104 hosted by Mersad Donko

Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth

Bernideen`s Tea Time

Share Your Cup - This Week

I had a visit with my sister in the last couple of days.  We planned our annual saskatoon picking to coincide with a paper crafters garage sale being held in a Red Deer.

I certainly do no need anymore paper so I was looking for some tea related tools. 
My niece had send a wish list as well.  We managed a few things on her list.
I brought home a nice balloon die (maker unknown), Stampin Up Stars Framelit dies, a punch to make 2 holes for the center of a button, some sheets of dark green card stock and some free chipboard. All for less than $15.  Excellent.  I have the stamp set which coordinates with the Star dies.

We headed to Gull Lake in hopes of getting some sunset shots.  A storm had passed earlier in the evening and these clouds remained which hid the sunset.  It was very cold and as you can see the water was very choppy. No bird photos either. 

We did stop at the village store and got some great Maple Walnut ice cream cones. Yum!

We had to enjoy them in the car as it was not nice enough to sit outside.






My sister has a wonderful garden so she brings fresh flowers for her vase regularly.  They add lot to a table.  She had calendulas and dahlias in her vase this day.

We had tea from a new to her tea pot.  What a lovely tea pot.  It is stainless steel double walled Dorothee by Bredemeijer which is a manufacturer in the Netherlands.

I can see photographing it presents certain challenges but it is really lovely.  She purchased it a thrift store but upon research on line this is a pricey teapot.

Of course, I had Masala Chai.

We picked saskatoons at the U Pick just north of Blackfalds.  The clusters were all ripe and picking went fairly fast.  We picked 3 ice cream pails in a couple of hours.  Excellent. On the left is a pail of the berries. I freeze them on a flat pan like a cookie sheet or pizza tin so that they don't stick together. They are then placed in a freezer bag, later I can remove just the amount I need.

Sharing with Jann at Daily with Mrs. Olson who hosts Share Your Cup #257.

Turquoise and Red China Mug

I started with this set of dishes this morning.

The salad plate is by IKEA and features a large white flower outline with a few hits of red petals. 

I paired it with a Cashmere red and white fine bone china mug by Maxwell and Williams which features very similar lines as the plate.

I chose Battenburg lace doilies and a turquoise napkin on a linen tablecloth.

This was breakfast.  I had a whole wheat pancake left over from the other day.
I added a fried egg and some veggies. Mushroom, garlic, red onion and a bit of old white cheddar cheese.  When I use my cast iron fry pan I have to make sure I don`t set the heat too high.  This time the veggies worked out really delicious.  I hope I can duplicate it again next time.








I added a red rose in a small white ceramic vase to repeat the red.  Would be nice to have real flowers in that size but not going to happen.




The tea this morning was Rooibos Cinnamon Chai by David`s Tea. A gift from my niece for my birthday last month.

It was good with a bit of honey and some cream.

I had a bit of raspberry compote which I made earlier which is berries, a bit of sugar and some regular gelatin.  It will be Bavarian but I did not have whipping cream so I will have go shopping to complete the recipe.

I just poured regular cream and served it in this small glass dessert dish.  I bought a couple of these recently and I am very happy with them.  Helps me keep portions on the small side.
I added a Simple Pleasures Cranberry Citrus cookie.  Was great with my second cup of tea.


Sharing with
Bernideen`s Tea Time - Avonlea

Tuesday Cuppa of Tea - hosted by Ruth

Recent Snapshots

I was in the country side on the weekend for a family event. 

I decided that I would take advantage of nearby large water - Pigeon Lake to get some sun set photos on the water. 

I love the warm blue colors in this shot. 
This side of the lake is mostly privately owned so just about every property featured docks. 

There is a large museum in the area which features large equipment from the early 1900s.  These are on display on the grounds so I was able to capture a few despite the building being closed.

This packer`s original yellow color scattered between the rusty surface was being highlighted by the low sun.

Several sunset shots taken this weekend. The left and right on Pigeon Lake and the center one is on a large pond along Highway 13.

















The fields are featuring bales and long shadows created by the low sun.

The far field is a very nice green. It no doubt will be harvested later in the  season.

On the right, a pink sky with highlighted bright yellow spots above a yellow canola field. I did not take time earlier in the day to get some bright yellow canola field photos.

Sharing with

Mosaic Monday #49  hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life

Through My Lens hosted by Mersad Donko

Share Your Cup - Visit to Conservatory

I visited the Muttart Conservatory the other day.  The feature pyramid was decorated for Canada's 150 Birthday.  I love this maple leaf made up of flowers and rocks.

This red and white dahlia worked really well for the theme of the 150 for Canada.

I loved this heart shaped leaf. 

There was an artwork display around the different buildings.

Ode to the MapleLeaf - Helen Rogers                        Souvenir Heritage Tile - Marjorie Davis

Carol and Richard Selfridge - Wood Fired Canadian Flag Sheild 

The Musician Corner with sculpted heads of famous people.  Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Buffy St. Marie, KD Lang, and Rita McNeil by Ellie Shuster.

Sharing at Share Your Cup #256 with Jann at Daily with Mrs Olson

Tea and Breakfast

I made a pot of Masala Chai tea this morning with my breakfast.

It was brewed in my white porcelain 6 cup tea pot.  I tried some tea sacks which I received when I won a blog give away by Margie and Tea in the Valley in early part of the year.  The sacks have a flap that sits between the pot and the lid and holds 3 teaspoons of loose tea with plenty of room for expansion.  They make clean up a breeze. 

I drink my Masala Chai with a bit of honey and cream.  I used my Johnson Brothers Regency White set.  I just love that scallop fluted texture on the saucers and plates.

I picked a few lovely bachelor buttons from a friend`s flower bed.   They were placed in a small short glass vase filled with glass beads at the bottom. The vase is sitting on a Battenburg Lace doily on my pine table.  I know I was reading on a blog earlier how nice it is to have fresh flowers on the table. I agree but I need help as I don`t grow them myself. 

I was looking for a dessert bowl so I did not have to use soup bowls from my dishes set. I have the little yellow square ones but nothing more neutral in color.

I bought these small bowls clear glass bowls to ensure a smaller portion.  I placed about 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt in the bottom of the dish topped with a small banana and fresh raspberries.  I am enjoying these raspberries picked from a friend`s patch.

Here`s the whole picture.

I used a round aqua place mat.

The vase of fresh flowers on the left.  Teapot placed at the top of the setting placed on a larger Batternburg Lace doily.

I bought the small cream pitcher the other which works better when it`s only me for breakfast.

I added a Chocolate Bran Muffin to the fresh fruit.

The tomato plants on the balcony continue to grow and have quite a few flowers but no fruit yet. 

Sharing with

Bernideens Tea Time

Recent Snapshots

Here's a few photos from my walk this morning.

The white bloom from the sow thistle. 

I found these gorgeous dahlias at the park.  They were very dark pink and the petals were perfect.

The bees were buzzing around the Spiraea in several shades of pink and purple.

The small white purple bloom is some type of clover.  It was very tall rather than the low to the ground I am used to.

These are grasses of some sort but I was not able to identify it.
I used one of my out of focus photos as the background for the mosaic.

This was breakfast this morning.
Featuring nice tomatoes, ham and egg. 

A small dish of fresh raspberries  from a friends patch.  It's great to eat whole food picked by me.

These are my tomato plants.  They are yellow pear plants which I have been warned will grow very tall.  As you can see it had quite a few flowers.  Soon there will be tomatoes. 

I will let it grow to the top of the posts then I will have to cut off the top ends so it can concentrate on fruit.


During my visits to thrift shops, I have been looking for one of these bottles for a while. The prices are usually more than I am willing to pay.  Finally, last week the price was right and the bottle gorgeous.  It is 3.5 inches square with a super round ball stopper.  I am not fussy about the discolored plastic on the stopper.  It may have to go.  I removed the labels which were for Essenza Sweet Pea fragrance diffuser oil.  It was sold with reeds. This is the third in my collection. 

The bottle in the center has a Avon mark on the bottom.  The silver lid is plastic so not quite the same level as the others.  I don't know what it held originally. I loved the swirl pattern on the body of the bottle.

The bottle on the right features alternating clear and frosted bands running vertically along the body.  It has a metal lid with embossed pattern on the top with Doulton embossed on the band.  This was an expensive Eau de Parfum bottle. 

These add some flair to vignettes that I create for photography.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #48 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

Through my Lens #102 hosted by Mersad.

Photo Cards & A few questions

I've decided to make cards from my photos.  The easiest way to go is to buy 5x7 cards and add a 4x6 photo to the front and you are ready to go. Envelopes become the issue so one needs to buy sets of cards and envelopes.  These can be expensive.

After some research,  I managed to find a heavy white card stock which will serve nicely for the card base.  The photo has been trimmed to 3.5 x 4.75 inches to leave a generous border on this A2 card which is 4.25x5.5 inches. 

This requires that I have a photo I can afford to trim .25 off one side. It comes down to the composition which I will work on.  Two of these are off to my card exchange group. 

 

I am interested in finding how many folks give cards.

Do you give paper cards or electronic?

Does the cost of postage make you hesitate to give a card?

What type of occasions do you give cards for?

Do you prefer to have a card specific to the occasion?  Or will a generic card suffice for almost any occasion?

Do you have a preference between a card made with stamping and designer paper or a card like these art cards?

You can leave me a comment with any information you would like to share.  Thanks so much.

Share Your Cup

We celebrated Canada's 150th birthday on the weekend.

I decided to have a red and white breakfast.  I made whole wheat pancakes. I put with high bush cranberry syrup in my red and white bowl.  I had my tea in the matching mug.  Cream for my tea and pancake syrup was served in a glass creamer. I chose a white IKEA plate with a bit of butter on a small china plate.

I did collect some small flags which I placed in a small vase.  I landed a Canada 150 commemorative water bottle.

I was very good and a nice relaxing breakfast.


A visit to the Community Garden gave me a lovely deep pink rose with an ant highlighted on the left.  I love the moody photo of a light pink peony on the right.  They have been so nice this year.

I bought a coffee table photo book by a local photographer, Daryl Benson.  It had been advertised and I was intrigued.  It is a wonderful book with photos from across the country.  Really enjoyed looking at and will go back to it for inspiration.

The scrapbook store was promoting 50% sales on quite a few items so I thought it was worth a trip.  I had been making a lot tea related cards for a challenge and had hoped to land a Tim Holtz Tea Time die. No luck and I am really in stash busting mode so no other product came home with me.


 

I spent several hours walking around Beaumaris Lake and captured a lot of wild life.  There was a hare baby, Canada Geese, ducks of all kinds, a Coot, a Ring Billed Gull and Red Wing Black Bird.These photos are Ring Necked Grebe on the left and checkout the little head sticking out on her back.  The little one is hitching a ride. The right has a Double Crested Cormorant and a American White Pelican sitting on a structure in the middle of the lake.  All eyes are on me.

I have been sewing.  We have a family event coming up and there a request for donations of items as a fundraiser to support the rent of a facility.

I made a set of flat ware roll and placement combo which facilitates outdoor eating.  I added a small coordinating napkin which makes it completely zero waste.  Just wash and reuse.

I chose a bright pink and purple floral fabric a coordinating pink solid.
I cut the place mat pieces at 13Tx19.5W one from each fabric.  The pocket was cut at 8Tx19.5 W.  It was hemmed at the top and then sandwiched between the layers and a white ribbon was added on the left hand side. After stitching all the way around and it was turned inside out.  I over stitched all the way around the outside edge.  I then created slots on the right hand side one for each knife, fork and spoon.  A wider one for the napkin.  I had just enough fabric left over to make a small napkin with a floral header.  Place the flatware, the napkin and there is still pocket for anything else you might want to include. Once the complete just fold the top edge down then roll from the right hand side going toward the ribbon ties.  This will ensure your flatware stays in place.  There were some designs which did not have the flap but I thought it was critical.



Sharing with Share Your Cup #255 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Recent Snapshots

It was glorious on my walk this morning.  The weather was great and some folks were headed back to work.

This is a nice plant taken at the Legislative Grounds this morning.   It sat in most shade from this large tree.  The blooms are darker in shade but a few are highlighted with a bit of sun.  My research leads me to believe it is Salvia Nemorosa.

The out of focus pebble concrete makes a nice neutral background.




It was Canada's 150 birthday on Saturday.  There was much to take in for the milestone celebration.  I found this small flag in the community garden on my walk that day.

This was a nice find where kids had been drawing in the parking lot with side walk chalk.  A heart, a kite and flowers were great subjects.

The peonies are fabulous this year. I have been able to get quite a few good photos for my calendar next year.

I love the large blooms. They strike me as soft and gentle.  There have been several colors.

I love this image in that it is moody with the dark background with the pale bloom in the center.  Having a bud is a bonus.

The House Sparrows were feeding at the feeder this morning.  This is the male of the species and of course would not cooperate to have his photo taken on the feeder.  Down to the ground to get the seeds which have been ejected from the feeder.

I managed to get his eye in focus but his beak is moving.  There were quite a few around the feeder this morning with interruptions as folks were headed out of the apartment building on a regular basis.

I should have been out earlier.

I just snapped this light on the back end of a car parked on the street the other day. 

I love yellow and the circle of the light sunk into the cowl for protection looked kind of cool.

This was an art piece that was installed on the weekend.  I first saw it on the weekend but decided to revisit under better weather conditions. 

To my amazement there are photos in some of the cirlces.

This is one of 5 art pieces commissioned for the Canada 150 celebration.

Transect is a glass and stainless steel structure, in the shape of a sphere, punctuated by blue circular glass panels featuring photographs of animal tracks, native plants and times in Alberta’s history.

There is a bit more information here.

Now that I know there are others I will have to direct my feet in that direction on coming mornings.

Sharing with
Through  my Lens 101 hosted by Mersad