Recent Photos

I lit three candles on my advent wreath.  I have added a tall slim glass in the center for the fifth candle which makes up the wreath. 

I love the warmth of real tealight candles.


I read this book recently about a woman who connects with an Amish woman.  A storm keeps them together and an emergency forces them to see what is important at Christmas time.
Family tops the list.

I have been adding to my collection of blue and white pieces. 

I bought the ceramic decor ball with floral elements a couple weeks ago.  I was looking for a base to use to display it.  I found this rice bowl with the right colors and pleasing patterns. 

The small vase is only 4 inches tall but has pleasing floral decor.

The set of napkin rings in alternate blue & white and the alternate colors.  Lovely floral decor.  They are hexagonal.

I have a full shelf and a good number of items to develop table still lifes in the new year.

I have been looking for a cheese board for a while.  While vising my niece we had a couple hours to visit the local Goodwill.  A new store which was large and well organized.  The photo on the left is what it looked like before I transformed it.  I wanted to be able customize the board for the seasons.  I was able to remove the photo on the bottom of the glass with my heat gun.  Now I can add a doily or other seasonal decor under the glass. Love it!

I am currently reading this book which is about a woman at crossroads in her life. She has some amazing events take place for her.  I look forward to the rest of the book and how her life improves.

Sharing with Share Your Cup 275 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs Olson.

Recent Photos

It is the second week of Advent.

My Christmas cards are ready finally.  I guess it is like the cobbler whose children have no shoes.  I get my Christmas card orders done then I can get to my own.

Before craft sales came into my life I would have all my cards, my shopping done and parcels mailed off by December 1st.

Those were the days!

Take time this week, even just an hour to relax, have a cup of tea, put your feet up by the tree and enjoy Christmas.  My tree goes up today!

I was able to whip up a last minute gift this week because I had a Ready2Fill calendar left over from craft sales and 12 photos of various subjects in my photo organizer.

With a bit of double sided tape and some pressing this calendar will be headed off to its recipient.

My photo organizer is designed for cards but I use it to store my stock of photos.

It keeps them dry, dust free and out of the light.


I store the following.  Now they are all in one place and easy to find and labeled so I know if I have store of any particular size

• 3.5 x 4.75 for photo cards sorted by wide and tall
• 3.5 x 5.00 for half sheet calendars must be wide
• 4x6 photo calendars usually 4 different styles in any given year
• 4x6 photo for half sheet photo cards sorted by wide and tall
• 5x7 & 4x6 photos for framing sorted by wide and tall

Finished The Lilac Bus this week.  I generally love her books. This one was okay.  Story about how some residents from a small town in Ireland travel home from Dublin each weekend on the Lilac Bus.   Some are helping family with a local pub, some are keeping secret relationships and do not want questions asked,  and others miss their home town and friends so visit to catch up.

My Christmas Tree is up!!  It took a lot of plugging to the task to get it done.  It was not as easy as other years to keep motivated.  Not sure what is up with that.











I always put clear lights on the tree.  This year I chose to include mostly clear ornaments with a few precious ones from years past.  The one on the left is one I received from Mom when she downsized her collection which were on the tree when I was a kid.  Clear lights with a diffuser helps to spread the light. The one on the right is clear glass with wire wrapped around it. 

I set up Christmas tea this morning.   A Lancaster County Christmas adds to the background in the top left.  I realize I don't have a Christmas Teacup so I will on the search. I used my red mug with the white tea pot.  I brewed a spiced black tea in the Marsala tea.  Some yogurt and banana, 3 cheese tea biscuits and a couple sweets rounded out goodies today.

This Christmas candle centerpiece was a gift from my sister many years ago.  I added a safe battery operated pillar candle in the glass rose bowl and it was perfect. Set on a Battenburg lace doily and was the focal point on the table.

Sharing with

Friends Sharing Tea hosted by Bernideen
Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth

Recent Happenings

I have been out of the joining on line parties for nearly a month. November is always craft sale month for me so it is a very busy time.  I made the time today even though there is still a to do list waiting.

We had a great Welcome to my Kitchen fellowship time last week.  A couple of ladies shared the responsibility where one hosted and the other provided snacks.  We had home made cinnamon buns, pistachio cool salad, a variety of cheeses and great crackers.

The tea was hot and plentiful.  We made at least 3 pots for 13 ladies in attendance.  We had a few coffee drinkers as well.

We had a wonderful time as we always to getting caught up and sharing about getting through tough times.

I met my sister half way between our homes recently to pass stuff to her and bring home stuff from her.  It cuts down on time and gas money and we were able to visit a few thrift stores while we are there.  I was glad that I had just had my all weather tires put on for the trip out of town.

One of the things that came to my house is my updated plate rack.  I had a near disaster with this wire rack about 2 months ago.  I really enjoyed having the plates vertical instead of horizontal so asked my handy brother in law if you could stabilize it with wood supports on either end. He applied tung oil to the surface before he assembled it was it was all done when I got it back. It looks fabulous and as you can tell it does the job wonderfully.  Thanks Brian!  I owe him lunch next time I see him.

I placed it on the freezer between the 2 cupboards so it breaks up the white surface without limiting the air circulation.

The kitchen is really coming together and with a new dishwasher it is staying tidy!!

It was not tidy for most of the day today.  Flour, butter, and savory and sweet elements went into 3 batches of baking for the fund raiser Bake Sale tomorrow.

I made variations on the tea biscuit recipe in the Puritan Cookbook.  The first was Buttermilk Biscuits, then Savory Cheese Biscuits (my favorite) and then a try at Cinnamon Pinwheels. I baked them in silicone cups in the muffin tin.  The dough was not what I thought it should be but with no experience they look like they turned out okay.

The biscuits were cut with a nice recent addition to the kitchen of a 2 inch scallop cookie cutter.  In my opinion it makes them the perfect size and pretty too.

I love that it has a handle and it was exactly what I had in mind when looking for a cookie cutter for my kitchen.  Maybe sugar cookies will be next.

Well I could not bake most of the day and give it all away.  As it was there were 18 pinwheels and I made sets of 4 for the bake sale so that leaves two!  Imagine that.

So I took time to have tea.  I made Oprah Chai Tea in my Maxwell & Williams Fusion Yellow tea pot with the built in infuser.  It is a nice deep pink color to go with pomegranate seeds on my plate.  A mandarin orange for vitamin C and a bit of old white cheddar cheese for a bit of protein.

I have recently added these beautiful blue and white oriental napkin holders to my blue and white dinnerware collection.

It was nice to sit down for a bit before I start on the next project tonight.

 
I bought this pomegranate to share with my niece during her visit last Saturday.  It was a quick visit and it did not make it to the table.

I am reminded though how we found a quick way to get the seeds out the shell.  You can check this post out for all the details.











I have read a couple of great books in the last month. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was excellent.  I had to wait to get it from the library but it was worth it.  I heard of the book through this book club hosted by Angela.  I hope I remember enough to offer a few comments on the book.

I got this book through our book exchange at Welcome to my Kitchen.  We bring books we have read and put them on a side table then others can browse the selection and bring a new book to them home to read.

I was not sure I would like this book but it was still on the table when the ladies left on November 16th so I thought why not!

It was a good ready with good history of Paris and when so and so lived, etc.  It is set just after the end of the Second World War. A young lady takes her life in her own hands and decides to pursue an art career in Paris. How bad can that be and of course as you can see from the cover this was a handsome man thrown into the mix for good measure.

I am sharing with the following:

Share Your Cup #273 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson

Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea

Anything Goes Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly

Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth

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.

Share Your Cup - This Week

This was breakfast this morning.  I made Raspberry Rhubarb Compote yesterday from frozen fruit.  It's time to empty the freezer so there will be room for the upcoming bounty. 

I added a dollop of plain yogurt and a splash of cream.  I placed three cranberry citrus thins on a white salad plate. 

I choose a pink napkin to repeat the color in my bowl.

This is a new cup to me.  I generally do not buy cups made in Japan but this one had a dramatic color scheme. It features hand painted pink roses with black and gold rim.  You can see the rose is repeated on the inside of the cup.

I am drinking Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea.  A nice hot tea into which to dip my thins.










This is the book on my night stand this week.

An inspiring collection of more than 50 true stories, fictional short stories, and poems by 37 writers whose work is distinguished by honesty and vulnerability, combined with encouragement and hope.

I discovered that there is a companion Discussion Guide for personal reflection for group exploration.

I am enjoying the short stories before I fall asleep.

I have been enjoying making tea related cards for a week long challenge at Coffee Loving Cardmakers - Summer Blog Hop.

Submitting to
Sharing Your Cup #254 hosted by Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth at Antique and Tea Cups.

Bernideen's Tea in the Garden.

Tea and Other Stuff

I scored a wonderful yellow tea cup at the second hand store yesterday.  Those of you who know me will understand how excited I was to see it.  The price was excellent so it came home with me.
I bought these 2 glasses to replace ones I had collected from a Christmas promotion years ago which were in the donation to the store.
Is it not amazing when you create space for what you want it does show up.
I've not seen this mark before so I will have to do some research later.







I did some coloring this week to unwind after a trip to visit my sister for our birthdays.

I had some caffeinated tea to ensure I stayed awake on my drive home in the late evening so I was still wide awake when I got home.

This is from the tea coloring boloring book I received from the blog hosted my Margie at Tea in the Valley.   I chose yellow for the base of the tea pot and cup combo with some pink flowers and green leaves.  Love the candy stripe on the handle.

I finished this book by Karen Kingsbury this week.  I was up till quite late finishing one night.  It was good.

I picked some lilacs early in the week.  I placed them in the hand painted vase which repeats the lilac color.  I think they have been giving me the sneezes though.









A gift from my sister.  My favorite tea from the Chai Wallahs. These ladies do such a great job of this tea.  They are local ladies to Alberta.

I purchased some lace curtains for the dining room window which has only had blinds for years.  I finishes the room.  It is my crafting space so does not serve as a dining room at all.  I have placed my dining room table in the living room next to the patio doors so I can see outside while I sit at the table.  Love the lace.



Sharing with the following:

Bernideen's Tea Time

Share Your Cup #252 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Share Your Cup - This Week

The pelicans were on the open water at the wetlands!

I love this photo where they are aligned almost perfectly.  This was my second try as the first attempt they were just flying off as I arrived.

They were feeding and just hanging out.  Zigzagging across the water in their flock formation.

It was time for Welcome to my Kitchen this week.  The hostess provided fruit salad, yogurt, cute cinnamon buns and a slices of cheddar cheese.  Of course tea and coffee as well juice was in plentiful supply.  We had a lot of women attend our last meeting of the season.  Twenty women attended and there was comfortable room for everyone!

We raised a good sum for our missions overseas.  I brought a few cards made from card kits which had been stored for a while.

Ladies could take some home for a donation to missions.

One card was immediately put into service to contain the names of those in our group who prayed for a lady who attended a gym class.  Tangible evidence of the support being offered.

This is the book I finished this week.  The Whitehorn Woods contains a well where people from far and wide come to bring their petitions for healing, husbands, new businesses and much more.

The book identifies a couple related people in each chapter.  If read within a short time a person would likely catch all the connections to others in previous chapters.  I did catch a few but I likely missed a few as well.

Interesting people and approach to writing.






This a to go mug of Earl Grey tea with a snack for my trip to the zoo today.  I want to go before the long weekend when it is bound to be much busier.

A royal gala apple which is always crunchy and delicious and a chocolate bran muffin.

I'm off the see what I can
find.


Sharing with Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson who hosts Share Your Cup #249.

Share Your Cup - This Week

Today, it was time for Welcome to my Kitchen.  This is our monthly women fellowship group.  We are growing!  Last year at this time we had 9 around this table. This week, we had 12 women attend with one of our regulars under the weather and not able to attend.  The table was overflowing!!

Our host this month provided fruit salad, juice, fresh tea biscuits right from the oven.  There was a cheese plate and I filled my mug with hot tea.

Everyone is sharing, making plans, praying and getting to know one another on a different level.  It's a challenge to keep everyone on track at times because it's loud and joyful.



We always have so much fun.  A couple of the ladies brought baking and we collected a few extra dollars money for our overseas missions work.

I met my sister half way between our houses today because our Easter plans were derailed by a large spring storm.  After having tea, trading our bags of stuff going in each direction we checked out a couple thrift stores. 

I found another plate in blue and white.  It has the same fluted edge as the Myott/Johnson Brothers ones I have but surprise it was made in Japan.  I was surprised to see the mark.

It will fit in just nicely with the pieces I have and at under a $1 and could not leave it there.

This is the book on my reading shelf this week.  It's is so interesting how our attitude affects how we see the world.

I am working through the preparation to make some changes in my place which is a huge stretch for me. 

I bought cabinets for the kitchen and tools which I have never owned before. Been spending time at hardware stores and Re-Store retail outlets.  Hours of  research on line for flooring, shelf brackets, and soon paint.

Many people have been very supportive. I been hearing "It will be alright"
"We survived and are thrilled with the results and so will you"
"I know a guy who paints, builds, does electrical, etc."

I found this wonderful bottle at the thrift store as well.  Note the name: Doulton.  I did not know they sold perfume. 

The bottle is heavy and very nicely cut to provide the clear and frosted pattern. 

The lid looks like metal until you touch it then you know it's plastic. Very good imitation. 

It will add some class to a photo down the line.  This is my second perfume bottle.  Super happy with this one.

I was working on a photo shoot the other day and I had roses in the vase but it occurred to me that with spring I should have tulips.

A visit to the craft store this week allowed me to bring home 2 picks for the price of one. I bought this bring traditional set and a lighter in pastel colors as well.  Should cover most situation.s

A small Battenburg doily under a crackled glass vase with a few marble in the base.  Taken against a black velvet background.

Works for me!

Sharing with Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup #245.