I Couldn't Resist

Sometimes it good to NOT listen to oneself.

I told myself that I would not buy/look at any newly made teacups.

Then I went to Homegoods with one of my sisters-by-choice

and there it was ....

This beautiful black and white toile/transferware trio.

I couldn't resist.

Square Plate and Cup and Saucer with floral design and birds!

It is called Adelaide Grey by 222FIFTH.
Tea tastes wonderful in this cup and I had a nice salad on the plate.
Perfect.

In addition, I had a couple of wonderful mail calls.
Bigelow had a give-a-way on Face Book.
They gave away tins filled with Constant Comment to celebrate 
their 70th anniversary.
I have fond memories of drinking Constant Comment.
My mother and I would visit with a good friend and her daughter at least
once a week and drink Constant Comment -- and read tea leaves!
They also included a sample of Green Tea with Pomegranate
(delicious).

The other mail call was from Angela at Tea With Friends.
She gave-a-way a fun teapot tea strainer and a tote bag.
A girl can never have enough tote bags.
She finds the most wonderful tea things.

I've had a tea-riffic time!


“I take a few quick sips. "This is really good." And I mean it. I have never tasted tea like this. It is smooth, pungent, and instantly addicting.

"This is from Grand Auntie," my mother explains. "She told me 'If I buy the cheap tea, then I am saying that my whole life has not been worth something better.' A few years ago she bought it for herself. One hundred dollars a pound."

"You're kidding." I take another sip. It tastes even better.”
― Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

More Mail Call

I'm still trying to catch up with Mail Call!

Here are two more Liberate Your Art postcards.
Both of these were made by blogging friends.
We thought we'd continue the fun of Liberate Your Art.

By Sherry at Becoming.

By Tracey Fletcher King

Tracey and I are both tea lovers
and along with the wonderful postcard she sent me a print of her beautiful watercolor header.

One of the blogs I've been reading for years now -- even before I started blogging

is Colette Copeland's Blog.

I've always admired her lovely art.

 She had a give-a-way and I won! 

And last, but certainly not least is the bracelet I won on Face Book
 from Diane at Snigglefritz.

I think I'm all caught up.

Another big thank you to Sherry, Tracey, Colette and Diane.

I love all my goodies.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Mail Call

It will come as no surprise that I LOVE Mail Call!

The lovely June at A Creative Dreamer suggested a postcard swap

to her followers and I threw my name in the hat.

Here are the lovely mixed-media cards that arrived in the post.

The first postcard came from June.
She sent a card to each of us.

In many ways the scan doesn't do this card justice.
The colors are so bright and wonderful.
I'm glad June loves poppies.

The second card came from Eileen - The Artful Crafter.

Isn't this lovely?!

I loved the message Eileen had on the back:

"Striving for perfection sometimes prevents me from finishing things. Challenges and swaps help push past my inner critic."

And last - this is the card I sent to Barbara at Rocky Cross Studio.

You know how I love tea.

This little bird is trying to add the teabag string to her nest.

And, I liked the message (also from a teabag):

For All You Do and ALL you are

SIP, SIP

hurrah.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mail Call

I am so far behind in thanking everyone for spoiling me!

You know how much I LOVE mail call! 

So, in the order that they arrived at Twisty Lane.

The first is a wonderful set of note cards with the art from the 

Bodhi Chicklet on the front.

She calls them Bodhi Booty!
Thank you, Kim! 

***


You may remember that Lori Anderson was having a virtual craft show right before Christmas.
This is what I won from Elisabeth Auld.

Elisabeth was kind enough to do the stringing and this is what the finished product looks like.

I wore the necklace with this sweater last week for an interview.

Be sure to visit Elisabeth's Etsy shop.

Lori still has all the virtual craft show shops on her blog.

Some really fun goodies to look at and do some very early Christmas shopping! 

Thank you Elisabeth (and Lori, too).

***

And last, a total surprise!

There was a box on my doorstep last week from my friend, Sherry.

I knew what was inside before I opened the box!

Sherry won the give-a-way on Diane Salter's blog.

She sent her winnings to me! 

I love it.

Especially the "Be Happy" in the center of the heart.

This image is from Diane's blog and it really doesn't do it justice.

You can't see the colors on the knobs on top,

the texture, all the great papers.

Thank you Sherry (and Diane, too).

Friends you make in the blogging community are amazing.

Generous, talented, supportive, special.

Wishing all of you WELL and a JOY filled week.

A Very Special Tea Cup

A very special tea cup arrived in the mail last week.

Isn't it beautiful? 

I won Terri's give-a-way!

I do love Mail-Call!

I love the color, the wonderful flowers.

Terri included a sample of teas, too! 

Oh, my.

What fun I'm going to have!

She even picked a card to accompany her gift that is so me!

The beautiful Tibetan Buddha of Infinite Light.

Thank you so very much, Terri.

"The daintiness and yet elegance of a china teacup focuses one to be gentle,

to think warmly, and to feel close."

~Carol and Malcolm Cohen

***

I'm participating in ICAD.

(Index Card a Day)

Here are two that go well with tea.

Teacups, teapots and tea quotes ... some of my favorite things.

"Write It On Your Heart" The Buddha of Infinite Light

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.

These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Tea Party Tuesday

Tuesday Tea For Two

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea! 

This and That

Today is a This and That Day.

One of those spur of the moment thought days.

Get ready for a long post!

But first, it's Friday and that means Postcard Friendship Friday.

April means spring and Easter.

Here's the first card in an Easter Rabbit Postcard Book published by 

Darling & Company in Seattle.

Quite a handsome guy with his egg drum and he looks as if he's been off to war!?!

All of the postcards reproduced in the book are from the first 25 years

of the 20th century, the grand age of postcards.

Unfortunately, the artist of this card is listed as unknown.

Be sure to visit Beth to see the other postcards at Postcard Friendship Friday.

***

On Facebook yesterday, I ran across

Oomph Up Your Life: 22 Ways to Do It

over at the Elephant Journal.

It was hard to pick a favorite.

Hug Your Pet ranked near the top.

Did you know there is a study that shows animal companions

release a love hormone when played with and cuddled -- and so does the cuddler!

Another one:

Go from inanimate to animate.

For all the daylight hours of a single day, treat everything that you think is

inanimate, animate! 

And one more (you should really go and read the list yourself!):

Be Me-Kind:

Everytime you look in the mirror, make a promise to be kind to yourself.

Oh, and don't forget to wear sunscreen!

***

Isn't mail call wonderful!

This little guy arrived in February ... just when I needed a little lift.

Mandy Saile is the artist and Mandy, please forgive for being so late for 

thanking you on my blog.

"This sweet and whimsical "Tiny Bird"

series by Canadian artist Mandy Saile pays homage to the

natural world that provides her with so much inspiration."

Please drop by and visit Mandy (and the bunnies) at Bijous Whimsy.

***

Finally, are you old enough to remember a song sung by Nat King Cole

"Smile Though Your Heart is Aching"?

For some reason, it was running through my brain last night.

Perhaps because I did a lot of smiling and remembering yesterday.

Here are the lyrics.

Smile though your heart is aching 

Smile even though it's breaking 

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by 

If you smile through your fear and sorrow 

Smile and maybe tomorrow 

You'll see the sun come shining through for you 

Light up your face with gladness 

Hide every trace of sadness 

Although a tear may be ever so near 

That's the time you must keep on trying 

Smile, what's the use of crying? 

You'll find that life is still worthwhile 

If you just smile 

That's the time you must keep on trying 

Smile, what's the use of crying? 

You'll find that life is still worthwhile 

If you just smile

***

Wishing you Well and Joy filled weekend!

Mail Call!

All of you know how much I love Mail Call.

Today the postman brought a gift from a blogging friend, Maria-Thérèse,

a very talented young lady who was celebrating her Blogoversary by having a give-a-way.

I love carousels and this arrived in my post today.

I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is.

Scanning doesn't do Maria-Thérèse Andersson's work justice at all.

Be sure you visit with her.
She has turned her Abandoned Amusement Park series into a calendar!
Wonderful!

***

Next is a piece of mail art I made.

Mixed-media, paint, paper, stamps, tag, glue stick and loads of fun.

I'm keeping the original and I made lots of copies to use as mailing labels.

Be on the lookout!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled day!

Take My Breath Away!

The generosity of the blogging community is well known.

Sometimes, it takes my breath away.

I received a wonderful gift from Karen this week -- a beautiful journal.

It was a complete surprise.

Dear Karen, I don't know what to say except "Thank You!"

I always wanted one of your journals and now I have one.

Mr. Dragon and I looked at every page, each tag, every water color, the beautiful ribbons.

And we both were in awe of such a beautiful gift.

I'll treasure it always.

I borrowed these images from Karen's blog, A Scrapbook of Inspiration.

She posted about this lovely journal as she was finishing. Please, go visit.

See her beautiful blog and her beautiful work.

Thank you, Karen ... a thousand times over.

Thank you for being my friend.

Mail Call is wonderful, isn't it?!!!!

Mail Call

Do you see what arrived in the mail?

From Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist -- The Mystery of Lewis Carroll.

It will go with Mr. Dragon's new old copy of the Annotated Alice!

And, perhaps we'll have a cup of tea made in the white rabbit tea pot!

Mail Call!

You all know how much I LOVE Mail Call -- especially when there are surprises.

This week has really been a lot of fun.

The first to arrive was this lovely piece of Mail Art from my friend, Sharon, at WildflowerHouse. It was a complete surprise, almost too pretty to open, but I did and this is what was inside.

This wonderful bookmark. Sharon is very talented. She's an artist in many media and her needlework is just gorgeous.

The back of the bookmark with this quote by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"I feel we are all islands in a common sea."

Sharon knows my love of books and that I'll treasure and put this bookmark to good use.

I promise!

***

Next to arrive -- this beautiful necklace.

I won Kate's (Shibori Girl) Mad Hatter Give-a-way and what a lucky girl I am.

I wore it all day yesterday and just love it.

The flower pendant is made from individual slices of petal and leaf polymer clay canes. The brass chain is embellished with pretty Alice-blue Swarovski crystals. The chain is 18" long.

Polymer clay is Kate's new obsession and boy, am I glad it is!

Be sure to drop by and visit these two very talented ladies, fellow bloggers and friends of mine. You'll be glad to make their acquaintance!

Say Hello from Me!

Have a wonderful day.

Joy to You!

Catch Up!

We all know about the generosity of the blogging community. I've been remiss in acknowledging two gifts I've received in the mail. They both arrived within a day of each other and I've thought everyday that I have to say "THANK YOU". So, here's a big THANK YOU to Kelley and Donna.

Kelley at Dragonfly Reflections gathered a group of women together - women she felt safe with and invited them to come and watch the Brene Brown video with her. At the end of the evening she shared a copy of Brown's book with them and had two copies left over. Those two copies she offered to her blog readers and I was fortunate to receive one.

I knew the first time I visited Kelley that I would like her. How could I not like someone whose blog was named Dragonfly Reflections!!!! Kelley has done some major remodeling of her blog and it's even better than when I first *met* her. Kelley also likes working with paper. The wonderful "Celebrate Spring" is one of her creations that she included with a little note in the book. Thank you Kelley!

My second thank you goes to Donna at Brynwood Needleworks. I don't think there is anything Donna can't do with a needle -- of any kind! She recently celebrated her first Blogoversary and I won one of her fabulous Alice In Wonderland Bookmarks. The bookmark was packaged so beautifully I almost didn't want to open the package. But I did ... ripped it open with one move! I believe you can't have too many bookmarks or too many books. Thank you Donna.

I hope you'll drop by the blogs of these lovely ladies and say "Hello, Snap sent me"!

Mail Call!

I won a book from the folks at Craftside. All I had to do was post an answer to a question.

Simple.

Look what arrived in the mail!

The purrrrfect book for a cat lover: Cat Lover's Daily Companion:
365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat
by Kristen Hampshire, Iris Bass and Lori Paximadis

Monday listings provide practical information, from welcoming a cat home to understanding his basic needs.

Tuesdays (like the one below) contain engaging tales of cats in history and literature.

Wednesday (like the one below) explore feline health and wellness topics, from acupuncture to the zodiac.

To find out about Thursdays, Fridays and the weekends -- you'll need to find your own copy! I can't share everything! I'm going to enjoy every single page and so will my kitties.

And, last but not least, gorgeous photos of cats.

If you don't regularly follow Craftside, you should. They have almost daily reviews of books on all kinds of crafty subjects -- you name it, they've done it. Try it. Leave a post and win a book! Books are good for you. You can never have too many books!

(Special thank you to Lindsey at the Quayside Publishing Group. Lindsey, the book arrived!)

Mail Call

Have you ever seen anything so pretty?!!!

You should feel how dreamy soft it is.

It was my Mail Call OWOH winnings from the wonderful and talented Beth.

Thank you so very much, Beth. I wear scarves a lot, will put this one to good use, and wear it with pride.

Be sure to visit Beth. She hand dyes fabrics and is a quilter. The scarf is a hand dyed silk. Beth uses a two step process to get the wonderful colors.

Thanks again!

Mail Call!

I just LOVE Mail Call! This week, the book I won over at the Craftside Blog's Holiday Goodness Giveaway arrived. I won The Crafter's Devotional by Barbara R. Call and I'm thrilled! I want to thank all the wonderful folks at Craftside (Lindsey, this means you) for their generosity.




From the back of the book: " Crafters dabble, collaborate, muse, and make, all in their own way on their own timeline. For all crafts, there are established techniques ... and innumerable ways to experiment.

No matter your craft of choice, you'll find daily inspiration in the pages of this book. Author and crafter Barbara R. Call understands there is something elemental shared among artists and crafters, regardless of their chosen medium: creative energy. For each crafter looking to hone a favorite skill, there is a dozen who are waiting for that certain spark of inspiration or sinuous root of an idea to take hold.

The Crafter's Devotional uses interdisplinary exercises, nuggets of wisdom, brainstorming triggers, and how-to techniques to inspire, enhance, and motivate you to create."




"Inside you'll find the following categories:

• Monday/journaling
• Tuesday/recycle,reuse, or revive
• Wednesday/collection,stash, and materials
• Thursday/personal history
• Friday/noncraft inspiration
• Saturday and Sunday/collaborate, gather, and experiment

I'm going to have lots of good reading, inspiration and fun ahead!

Thanks again to Craftside.

Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is brought to us by our wonderful Postmistress, Marie.

We have friends who traveled to France this last September.
They sent us this beautiful postcard.

Notre Dame Cathedral is certainly impressive.
But it was the message on the back that got a few smiles from us.

The back reads:
"Paris is amazing -- the fresh bread, the cheese, the
... wait, who am I kidding ... the wine!
Maybe I can convince the bosses, Bentley and Mathilda,
to let Bulldog Postal have a Bordeaux Happy Hour!"
David, Lisa and Benjy

(Their business is Bulldog Postal and Bentley and Mathilda
are their bulldogs -- who welcome all the customers.)

Here's to wine and mail call!

Be sure to visit Postcard Friendship Friday.

Mail Call!!

This is a different kind of Mail Call today.

This is an “I went shopping Mail Call”.

I love Carla Sonheim.
I love her animals, her drawings, her sketches, her little girls.
She makes me smile.

When she posted that she had just listed three new journals in her Etsy store, I made a dash over there. I knew immediately what I wanted. I just had to have the journal with the little red headed girl (me) with the kitty on her head.

Look what arrived and it is wonderful!

There is even a pocket in the back of the journal to keep a pen.

I like it so much, I signed up to take Carla’s Joggles class!

Things have been a little sad around here since Rocky’s passing.

Thank you so much, Carla, for helping to brighten up Twisty Lane!