I Love Polka Dots!

I love polka dots so you can imagine my reaction when I opened this birthday box!

Royal Albert's Polka Rose!

Some of my favorite things found in one teacup!

Polka dots, roses, the lovely aqua color, and a wonderful cup for tea. 

Now add a sugar cookie in the shape of a cup.

Yum!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Happy Owloween!

Halloween is just around the corner and
 I'm celebrating potion (tea) making Owl style!

I found the owl teapot and cups and saucers at Macy's -- on sale!

Yippee!

The pattern is Edle Rose by Rachel Bilson Dinnerware, Owl Teapot

I don't believe the butterflies on the saucers have a true function other than being cute!

I'm careful how I handle and store them. 

I'm joining:

Nancy for Tuesday Muse 

 and some lovely tea parties:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Wishing all of you well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

Happy Owloween!

Tea in the Garden

During my last visit to the Japanese Garden

I took a little tea cup with me.

I hoped I'd find a place or two I could make this little cup the star.

I think the garden fairies would approve.

Don't you?

"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty."

~Japanese Proverb

Thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

A Return To Loveliness
Friends Sharing Tea
Teacup Tuesday

Tuesday Cup'a Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Rose Garden Tea Set

Hard to believe January is almost over.
Valentine's Day is right around the corner.
This year I added this friendly Owl to my Valentine decorations.

I thought I'd invite him to tea! 

I found this trio before Christmas at Marshalls.

It is called Rose Garden - Fine China Afternoon Tea Set by

the English Table.

Lovely roses, a beautiful bird on one side of the cup and roses on the other.

It is quiet around here.

Cloudy again.

And warm -- high today in low 80s.

Bodes ill for Ughust! 

I'd like some more cool! 

Thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

A Return To Loveliness
Friends Sharing Tea
Teacup Tuesday

Tuesday Cup'a Tea

Tea Talk

Share Your Cup Thursday

Wishing you well, much joy and a lovely cup of tea!

Going Green

I'm going green today.

This is my new Aynsley teacup.

I found it at the Guild Shop -- a thrift shop/granny's attic shop run by the Episcopal Church.

Two of my favorite things:

GREEN and ROSES!

Elegant, isn't it?!!

Definitely a little finger held out at attention when I use this cup!

I found the tea towel with its green background at Tuesday Morning.

It reminds me of some I've seen at Anthropologie.

More favorite things:

the color green, teapots, teacups and birds!

Finally, some green tea with ginger.

Pretty in the pot!

Two Leaves Tea Company announced a new line of affordable "luxury" teas

from the Paisley Tea Company.

They are traditional English Style paper teabags (no tag or string)

with tea that's organic and fair trade certified.

I was asked by Stephanie at Steph's Cup of Tea

if I would taste test three of the new teas and I said yes!

Today I'm sharing the Green Tea with Ginger.

I love Green Tea and I love ginger, but I wasn't impressed with this tea.

It had a wonderful gingery aroma and the color was pleasant,

but it was too medicinal tasting for me.

I cut the kettle off before the water boiled and waited for about a minute before I added it to the tea, letting the tea steep for about 3 minutes.

Perhaps my *taster* was just off.

I kept comparing it to a matcha tea with ginger I had the week before that knocked my socks off.

An unfair comparison, I'm sure.

Next week I'll share reviews of two teas that I loved!

Thanking our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday
Friends Sharing Tea
Teacup Tuesday

Wishing you WELL, much JOY and a wonderful cup of TEA!

Tea and Gardens

Lindsey Goodwin writes a tea and coffee column for About.com.

In her email today, she talks about tea and gardens.

Coffee grounds and tea leaves are good for compost.

If you don't have a compost pile, she suggests adding coffee or tea around

your flowers for extra fertilizer ... something I've done for years.

Also, some bugs (like ants) don't like coffee!

(Perhaps they don't like tea either!)

This teapot makes me smile.

It is from East Hampton and their Chinatown collection.

Unfortunately, the mugs that went with the teapot were sold out,

but my Fiesta mugs in all their assorted colors work well.

The wonderful tea towel is from Anthropologie.

Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, 

dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue,

awakens thought and prevents drowsiness,

lightens or refreshes the body,

and clears the perceptive faculties.

~Confucius

There are so many tea parties in the blogging world.

These are just a few.

Martha and Teri who host Teacup Tuesday

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday: Wanda Lee and Pam

Sandi at Teatime Tuesday

Tea and Flowers

Do you Rue La La?

I do a lot of window shopping there.

Every now and then I find something I really La-La over!

DD (dear daughter) spoiled me during her father's illness.

After his passing, she made sure I had flowers for Valentine's Day.

She knows how much I like Tracy Porter.

I love Porter's color combinations and wild and crazy designs.

DD found this tea set: teapot, sugar and creamer on Rue La La.
Each piece is a little sculpture.

And, now it lives with me!

It is from the Vivre Collection.

Beautiful tea and flowers ... good for the soul.

Big THANK YOUS to our hostesses:

Mary at Mosaic Monday

Martha and Teri who host Teacup Tuesday

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday: Wanda Lee and Pam

Sandi at Teatime Tuesday

Party On!

Wishing you well.

***
Edit: My back has gone on the fritz and I can't sit for very long.
My apologies to all of you for not visiting and I'll try to catch up another day.
Wishing you well and good backs!!!

Virtual Shopping

I had no plans to go on another virtual shopping trip.

When the Old Durham Road catalog arrived in the mail I was going to file it directly in recycling.

Then I saw this...

The first of the royal wedding china for Will and Kate.

Opening the catalog led to finding several lovely tea sets.

One is the nautical looking Captain's Tea Service.

The East India Tea Company was chartered by Queen Elizabeth in 1600 and the ship's captain tea service would have looked much like this lovely blue and white. 

Then there is the beautiful and regal looking set that makes up the Royal Collection-

The Queen Victoria Range.

This official range of china commemorates the golden age of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) from the Royal Collection. The design takes its inspiration from English bone china commissioned by Queen Victoria for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and features her signature. 

I'm linking to multiple memes this week.

We have a house full of family visiting Mr. Dragon and I needed to make life a little easier!

Besides, I wanted to stop by and at least wave!

I'd like to thank the hostesses of the following memes:

Mosaic Monday, Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday, 

Tea Time Tuesday,  and Teacup Tuesday!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week.

Tea Cozies

The celebration of National Hot Tea Month continues!

The folks at Favorite Crafts sent out an email with lots of tea related goodies. 

You can find the patterns on their web site.

Image from Favorite Crafts

They suggest that we hold a tea party for our friends,

or just for ourselves and make some wonderful tea party accents

to celebrate this special month.

Mosaic made from images from Favorite Crafts. You can find the patterns for these cozies there.

I do love tea cozies.

Some of the prettiest crochet cozies can be found at Crochet With Raymond.

There are so many lovely tea parties in blogland.
A few of them are:
Teacup Tuesday, Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday and Tea Time Tuesday.
A big thank you to all of our hostesses!

Wishing you well, a JOY filled week and a wonderful cup of tea!

There is the size of the leaf:
Its unique shape,
Its unique color,
Its unique fragrance,
A taste all its own.
And it changes ... sip by sip.
~Ron Rubin, Tea Chings

***

We are between family visits this week and looking forward to a little quiet.
Mr. Dragon is still able to go up and down the stairs,
enjoys food and has enjoyed seeing friends and family.
As he says, we will laugh, smile and enjoy life as long as we can.
Thank you for your prayers, kind thoughts, white light that you have sent to us.

I Just Can't Help Myself!

The catalogs keep coming in and I keep looking!

I found these fun tea things in the Acorn Catalog.

It is fun to let the fingers do the walking and then send the catalog on to recycling! 

The  red pot with the polka dots (I love polka dots) is a tea tower.

Dismantled, the tower becomes an 8 oz. teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, and 4 oz mug with saucer.

Stacked, it's 10" tall.

The lavender tea set is white ceramic hand-painted with delicate sprays of lavender.

Edges and rims are scalloped.

It is a 10 piece set that includes teapot, two cups with saucers, cream and sugar, and tray with handles.

I thought the cups with the dogs were fun and it's always good to Keep Calm and Carry On!

A book, a comfortable chair, a free hour or two, and your own pot of tea.

The ceramic pot is embellished with books, titles, and the names of famous authors.

It is 6 inches high and holds 18oz of tea.

I think this one may have to go on my wish list!

Finally, to continue to celebrate January and Hot Tea Month,

Christopher Hitchens has written an article published at Slate on how to make the perfect cup of tea.

There are many wonderful tea parties in the blogging world.

Teacup Tuesday (thank you to Martha and Teri), Tea Time Tuesday and

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday are just three of them.

Wishing you well and a delicious cup of tea.

January is Hot Tea Month!

Did you know that January is Hot Tea Month?

I thought it was the perfect way to celebrate the first tea post of the new year.

There is a nice article at About.com on tea and celebrating hot tea month.

To celebrate even more, I'm sharing a tea cup with a story.

This cup belonged to my godchildren's grandmother.

It came into her hands while she was living in India and was probably purchased

from a Chinese trader. The silk road was still going strong in the 1940's and 50's.

This cup is at least as old as I am! 

WOW!

It is porcelain and is the rice pattern, but not the standard blue and white rice pattern

that is common today.

Look at the gold edges on the cup and saucer.

The gold on the dragon and around the lovely red flowers.

Finally, the rice pattern.

The quintessential Chinese dinnerware, Rice Pattern, is named as such for the grains of rice that were embedded in the clay before firing.  The intense heat in the kiln destroys the grains and leaves a little translucent "porcelain window" in the final form.  This style of dinnerware has been produced in china since at least 960, during the Song Dynasty. 

A very special gift that I will treasure.

and a big thank you to Martha and Teri at 

Teacup Tuesday

and

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday.

Happy Tea Day!

Red Tea Pot

New little red teapot from TJ Maxx

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Thank you!!!

Tea Tuesday

How about a wreath titled Christmas Tea for Tea Tuesday?

I thought it was perfect for Christmas and Tuesday tea.

I 'd like to thank  Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

and Teacup Tuesday for hosting Tea on Tuesday!

Wishing you well and a yummy cup of tea!

Tea Tuesday

Today I'm having a cup of Tazo Lotus Green Tea 

in what I call my rice with dragon set from China.

The pattern in the clay is made using rice. Once it is fired, only the pattern is left.

You can see a flower outline on the tea pot.

The dragon (painted in a lovely blue) is found on the inside bottom of the cup and on the saucer.

I had dim sum and tea with a friend and was reminded of one of my favorite tea stories from China when my friend tapped two fingertips on the table after I poured the tea.

Over the years the Chinese imperial court adopted the custom of drinking tea. They drank it in the ornamental gardens, or in special small buildings dedicated to making and serving tea to family or friends. In the cities, pavilions for taking tea became meeting places and were visited by men who would talk politics or business or simply relax. Special equipment was developed, culminating in the decorative pots and cups that we see today. Taking tea became a formal process and different styles of making and drinking tea developed. Some of these special traditions remain today.

One such tradition is to tap on the table and there is a story behind this. An emperor was concerned about the living conditions of his subjects and wished to see for himself what life was like outside the court. He dressed as an ordinary man and, taking a few guards with him, also dressed in ordinary clothes, went to a tea pavilion in the town. He asked for tea, and a pot of tea with cups was brought to the table. The waiter poured the tea and set the pot beside the emperor. When they had drunk the cups of tea, the emperor served more tea to his men. The men needed a secret way to show their gratitude and respect to their emperor and, using two fingers, his guards bent their knuckles and knocked then on the table. This was to signify kneeling before him. A reference to this tradition survives today: when your host pours you a cup of tea you should tap your first two fingertips twice on the table as thanks.

There are lots of Tea Parties in Blogland.

Two of my favorites:

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

and

for tea cups on parade be sure to visit Teacup Tuesday.

Thank you ladies!

Silver jasmine is a delicate flower that adds a sweet fragrance and light flavor to green tea.

(365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know)

Wishing you well, a JOY filled week and a great cup of tea!

Tea Tuesday

I'm getting the Thanksgiving decorations out.

This is the teapot I use during November.

I love the oak leaves and acorns around the lid.

 

 I'm having a cup of Tazo Wild Sweet Orange tea today while I go over some museum notes.

The *new* (remodeled and in a new space) China gallery is now open and that means I need to rethink my food and feast tour. I've found that it doesn't matter whether I'm giving a tour to adults or to children, if I can tell them a good story they'll remember the piece I'm talking about or will at least remember their trip to the museum!

One of the stories I came across is about Oolong tea. The name Oolong dates back to before the Ming Dynasty when it was still an unnamed bush. One day when the bush was in full blossom a tea planter picked some of its leaves and tried making a tea with them. He drank some and also offered it to his neighbors. His neighbors were particularly delighted with the tea, so the tea planter invited them to name the tea. One morning at dawn, a tea picker saw a black snake silently coiled around a branch of the unnamed bush. When the tea picker drew near, it slid away. Remembering the snake and thinking that it was attracted by the delicious aroma of the tea leaves, the neighbors called the tea Wu-long. "Wu" means black and "Long" means dragon or snake. (In Chinese the same word is used for dragons and snakes.) The name, black dragon tea, has been used ever since, by growers and connoisseurs alike.

That's just one of the stories. I have so many to choose from!

There are many tea parties in blogland.

For tea cups on parade, please visit Teacup Tuesday and the hostesses Martha and Terri.

Wishing you well, a JOY filled day, and a wonderful cup of tea.

"Teatime is by its very nature a combination of small luxuries arranged in social symmetry. And although tea for one is certainly a fine thing, the addition of a circle of dear friends to share it with ensures the whole is larger than its parts." ~Author Unknown

Tea Tuesday

I'm sitting here with my tea and Halloween decorations

listening to Mannheim Steamroller's HALLOWEEN.

I love Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller and had no idea he had a Halloween CD.

Where have I been?! What fun!

I've been thinking about Spiced Tea.

It's just about time, don't you think?

I know, it's still 90 degrees here, but sooner or later it will cool down

and spiced tea sounds good to me.

Do you have a recipe for spice tea?

I was looking for mine (with Tang ... do they still make Tang?!) and couldn't find it.

So, I googled on Spice Tea and the first recipe that came up was from the Hillbilly Housewife!

Really! Here's her recipe:

• 2 to 3 cups of sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
• 2 packets orange kool-aid mix
• 1 or 2 packets lemon kool-aid mix (depending on your sour tooth)
• 1/2 cup instant tea
• 1 or 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Get out a large dry bowl. Measure the sugar into the bowl. Open up the kool-aid packets and add them to the sugar. Stir well with a wire whisk or a clean dry fork. Add the instant tea, cinnamon and cloves. Stir again to mix well. This makes about 4 3/4 cups of mix. Store it in a well sealed container.

To Prepare: Combine a tablespoon of Spiced Tea Mix with hot water in a cup or mug. Stir to dissolve. Serve hot.

Be sure to use the small fruit flavored soft drink (kool-aid) packets, the ones without any sugar added. I buy an off brand at 10 for a dollar. The name brand ones are about a quarter each. Regular recipes for Russian, or Spiced tea usually call for lemonade mix and Tang. I developed this recipe using the same flavors, but without the higher priced, sugar added, mixes. Use your own sugar, and save a bundle. This mix may be packaged in small plastic bags and given out as a gift at Christmas. Be sure to include instructions on how to prepare it.

Note: I prepare this recipe with 4 cups of sugar and 2 packets of lemonade mix which makes it very sweet. When I make a cup of it for myself I add a large dash of bottled lemon juice for flavor and tang. The rest of my family prefers the tea plain and sweet. I note this for reasons other lemon lovers will understand, especially if they have been subjected to over sweetened lemon concoctions as often as I. The extra dash of lemon juice gives this beverage just the right amount of “pucker”. It tastes especially good on a sore throat.

Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller HALLOWEEN

I found another recipe that looks what I remember mine to be:

Spiced Tea Mix 1 1/2 cups instant tea powder 2 cups orange flavored instant breakfast powder 1 (3-ounce) package lemonade mix 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger Combine all ingredients until well blended. Store mix in an airtight container. To make 1 cup of spiced tea: Place 2 teaspoons tea mix in a cup, add boiling water, stir and enjoy! Makes 64 servings or 3 1/2 cups mix. I'd love to know if you have a recipe for spice tea! There are so many tea parties on Tuesday and not enough time! Teacup Tuesday is hosted by Martha and Terri. There are four major tea types - black, oolong, green and white. Black tea undergoes the longest process of oxidation. Wishing you well, a JOY filled day, and a wonderful cup of tea!

Spiced Tea Mix

1 1/2 cups instant tea powder

2 cups orange flavored instant breakfast powder

1 (3-ounce) package lemonade mix

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Combine all ingredients until well blended. Store mix in an airtight container.
2. To make 1 cup of spiced tea: Place 2 teaspoons tea mix in a cup, add boiling water, stir and enjoy!

Makes 64 servings or 3 1/2 cups mix.

I'd love to know if you have a recipe for spice tea! There are so many tea parties on Tuesday and not enough time! Teacup Tuesday is hosted by Martha and Terri.

There are four major tea types - black, oolong, green and white.

Black tea undergoes the longest process of oxidation.

Wishing you well, a JOY filled day, and a wonderful cup of tea!

Tea Tuesday

It's that time of year when the post box is full of catalogs.

I let my fingers do the walking through one of my favorites:

Victorian Trading Company

and found some wonderful tea goodies that I thought I'd share with you.

(All of the images are from the Victorian Trading Company.)

A little something for Christmas.

December Scrapbook Porcelain

I may have to order these.

I love to read, love books and having literary quotes about tea

sounds like a lot of fun!

Novel Teas - Quotes About Tea

The teapot cookie cutters made me smile!

Teapot Cookie Cutters

I first found the Victorian Trading Company in Victoria Magazine 

many, many years ago.

It seems only correct that they have the book -

Victoria: The Essential Tea Companion.

Victoria: The Essential Tea Companion

I think this set was my favorite.

Oh, Santa!!!!!

Pretty Bird

*A little tea trivia for you:

In early eighteenth century Britain, tea was served in coffeehouses, which were restricted to men only. If women wanted tea from these locations, they had to have a man purchase the tea for them.

Teacup Tuesday is hosted by Martha and Terri.

Be sure to stop by and see the tea cups on parade!

*Keenum is from China and is known as the "burgundy of teas." 

It is full-bodied with a light taste.

* From 365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know

Wishing you well, a JOY filled week, and a great cup of tea!