Tea Cup Tuesday-Picnic Ready!

Hello All!

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday with Martha and me!
We have been having a blast
visiting all of you each week!
We have seen some gorgeous china,
serene tea settings
and mouthwatering desserts...
and
enjoyed tea poetry.
But best of all we have
enjoyed visiting you friends!
Thank you all!

A couple weeks ago I shared a post about the basket 

I was painting to use for a picnic.

The idea of sitting by a lake, 

watching geese swim by while 

sipping tea and reading a good book,

seems like heaven to me. 

So I have been collecting the china to use,

picking out the linens,

choosing fabric and crafting containers. 

I just finished sewing
some padded sleeves of various designs
to protect the china and cutlery.

A larger sleeve for the Bavarian luncheon plates.

(simple cream and gold...)

The fabric is a sateen cotton,
so it has a bit of a sheen.

...and I needed to figure out
some kind of design to
hold the tea cups safely.

I am not much for patterns,
so I just visualize what I am wanting
and go from there.
lol!

I chose two of my inspiration cups from my first post

to use for this basket set.

here is the beginning of the tea cup protector

They ended up being a draw string pouch....

which seems to work well. 

There are two layers of padding between. 

The tea cup image is from the Grapics Fairy.

Thank you Karen!

The tea cups sits snugly in their pocket,

the top half tucked inside the cup for extra protection.

The saucer sleeves have some pretty ribbon

and "Time For Tea" on the front.

I somehow missed taking a full pic 

of the silverware holder.

It is a simple roll and wrap thing. 

Here is the inside,

I used an old cotton/linen textile.

I found it and some other older fabric

at a local estate sale. 

I left the gold printing 

that indicates the fabric.

I love the feel of old linens

They are so soft yet strong. 

The pocket placements called for a little math.

And a a little fancy stitching.

I have some lovely silverware I found at a local

antique shop a few years ago.

They were used as a reference as to how 

wide all the pockets should be.

 All but the silverware roll is visible in the basket.

Oh here you can see the silverware roll

bottom right hand side.

So...

How will I make tea out doors? 

What a coincidence and surprise when  Sashee Chandran 

e-mailed me and asked if I would be willing to try her

new tea product called Teadrops.

She has created a way to have tea without a tea bag.

Very portable!

This is the box of tea she sent me to try out.

It smells heavenly!

I am so impressed with this young woman's venture.

My first tea picnic I will be using Sashee's tea for the first time.

You can read more about Teadrops at myteadrop.com 

I have decided just to take boiling water in my stainless steel thermos.

And as to where to have a tea picnic...

I have chosen a beautiful park with roses 

and a peaceful pond.

We have been having some good weather,

so this week looks really good for it.

Next week I will share how my picnic 

and the new tea goes.

Wish me good weather : )

I hope you are all well,
and that your week is full of 
creativity.

If you would like to join in just add your tea cup post below.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I appreciate your visit and I love reading your comments.

Hugs,

Terri

You can visit my co host, the wonderful Martha
at Martha's Favorites

I am joining these ladies for tea this week too : )

 Sandi, Bernideen, Ruth and Kathy
(their names are links to their lovely blogs).

Tea Wallets!

Hello All!

In my last post I shared a lovely tea wallet

my friend Gale made....

(She sews beautifully,

all neat and tidy.)

This one is going in my best purse.

I did not even know they existed!

How could that happen?

lol!

Normally I would use an old zippy bag and put a variety of tea bags inside.

Eventually though, some would escape to the roomier bottom of my purse,

where I would fish while at a restaurant, only to cup up with old cough drops.

And how many times did I end up using an old crumpled tea bag!

I find this invention brilliant!

Also,

I was inspired to make some myself.... 

just because I love to make things!

(I am not a neat and tidy...)

There are many tutorials online for these beauties.

I went to Pinterest and viewed many different ones.

Wow! There are so many artistic bloggers out there!

 Here is my first tea wallet!

I tried to make it proper, 

turned it inside out to sew,

but I did not go all the way around

on the outside with stitching. 

My machine wasn't fond of all the layers. 

 I used a vintage oval doily, cut in half,

for the pockets. 

I found the tea cup graphic at Pinterest,

I could not find the original place it was

pinned from, and I did really try. 

There are a few versions of it.

Here is one...

My version has more green in it.

I do like the shabby look of the old linen. 

So I thought I would try to 

make one even more shabby....

This one I didn't even to turn it inside out.

I thought since it was shabby,

why bother?

lol!

I used two different old doilies,

one that I had previously dyed.

It is delightful to have a stash 

of textiles, some dyed different colors.

 Here is the back...

And the simple button closure. 

Now I have three tea wallets,

one for each purse.

Yay!

What fun too.

I was so inspired by all the amazing tea

wallets I saw on Pinterest. 

Go have a good look : )

I have a few more pinned and ready to sew.

Sewing seems to be my latest crush. 

Happy Weekend 

and

Happy Creating!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Terri

Tea Cup Tuesday

 Hello All!

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday!

Spring has been full of surprises,

weather wise, here lately.

How is spring in your area? 

Are you getting out doors for tea?

Recently a very kind friend named Gale
gave me a handmade gift...

It is a tea wallet!

I truly have never seen one before.
Have you?

How easy to take tea along in your purse,
and in such a beautiful way!
Thank you Gale!
You are so talented, thoughtful and kind!

*******

To close I leave you with an interesting quote about sharing tea...

“In Ireland, you go to someone's house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you're really just fine. She asks if you're sure. You say of course you're sure, really, you don't need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don't need a ting. Well, she says then, I was going to get myself some anyway, so it would be no trouble. Ah, you say, well, if you were going to get yourself some, I wouldn't mind a spot of tea, at that, so long as it's no trouble and I can give you a hand in the kitchen. Then you go through the whole thing all over again until you both end up in the kitchen drinking tea and chatting." -C.E Murphy

May you have a lovely day,

and some quiet time to sit

and enjoy teatime. 

Hugs,

Terri

You can visit my co host, the wonderful Martha
at Martha's Favorites

I am joining these ladies for tea this week too : )

 Sandi, Bernideen, Ruth
(their names are links to their lovely blogs).

I look forward to visiting you all today and tomorrow for tea...

Tea Cup Tuesday-Unexpected Guests

Hello All!

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday!

We has surprise visitors for Easter...

Rain, Wind and Cold Front!

Hence, no Easter picnic tea.

But we did have a very nice day anyways.

And I am ready for the first nice day for my picnic.

Instead of sharing my picnic today...

I am sharing a very romantic cup!

I bought this cup soon after returning home from France,
and had seen a cup that looked like it at Versailles.

So I was quite excited to bring her home. 

I think she is old. 

She is certainly thin and delicate.
Her coloring is just right for Easter.

Inside the rim we are treated to several different posies.

This sweet violet posy has a tiny insect by it on the right side...
can you see?

At first I thought it was a flaw, but no,
when I enlarged it to work on the image,

I could see it has little tiny wings!

This could be forget me not?

and maybe another posey of forget me nots?

(please excuse the blue tint...have no idea where it came from!)

The cup has this mark on it.

I think it looks interesting,

but I have no idea the manufacturer.

Here is an image of the stamped marks on the plate

...something 79 and a 1...plus two tick marks by the artist?

Interesting!

Wish I knew!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Soon, it will warm up and the earth will not be so damp.
Then I will get out my new picnic basket and go to the gardens.
: )

Martha and I are thrilled to visit all of you each week!

I do hope you all had a good weekend,
May Springtime's restorative energy renew your hearts.

Hugs,
Terri

Dorthe's Kindness

I am thrilled to share with you some gifts that Dorthe

has so kindly sent me last month for my birthday.

We met online quite a while ago 

and began getting to know each other. 

Her and I share a love of nature.

She knows how I love birds and 

bits and pieces gathered on walks.

She created this lovely birdie vignette in a box!

Isn't it just lovely!

The coloring and textures are so dear,

The picture does not convey it the best.

Mossy bark and old script together,

and that sweet little nest!

I just love her handmade birdie gift! 

As if that wasn't enough,

She made this beautiful blue angel for me!

Isn't she just adorable???

I love her sweet face and vintage lace skirt,

as well as her blue sequined wings and top!

I am cherishing her handmade gifts as well as 

many extra goodies and cards!

Thank you so much Dorthe!

You really have touched my heart!
Visit her beautiful blog
Den Lille Ladde,
where you can see Dorthe's lovely creations.

Hugs!
Terri

Suzy's Kindness

A gift from Suzy's heart!
 

delightfully opening into so many possibilities! 

There is some lovely paper I could watercolor on to the left,

A beautiful saying by Rumi in the middle,

and a lovely heart collage on the right.

Can you see the pen in it's own holder?

Here is the inside back, such lovely colors and textures!

Suzy's color and texture choices are so perfect!
I adore the back, just look...
A feast for the artists eye!!!

Here is the corsage pin altered art that Suzy made for me too...
I was speechless after unwrapping these two items!

Again, such colors and textures...
and such a loving theme!

She also sent along lovely pieces of lace and fabric,
and many lovely little ephemera things!

Thank you again dear Suzy.
Your handmade gifts are treasures to me,
I am so honored!

Suzy is an incredible textile artist.
Many of you already know and appreciate her and her
lovely blog, Suziquesthreadworks.
Every time I visit her blog I am inspired!
It is autumn for her down under,
and she has recently posted her new
fall decor...beautiful!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
I am a little behind in posting but will catch up soon : )
I hope each and everyone of you are having a creative week.

Hugs,
Terri