Jane Austen Themed Trimmed Tree

Hello All!

It is that time of year again,

when I go down to the basement...

and rummage through boxes....

find things I forgot I ever had...

and gather up arm fulls of nostalgia

to deck our home out for the holidays.
Yay! 

You can see the wintery cup I had 
my tea in while I decorated.

Each year I bring out my Jane Austen tree,

and each year she looks just a little different.

This year I added 

silvery minty pine cones.

 

Here she is last year with 

additional adornments 

created by loving friends!

Jane did not mind sharing : ) 

Here is my new 2015 Jane ornament! 

My dear friend Suzy creates
beautiful angel ornaments in this style,
and I crafted this with Suzy's angels in mind.
Thank you for inspiring me Suzy!

   
"Be Merry in the Moment" is written on
one of her ribbons. 
It seemed like something Jane might say.  

The artist is the English portrait painter
 William Beechey, and the 
woman he painted is Marcia Fox.   
I believe this image was one of the first
portrait art used on a Austen book cover.

She looks very Jane like to me : )    
Do you think she looks like Jane? 

Steventon was Jane's Childhood home.
She wrote Northanger Abbey, Sense & Sensibility

and Pride & Prejudice, here 

but they were not published until later.
This is a very easy ornament to create.
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 card stock with glitter edges,
Pinked edged image
A little lace, a little button
and some glittered branches.

This ornament looks a littler harder,
but it is quite easy to make too.

A Jane image of your choice,
This one is not accuate
for clothing or hairstyle
but the feeling for me
was very Jane like.  
two ovals of cardstock 1/4 " larger all around
than your image.

16 snowflakes, two kinds...

6 " of ribbon,

1 rhinestone, 

1 large jump ring

1 bead dangle.

I used two kinds of glitter on

the snowflakes.

The back piece is a print 

of a letter of Jane's.

I did a short video of making one,

and if I can figure out how to get it off my phone,

lol, I will post it : )  

*Most of the images I used can be*

*found if you go to all my Jane posts*

HERE  

Many of you are making all kinds of
amazing Christmas art!
I love visiting your blogs and seeing
what you are doing.  

Holiday crafting is so much fun : )

Whew!

this was a long post 

and hopefully not overwhelming!

 The most important part of Christmas 

is not crafting, decorating or shopping...

(those these are joyful too...not the shopping though...lol)

The priceless part of celebrating Christmas

is the magic of HOPE and

being with loved ones!

Sharing here with you is wonderful!

Wishing you all a December full of LOVE

  

 Hugs to you all,

Terri 

I am joining Sandi for No Place Like Home
and Bernideen's BTTCG party

Martha is back posting for Tea Cup Tuesday!
I am so thankful : )
Yay Martha!
 

Last Autumn Tea...with Jane

Hello All!

It is good to "see"

you all again this week

: ) 

I enjoyed visiting you!

Yesterday was a brilliant day to

have tea outdoors.

As you can see,

the maple tree was still wearing 

her fall coat. 

The birch in front of her 

had long lost her golden glow.

Today, 

the maple is almost bare 

after a cold wet and windy day. 

This time of year weather can 

change so quickly,

and it reminds me winter is coming!

Having tea outdoors...

with Jane...

on a gift of a day...

Bliss full! 

"but for my own part, if a book is well written,

I always find it too short.”

Jane Austen 

I totally agree with Jane here. 

The Christmas season always 

brings Jane close to me.

I do not know why...

Her birthday is December 16,

the same day as one of my own.

As the weather chills...

 ...I find myself reading my 

favorite stories all over again,

 Having a lovely tea cup 

to drink from?

: )

I forgot to take a pic of my tea.
I enjoyed a cup of chai! 

She is a pretty cup?

Her shape interests me.

Her roses are lovely.

Her country of origin is Austria

and this stamp was in use from 1880 - 1925.

*

Do you have favorite stories you

love to read during December?

I am very honored that 

The Jane Austen Center 

(click on name above to see)
is sharing my Jane Austen themed 

Christmas tree in their 

newsletter and online magazine...

There is a recent picture of me there...

if you would like to take a look : ) 

Thank you for coming by for a visit today!

I loved reading all your comments last week.

You are all so kind!

I do not know if Martha will post this week.

Please...

keep her in your good healing thoughts

and prayers.  

I am joining Ruth, Bernideen, Sandi  for tea,
as well as Judith for her Mosaic Monday. 

Thank you ladies for hosting! 
 

Hugs,

Terri

Thanksgiving Tea Time

Hello All! 

Thank you for stopping by!

Being back in Bloglandia has been a joy.

Hearing from many of you...

Priceless!

This time of year,

when the leaves burst into colorful expression

and the air has a certain chill,

I find myself more reflective than

the busy hot summer months. 

Tea is a perfect companion for reflection...

as you all know....

*smile*

Today I enjoyed a mix of some of my favorite herbs...

Chamomile

Nettle

Spearmint 

Peppermint

in  a  sweet tea cup given to me by my friend Dianne Buckley. 

Thank you again Dianne!

It is a lovely little tea cup,

very sturdy and very comfortable 

in the hand for such a pretty cup. 

She is "Ming Rose"

by Foley,

a fine company.

I sipped my tea while working on the card above,

it is almost done.

Creating holiday cards for family and friends

is a loving task,

I was able to focus and finish my cards. Yay!

I felt so thankful for each loved one!

How lucky are we to have those in our lives

who know us and love us!

How precious love is!

I started writing a list of all I was thankful for...

You all here are on it!

There is so much to be 

Thankful for!

Every single day!

I am thankful for Martha,

Dear Martha is going through a very 

challenging time.

*Send her as much love as you can*

Wishing you all...

where ever you are

and in whatever circumstances...

JOY

******************

( I have put up my Jane Austen themed tree!

I will share next post)

Hugs to you All

Terri 

I am joining Judith for the first time for Mosaic Monday
I also am joining Sandi for No Place Like Home,
Bernideen and Ruth for tea!
Thank you for hosting ladies! 
(I am sorry about the tiny font! I can't seem to fix it!)  

Time to say Hello!

Hello All!

(It feels so good to say those words!)

Happy Autumn!

I am so thrilled to be back with you all!

The ATC above is an older one,

but my sentiments are the same...

Colorful falling leaves

have a musical magic all their own. 

 

I have been away all year long,

and I have missed each one of you very much.

It is time I return to Bloglandia.

We have had many ups and downs, 

and have been so thankful for all your good thoughts,

prayers, cards, e-mails and handmade art

and even Skype chats!

Thank you all!

Many times you have comforted and cheered me : )

on exactly the right day....

at exactly the right time....

Don't you just love how that happens?

Thank You! 

Many times I was not able to respond during the past year,

and have hoped I have caught up with everyone by now.

Please forgive me if I missed you somehow! 

When November first arrived,

I knew I would be posting before the holiday.

(which surprised me as the day before I thought it might be ages yet!)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in many ways...

Not the history, but the idea of having a day that everyone

knows is a day about giving thanks. 

That does it for me! lol, 

During this past year I have been able to do
some creating here and there,

and it seems I am getting a little more done recently.
Yay!

 I needed a blanket for my bed...

One large granny square!

No concentration needed!

lol!

Emma and Betsy wasted no time in snuggling on it from the 

moment I first began to crochet it!

 I made a new glitter "house"...a tree lot....

this is the little sales hut in it's early stage. 

Here is the hut with a frosty roof 

and new wreaths waiting to be adorned.

I will share how it all came out closer to Christmas : )

I took an interesting painting class with 

Will Kemp, he is a wonderful teacher.

This is one of my attempts at his lessons.

There have been days I was able to visit many of you and 

see the amazing art you have been creating!

Wow!

You all really inspire me!

And...the many gorgeous tea times! 

Martha, thank you for hosting

Tea Cup Tuesday...

you are a lovely host.

My thoughts are with you!

I hope to visit you soon for tea : )

I look forward to visiting as many of you as I can.

Thank you for visiting!
See you soon!

Hugs, and hugs,

Terri

New Year-New Chances!

Hello All!

I want to thank each and everyone of you

for all your visits these past years!

Thank you also for all your lovely encouraging comments! 

You are all so dear to me,

I can hardly believe how lucky I have been to meet you! 

You have taught me so much, and spread so much love!

I have totally enjoyed these past 5 years on this blog

and joining in all the tea party fun too.

This year, I am having to focus my attention on health.

I will not be hosting Tea Cup Tuesday for the foreseeable future.

Boo hoo!

But, I will pop in as often as I can

to Martha's Tea Cup Tuesday party : )

And I will hop around when I can and visit YOU.

As soon as I can return, I will be back!

"No matter how challenging life can be...

It is still Wonder Full every single day!"

Hugs to you all!

Terri

Tea Cup Tuesday-Happy New Year!

Hello All!

Welcome to the last Tea Cup Tuesday 

of 2014

with Martha and me!

It is almost time to say "good-bye" to 2014 and 

"hello" to 2015. 

I am thankful for each and every day I experienced this year, 

and I look forward to all the possibilities of this coming year. 

Thank you all for your loving thoughts and prayers for my family and

myself  this past year.

I really truly appreciate it!

I wish for each of you, daily presence, moments of clarity and

heaps of opportunities for JOY!

I am sharing here a little tea joy from the holidays...

I brought out this sweet little winter berry-ish

set for Christmas eve...

These cookies, and the cookies above, are  traditional

treats for our family during Christmas.

This very simple set is lovely in candlelight. 

The silver trim takes on a warm glow.

It is by Syracuse China, made right here in America.

Harmony, is a sweet name for this pattern,

My Jane Austen tree rests in my art room window.

It is a lovely spot to see in the morning sun.

Since I took this image, 

the tree has been filled with ornaments from 

friends here in blogland. 

I am amazed at all the gorgeous and loving

art you all have shared with me!

Thank you again!

I cherish each one and will take pictures!

This is my latest little creation,

the Pink house. 

It is hard to see...

...but there is a snowman and a bird bath in the front garden.
I used the Picture Window pattern for this one. 

I have been enjoying this simple creative craft of mini houses,

and have just about finished a Christmas tree lot! lol!

Pure fun : )

How are you exploring your creativity? 

Are you having fun?

Even though we go through some tough things here at home,

I make it a priority to have some true fun as often as possible.

I think it is the elixir of life!

*********************

Thank you Martha,
for keeping Tea Cup Tuesday

week to week all year long!

Thank you for stopping by to visit!

Happy New Year!

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

Martha and I would love to visit you too : )

Hugs,

Terri

Tea Cup Tuesday-Tea and the Creative spirit

Hello All!

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday!

I apologize for my very long absence.

Back in June I had no idea I would be away from 

my computer and Bloglandia for so long. 

I truly did miss you all!

Thank you for the many kind messages, cards

and words of support!

I appreciated each one!

I have missed visiting you all for Tea Cup Tuesday!

Martha  has been a perfect host all by herself,

Thank You Dear Martha!

Tea has remained a part of my daily life,

my favorite chamomile, or a fresh cup of ginger tea 

often accompany me to my art room.  

I find tea encourages my creative spirit,
and definitely soothes the soul.

Drinking warm aromatic tea while musing over a design is heaven to me.

My cup this time was a lovely thistle pattern...

looks very festive with holly shaped leaves and 

brilliant flowers.
(she does not have a pink background, it was
late at night when I took this image)

She was a lucky find along with a dessert plate!

And, a very low price, always nice....

(drying, late at night)

In between other life events that have taken precedence, 

I have managed to do a bit of creating to keep me going : )

Some sewing, some painting,

crocheting, knitting, a little collage fun and

finally my first glitter house....

 

Recently my husband and I began the "little charmer" together,

he did all the difficult cuts! Thanks sweetie!

I painted it up a bit, 

(above before glitter)

and put on a tentative layer of glitter...

I am sure I sipped a little glitter in my tea at some point....

It took a couple cups of tea and a day or two to finish this little home...

 Here she is all glittered up,

4 1/2 inches tall and

the same wide. 

She puts me in the Christmas mood!

(gosh, I forgot to put her lights on!)

How Cheery!

She makes me smile. 

I would not mind coming home to her frosty front door.

The first thing I would do is put the kettle on,
then light the fire in the fireplace

.. Lol!

I would definitely have a thistle pattern tea cup in
the cozy little cottage : )

This festive cup would do nicely.

I can thank Royal Albert for creating this beautiful pattern,

Highland Thistle.

Between 1964-1969 this tea cup was manufactured.

My little charmer was made from thick cardstock,

and left over bits of paper from card making. 

I think you could even make it from an empty

cereal box, or shoebox. 

Tea and creating are a blessing.

Tea and creating Christmas art is even better : )

**********************

How are you doing?

What has your creative attention lately? 

I will come and see you all,

but forgive me if I do not comment just yet.

Thank you for stopping by!

 Hugs,

Terri