Artful Affirmations: February 2013

Monday, February 25, 2013

Tea Cup Tuesday-Pink

Happy Tea Cup Tuesday!

It is a murky day here...

Great day to cheer up with a cup of tea and a visit!

First I want to share with you the surprise Frieda Oxenham sent me last week...

This lovely rosey quilt hanging!

I have long been an admirer of her needlework.

She creates the most amazing art quilts I have ever seen.

To see some more of her handiwork, you can visit her blog Frieda Quilter.

Thank you again Frieda! I really was surprised and I am sooooo thrilled!

For the moment, it is adorning the back of my slip covered couch in my art room.

I think it looks very cheery there. And with our dark gloomy days of late, it is a real blessing.

Today I chose a pink corset shaped cup by Aynsley for my Assam, milk and honey.

This is one the first cups I bought when I began truly collecting.

I love the color and the shape as well as the tea rose inside.

And here is another pretty pink cup just for you.

Do you like herbal tea or Black tea?
sugar, honey, milk, or lemon?

I thought I would show you the Anysley stamp as it is interesting.

So many different numbers.

It tells us when Aynsley was established, 1775

It gives us a pattern number 2225

And it may give us an artist initial with the R

The 28 must have to do with the date of manufacture, but I have yet to find the answer to that one.
I have seen Aynsleys online that have a 30 on them and the seller says it means they were made in the 30s. But I am not sure. My books do not address it. I am guessing though around 1940.

The Aynsley Collectors Society is a great place for more information about the long intricate history of the Aynsley family and their pottery.
But I did not see an explanation for the numbers on their site.

And the lovely pale pink tea cup is from Foley China.
I do love Foley as well. They make such lovely china.
This cup was created after 1943.

The weather here has been unusually cold and wet.
We did have some nice days here and there of high 60s, even high 70s.
But lately very chilllllllly.
I took this image at the Sarah Duke Gardens on January 12.
That was our 22nd anniversary.
It was a lovely day.

Then last couple weeks....

We had two snows!
This little guy was very surprised!
So was I when I opened the door that morning.

Many of our trees are in bud, daffodils up,
and all of my herbs have survived so far....
I am still keeping my fingers crossed.
winter is not over yet.

I have been busy in my art room. It looked like a bomb went off in it a few days ago,
But this weekend I was able to clean out quite well.
Just in time for me to start more projects and dig out more stuff!
Gotta love the process : )

How is the weather in your area?

I am totally enjoying more jewelry creations and have a new class coming out at
Creative Workshops in April. I will let you know more about that as it gets closer.
And I am really enjoying Misty Mawn's online art class Face to Face. It is truly an amazing experience! It lasts an entire year. Her lessons are awe inspiring!
I am learning to "see" and draw! It's slow going, but worth it.
In April I am going to Art and Soul and will be having lessons with her in person. Yay!

What are you up to?
Tell me about you?

If you would like to join in and share your tea cups just create a post with your cups in it and then come back here and link that specific post to Linky Tools below.

Martha and I have been doing this party for a while now...
Many of you know and love Martha like I do.
She is in need our prayers and healing thoughts.
She is going through a tough time.

We both appreciate you all very much.

Hugs,
Terri

Monday, February 18, 2013

Tea Cup Tuesday-Toast and Tea

Hello All!

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday with Martha and me!

Come in and choose a comfy seat by the fire...

Would you like a cup of tea?

Here is a pretty cup for you...

Would you like some Earl Gray or some Assam?

Your lovely cup has beautiful flowers!

Very cheery for a dull February day.

Such a dainty golden handle too.

Just enough room for two fingers.

Sponged gold around the rim and a gold handle give this

curvacious beauty a very elegant and grand look!

Hammersley is the maker.

And the pattern is kindly marked on the bottom as well...

Lady Patricia.

We have hot buttered toast, and here is some jam...pomegranate, grape and lemon.

I will use my old favorite.

She is fairy light, paper thin, and oooh so delicate to hold.

Tea in this cup taste heavenly!

I think I will have some Earl Gray.

My cup is much older than I am, and she shows the loving ware of being well used.

I can see why, I delight in her too, and can only imaging the generations of ladies

(or even men and children...) who have also held this cup full of hot aromatic tea.....

Did they sit still by themselves, reading a book?

were they sharing tea with friends, and having a chatty time?

Maybe the maid brought in on a tray with their breakfast, the Sketch
and some flowers fresh from the garden?

I do wonder.

And I wonder about you : )
How are you doing? What have you been doing creative lately?

How do you nurture yourself during winter?

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by for tea and a visit!

I am so glad you came by!

If you would like to join in Tea Cup Tuesday,

just create a post with a tea cup in it and link that particular post up below.

Martha and I really truly love coming to visit you and we

also love to see your tea cups too!

Hugs,

Terri

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Legacy of Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ah....a day for love!

A day to spend a little more time

thinking about the one you love...

And what they mean to you.

How long have you been together....

how many days

or decades have you shared...

In life...

past...

present

or in future Dreams?

A TRUE Valentine is a precious

treasure....

And the fruits of their love and loyalty...

a legacy.

With their own stories of love still unwritten.

Legacy love can last forever

Hugs,

Terri

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Artist Share-Giveaway Wins and a little Downton!

Today I would like to share with you the lovely gifts I have been lucky to win.

Yay!

As well as to begin with an artist share...

I have a number of free videos on my extra pages here, as well as on youTube.

Sometimes I get really blessed and someone who watched one of the videos
will e-mail me and share what they made from the videos!

I truly LOVE seeing what they make!

Below are lovely shoes make by a group of women and young ladies.....

Sandi, girlfriends and their daughters had a shoe making party, based on my Elegant Shoe Videos!...Sandi said they had a lot of fun creating many many shoes!

Here are a few of them! They are all sooooo beautiful!

Thank you so much Sandi and friends for sharing your creative paper fun with us!

This tickles my heart : )

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Ruth from Antiques and Tea Cups had a celebration giveaway...
and I won her Free Bates T shirt!

Yay!!!!

How lucky was I???

image source

Now I can feel good knowing he is FREE!

(image source)

And he and Anna are setting up a cozy home!

Thank you so much Ruth!
By the way, Ruth is a serious china collector and very knowledgeable.
She is very kind to help me out with china history.
I appreciate your help Ruth!

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Val from Pretty Little Rough Patches sent me her giveaway....a party in a box! Wow!

I was thrilled, even a book...."A Tree Grows In Brooklyn".

and these two...a full book on celebrations and this months SandraLee's mag!

I met Val at the Grow Your Blog Party hosted by Vicki at Two Bags Full.

Thank you so much Val for your very generous giveaway!
Val has a wonderful blog!

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I also won Kim's giveaway at Letting in the Light!
I was very excited to receive her artwork in my mailbox!
You can not see it here, because my background is white,
but this original art work is on a thick white textured cardstock.
(imagine a wide white border)
Kim creates incredible art from nature and of nature.
Thank you so much Kim!

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Karen at Alaska Blue Moose had a giveaway and I won it as well!
Gosh, I was really lucky in January!
Anyways....
She sent me a hand knitted Twisted Cowl!
In a gorgeous color!

The image I took did not capture the lovely color...
so I am borrowing an image from her blog with the extra yarn
that she sent along with it.
Beautiful beachy colors!
She also sent me one of her Blue Moose Print cards!
Thank you Karen!
It is soft and lovely and made by you!
Karen has a very inspiring blog.

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Budgeteer from Heart for Homemaking also had a giveaway
on her beautiful blog for Vicki's blog hop and I won it as well!
I am blushing!

She has sent me some gorgeous note cards
and beautiful napkins!
I apologize for the tiny image,
I borrowed this from Bugeteer's blog as the napkins
are in the wash! Lol!
I used them for today's tea.
They lent a cheerful touch to my Valentine tray!
I forgot to take a picture of them before.
Thank you so very much Bugeteer!

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I also received a beautiful watercolor picture of the sweetest nature from my friend Dianne from Stoke on Trent! She really surprised me for Christmas with this generous gift.
I am in the process of having it framed and hope to share soon.
Just wait till you see it!

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share with you my good fortune.
I appreciate everyone of your visits and will be by to visit you soon!
Hugs,
Terri

Monday, February 11, 2013

Tea Cup Tuesday-Pretty in Pink

Hello All!

Welcome, once again, to Tea Cup Tuesday!

Martha and I are searching our cupboards and cabinets once again...

So we can share our tea cup fun with you!

This time of February, our thoughts turn to the romantic.....

I felt this pink and white frilly corset shaped tea cup

seemed to be just right for a bleak Monday morning before Valentine's

She is beautiful without even trying!

Her lovely spring like bouquets lending a very active and cheery feel.

Just a tiny treat

displayed on a background of flowers.

The sweet tea cup was manufactured by Shelley.

A fine china company well known for their incredible art work on china.

Heirlooms Antique Center has an interesting article on the history of Shelley...

which I must say...is long, curving path from the earliest beginnings in 1822

to their hey day in the 20s with famous Art Nouveau pieces,

and their final days being assimilated by a large conglomerate

which chose to destroy all their pattern molds. Argh!

In the 90s Shelley ended up, after many changes, under the ownership of Royal Doulton.

The backstamp indicates anywhere from 1940-1966.

(UPDATE: Ruth from Antiques and Teacups has informed me that the shape of my cup is the New Cambridge, and did not come into production until 1954, so I can narrow my date by 14 years!

Ruth is an expert on Shelley, which I did not know!

How did I not know that?

Thank you for your help Ruth!

A cup of tea, a cookie and a quiet space.....

It is a loving gift to give one's self,

or to share with another.

Today I am trying out a new tea to me, Val of Pretty Little Rough Patches sent me,

along with a giveaway I had won (sharing soon!).

I had heard years ago that if you needed to have less caffeine in your tea,

then brew it once, give that cup to some one who can have caffeine (lol),

then brew a second cup from the same tea bag. As much as 80% of the caffeine

is in the first 40 seconds or so of brewing. Today I tried this to see...

I love black tea, and as black tea has the highest content of caffeine (20ish to just over 100 mg per cup) I thought it was worth trying.

I found the tea tasty, if only a little weaker than expected.

And I did not notice any negative caffeine effects...Yay!

I hope you are all doing very well and enjoying each day.

Thank you for visiting!

If you would like to join in our Tea Cup Tuesday blog hop, then create a post with a tea cup in it that you would like to share. Then come back here and link that post up below with Linky Tools.

Martha and I would love to stop by your blog too!

Hugs,

Terri

Monday, February 4, 2013

Tea Cup Tuesday-Afternoon Tea

Welcome to Tea Cup Tuesday!

Today I am sharing the tea cup I used at lunch today at a local tea shop.

Please forgive the odd coloring, I used my phone's camera.

I think the vibrant red table cloth cast an orange glow on everything.

I wasn't sure how the images would turn out.

And I didn't want to miss sharing with you all!

I had a hot cup of Orange Pekoe tea...

perfect as today was still a little chilly.
I liked using the little strainer, and it came with a tiny caddy.

This is a pretty sugar bowl.
I wanted to turn it upside down to read the backstamp, but it was large and full,
and I wasn't sure I could pull it off without anyone noticing,
or my spilling lovely sugar all over the table cloth. lol!

The tongs too, are a lovely silver with a rose embossed on one end.

I awas unable to get a clear image of the backstamp,
but I could see enough to tell it was made my Noritake, Japan,
and that the pattern name is Bedford.

There was another two line I could not make out.

And I was unable to find one that looked like it on the net.

So I do not know the age of this pretty cup with the lovely pink blossoms.
I am guessing it was in the 1940s.

Here is what drew me into the tea shop!

A warm white chocolate berry scone with Devonshire cream and jam.

The scone was not like an English one,

It was like a coffee cake, but delicious anyways!

YUM!

It really was good : )

I wish we could have met up there!

The shop does have a lovely feel.

They have hats and jewelry at the door that you can wear during your visit if you like.

As well as a good selection of tea cups and tea pots....oh and tea too!

Sitting there I couldn't help but dream of what my own tea shop would look like......

Do you ever do that? Design a tea shop in your head, plan the menu, choose the paint and wall paper....vision it all???

Or is it just me : )

Why not join in here at Tea Cup Tuesday with Martha and I and we can all come and visit you and see your lovely tea cup. Just link your tea cup post below with Linky Tools.

Hugs,

Terri