It's time to talk about *Tea Time*

As Joan Rivers used to say, "Can we talk?" My new issue of Tea Time came in the mail last week, but I wanted to give everyone who subscribes a few days to get their copy in the mail before sharing any comments, as I have lots of thoughts about the magazine's new format. When I got the letter earlier this summer saying they were going to produce just three issues a year but in a larger format, my immediate thought was, "Uh-oh." Print magazines have been in decline for years, and with costs of salaries, paper, printing, and postage going up, up, up, I've wondered how long they could hang on. Some of you will remember when I was editor of our local magazine before I left the news biz thirteen years ago. Well, when I went to the plant in Kentucky to watch an issue of our magazine get printed one time, I was delighted to discover that many of the Hoffman Media magazines were printed there too. Upon leaving journalism, I seriously looked into starting my own regional magazine, had a designer mock up a cover and everything, but just couldn't make the numbers work. The biggest obstacle: the cost of postage. And with the USPS in such disarray today, my prediction is that one day, any remaining print magazines will be delivered by Amazon and/or drones. (And maybe they should be.)

So my guess was that Tea Time was trying to save money on postage yet remain a print product, and since I as a general rule do not like change, I was prepared to thoroughly dislike the new format. Plus, I'd been looking for a preview of the new issue online, and when I learned it was selling for $25 per copy (discounted to $60 for a year's subscription), I thought, "Well, that's it. It's toast for Tea Time. Nobody's gonna pay that."

Ah, but then I got my magazine in the mail, and I just love it! It truly does feel quite substantial, and based on page count alone, you can't argue that it's not like getting two magazines at once. The question is, will most readers go for that? I will, but I'm still in the working phase of life and have a little (a little, I say!) disposable income every month. Online, I've seen older readers on fixed incomes say they can no longer afford it. I definitely understand that. My last subscription invoice was $18 for a year of Tea Time, and to have it increase to $60 is a huge jump. I happen to think it is worth that $60, based on what I've seen so far, and time will tell if other readers agree.

Here, by the way, is Issue #1 of Tea Time. If memory serves, I was shopping at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta one afternoon in 2003, ducked into their ritzy little book shop, and was perusing the magazines when I just happened to spot this premier issue. I had already gotten into teatime thanks to the many features in Victoria magazine over the years, and my heart was racing as I snatched up that issue. A whole magazine devoted to tea? Yes, please. And I hope they'll be around for many, many years to come. If you've gotten your new issue, either on the newsstand or in the mail, what are your thoughts?

Happy Labor Day, friends!

 

A fun find at an antique mall

Earlier this week, I was returning home from a day trip and decided to stop by an antique mall in LaGrange, a town about 40 miles south of my home in Newnan. I had less than an hour before the store closed for the day, so I quickly zipped through the shop. In one room, some china and ceramic pieces were actually tucked beneath a dresser or some piece of furniture (risky, I thought!), and that’s where I spotted what I immediately recognized as a vintage chintz piece.

This heavy tray, which was marked $25, is designed to hold a breakfast set. I’ve never owned a vintage breakfast set, one of those charming pieces with a small teapot, teacup, sugar and creamer, and toast rack. But not long ago, I read online about a woman who collects these sets inexpensively by gathering them a piece at a time instead of spending hundreds of dollars on the completed set.

The pattern is by Wade Heath of England, and as best I can tell, it’s called Butterfly Chintz. The only matching piece currently on eBay is the small teapot, but it’s in Canada, where the shipping and import fees make it out of my budget. But that’s okay, because I think the tray is pretty on its own, and I’m curious to see how long it will take me to collect all the pieces that go on it. Fingers crossed!

A cute presentation idea to tuck in your pocket

When it comes to serving treats, I am always up for a cute presentation, and last week at mahjong, my friend Deborah ("Deborah of the new dishes") had prepared a tray of mahjong-themed paper napkin "pockets" holding cookies.

Is this not the cutest thing? I happen to have some mahjong-themed napkins myself (thank you, T. J. Maxx), and Deborah showed us how easy it was to fold them into pockets for the cookies.

I just knew there would be a YouTube video showing the process, and there is, right here. Have any of you tried this presentation before? I think it's charming!

Here's a story … of some new dishes …

 

Here’s a story

Of some new dishes

Did I need them?

Why, absolutely no.

I was minding

my own business

there at mahjong,

when Deb said we could go…

To her garage

and check her cabinets

for the chargers

And candlesticks galore.

She had stacks and stacks

Of all these

pretty dishes

But one set made her sore.

Didn’t like 'em.

Wished she’d not bought 'em.

We’ve all been there

And surely understand.

Then my mouth piped up and said,

“Well, I just love them.”

And that’s when Deb put these new dishes

In my hand.

It’s not my fault

It’s not my fault

That’s the way these dishes

Entered my dish vault!

Royal Mail by Myott Staffordshire, some of the eight dinner plates and bread-and-butter plates rescued from my friend Deborah's house when she hosted mahjong last week. Up top are some of the pieces I'm auditioning with this fabulous gift of transfer ware!

Goodbye, Dolly

Like many of you, I'll bet, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time this week looking at old photos and video clips of Dolly Parton. I was so stunned at the news of her death on Tuesday. Dolly always seemed so vibrant and larger than life that it just never occurred to me that she would pass away during my lifetime. Once I heard the news, I reached for the Dolly Parton tea bag rests I found at Dollar General last year, which are undoubtedly the only Dolly-themed tea wares I own.

Many of you will remember me writing about my Aunt Jane over the years until she passed away in late 2023. Aunt Jane was a huge Dolly fan, and whenever Dolly had a new CD out, Aunt Jane wouldn't let it rest until one of us took her to Walmart or Target in search of the CD. And Aunt Jane was very, very proud of that CD player of hers. We often gave her picture books about Dolly Parton, and my aunt loved them. One of my nieces and I find it quite interesting that Dolly passed away on Aunt Jane's birthday. I like to think that my "special needs" aunt had a "special" guest show up at her birthday party this year!

There will never be another Dolly, and I have been heartened this week to discover that, by golly, there IS one thing Americans can agree on, and that is the near universal respect for the country superstar and philanthropist. From her book donations for young readers to the band uniforms she funded for high school students, seems like everyone has popped up with a story to share about this gifted child of the mountains who made it big and never forgot where she came from. RIP, Dolly.

Publix Sweet Tea & Lemonade Float Ice Cream

Now this was a surprise! I was just looking for some chocolate or caramel ice cream at Publix last week when I spotted this flavor. Naturally, it jumped into my grocery cart!

And it is yummy! I like ice cream as an occasional treat and never buy it except during the summer. I've had this carton for a week, and I've eaten maybe a third of it, so this will last me a while, but these little yellow lemon-flavored bits in the creamy ice cream really do remind me of sweet tea with lemon!

Does it actually have tea in it, though? I have no idea. What's a "tea flavor base"? And does the "natural flavor"include tea?

I tried asking the bots at Publix, but apparently this question was beyond their ability to answer. Still, I had to give it a shot! (And the ice cream really is tasty!)

 

A new treat and a new pan

I've been diligently finishing up new novels that are coming out this fall and didn't have time to even visit the grocery store last week. One day, though, I was really craving something sweet, so I decided to make a variation* of my Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies (recipe here) that you can whip up and bake all at once on a sheet pan.

It so happened that I'd been meaning to try out a new sheet pan I got at T. J. Maxx recently. I actually needed a new sheet pan, and this one was that pretty pastel green that I like—and a generous size. But would that textured bottom really be a good nonstick surface? There was nothing to do but try it out.

And look how cleanly these cookies slid out of the (ungreased) pan! I was impressed, and I will be looking for another of these pans the next time I'm in T. J. Maxx. Since I had a nice big pan of cookies, later in the week, I decided to try a trick I saw online and cut them into small bite-size round cookies as shown up top. (The baker whose video I watched used the scraps in a creamy layered dessert, which I thought was a fun idea.) Wouldn't these little round cookies be cute on a tea tray? But then, I liked them just fine on my tea-and-toast set.

*For this variation, in place of the chips and nuts, I used 3/4 cup reduced-sugar dried cranberries, 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, and 3 tablespoons cocoa.

When afternoon tea was just fifty cents …

The New York Public Library has loads of digital images you can browse online, and these images of a 1914 menu from the Lord & Taylor Tea Rooms caught my eye.

It's interesting to see the various ice creams named. I could figure out what a Charlotte Glacée was, but the Coupe Julia Marlowe? No idea. (I did learn that she was an English-born American actress and fought for women's right to vote. Maybe the ice cream honored her popularity?)

And while I'd no doubt let them keep the stewed prunes, don't you wish we could still enjoy afternoon tea for just fifty cents?

A teacup needle minder

 

I love it when my interests overlap. Needlepoint is having a moment, and since I've been revisiting some old needlepoint canvases I've had tucked away, I learned that all sorts of new needlepoint accessories exist, including a new-to-me gadget, a magnetic needle minder. 

This one, shaped like a teacup with those famous British "Rich Tea" biscuits on the side, is one I found on Amazon. (The link is here.)

A tiny magnet is on the back of the card, and you use it to attach your needle minder to your needlepoint canvas.

It looks like this when in use, and then you don't have to continuously poke holes in your canvas when "storing" your needle away. Some stitching gadgets are a waste of time and money, but this one? I'm impressed. Are you a lapsed needlepointer like I was?

Bow-Tied!

When I got home from shopping last Saturday, a friend asked if I'd bought anything. I told her I'd just bought two cute coffee mugs with bows on them on clearance at Kirkland's for $3 each. She said, "I thought you weren't buying any more coffee mugs?" That's when I explained that technically, these were Christmas mugs, and I don't put limits on Christmas decorations and tea wares.

You see, last Christmas, I found these darling dinner plates at a T. J. Maxx or HomeGoods, but I wished there had been teacups or tea mugs to match.

Then I found the salad plates that matched the dinner plates. I'm aiming to go full pink with my Christmas decorating this year, so I'm glad I picked these dishes up last year (and I think I remember using rewards points, so they might've been free). While I would like to have found four of either the pink or the green mugs (or maybe both), at least I have two. While I can't stage a full tea party, I can have a friend over for "luncheon," as they used to say on Downton Abbey, and I don't think it's that big a deal that our mugs will be different. (Plus, who even knows what pink tea wares may materialize this Christmas.) And yes, I know it's not even fall yet, but when it come to seasonal décor, you really have to plan ahead!

Honey Lemon Black Tea from Nature's Hearth Tea Co.

Occasionally, I am lured in by a tea's packaging and decide to take a chance on a new tea vendor or tea flavor. This Honey Lemon Black Tea from Nature's Hearth Tea Co. caught my eye at T. J. Maxx last weekend, and the tin was so pretty, I decided I wanted it for décor and would take a chance on the tea (just $4.99 for 50 tea bags).

It's hard to capture in the photo, but the tin is an unusual shape. It's almost a pyramid (or a trapezoid, maybe), and the graphics make me think of fall. With temps in the nineties here in Georgia this week, I am definitely dreaming of cooler fall temperatures and new fall flavors.

And guess what? This tea was lovely! As soon as I opened the foil pouch containing all the tea bags, I caught a nice whiff of lemon. I steeped my tea for about three minutes and got a delightfully lemony brew. Now, if I could just acquire cooler weather as quickly as I acquire new tea!

In praise of a pretty plate wall

This is not a trick question, I promise, but what catches your eye in an antique mall? I mean, teacups and teapots do, I assume, if you're spending some of your valuable time reading this blog today, but besides that? For me, pretty plates are always among the items I notice first. (So my top five would likely include all tea wares, tole trays, rhinestone costume jewelry, Depression glass, and quilts.) Cups and plates and platters are all essential tea wares, so these caught my eye at Apple Barrel in Bremen recently.

A woman (Bessie? Bessie's granddaughter?) was just setting up her booth, so I stayed out of the way, but I was so charmed by her plate wall—and the faux wisteria cascading down—that I asked if I could snap a few photos, and she said sure.

She didn't even get the wall finished before she was selling pieces off of it, which tells me that she had good instincts in setting up her booth this way. So tell me, would you have stopped to look here?

Red, white, and blueberry teatime

Last Thursday, I had my "Grow Group" girls over for tea. We all really bonded while doing a church-based discipleship program together a couple of years ago, and even though we've long been finished, Beth, Paige, Kristi, and I continue to meet up on a regular basis just to check in with each other and see how life is going. I forgot to take very many photos, but Kristi (the tallest of the four) always manages to get a selfie so that we can at least commemorate the occasion.

As you can see, I'm still into my "patriotic summer of 2026" décor, so I decided the foods should follow suit. We had chicken salad served in tiny glasses, star-shaped cucumber cream sandwiches, a Boursin and mozzarella breakfast casserole, blueberry scones, fruit skewers, and gluten-free chocolate cake with chocolate icing from the Publix bakery.

We all agreed the cake is fabulous, especially the cream filling and the ganache, and cut into thin slices, it can work on a tea table.

I also made star-shaped sugar cubes using a star-shaped plastic candy mold I found at Michaels years ago. These are so easy to make. Just pour a cup of sugar into a bowl and add a tablespoon or two of water and mix until the sugar has the consistency of wet sand. Then scoop into the mold, pack down, let sit overnight, and voila, you have sugar cubes when you wake up the next morning. I've also made these with heart-shaped molds and tinted them pink for Valentine's Day.

Beth said she thought these gluten-free blueberry-and-white-chocolate scones were the best yet. Yay!

They also enjoyed the Ginger Sweet Peach Tea from Tiesta Tea that I recently reviewed here, and I was happy that they're always willing to try any tea I serve them and are turning into quite the tea connoisseurs. We used new silver napkin rings and teaspoons thanks to a recent gift from my friend Kathy. I was grateful for the silver touches!

I wish I'd thought to get a few more photos, but I was so excited to see "the girls" that I didn't worry about photography very much. And really, who can feel bad about that!

New jewelry for the tea table

 

I read somewhere that silver is the jewelry of the tea table, so I'm happy to report that I found a new piece of "jewelry" for mine last week! Do you know what this is? Here's what it looked like when I rescued it from the thrift store for $9.95 …

And here it is after a little polishing with Wright's Silver Cream!

It's a sugar caster, so named because back when sugar was considered a luxury, the wealthy could "cast" their sugar onto foods on the table (and it's also known as a sugar sifter). I'd long wanted one of these but never seen one in the wild before. This vintage English one from Mappin & Webb was a fun find!

Ever had Peach Tea Granita?

My gift subscription to Our State—Celebrating North Carolina continues to delight every month, with features I actually read and recipes I actually make. They are always spot-on with their themes each month, including this one, College Towns Roar.

But what I loved most in this issue? An article on sweet tea! Doesn't this photo invite you right in?

I'm intrigued by this recipe for Peach Tea Granita & Cream Parfaits, and it happens to be available online, so you can check it out as well. If I can get my hands on some good fresh peaches soon, I'll be making this! Go here to check it out for yourself.

Another way to make teacup shaker cards

Remember last week when I made that shaker card? I loved the result, but boy, did it take a long time to make. Well, I needed to make birthday cards for two dear tea-loving friends, and I suddenly had a eureka moment and remembered that I bought some teacup-shaped plastic inserts and cards *five years ago* that I had never used. They were too precious to mess up at the time, and I wasn't sure how to use them, anyway. These days, I'm more of the "What have you got to lose?" mindset, so one YouTube video later, I figured out how to use these cute plastic inserts from a company called Jillibean Soup. These cards took significantly less time to make than last year's card, and I'm just as happy with the result!

Here's the pink card I made for the friend whose birthday is today…

And here's the lavender card I made for the friend whose birthday was last week. I was pleased with these cards and decided I'm ready to experiment with the other plastic inserts as well!