A Birthday Tea for Aunt Jane

My Aunt Jane herself would tell you that today is a very important birthday: she's 60. My mother's younger sister, Aunt Jane is mildly mentally retarded and doesn't always get the year right, but she certainly gets the date right, and we could hardly get through the tea being held in her honor without Aunt Jane asking if we were going to sing "Happy Birthday" to her again. (I say "again" because my parents, with whom she has lived since my grandmother passed away 12 years ago, sang it to her as soon as she woke this morning.)

Growing up close to an aunt with a mental "issue" was no doubt very good for me and my sister and gave us lots of exposure to those who are "different," so I think because of that we are probably comfortable around a lot of different types of people. Aunt Jane can be a challenge sometimes, as my sainted parents know well, but she is also tremendously good-hearted and quite a lady to boot. So today I had the day off work and my family and I helped dear Aunt Jane to celebrate. Here she gets a hug from her great-niece Amelia.


Also at the tea were my mom, my sister, my two other nieces, and my sister's mother-in-law, Daresa (rhymes with Teresa), above with Amelia, who is visiting from Texas. She is always lots of fun, so I am always happy when she's in town and can join in our celebrations. (I'd show a picture of the table where my mom and Aunt Jane were, but mom had her eyes closed in both photos and would have a spell if she saw that one published.)

But here's what her table looked like.


On the table in the dining room, I used this tea set that was a gift from Aunt Jane.


I was very happy to be able to use two vintage teapot-themed tablecloths I've found in recent months, this one ...

... and this one.


And I can't resist showing off some photos of the nieces, so here's Madison ...

And here's Cari. I bought this dress recently at a Collins and Wood estate sale imagining she would enjoy playing dress up in it. She did.

And here's Amelia. And as Amelia rather bluntly told me at one point, "That's enough pictures." If you don't mind, I'll share a few more tomorrow and share some recipes as well!

A Crocheted Tea Mug Cozy

You know, I have so many enablers in my tea habit, I will never get over this fondness for all things tea! Just in the past week, I've been e-mailed tips about where to find a great tea-infused cupcake recipe (my sister Rhonda), where to find a green tea Kit Kat bar (my blog reader friend Gerri), and where to find an adorable tea mug cozy (my friend Mandy at work). I know some of you think I'm far tea-wiser than is true, so I just wanted you to know that my associates deserve their due. And when Mandy sent me a link to a website featuring some adorable crocheted tea pot and tea mug cozies, I knew I would be trying to crochet one of these mug cozies for myself.

Here is what it looks like unbuttoned and off the mug. This wasn't hard to make at all. Basically, I just single crocheted rows of 10 stitches with a size H hook (crocheting only in back loops to get a ribbed effect) until I got the length I needed. I held it around my tea mug, and when I was almost to the handle, I decreased to 6 stitches to get the "fastener" portion that goes through the handle of the mug. Near the end, I chained across two stitches instead of single crocheting in order to leave the hole for the teacup button to fasten through. And to finish it off, I single crocheted around the whole thing. (I apologize to the non-crocheters, for whom this may be a foreign language. But if anyone is a crocheter and wants a little more specificity, just let me know and I'll try to write down the instructions this weekend and e-mail them to you.)


I'm so ready for fall, I think the idea of making a cozy little cozy really appealed to me. And what teabag did I use for evening sipping once the cozy was complete? Why, Cozy Chamomile of course!

UPDATE: I am afraid I didn't keep this pattern (no one was interested when I wrote this post years ago), so the pattern is no longer available. There are, however, plenty of similar patterns on Pinterest and on the internet. Good luck!

"To Think of Tea!" by Agnes Repplier, 1932

As a slow reader, I am not normally one to start and finish a book in a single evening, but I did last night. It's the 1932 book "To Think of Tea!" by Agnes Repplier. Is she possibly one of the ladies in the photo opposite the title page? The book doesn't say. I don't know anything about Agnes except that she has written what is possibly the most delightful, lively and entertaining book about tea I've ever read.

I learned so much that was so helpful, so interesting. For instance, we tea lovers have long heard that it was the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza who brought tea to the court of England. But I did not know it was because Catherine was barren that her husband, Charles II, "strove to give her what trifling pleasures he could." Agnes makes lots of social commentary throughout her book, noting sweetly that Charles "was always, save in the matter of faithfulness, considerate of his spouse." She compares him with other rulers who were both unfaithful and ill-tempered, so I suppose she has a point.

And though I never before have been tempted to read James Boswell's biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson, now I'm quite eager to read it. A million times I've read the quote that Johnson was "a hardened and shameless tea-drinker, who has for many years diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant; whose kettle has scarcely time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight, and with tea welcomes the morning." I had no idea how literally this was meant: Johnson was forever The Guest Who Will Not Leave and was often up til 2 a.m., 4 a.m. or later with a host, often on the pretense of requiring more tea. (Agnes says the doctor did not know the wise counsel of Marcus Aurelius, "Be able to be alone.")

I could easily share a dozen more charming passages, but permit me one more. Keep in mind she is writing in 1932, when the tea room craze in America was in its heyday. She was put out that some tea rooms did not, in fact, serve tea, and the ones that did didn't take it seriously. "A whole page, several columns wide, about tea-rooms holds never a word about tea, save and except the satanic suggestion to put a piece of preserved ginger, or a couple of cloves, into the tea-pot." I love Agnes, and I'll bet some of you will too. I found my copy of her book on eBay, and if you come across one yourself, I'd love to hear your review!

Avon teatime collectibles

In college, I was an Avon lady. An enterprising team manager knew a potential victim when she saw one, and she lured me in with the promise of getting a huge discount on the new Scarlett O'Hara porcelain figurine if I joined up, so I did. (I was a huge Gone With the Wind fan back in the day.) My career with Avon was short-lived, but through the years I've remained awfully fond of Avon and those cute little "campaigns" they issue every two weeks. I think there's a good chance they'll offer teatime collectibles in the future, but the two Avon collectibles I currently own are both courtesy of Avon past, including this Teatime Moonwind Powder Sachet. The little glass figurine has holes in the top, so you can shake out the powder. Let's just say the powder is not a scent I wish to wear throughout the day, but I love the little glass teapot.

Another eBay find was this Colonial Teapot Pin, in the original box, from 1982. That's the year I graduated from high school! I know I was an Avon customer by then, but I don't remember this teapot stick pin, although I do remember that stick pins were fashionable jewelry during my high school days.

There are several other teatime collectibles Avon made that I'd like to own if I ever find them for a good price. There are at least two more pins (one is gold with a rhinestone drop of "tea," the other a blue and white porcelain teapot), and there's a whole set of beautiful teacups I think were either sold or given exlusively to Avon reps. I saw a nice display of them in an antique store for $40 per set. And finally, there is a Tea Party Barbie Avon made that both my niece Cari and I want!

New tea cosmetics

Over the weekend I was in a Publix in Gainesville when I spotted the famous "clearance rack" I have learned to visit at all Publix stores. Leftover summer toys and things were popular here on Lake Lanier, but of course I had to check out the entire clearance rack to satisfy myself there were no good buys to be had. And then, Eureka! I found Alba's aloe and green tea oil-free moisturizer on sale for $6.50 (retail price: $16.95). I checked the label and camellia sinensis leaf extract is indeed an ingredient.


I was surprised to discover such a noticeable floral scent on this facial product. I happen to really like the scent, but I'm betting others would prefer no scent, so if you come across this product you might want to be aware of this particular feature. It's a lightweight moisturizer, and so far I'm very happy with it. I'm rather surprised I haven't heard of Alba cosmetics before. Does anyone have any other experience with Alba's line?

And technically this doesn't count since tea isn't actually an ingredient, but I thought you might be amused to see what hair color I use! (Yes, all my secrets are revealed on this blog. Only you and my hairdresser will really know for sure ...)

Roses & Acorns

Now that my enthusiastic support for Michael Phelps has succeeded in helping him win those eight gold medals, I can return to thinking about other important things like tea parties (I've got one coming up in a week) and decorating for the golden season that's just around the corner. When my mom and I went antiquing last weekend (the Rome/Adairsville area), I found THE perfect platter for fall teas. It's a nice size, about 9 x 13 inches, and it features the roses I so love intermingled with the oak leaves and acorns of fall.

This platter has an interesting edge treatment. It's got an iridescent green finish (which is hard to photograph, I learned), but it looks like leaves were somehow stenciled onto the edge. Can you see them? I hope so, because I think they're really pretty.


There's some crazing too, but no chips or cracks, so I'll probably use this for serving scones or madeleines.


Perhaps I was just weary of summer, but I definitely had other seasons on the brain during that shopping jaunt. I rarely buy anything with red in it, but this small teapot was just $3 and said "Christmas decor" to me.

Closer to home (Gail's Antiques in Senoia), I found this sweet pink teacup and saucer with roses. It's not like I *needed* another pink teacup and saucer, but when I find a really pretty one for a good price, I just look at it as stocking my future tearoom!

Don't teaze me, bro!

I'm all out of China-themed blog posts for this first week of the Summer Olympics, but I do have a new tea gadget to discuss that is marked "Made in China." Does that count? I had heard of the Tea-zer Tea Tumbler a while back, but it wasn't really on my radar until I saw it at my local Publix. First I saw blue ones at the Lower Fayetteville Road Publix, and a day later I found this clear one at the Thomas Crossroads Publix, for $12.99.

The hangtag calls this "the only loose tea brewer that travels!" but anybody who's ever made loose tea in a Bodum tea press tumbler knows this simply isn't true. I like the Bodum tumblers pretty well, but I have on occasion forgotten and left one hidden on a corner of my desk at work for as long as a week, allowing the tea leaves to somehow infiltrate the mesh plunger and ruin the whole thing. What appealed to me about the Tea-zer was the fact the stainless steel infuser basket is removable, and you're left with a simple plastic tumbler to sip from.

I do think the double wall Tea-zer has possibilities, but I wish they would use a fine mesh basket instead of one with holes so big. I made Mango Tango Tea because it's a pretty coarse blend, but it wasn't so coarse that I didn't end up with a few floating tea leaves in my tumbler. One improvement I see with this tumbler over other styles is that it has a "sip lid" with both a regular slot for sipping and also a slot with holes that can catch any stray tea leaves. So even though I *saw* the stray tea leaves, I didn't actually *sip* any stray tea leaves. Do you obsess over your tea drinking vessels as much as I do? Yes, I thought so. Now, can we all raise a teacup (or tea tumbler, as it were) to Michael Phelps as he goes for medals # 7 and 8?

All the tea in China

Well, OK, it's not *all* the tea in China, but I did purchase quite a few varieties of Chinese tea at the Oriental Marketplace the other day. Now that I've had time to sample some of everything, I thought I'd share a brief review.

First of all, I must point out that as Bob Barker used to say, "the price is right" for trying new things at this local grocery. The canned and boxed teas ranged from just 99 cents to $1.25, and the bag of matcha candy was just $2.09, so I got all these things for under $7, which I think is a great price when one is "experimenting." Although I loved the design of the can of oolong tea, I didn't care for the taste at all. It seemed rather flat and un-tea-like. Rather like that nasty canned tea here in the U.S., as a matter of fact! And the yellow and green box contains Gohyah Tea, or bitter melon tea. I'd probably have to agree with the "bitter" part! This wasn't the worst tea I've ever had, but it's not a taste I really enjoyed.

On the bright side, I did enjoy the chrysanthemum tea (yellow box), the black tea was just delicious (red box), and the matcha candy (which had extra large pieces) was quite tasty as well. There were plenty of things left that I didn't sample on that last visit, so I'll be making a return trip to the Oriental Marketplace soon. If there's such a place in your town, give it a try and see what fun new tea flavors you can find!

Tea East & West

"The country cannot do without a ruler for one single day. The ruler cannot do without a cup of tea for one single day."
- Chinese Emperor Qianlong, who reigned 1736-95

I usually have to read at least a little something to get to sleep at night, and thanks to NBC's decision to run Michael Phelps' races late at night here in the U.S., let's just say the sleep schedule is a little wacky at our house. (Go, Michael!) This week, my nighttime reading is the 2003 book "Tea East and West" edited by Rupert Faulkner.

In the chapter on China, one of the most interesting things I learned was that whisked tea was popular in China in the 11th century, so much so that it had become a game. "Five or six people would each place powdered tea in a bowl, over which boiling water was poured. Using a bamboo whisk, each person would try to whip up as much froth as possible. The criteria for winning were that the froth should be rich, that it lasted for a long time, and that the powdered tea had dissolved completely. If the froth disappeared quickly or some of the tea powder remained visible in the bowl, the contestant would be considered a failure." Too bad that game isn't still around, or else we might be staying up late to watch the tea-making competition at the Olympics!

Anteaques Roadshow

On most of the tea blogs I read, I can't help noticing that many of us seem to prefer the English style of teawares, including lots of lovely floral cups and saucers. Pink and pastels are there in abundance, and it's not that often I'll see something of a more Asian design. And that's perfectly fine with me because I think the floral pieces are just plain prettier. That said, I wanted to share an unusual blue and white cup and saucer set a friend gave me a few years ago that I truly treasure, because its design seems just the thing for tea drinking during the opening week of the Beijing Olympics.

When I started exploring the world of teawares, I was surprised to learn that the earliest cups had no handles on them. I found that so odd, but in years since I have seen plenty of photos of early tea sets, and even some modern ones, for that matter, and am now accustomed to seeing the handle-less cups. I learned that some early tea drinkers would also slurp tea out of the saucer itself, which may explain the "handle" type piece on this saucer. Perhaps this represents an early, pre-handle-design effort to keep that hot tea from burning the tea drinker's hand?

I still don't know much about this set, which is unmarked, and I've yet to see another set like it, although I did see a similar single cup for sale on eBay a few years ago. The cup is in mint condition, and except for some crazing (which I'm crazy about), so is the saucer. And the unusual napkins so sweetly embroidered with blue tea bowls? These were a surprise gift from blogger Suzanne at Pink Roses when I won her bird's nest giveaway during the spring. Perfect give for a tea lover, don't you think?

Time for Bubble Tea

So what did you think of the opening ceremonies in Beijing? Wasn't that a spectacular show! For sheer pageantry I think that would be hard to beat, and it had so many wonderful moments. Earlier on Friday I had cheated and looked at pictures on the Internet so I'd know what to expect. In one small picture I'd seen, I thought the Chinese performers were perhaps standing by human-size tins of tea, but alas, they were drums. Still, it was a great show, and it made me hope and pray even more that one day soon, China's lovely people will enjoy the free exercise of religion and a free press as we enjoy here in America.


So China has definitely been on my mind over the past few days. And because we hadn't been in a while, my friend Beth and I recently paid a visit to Newnan's Oriental Marketplace on Bullsboro Drive. (Local readers, it's behind the Shoe Mart and Vinnie R's Pizza.) There we got some delicious bubble tea, with Beth choosing Mango while I got Pink Guava.

Bubble tea, also called "Boba," originated in Taiwan back in the '80s. It originally consisted of hot black tea, large brown tapioca "pearls," condensed milk and honey. The very helpful young man at the marketplace told us the "milk tea" being served didn't actually have tea in it, but we could request our bubble tea be made with black tea, and we did. I enjoyed it very much, and after sucking up the tapioca pearls through that wide straw, I felt like I'd had a meal, not just a drink. I noticed the store sells those wide straws (like everything else there, very inexpensively), so maybe I'll try making some bubble tea of my own one day!

Sometimes, it's good to be a Pinhead!

BOM-bom-BOM-bom-BOM-bom-BOM-bom ... Let the games begin!

The game I am talking about, though, is that of Olympic pin collecting. My collection now numbers approximately ... somewhere around ... well, one. I found this pin on eBay a few months back and decided I needed it to help celebrate the Olympics this year. I've long heard about the enormous pin collections that serious "Pinhead" collectors have amassed, including one collector who has 10,000 (!) of them, but my little teapot pin is enough for me.

A little googling will hook you up with lots of pin collecting links, where you can learn about famous Pinheads like Katie Couric, Ahmad Rashad and Jim Nabors. According to the maker of this pin, Aminco International, "Pin collecting and trading is a wonderful way to share the Olympic spirit of friendship and peace, dating back to the first modern games." Go, Team USA!

A different kind of tea bag

So here's the deal: When they renovated our breakroom at work a few years ago, the new feature I most loved was the hot water spigot. The temperature wasn't quite boiling, but almost, and I have used it frequently for making tea. Well, the hot water spigot is currently awaiting repair, and I just can't bring myself to microwave my tea water. Call me persnickety, but if I can't have good, freshly boiled water, I'd rather do without.

So, I have decided to take advantage of a gift my friend Liz gave me a few years ago, this "Suburbanite" bag and thermos set. How old do you suppose this sweet thing is? I have no idea, but I just love it (as she knew I would; she even envisioned it being used for tea). The rose design looks just like vintage needlepoint, and it suits me to a ... tea.

After making the tea (Blue Mango) at home this morning and filling up the thermos, I got to work and promptly discovered this tea is still quite HOT! And that's just what I was hoping for. I am also grateful Liz already gave me this set a while back, because she is opening her "junktiques" shop Cydney's Alley in a few days (it's named for daughters Cydney and Alley), and I have a feeling this would make some mighty fine merchandise!

Crocheting for a cause

In our latest issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine, I write about how I as a crocheter hooked up, pun intended, with Project Linus, which provides handmade blankets of all sorts to needy children in local hospitals, the women and children's shelter, etc. Go here if you want to read that story and see my inspiration.

Last night around midnight, I finished my second blanket for Project Linus, a design I found in the May 2008 issue of Crochet! Magazine. A few comments: Yes, it's cute, but Noah's Ark makes for a bulky baby blanket, so I'm not sure I'll be making this particular design again. Also, I could have made five other blankets in the time it took to make all the pieces on this one. At one point last night I thought, "What's a nice girl like me doing sitting here crocheting all these turtle feet?" Still, it's a blanket, it counts, and the head of our Project Linus chapter says I get a badge after I make my fourth blanket. I have a number of simpler patterns ready to go.

But in the midst of my crocheting marathon over the weekend, I took a few minutes to try making a crochet pattern of my own. I had made so many different shapes and sizes of things for all of Noah's animals that suddenly, I realized it's not rocket science to make something in the shape of a giraffe's horn or a bird's wing. And so I crocheted ... a teapot! (I didn't stitch it to the blanket, by the way. This is just to make the color show up better.) This hot pink teapot is what I came up with, although I haven't quite perfected it yet. The spout is too high up on the pot, and about a stitch or two too long, I think, so a re-do is in order now that the ark has landed safely. I'm told that Project Linus actually needs more blankets for older children, and I think an afghan consisting of some simple teapots on solid color background squares might be nice for a young girl. And maybe I'll add a simple rose or other flower. Any crocheters or needleworkers reading today? I would really appreciate your constructive criticism about what I can do to make this teapot better. And hopefully, my next blanket won't take me so long to make!

A new teapot pin

Late in the spring, I came across a book about costume jewelry that set me off on a whole new world of collecting. Although I was initially just interested in learning more about rhinestones and other sparkly things, I also developed a new appreciation for all manner of jewelry designs. My latest favorite piece doesn't have a single rhinestone in it, but I think the design is just amazing.

This little pin is just about 1-1/4 inches in diameter, yet I think it packs a world of design creativity into this tiny space. I hope you can tell from the photos, but the teapot and teacup rest on a "shelf" or perhaps a "tea cloth" that drapes down. Now who thought to fold sterling silver to create the effect of a real tea setting? I even love the tiny little spoon sitting between the teapot and teacup. And the moon you can see through the window (well, actually "on" the window, but that's OK). I just love this piece, which is marked "W CASSIUS," about whom I can find nothing on the Internet. A new mystery to solve! I did see some very modern design W CASSIUS earrings listed on eBay, but that didn't really tell me anything.

Do you have a favorite piece of tea themed jewelry? If so, what does it look like? And if you know anything about W CASSIUS, please share!

Lemon Blueberry Tea Bread

Blueberries are magical fruit. They're great when they're fresh off the bush and tart, but bake them in something and they become these soft, utterly sweet little fruits that cast pretty purple bursts into whatever you're baking, sort of a tie-dyed, Jerry Garcia baking effect. I really, really like my blueberries.

And so this weekend I experimented a bit. I like to consult my teatime cookbooks and then make a few substitutions based on what I happen to have on hand. This weekend, it was lemons and blueberries. Here's the result.

Lemon Blueberry Tea Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt
1 teaspoon each vanilla and lemon extracts
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup margarine or butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 x 3-inch glass loaf pan with cooking spray. In mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mix yogurt, extracts and lemon peel.

Using a stand mixer, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add one-third of the flour mixture, beat, then add one-third of the yogurt mixture and beat. Repeat twice more until all of both mixtures has been added. Finally, gently stir in blueberries. Spread evenly in pan and bake for about an hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing loaf. Yields 1 loaf.

Lemon Icing: To one teaspoon fresh lemon juice, add enough confectioners' sugar to make an icing of drizzling consistency, about 3 tablespoons. Mix well, then drizzle over loaf.

Teabag wrapper flowers

Yesterday morning's dental visit resulted in a surprise trip next door for a root canal. Although I am thankful there was no pain involved, I did go home afterward to give my lips time to remember their original location on my face before going out in public again. By mid-afternoon I was feeling a little stir crazy and went to my sewing/crafting room to look for the crafts book "Fanciful Paper Flowers" by Sandra Evertson. Frivolitea blogged about this book the other day and reminded me I'd been meaning to give paper flowers a whirl, so I did ... out of teabag wrappers!

Now this is my first effort at making these, so please be kind (as if you good people would be otherwise!). I traced a pattern in the book, but basically it's about a 1-1/2 or 2-inch long teardrop shaped petal. You cut out six, curl the edges by simple rolling up the petal lengthwise, and hot glue them to a small round piece of cardboard. Glue a button in the middle. Then glue the completed flower disc to a paper wrapped floral wire (bend the end of the wire to give you a "curlicue" that will sink into the hot glue). The End. How easy is that? And all of you scrapbookers out there, can you imagine how pretty these would be made out of pretty patterned scrapbook papers? Maybe some Christmas ones? I'm also thinking it would be cool to make these flowers out of The Times-Herald newspaper, although I might have to use a double thickness of that. And here's a hint for teabag wrapper flowers: The foil teabag wrappers (Bigelow, some Twinings, Publix brand) roll up and stay curled better than the paper ones. Also, next time I think I'll pay attention and make sure all the words are facing the same direction, as I didn't even notice that until after I'd made these flowers.

The bottle is one I've saved for months now. I really, really liked the shape and graphics of this Gold Peak Iced Tea bottle, so I saved it with the label intact. I'll probably make more teabag wrapper flowers for this bottle, but I figured three was enough to share the idea. And if this craft appeals to you at all, I highly recommend "Fanciful Paper Flowers," which has some very creative, well-explained designs, including some "fanciful" paper-flower-covered shoes I'm now hankering to craft up. I do love a good crafts book!