Monday, June 10, 2013

Mary Engelbreit and Tea!

Last Friday my hubby and I visited our youngest son and his family for the day.  My daughter-in-law, who knows I love tea, gave me something she recently found at a church bazaar - two Mary Engelbreit tea party light sets  Aren't they adorable?


Tea lovers love Mary Engelbreit because many of her products are tea-themed.  I hastily gathered up a few of the items I have around my house to share today.    

I love her Time for Tea book [copyright 1997].  In it Mary states:  "The magic of tea is still very much alive for me, and the subject certainly has a way of popping up again and again in my illustrations."  The six chapters include:  Tea for You and Me; A Dress-up Party; Out with Friends; A Wedding Tea; and Tea Indoors and Out.  If you don't have this book, try to get it!  


I also have her Queen of the Kitchen cookbook [copyright 1998].   It contains a lot of recipes that can be used for tea time.   Mary has authored several more books that I don't have, and has her own award-winning lifestyle magazine, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion too.


A Teapot Night Light


A teapot pin cushion.  Although I don't have any, Mary designs tea themed fabric too.


Tea-themed Ornaments


Tea-themed Wrapping Paper.  This paper is Christmas, but she has other occasions.


And, of course, her tea-themed stationery supplies - Journals...


Notepads...


Magnetic tablets, and note cards [since they have blank insides I sometimes use them for tea party invitations].


Michael's and Hobby Lobby craft stores are two of the thousands of retailers who sell her products.  I stock up when Michael's puts her stationery products in their $1 bargain bins.  

In addition to the items I've shown, Mary also designs: calendars, greeting cards, stickers, scrap booking supplies, party supplies, paper dolls, teapots, teacups, tea sets, mugs, water bottles, garden flags, T-shirts, rubber stamps, beach bags and totes, and a list that's grown to nearly 6,500 gifts, home accents, and craft products.  E-bay offers a lot of her items, as well her own Mary Engelbreit website.  

Do you like Mary Engelbreit products?  I had fun learning a little bit about her.

She began drawing when she was in the second grade, after getting her first pair of eye glasses, and feeling she could see the details of her world clearly for the first time.   Her first "studio" [at 11 years old], was her mother's vacated linen closet that was just big enough for a desk and chair.  She worked at an art supply store directly out of high school. While in New York [promoting her portfolio to become a children's book illustrator] an art director suggested she try illustrating greeting cards, and Mary found they were ideal for her style and sense of humor.  Not only is she a very talented graphic artist, but she went on to fulfill her dream of becoming a children's book illustrator saying, "I believed in myself, and now I'm living my dream."  Don't you love success stories?

In 1986 Mary and her husband formed their own company called Mary Engelbreit Studios,   in St. Louis, Missouri, where the family lives.  Below is a photo of Mary in case you've ever wondered what she looks like.

[Internet photo courtesy of Amazon]

6 comments:

  1. Oh, yes, you have to love Mary Engelbreit if you're a tea lover! And I LOVE those lights! I could see them being used at a colorful tea party, at a twilight tea (when the sun is going down), on a tea-themed tabletop Christmas tree ... it will be fun to see where you end up using them over the years!

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  2. Another book for my wish list! And I love the lights, too. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to find some - good for your daughter-in-law for snagging some of them for you! I've loved Mary Engelbreit's wonderful drawings for years, long before I realized she did tea-themed ones! Now I'm always on the lookout for them, checking for new ones every time I visit Michael's, and watching for older ones at yard sales, etc. Such fun!

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  3. I love her bright, cheerful and positive art!

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  4. Her style is certainly colorful and eye catching! You know in an instant who designed it!

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  5. Her style is wonderfully whimsical. I enjoyed your post, and enjoyed seeing the photo of her as well. I have some cherry ME dinnerware that I enjoy using.

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