Tea Capes

While browsing  E-bay last night I stumbled upon a tea garment I didn't know existed - Period Clothing Tea Capes.   Have you ever heard of them?

Description: "Classic capes that can be worn with period outfits to top off any blouse or dress. They were always worn after 2:00 p.m. on a daily basis."

I tried to research them on the Internet, but nothing came up for tea capes.  If you know anything about them please share.  I'm always intrigued by clothing worn at tea time!

There are six lovely handmade tea capes for sale at $20 each - a very reasonable price.  

Looking forward to any information you may have!

Tea Themed Clothing

If you're a tea lover, then you're probably like me and enjoy acquiring tea themed clothing - whether for sleeping or lounging around the house, or for wear outside the house.

On February 18th I received an e-mail from England's Cath Kidston, featuring two tea-themed tops.  They're so cute I couldn't bring myself to delete the e-mail until I blogged about them.  

The model is wearing the Knit Teapot Jacquard Cardigan which retails for $104.00

It also comes in a "Jumper" [pullover] at the same price.

I drooled over both of them, but didn't order either! 

When my girlfriend, Lori, came over yesterday she brought me a new pair of adorable tea-themed pajamas, so now I don't feel so bad about not getting Cath Kidston's tops!  ;-)

Below is the short-sleeve lavender top made of soft, comfy cotton.

The capri length bottoms are a print of teacups, sugar bowls, and creamers.  The brand name is June & Daisy.  If you'd like a pair of these cute pj's, hurry over to your nearest SAM'S Club.  

Lori said she bought a pair for herself and then thought, "I'll bet Phyllis would like a pair too." So she went back and got one for me.  What a thoughtful friend!  Thanks, Lori! You were right - I do like having a pair!

Tea With the March Hare at O'Mara's

My girlfriends and I went to O'Mara's Avalon Tea Garden today for this month's themed tea - Tea With the March Hare.  It was exactly one year ago that my girlfriend Lori and I began attending their monthly teas, and we haven't missed one since.  Our group has grown in size - today there were five of us.

[L-R:  Lori, Cindy, Me, Sandy, and Sheila]

~ O'Mara's Afternoon Tea Guests ~

~ Themed Tablescape Embellishments ~

~ Don't be late for tea! ~

~ Menu ~

My choice of tea for the afternoon was Harney & Son's Queen Catherine.   I selected their Mock Turtle Soup - something I'd never had before.  It was garnished with a bread dough turtle.  So cute!  I'm told Mock Turtle Soup can be made with a cream base like chowder, or tomato based.  Today's was tomato based with chicken, beef, and pork.  It was delicious.  

Then the Queen left off, quite out of breath, and said to Alice, "Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?"  "No," said Alice.  "I don't even know what Mock Turtle is."  "It's the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from," said the Queen.  "I never saw one, or heard of one." said Alice.  "Come on, then," said the Queen, "And he shall tell you his history."

The savories were Toadstool Mushrooms [bottom tier - a cherry tomato halve on top of a deviled egg]; Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Watercress Checkerboard Sandwich, middle tier; and March Hare Ginger Carrot Sandwich, top tier.

Yummy!

The March Hare gets around underground by rooting carrots.  He sometimes finds himself in faraway tunnels where he simply goes mad for all the exotic roots - like ginger.  Fancy them both in a sandwich!

~ Chef Anita ~

She demonstrated Baked Brie with Tarragon, but this month she wrapped it in Puff Pastry instead of Filo Dough.   My preference is Puff Pastry.

~ Queen of Hearts Asparagus Tart ~

Dessert:  Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting; Lavender Shortbread Cookie; and Cherry Scone.

What a fun afternoon.  Who would have known it was 17 degrees and gray skies outside, when it was so cozy and pleasant inside!

Meeting Another Blogging Friend

Last Saturday when blogging friend, Judith, [at Lavender Cottage] and her hubby, Glenn, were on their way back home to Ontario, Canada from spending some time in Florida, I invited them to stop by my house for 'high tea' [supper], and they graciously accepted my invitation.  

I felt like I already knew Judith since our personal correspondence began back in the fall of 2012 when I got my "Time for Tea" angel from her.  It was delightful meeting her and Glenn in person.

Since Judith loves the color lavender,  I used a table topper to incorporate the color into the tablescape.   The dishware was two different sets of Depression glass - Light Blue Madrid [Federal Glass] and Moderntone Cobalt Blue [Hazel-Atlas].

The meal was simple "comfort food" - Savory cheddar cheese and bacon scones; bacon, lettuce, and tomato toss salad [Allrecipes.com]; Velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup [Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook]; and Shepherd's Pie. Glenn is a retired fireman, and he said Shepherd's Pie was a staple at the fire station. There's a wide variety of recipes for the casserole, and technically mine was really Cottage Pie since I used ground beef instead of lamb. Judith and I both drank Harney & Sons decaffeinated Hot Cinnamon Spice tea because it was after 5:00 p.m. and we valued our sleep that night.  Our husband's drank "the other beverage" [coffee].  ;-)  Dessert was chocolate mound cake, which I blogged about here.

The guys had plenty to talk about, while Judith and I had our own conversation. It was a very enjoyable evening! 

Our hubbies were camera shy and didn't want to be in any pictures, but they took a photo of Judith and me.

Judith didn't need to come bearing gifts, but she did.  She gave me a tin of Earl Grey Creme tea from Teavana, which is absolutely delicious.  The oil of bergamot is very light and subtle, not overpowering as some Earl Grey's can be.

The aroma of the dry leaf is so good!

I enjoyed a cup of it with a piece of Chocolate Mound Cake on Sunday afternoon - which is definitely not on my diet two days in a row, but as they say, you only live once, right?  ;-)

She also gave me a tin of Moroccan tea mints from Teavana.  They are yummy and the container is a perfect purse size.

And a magnetic pad for my refrigerator.  [Apologies for the camera reflection in the cellophane wrapper.]

Thanks, Judith, for your thoughtfulness and generosity.  You and Glenn were a pleasure to have in our home, and we thank you for taking time out of your schedule to stop by and see us.  As I always say, "You meet the nicest people over tea!"

*  *  *

Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday

Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Sunday Reflection...

I recently read a devotion on Doing vs. Being that has lingered with me.  Both action verbs are important, but there's a tendency to get them out of order sometimes.

I may want to "do" things to please God, but the greatest priority is what I am, not what I do. My heart must be cleansed from sin and unrighteousness before I can effectively "do" anything honoring to God. Thankfully, Jesus makes that cleansing possible through His saving grace and forgiveness.  

My #1 focus is "being" a clean vessel that's fit for God to use, so He can work through me. I liken it to "being" a clean, polished silver tea pot, that God can use to pour out His love, so others may come to know Him. 

My on-going prayer is to be the best vessel I can be, so God's "doing" can be done through me.

Jesus said:  "... You should be a light for other people.  Live so they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven."  Matthew 5:16 

May God bless your week!

Steeped in Evil - A new Tea Shop Mystery

I received a copy of Laura Child's newest Tea Shop Mystery book Steeped in Evil to review, and I finished reading it last night.   It's another winner!   Laura has successfully written #15 in her Tea Shop series, and I highly recommend this book.

The mystery unfolds at Charleston's newest winery, Knighthall, when the owner's son is found dead in a barrel of wine!

The book is a fast read, but holds interest and curiosity to the very end.  There's plenty of murder suspects to keep you wondering who did it until the murderer is revealed in Chapter 25.

As always, Laura's characters are described with such detail that an immediate mental picture is formed as though they're standing right before you.

I love Laura's writing humor.  Who doesn't like a good laugh in a fun book?  When writing about Harvey Flagg in chapter 19, she describes him as moving through the crowd like a nasty virus on a crowded cruise ship.  The uncomplimentary description not only brought a smile to my face, but it's an example of how Laura incorporates current, real-life happenings in her writing.  There's other places and things in the book that give relevancy to the present time too.  The tea shop hosts a Downton Abbey Tea, and a tea blending class.  There's mention of TV programs such as Dancing With the Stars, NCIS and HGTV, plus the mention of You Tube, and Trader Joe's gourmet food store.

Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, as well as unofficial murder investigator extraordinaire, is as charming and effervescent as ever.

As with all the other books in the series, recipes and tea time tips are included in the back of the book.

If you are a tea enthusiast this book is a must for your reading collection.  Go to Laura Childs website to see where you can get a copy.

A New Home for a Lefton Tea Set

I don't go to estate sales very often, but I receive notifications about them in my e-mail inbox frequently.  Yesterday I received a notification about a sale that was less than two miles from my house, accompanied by photographs.  I immediately spotted a table full of Lefton Green Heritage china [pictured below].  I've admired it many times over the years, but didn't have any.   I decided to go to the sale.

I arose early this morning, and was at the house shortly before 8:00 a.m., in hopes of being the first one in line since the sale didn't start until 9:00 a.m.  Wrong!  The street was lined with cars ready and waiting to enter the house.  They began exiting their cars at 8:15 to get a entry number, so I joined the line.   It was 10 degrees and windy.  I don't know what the chill factor was, but I know it was COLD!  Finally at 8:30 an employee came out with a roll of tickets.  The first number was 73, and I got #88.   We all went back to our cars to await the final 30 minutes in heated comfort.  I had brought along a porcelain travel mug filled with hot tea, which tasted SO good, and the mug doubled as a hand warmer!

I was so tempted to go back home, since I had no guarantee the 15 people ahead of me weren't there for the same purpose of purchasing the beautiful Lefton china.  But since I was that far along in the process I decided to stick it out.  A few minutes before 9:00 a.m. they opened the doors. To my delight, I could see the table of Lefton china in the living room as soon as I entered the house, and no one was at the table.  I made a bee-line to it, and while I wanted everything, I decided to settle for the teapot, sugar and creamer.  I got the three pieces for $95, and I saw the teapot alone on e-bay for $199. 

But that's not the end of the story...  When I got home I excitedly unwrapped my treasures and showed them to my hubby.  I was rattling on about how many pieces were at the sale including teacups and saucers to match the teapot.  He asked how much they were, and suggested we go back.  If the price was right, he said he'd buy them for me.  

Glad we went when we did, because a lady had her arms full of the Lefton china transporting it to the holding table, and was going back for more.  I quickly inched my way up to the table. My hubby thought the price was good [$65] so between the two of us we picked up the four teacups and saucers and went to the check-out.  What a happy day! I concluded it was worth standing in the freezing temperatures to get the tea set after all!

Isn't it beautiful?  As I delicately washed the pieces, I vowed to the lady who previously owned and enjoyed it, that I would lovingly care for it just as she had!

Do you shop at estate sales... or collect Lefton china?