Happy Blogaversary to Me...and you!

I can hardly believe it, but it's true! My blog is officially one year old! Blogging has been more rewarding then I imagined. I began the blog as part of my Design Team assignment for an online scrapbook store, then continued when I began designing for Bella Creations.

Along the way I have met wonderful women who inspire me through their thoughtful comments  and the positive way they live their lives and give to others. My Followers are crafty and creative women who write, sew, cook, scrapbook, decorate and more~
      So I am having an anniversary giveaway! 

Celebrate with me! Here is what to do~

Leave a comment on this post saying, "Let's have tea!"

Become a Follower. If you are already a Follower, state that in the comment box.

If you blog about this Giveway, leave the post link in the comment box and you will get a second chance at winning. That's it! Let's have tea!

I will mail a tin of Peets Holiday Breakfast Blend black tea and a brand new mesh infuser to the winner, which will be chosen by random generator on December 6! (I need a way to contact you)

TARDIS Ornament~

It all started last Christmas when my daughter discovered the BBC Doctor Who television series while on break from school. She watched the show that aired from 2005-2009 and loved watching Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant as the Doctor.

Soon hubby and I were  watching these seasons also and enjoying what so many Doctor Who fans have loved for years; we are hopeless 'Whovians" now. Since then, she has watched Doctor Who regularly and now knows more trivia than you can shake a stick at! lol

               

We get her a Christmas tree ornament each year for her birthday that has something to do with her current interest, hobby or passion. She has enough that we bought her her own five foot tree to display them on. You can guess what ornament would be perfect this year, can't you? Yup! A gorgeous blue TARDIS~ We found one online at the BBC store.

She opened it and immediately hung it on her tree in the family room. It looks great! I will write the year on the bottom so she remembers when we gave it to her like I have done to all her other ornaments. It is such fun to get them unpacked every year and reminisce when decorating her tree.

It would be so much fun if Santa brought her a Dalek ornament.

If you have not seen the show, Daleks are arch enemies of the Doctor and reappear throughout the years. Occasionally they are pleasant, but not for long! You cannot trust them. I had a laugh when I saw this clip...

Tea with a Dalek? Um, I'd be looking for an escape route!

Ribbon Ladder~

I've been known to get up before sunrise and shop for bargains on Black Friday, but not this year. Enjoying a long weekend 'lie- in', I stayed in my jammies on Black Friday. But today I wanted to pick up some gift wrap and thought I just might see what bargains were left at JoAnn Fabrics and Kohls. I have fun out and about in the bustle, especially when I'm in no rush myself. Seeing all the shoppers and Christmas decor gets me in the mood for the holiday.

I had a quick breakfast and off I went, with my sidekick Teazer Tumbler in hand. I discovered a Saturday 'Door Buster' at JoAnn Fabrics that I could not pass up. Currently my ribbon is stored in empty tea tins....go figure! lol
They look like this, and are stacked in my Scraproom closet~

I mean to cover them with decorative paper but have not gotten around to it. Look what I found to replace these tins!

                                   
I've seen ribbon storage pieces that were upwards of $50 and that is exactly why I was using tins! But this little Craft Essentials gem was only $9.99...seriously! It is  20"x 14" x 3" and has six adjustable rods and nine rod slots. Score! I can't wait to put it up.

Thanksgiving~

A Matter of Memories has wonderful free printables, like this one

The right attitude makes all the difference~

 I'm thankful for my sweet husband of 26+ years and our cherished daughter who continues to delight us...she arrived 19 years ago this coming Thanksgiving holiday. We truly had something wonderful to be thankful for that year!

Enjoy the holiday with family & friends. And thank you to everyone who takes the time to read, visit and comment on my blog. I appreciate your words and enjoy my visits to your wonderful blogs! Happy Thanksgiving~

Victorian Garden meets Country Friends~

Have you met Vickie and JoAnn of the Gooseberry Patch Country Friends Collection? I discovered them when a friend gave me the Country Friends Tea Time Primer, book #4.

    It is filled with tips, recipes and charming artwork~

There are 20 recipes in this sweet booklet along with teatime quotes~

Holly, Kate and Mary Elizabeth, pictured on the cover, even give menu and planning suggestions for your tea~

And while I browse through the recipes I sip a hearty Assam from our household china selected after we were married~

I had a difficult time finding anything I liked before the wedding, so just bided my time. Then when I saw this pattern it was love at first sight!

Isn't it beautiful? I love the two-tone roses and variety of berries on the cup and saucer. I also like the pretty green garden lattice border~

There are 3 fruit clusters on the saucer~

                                                                       Gooseberries
Gooseberries are usually green but can be found in shades of deep red. They have been cultivated since Roman times and are used in pies, jams and wines~

                                                                       Raspberries

                                                               Anyone recognize these?

The open handle fits nicely in the hand~ I like being able to loop my finger through it.

This mornings chilly beginnings cause me to steep up a hearty Assam to accompany my breakfast. This tea stands up to a bit of milk and turbinado sugar~

Often called the world's greenhouse, Assam borders with China, Burma and Bangladesh. Tea bushes grow along both sides of the 120 mile long Brahmaputra Valley, experiencing both heavy rainfall and extreme humidity before plucking. It is the greenhouse humidity that provides the unique flavours of Assam blends.
Plucked mainly between March and September, Assam teas are recognisable for strong, malty tastes, well balanced flavours, beautiful aromas and rich liquors.

Would you like to see the backside of my teacup? It is different from the front~

See the tiny blueberries at the rim?

                     Have a great day!


I am sharing this post with:

Rose Chintz Tea Time Tuesday

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
The Plumed Pen ~ Tuesday Tea for Two!
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations

Teacup Thursday

Tabletop Tuesday

Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

A Return to Loveliness

Stamp Giveaway~

Pink Persimmon  is having a stamp give away. New sets of vintage stamps are up for grabs. Here is one set...go to their blog to see the others~

EDITED/UPDATED: I just found out I won 3 of the new Antiquated stamp sets! Can't wait to create some cards with them. Thanks Darcy and Lisa :)  

Snowmen Fall from Heaven Unassembled~

Brrrr! It is getting chilly outside. Perfect time to stay indoors and create some handmade gifts. 

Want to see what I made with socks, rice and buttons?

I used mens socks for the body of a snowman and womens socks for the clothing. A glue gun is helpful and buttons add charm.

The first thing I did was cut off the foot of the sock. Discard the foot section, or use in another project. Next, I turned the sock inside out & gathered it at one end. I started running a threaded needle back and forth through the bunch to close it.

Picturing a clock, I inserted the needle at each hour around the bunch to insure the end was securely stitched. You could also just tightly tie the end or use a rubber band on it. Turn the sock so the stitched part is inside. The bottom will look like this~ 

Stand the sock vertically and fill with dry rice. I bought inexpensive rice at Big Lots. You could also use dry beans.

As you pour in the rice, occasionally push the rice down; this will give the snowman more stability as it widens him.

You can see where I pushed the rice down at the bottom then poured more rice in...there is a little bulge where I flattened the rice, so I would push again to get the upper sock as wide as the bottom.

I used about one pound of rice for my snowgirl, then tied off the top securely. Now I got to dress her! I cut the heel/ankle as well as the toe tip from the decorative sock. I used the straight piece that resulted for her sweater. Pull the straight piece over her head to where she would wear a sweater. I tied a ribbon tightly around her 'neck' to form a head and body.

I used the heel part of the same sock for her cap. I used Distress Ink Broken China to color the ribbon roses.

A great tip for coloring flowers or ribbon to coordinate with your project; I smeared some Distress Ink on my craft sheet, spritzed it with water and rubbed the roses into the water-ink solution. Let dry.
She has a snowflake at her neckline~

 I made a family of snowmen and snow girls! I can't share the others because they are going to be a surprise for friends and family. You can use smooth knitted socks for the clothing or the fuzzy kind so easily found at this time of year. You can also make pointy-ended hats if you use the toe end of the sock as the hat tip. If you tie the snowman in two places he will have 3 bulges instead of two like my little Rosy, above. I enjoy giving handcrafted gifts...I put love into each one.

I am sharing this post with~

Terri's Deck The Halls

Pumpkins~

I have been wanting to visit the Tanaka Farm in Irvine, California for several years but it was just one of those things that kept getting pushed to the back burner. Well, last week I was in the area and made a point to stop there knowing the strawberries were long gone but hoping to see pumpkins.

I took my teen daughter with me. Immediately upon exiting the car she wrinkled her nose and asked, "What IS that smell?"  If you are a fan of the television series The Office you might remember an episode where Angela and Andy accompany Dwight to his beet farm and once inside the barn Andy asks the same question, to which Angela replies, "manure." lol!

There is a small corn maze, fields of pumpkins, a wagon ride, and a small petting 'zoo'. We walked around and gazed at the rows of pumpkins on the ground.

Happily, there was everything I had hoped to see. We spotted scarecrows....

and tall rows of corn....

My daughter noticed the dirt, hay and occasional fly, not to mention the farm 'aroma'...needless to say, I do not think she will be marrying a farmer and living off the land! Haha~

We have never seen so many pumpkins unless they were stacked at the grocery store. I was glad I had my camera with me.

I suggested we walk through the corn maze and she actually agreed to go with me, unlike the eyerolling I would have got if she was still 15! We entered the maze...

I teased her about needing to use GPS to find our way out, but within minutes we came to the exit. Short, but sweet.

Young children were skipping from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to choose the perfect one to take home. Wheelbarrows stood waiting to help carry the orange treasure~

It was fun to see the small varieties available too.

        All this fresh air got us in the mood for baking pumpkin bread. So, when we got home we got out one of our trusty cookbooks called The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook.

We measured out 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup pumpkin.

Next, sift together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoons each of salt, cinnamon, baking powder & nutmeg. I like freshly grated nutmeg. Add 1/4 tsp ginger. 

Combine with liquid mixture. Fold in 1 cup raisins (if desired), 1/2 cup nuts and 1/4 cup water. Turn into well oiled loaf pan.

You can see that I only added walnuts to one side since hubby and daughter don't like them, but I do!

Bake in 350 degree oven 65-75 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then cool on rack.

I could not wait to cut into the loaf! I used my Mary Engelbreit cup for afternoon tea; the doily pattern seems nicely homespun and the sentiment is perfect.

*Home is Where The Heart Is*

I toasted a thick slice of pumpkin bread and inhaled the fragrant steam from my cup.

It is not a fancy teacup, but reminds me of treasured times in the kitchen baking with my daughter.

And the best ingredient to bake with is love!

The whole house smells of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon~

I am sharing this post with:

Trisha at Sweetology
Martha's Favorites Teacup Tuesday
Rose Chintz Cottage
Artful Affirmations