~ Afternoon Tea ~

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." ~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Afternoon Tea,1880, Marie Bracquemond, French (1840-1916)

Five 'O Clock Tea, 1880, Mary Cassatt, American (1844-1926)

Cassatt lived most of her adult life in France

The Cup of Tea, 1879, Mary Cassatt, American (1844-1826)

Tea, Frederick Carl Frieske, American (1874-1939)

Frieseke resided in Giverny, France for fourteen years

Tea Table in the Garden, 1925, Esther Borough Johnson, British

(1867-1949)

 Private Thoughts, Joe Bowler, American (1928- )

Afternoon Tea, Everett Lloyd Bryant, American (1864 – 1945)

In the Spring, Harold Knight, British (1874-1961)

Antique Tea Tins ~

Hello everyone! I thought I'd share these antique/vintage tea tins with you today. Not only were they practical, but also lovely works of art! As someone who loves tea, they're fun to collect and display on a shelf, but I'm sure there's lots of other uses for them also. Of course, they can still be used to stash your tea, too! Another treasure to look for in the antique shops and thrift stores!

English tea tins, circa 1870



 Floral tea tin with embossed roses

Lipton's Tea Merchants, circa 1920s

Uneeda Tea, circa 1920s

 Tetley's India & Ceylon Tea, circa 1920s

Stag's Head Tea, circa 1920s

Chinese tea tin, circa early 1900s

Here someone used tea tins for a flower display! I love it! Until next time ~ enjoy!

Hydrangeas...Beautiful Hydrangeas

One of my favorite flowers, hydrangeas come in shades of deep blue, purple, red, pink and white. Some start out as one color and gradually fade to another. The deep blue ones are my absolute favorite! They're one of the best ever flowers for drying, as their large, round shape holds up well and makes them perfect for flower arranging, or just gathered in a pretty basket or vase. When dried, their bright, fresh colors naturally soften to muted pastels and a lovely, "old ivory" color.  Hydrangeas come in two varieties; mophead, where the flowerheads are very large and round, and lacecap, which has a more flat flowerhead, resembling lace (as the name implies.) For instructions on how to dry hydrangeas naturally, click HERE  I warn you, however, growing them can become addictive!

Painting by American Artist Cindy Procious

There is something so romantic and old-fashioned about hydrangeas, they make incredibly lovely wedding bouquets. Alone, or added with white roses, white callas or white stock - stunning!

Dried hydrangeas also look especially good with shabby chic-style decorating.

Thanks for visiting! Until next time, have a wonderful day!

All photos courtesy: Google Images

How Do You Take Your Tea?

I drink my tea from a big ceramic mug...not a dainty china cup. I like strong, black English Breakfast tea every morning. No coffee for this woman! There's something so comforting about cradling my favorite mug in my hands in the morning, inhaling the brew and taking a nice, long sip, as I look out the window and think about the day ahead. Especially in the wintertime, when it's frosty and cold outside, I love nothing better than to warm my hands around my tea mug, as I curl up on the sofa with a good book, perhaps covered with my favorite afghan. However, I absolutely love the look of fragile, flowered tea cups - and they have their place, too, at a special tea party or afternoon tea with a friend. Or just to collect and display - they're so beautiful to look at!

I admit, though, I like my tea with a little sugar and milk (unless it's herbal tea, which I prefer plain.)  However, these days, I'm trying to remove sugar from my life, so I'm making some changes...but in my tea? Well...maybe just a little sweet...especially on those days I need a little extra comfort and pampering. Surely just a little teeny, tiny bit of sugar won't hurt. So...how do you take your tea?

My favorite tea mug - a gift from my niece, Stefanie.