Tuesday Tea...

Having my second cup of China Black this morning from one of my travel cups... The first cup was on the way to taking hubby to work. The second, I'm having while getting ready to go have my fingerprints taken for a background check. If I pass the check, I will be offered a job with my County's health department in the Nutrition Division. I have no idea why they need my fingerprints. The last job I had I dealth with regional and state water supplies... I would think that that position would be more of a threat than that which I am going for... But mine is not to wonder...

I finished this book last night. A good read for the art lover... Historically based novel about Berthe Morisot and Edourd Manet... A story of their love affair and the beginnings of Impressionism. Happy Tea everyone!

Please visit Kimmie to see what everyone else is up to today...

ADD and Tuesday Tea...

I'm drinking my usual China Black this morning... Hoping that the caffeine will help me STAY awake now... as I've been AWAKE all night. Being a chronic insomniac, I'm used to it taking me a few hours to get to sleep (sort of)... but last night - and the night before - have been worse than usual. Night before last, I was still up at 4:10am. Then when hubby tried to get me up before he left for work I wasn't havin' it! So... again last night, I tossed and turned, was up and down, read, surfed... went back to bed again around four and was still awake when hubby got up at 4:50am... And here I am. The thing is, when I'm like this I can't really DO anything. I get all these creative ideas, but can't act on them. I got some great ideas last night... sculptural products I want to try, Christmas ornament designs... you get the picture.

Plus, I have all these unfinished sewing projects I've been working on...

the redirected change purse

dragonlfy stamped, tea stained muslin, instead of bling;

what's left of the redirected art quiltlet, with new embellishment ideas;

not quite finished "Field of Flowers" evening bag

still have to attach the melty polyester flower...

and suddenly I have the urge to play with paper mache... Maybe I'm ADD... And what should I do with all the muslin and batik tea bags I made, now that my tea business has gone nowhere? Anyway... pleae visit Kimmie to see what the rest of the Tuesday Tea-ers are up to... Maybe you can make some sense of them...

Wait... anyone out there ever use Paverpol???

Tuesday Tea...

This morning, I'm drinking my favorite China Black Tea in my "IMAGINE" mug... Isn't that a great message for a creative (or maybe not so creative) morning? I love the colorful letters... so cheerful! I have a few sewing projcts to work on this week that I thought I'd share today...

Here is an art quiltlet I've been designing. It's pinned together for now and I'm not sure what message I'm going to attempt to embroider on it... but so far I like the design.

Here are some more cute little girls' owl purses! I'm going to use the grosgrain ribbon in the photo for straps. My granddaughter, Ansley, loved hers!

And this is, I think, my favorite purse project so far. A recycled denim belt loop bag. The teal velvet will be the lining and I'm not sure what, if any, fabric flower to use. I may end up embellishing it with a vintage earring or brooch, instead... or nothing at all...

I hope you are having a wonderful and creative Tuesday... Don't forget to stop by Kimmie's to see what the other tea (or not) drinkers are up to and share a cuppa with them!

Tuesday Tea...

First, I want to welcome all my Tuesday Tea friends to check out The Bohemian Tea House. It's my new blog to chronicle my path to my loose tea business. I hope all of you will join and and follow my progresss. I hope all of you are having a stressless holiday season! A lot to ask... I know... but very important!

Now, you all know that one of the things I love is to put together mismatched tea sets and sell them, bead teaballs and foster and adopt out orphan tea cups. Since I'm focusing on opening a loose tea business I thought it would be wonderful if I could do more crafts that relate to tea.

So... what to do with no longer used and cracked teapots???  Make bird houses out of them!

It wasn't my idea, but what a great idea it is! 

I'm going to put some poinsettias around the opening in this one. I'll post another photo when I do.

Here's another... I used wire wrapped with grapevine fibers for this one!

They even have draingage so if rain gets in, it will drain down through the spout! 






Now I'm going to enjoy some of my newly blended Caramel Creme Rooibos and before bed I'm going to brew a cup of my as yet untitled bedtime tea... Don't forget to visit Kimmie to see what my Tuesday Tea friends are drinking!

Embarking on a New Journey...

As many of you know I've recently become unemployed after more than 10 years at a regional environmental government agency, more than 5 at a state environmental agency and many years in the private sector prior to that. In this economy, jobs are hard to find, especially for those over 50. My husband has been ill and has been out of work for more than 2 years, making me our sole provider.

So... what to do? I thought about being the full time artist that I've longed to be, but my production of pieces has been sporadic... not enough to support myself, much less myself and my family.  I want to do something I'm passionate about, but don't have much capital for a business start up. I also wanted there to be an environmental element and a social justice element. There also had to be a spiritual connection. So I asked the questions: What am I passionate about? What can satisfy the environmental and human elements? What about the spiritual connection?  The answer... Tea!

For the past few weeks, I've been working on planning the opening of The Bohemian Tea House. I plan to blend, package and sell fair trade, organic teas and herbal tisanes under my own label. Primary sales will be online and at local farmers markers. My goal (besides blending and selling wonderful organically grown teas that help to support workers on the plantations) is to eventually have a mobile tea room selling and serving my own artisan blended teas (and perhaps some baked goods) at venues and events throughout the US, or at least the southeastern US.

I will need your help dear friends... I'll be asking you to answer some questions in future posts as I start my market research. Of course I'll be posting some about the process here, but will be documenting my journey on a new blog: The Bohemian Tea House. I've just now set it up, but if you get a chance later, please visit. And if I'm not posting as frequently on Pieces of D, it's because I'm working hard on acheiving my new goals. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Tuesday Tea...

Today I'm having Celestial Teas Chai with Indian spices. It's so soothing... Last night I finished and boxed up for shipping my (late) tea box for a swap I'm participating in. Luckily my swap partner is a bit late too. Anyway... here's the box...

I covered a Tazo tea box wth a cocktail napkin in fall colors, lined it with gold tissue paper,

put these great paper flowers on it and trimmed it with some green looped fringe.

Hope she likes it... I packed it with little goodies too! Happy Tea everyone! Please visit Kimmie to see what the other Tuesday Tea participants are up to!

Tuesday Tea

Short Tea Tuesday post... have been looking for a job, while drinking my usual morning black tea. I went to a job interview yesterday and after the interview, the manager said when they pick the top 3 candidates they will invite them back, one-at-a-time, to meet staff and have coffee. Coffee??? But I don't drink coffee... Oh well.. I learned long ago to carry tea and Stevia with me... So, if I'm picked as a top candidate, I'll go... tea in hand and ask where the microwave is! Be sure to visit Kimmie to see what the other tea drinkers are up to today!

A Review of California Tea House's Lemon Meringue Pie Tea

Oh my goodness! I'm late for tea! I'm just getting my days all mixed up... I spent the day with my friend Lois, planning her annual "Cool and Groovy Garden Party." I thought it was Sunday and she thought it was Monday! It's Tuesday... Tea Tuesday!

Since I'm late, I'm going to repost the review of the latest California Tea House tea I've tried... Lemon Meringue Pie Tea!

The aroma of this tea, when I first opened the pouch, was heavenly! I love vanilla and you can tell it's in there with the lemon grass and lemon preserves.

While waiting for the kettle to boil I admired the lovely color, set off by the lemon grass pieces.

Once steeped, the flavors came to life with the rich red color... I love vanilla and the vanilla beans came through, as did the lemon preserves, to produce a lovely lemon creme flavor.

Rooibos tea has many health benefits.. It's full of antioxidants and is naturally caffeine free. It tastes great iced too! This tea is so good and when Stevia is added, it satisfies my cravings for something sweet. It would make a wonderful dessert tea!

So, the next time I get a hankering for lemon creme cookie sandwiches... I'll just brew a pot of Lemon Meringue Pie Tea instead!

Check out all their teas by clicking on the banner on my blog! Also, make sure to go see Kimmie to visit our other Tuesday Tea friends!

Tuesday Tea...

This morning I slept late... which was good... For the last 2 days, my allergies have been so bad... sneezing constantly is exhausting... So this morning I'm sitting here job hunting, blog hopping and researching projects...

I'm drinking my Monkey Paw black tea with Stevia and milk...

from my favorite mug... It's very whimsical and pretty...

Who says a tea bag caddy has to be a tea bag caddy...

This lovely little votive holder fits my tea ball perfectly!

Of course the tea ball is beaded to match the mug and caddy!

Happy Tea Tuesday everyone! Don't forget to visit Kimmie and look at her comments to see what the rest of us are up to!

Tuesday Tea...

This morning I'm reviewing California Tea House's Golden Monkey Paw black tea. It's a beautiful whole leaf tea, with amazing color and flavor.

Aren't these leaves just gorgeous??? Being whole leaf tea, it is full of flavor and beneficial antioxidants...

And the color of the steeped tea is so lovely... This is a fullbodied tea with a smooth flavor that will hold up to sweetener and milk! I invite you to visit their website (please use the photo link on my sidebar, so I will get credit should you decide to buy some) and browse all their wonderful teas!

They are a delight for the eyes as well as the taste buds! And they have a tea community with a chat forum and blog. When you participate in the community, you can earn reward tokens which you can redeem for tea! Plus... shipping is free! All the time!

Don't forget to visit Kimmie for the Tuesday Tea Party! Look for comments in her tea post to see what everyone else is up to.

Tuesday Tea... Back from the Woods...

Well, I'm back from my aunt's wedding. It was so beautiful... if I do say so myself (I helped with the centerpieces and made her the goodies from the previous post). She was a gorgeous bride and she is so happy! So, while I'm sipping my rooibos tea this afternoon, I thought I'd share a few pics of where I've been enjoying my morning (and evening) tea for the past few days.

Here is her porch, looking up from the lake...

this lake... Lake Lanier...

sipping tea with these little guys and their friends...

watching the Dogwood leaves turn...

and fall wildflowers bloom...

and finding bright colors on the ground...

I so love it up there. I was the only one in my family not born near where these pictures were taken... The only Floridian... and... while I love being a Florida native... going to north Georgia has always been like going home to me.

Happy Tea Tuesday everyone! Please visit Kimmie to see what my tea buddies have been up to!

Tuesday Tea and Talk Shows...

When I was a kid, I watched daytime TV with my mom... Before her "stories" (soap operas) started, we watched a talk show or two. The one I remember most was the Merv Griffin Show. For those of you too young to remember it, it was a talk show that had celebrities as guests and they talked about what was going on in the celebrities' lives... not unlike your typical late night talk show today. But daytime talk shows today tend to focus more on the real life of everyday people. Since I haven't been working, I've started watching one or two on an irregular basis. My favorite is the Nate Berkus Show! It has the obligatory celebrity, but mostly it's about design and fashion and how to acheive your own... no matter where you are in life. I didn't even know who this guy was until I saw him on an episode of "Design Star." (Am I getting too hung up in TV???  or worse... reality TV???)  Anyway... on his website he has a daily giveaway... Yay!

Today's giveaway - a cool toaster!

(Photo source Nate Berkus Show)

So I thought I'd share that with you while drinking my California Tea House Golden Monkey Paw black tea... which I let get cold... (and is in a cup with gold trim so I can't microwave it) oh well... there's more in the pot! Stay tuned for a review of this one on the tea blog!

Happy Tea Tuesday everyone! Don't forget to visit Kimmie to see what everyone else is up to today!