THE GATHERING OF FRIENDS for "Friends Sharing Tea"

Over the holidays I was invited

to have lunch with tea at Janice's

home...it was great fun.  She blogs
at "Curtains In My Tree"  This is
my kitchen table below where I am
enjoying tea now.  Also, you see,
your cup is poured too!

 Janice introduced me to some
 books I had not heard about before
 but immediately wanted.

The books are called "The Gathering

of Friends" and there are 7 volumes filled

with recipes and decorating ideas.
They are $32.50 each but I ordered a
used set on ebay.

Let's take a few minutes 

and check out Volume One:

There are wonderful recipes
 to make and decorating ideas
 and table settings.  I could sit here 
for hours just absorbing.  I think
wintertime is perfect for books.

If you want to bake my brownies - 
they can be found here by Brenda 
at Coffee Tea Books and Recipes.
I make these often.

CHILDHOOD TEACUPS

I grew up in the 50's when it was common for little girls to collect demitasse cups and saucers.  I remember most every dime store sold these. They were mostly from Japan because this was the post World War II Era.  These came from my Mom and I kept them in a an old cedar chest.  

Forget Me Nots were a popular pattern.  Sometimes a few got broken along the journey of life and some show signs of very old glue! 

Because we are in the transition

 of moving,

this was a repost from 2010!

IT'S A LITTLE GIRL'S TEA

Welcome to a little girl's tea in the garden:  this is my childhood bride doll "Sweet Sue" which I had restored about 22 years ago.

I am a great fan of Beatrix Potter so today's tea has a theme:

Last year we had already had snow by this time (and the year before that) so we are happily enjoying a longer fall this year.

A while back somewhere on an antiquing journey I found this darling vintage linen set with embroidery

 and applique doggies on it and 4 little napkins.  See how the napkin just fits right in:

 We thought we were going to be getting new windows in our house last week - but guess what?  False alarm......they don't come until later this week.  That means we have everything piled up away from the windows everywhere.  Can you see why I'm happy to be outside today?

The little doll with the green hat below is porcelain and I got her in Toronto, Canada back in the 1980's:

STRAWBERRY "TEA IN THE GARDEN"

Good Monday morning and what a lovely morning it is as the sun rises up in my backyard garden.  I don't have a big garden but the one I have I just love looking out at from my kitchen window.  It brings me joy!  Today we are having some strawberry tea in the garden.

Welcome to Tea In The Garden! 

 Have a seat here at the picnic table and we can chat a bit.

I am not sure how I got this fascination for these fun doilies.  I seem to be drawn to them like a magnet.  I have shared my little cottage Japanese teapot before.

I am sharing with you a couple of denim tote bags I sewed yesterday afternoon for my shop.  This one has an old crochet potholder basket on the front. (actually to hold the potholders) 

And the other has part of an old yoyo

 piece on it and I have many more to do.

 I have some strawberry tea for you so please pour a cup and enjoy using this little strawberry spoon!  I hope you like the linens I have chosen and of course they have embroidered strawberries.

The tea is from The Metropolitan Tea

Company and tastes delicious.

MY CHILDHOOD TEASET AND DOLL

When I was a little girl I made mud pies outside with this blue willow teaset.....yes mudpies! If you speak with a lady who had a teaset during the 1950's - it was almost always a blue willow teaset.(See the legend of the blue willow on this blog.)

My 50's Sweet Sue Bride doll:

The pink and green set was one I found

in a junk shop in Wyoming.