Seeing Clearly for Tea Time Tuesday~

and served in a clear glass cup!
Welcome tea time friends. Today I will share in our tea time with clear dishes. I have always loved anything made from glass. Gorgeous glass, crystal and cut glass treasures just steal my heart!

Many years ago I found a pretty set for 12, in dinner plates with matching lunch plates and cups. I have always loved them especially during the holidays with decorative colors showing through the plates.

Today as I reflect on the season ahead and take a moment to relax, which is rare these days, I will share my setting using those pieces I have added to my collection.

The cup has a flower design all around and holding Autumn Spice Tea. Our treat is harvest sugar cookies with my favorite decorator's icing for cookies which I will share below.


The pretty vintage napkin in light ivory, is from a set that was my mother's so many years ago. I remember these napkins at holidays and Sunday dinners. They give much comfort placed in my lap as I enjoy Spice tea and write in my Autumn journal.


The pretty sugar and creamer are very special. When my best guy and I were married 38years ago last August, this set was a wedding gift from my hubby's first job associates. I love the set and hold these treasures dear all these many years later.

Shall we ring for more tea? These lovely glass bells are from my little collection started by my mother to me. Including them in a table setting just brings a bit of conversation and beauty to the table. And, the ring so clear~

Another special table accent for our tea are these beautiful Irish Crystal Candle sticks my dear best guy gave me for our 10th anniversary. They are beautiful holding tapers or left empty on their own and pretty as a decoration.

Our pumpkin candle holding a faux tea light is a vintage votive holder from Avon many years ago. I am sure many of you have this little treasure too. It is heavy and shines beautifully on the harvest table. The tea light is from Brookstone and they
are made to be recharged as they burn low. These lights twinkle so pretty and at night really look real with no danger of flame around pets, kids or forgetting. The pumpkin tea pot I shared in an earlier post and we are using it again today.

Tall and gorgeous is my table centerpiece made from clear glass and holds again another Autumn faux candle on a timer surrounded by a harvest candle ring. The candle has an amazing fresh scent and lights our tea table so pretty.

As I write in my journal with ideas and hopes for the season, I know I have lots to be thankful for and I wish for you a lovely tea time and may all your hopes and dreams be CLEAR!

Before you leave, I'd like to share my recipe for Spice tea and the cookie icing used on Sugar Cookies.

Spice Tea
2 cups sugar
2 cups orange tang
1 cup instant unsweetened tea
1 package Koolaide lemonade mix
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves ~ optional ( I never add the cloves and like it better)

Mix all and store in an air tight container. Mix 3 teaspoons with hot water for one serving.
Perfect to make and fill in pretty containers for gifts during the holidays.

Decorators Cookie Icing
1 Cup Confectionery Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon milk (I use skim milk)
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Add food coloring here for the color of your choice.

Mix all till completely blended and smooth. Keep covered till you are ready to spread on cookies. Do not refrigerate. Can also be piped from a decorators icing bag. Icing will be shiny till set at which time it will dry a matt finish on the cookie. Easy storage of cookies in tins will not smear once icing is dry. So yummy good.


For more lovely tea times to visit, please click HERE as I join our hostess Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage.
See you next time and till then, I will leave you with my yellow "New Day Roses" just picked from the garden today.


Have wonderful Fall Day! and Happy Thanksgiving to all my blog friends in Canada. Blessings Always!

Autumn Almond Tea & Dreams

Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday and welcome Autumn, maybe, hopefully, sometime or someday!!
Well we saw some cooler temps last week, then today the heat was back at 103 degrees again. We are hoping this is the last of it as we are so ready for Fall days. Anyway, I am dreaming of cooler weather and in hopes of times to come, I am serving Almond Tea today with cinnamon almond vanilla cookies drizzled with vanilla glaze.

My tea cup for today was my mother in laws and given to me when she sadly passed away 20 years ago. I was thrilled to own the 4 piece cup and saucer set with 4 luncheon plates including sugar and creamer. I am not sure if there ever was a tea pot, but that's okay as I team it up with one to celebrate the season. Since rusty orange is a complimentary color to blue, I am serving tea in my pumpkin tea pot found at Home Goods a few years ago. It all goes nicely together. I love this set because I know it meant so much to her and in my care I honor her memory.

Not sure what the marking or maker is as it is worn and hard to see, but it is a type of luster ware in a creamy ivory and gorgeous blue with gold trim.


Love the rusty rose bud topping the sugar bowl.


Serving tea from my pumpkin tea pot. Nothing fancy or vintage, just a cute tea pot for the season.

Our tea today is set on my hutch with decor for Autumn. Friends know I am a "stager" and can't help but pull a few treasures together to set the mood.
Behind the setting is a pretty painted platter and to each side, copper tea lights with candle rings and I used the luncheon plates behind those.


Our treat for today is cinnamon almond vanilla cookies topped with a drizzle of vanilla icing. They are so good and light. Perfect for our almond tea.

Now let's enjoy some tea and share the recipe.


The directions are to brew tea and combine all ingredients together except the 3 pints of water. Just before serving add the water.

So enjoyed tea with you today. I'll go back to dreaming of cooler days and looking forward to tea with the list of participants hosted by our gracious Sandi, from Rose Chintz Cottage. Have a wonderful September day and Blessings Always.

Alfresco Style Tea Time

Greetings Tea Time Friends and welcome to an outdoor tea time. Finally we are blessed with some cooler temps and it is a welcome change. I have been waiting to take tea outside all summer, so today please join me and take a seat on the comfy sofa and we will enjoy the cooler air over tea and Italian Lady Fingers from Italy.


For our tea I'd like to share one of my favorite teacups from England. It is Wedgwood and has the prettiest garden pattern of flowers on an ivory background.




Holding our precious brew is another favorite from the Tuscany Collection and designed in a very pretty soft yellow stoneware.

To carry our tea outdoors, I recently hand painted a distressed tray found at a flea market with a Tuscan country side scene done in a painting study from one of my favorite decorative books.




To serve our Lady Fingers, I have used this pretty red and white transfer ware plate with a Autumn scene of picking apples in the orchard. Around the plate is a design of acorns and leaves. Perfect little dish for Fall. The Lady Fingers are from Italy and low in sugar and calories. I get these at our Farmers Market called Sprouts. It is a tasty light cookie for tea and dunking.

Pretty little hankies make the nicest napkins and today I am adding a pretty one with yellow trim and flowers. Perfect for our cup and tea pot.

While enjoying tea on this cooler last of summer day, I love to be inspired by one of my favorite design books, Putting the Heart in your Home, by Jean Lemmon. It is filled with beautiful and inspiring pictures of home decor.


The weather is glorious and you can feel in the air that Autumn is on the way. The soft winds give way to the beginning of a new season soon to follow. Thank you for coming to tea today. I was so glad to have you meet me outdoors for a relaxing visit.
Please join our hostess, Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for the list of participants.


See you soon.
Blessings,

Fruit Inspiration for Tea Time Tuesday~

Welcome to another Tea Time. So glad you stopped by today. As you may know ~ from past visits, I have been away for a little vacation time. I am back now and busy as can be. Lots going on in my studio getting ready for the,"here before you know it" holidays. So taking a tea break for me is always inviting, and today, I want to share a new beautiful trio my best guy found for me on vacation in a wonderful antique shop we visited.

I loved this trio right away as this gorgeous set is painted with a fruit design on both sides of the cup, the saucer and the plate included with gold trim.. This set goes beautifully in my old world kitchen.

Both sides of the delicate cup is painted in different patterns.



The pretty saucer~

The gorgeous plate~

Makers Mark~


Serving us, I have added one of my favorite tea pots in blue and my handmade and painted sugar and creamer made by my mother nearly 35 years ago. I cherish these pieces because she made it and I love mixing pottery like this with more elegant pieces such as the trio. The tea pot reverses to a leaf pattern on one side and perfect going into the Fall days ahead~~ well we hope ahead. Still very HOT here!!



For our dessert, I thought yogurt and fruit were in order to balance out all the vacation feasting. So I have filled a lovely floral bowl that works so nicely with the trio in color and size. Vanilla yogurt, blueberries and strawberries, topped with finely chopped walnuts. Our tea is a tasty raspberry tea ~ Oh so yummy!



Well that was good and all gone too!!!

Please join our lovely hostess Sandi from Rose Chintz Cottage for the list of more participants and tea time hostess's. I will be doing a lot of catching up since away and I know it will be an inspiration to view the many tea related treasures. In the meantime, I am preparing to share pics from my time away and a few more gorgeous tea cups and saucers found along the way. And, as always you can find me, "swingin paint brushes" in my studio and creating new treasures with goodies I found on vacation.

Thank you for stopping by. Your visit and comments are always welcome and a blessing more then you know!
Till next time~

TRUE FRIENDSHIP IS SEEN THROUGH THE HEART, NOT THROUGH THE EYES. author unknown.