Angela Webster McRae's Blog, page 152
February 11, 2017
Valentine's Week Giveaway #4
"You're Tea-riffic, Valentine" says this sweet little undated card. There's no design or writing on the back, so I'm left to guess whether this card was ever actually given to someone, and if not, why not. I'm charmed by the eyelashes on the teawares here. A couple of weeks ago, I was out shopping on a Saturday when a neighboring car caught my eye because it had "false eyelashes" that I have since learned are called "carlashes." Click here to see some for yourself. I was tempted to leave a note on the windshield that read, "Please tell me you work in the beauty industry." Who knew?
And I decided not to give away any false eyelashes or carlashes, but since St. Patrick's Day is not too far away, today's giveaway is a sweet little "Irish Teatime Recipes" booklet. If you'd like to win it, just leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST tomorrow, February 12, and you'll be entered to win. (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!
February 10, 2017
The stickers go to …
Sandy Garvey! So Sandy, if you'll send me your snail mail address via the email button at right, I'll get these headed your way. Congrats!
Valentine's Week Giveaway #3
Today's "You're my 'Cup O' Tea" valentine is an undated, perforated one with a smiling teapot and teacup, and they sure make me smile!
I like to picture some sweet child helping mom punch out the cards from one of those multi-packs like I saw at the store the other day.
And perhaps nowhere is a good "cup o' tea" more prized than in London, so I thought this London-themed journal would be appropriate for today's giveaway, perfect for anyone who's headed to England soon! If you'd like to win the journal, just leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST tomorrow, February 11, and you'll be entered to win. (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!
February 9, 2017
The cookbook winner is …
Frances! And Frances, since I have your mailing address already, I'll get this book headed your way. Congrats!
Valentine's Week Giveaway #2
Today's vintage valentine is a thin paper one, which makes me think it is older, perhaps from the 1930s or 1940s. I love the heart design of the little girl's teapot!
I don't know who the valentine was sent to, but it was clearly "From Lea."
And for today's giveaway, we have a recent Dollar Tree find. Aren't these stickers charming? (I apologize for the inclusion of the word "coffee," but please ignore it and focus on the teapot, teacups and tea bag!) If you'd like to win the stickers, just leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST tomorrow, February 10, and you'll be entered to win. (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!February 8, 2017
Valentine's Week Giveaway #1
Yes, yes, I know I said I was going to blog only three days a week this year, but then I realized it was Valentine's Week and thought, oh, dear, I do love hosting that full week of giveaways each year around Valentine's Day. So let's do it again, shall we? For each of the next seven days, I'll feature a vintage valentine from my collection, and there will be an overnight giveaway as well, so please check back each day to be sure you don't miss out! This valentine says, "Valentine You Suit Me To a Tea!"
And the back tells me it was sent to Marlys from Evelyn. When the valentines are undated like this one, I love to see the names on the back because they help me guess the age of the piece.
And for today's giveaway, I'm offering a rosy looking cookbook called "Macarons, Cookies, Bars & Biscotti." If you'd like to win this copy, just leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST tomorrow, February 9, and you'll be entered to win. (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!
February 6, 2017
Teacups, trios, and a tea angel ... oh, my!
Last week I got a call from a dear friend who will be turning 80 next month. She said she's trying to clear out some things in her house, and she said she had a set of 12 Japanese Flower of the Month teacups that belonged to her late mother-in-law and would be happy for me to have them if I wanted them. She also had a friend who wanted to give me some English china teacups if I wanted them. Friends, I was there the next day!
When I got there, my friend informed me that the Flower of the Month pieces weren't just teacups and saucers but were actually trios! I did not know that these Japanese Flower of the Month pieces had been made as trios, did you? At any rate, I was thrilled to have these teawares with all their beautiful flowers.
They won't all fit on the tea trolley, so for now I am displaying six of them at a time. They are in absolutely pristine condition.
And when I got home, I discovered that also tucked into the giant box of trios was this charming Jim Shore "Angel of Hospitality." I'm still pinching myself that I was blessed with all these new treasures. Later this week, I'll show you more of the goodies from the very memorable day that I went home with 20 new teacups!
February 3, 2017
My February Coweta Shopper column
The Coweta Shopper that I write for has a new owner, a former colleague who was quite open to my idea of turning my "tea column" into a "cooking column" (I liked the idea of having a broader variety of topics to write about!) So I probably won't be posting it here each month unless the recipe happens to be something I think tea lovers would be interested in. Here, I shared recipes for two heart-shaped treats I think some of you might enjoy. Although I've written about shortbread on this blog plenty of times, I've never made these heart-shaped treats before, and I think they'd be perfect for Valentine's teas.If you're not a local resident but would like to read this month's column, you can find it online here.
February 1, 2017
A tapestry and tea
Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program.Last week, my friend Lynn wrote to let me know of yet another online resource I might want to check out, the Getty Museum Collection website. I had not heard of this site, but following her recommendation, I followed this link and searched for the term "tea." I found lots of fun things to check out, but the image that most astonished me was this one, a tapestry titled, "Le Thé de l'impératrice, from L'Histoire de l'empereur de la Chine Series," which means, "The Tea of the Empress, from The History of the Emperor of China Series." Wow. Just wow.
This wool and silk French tapestry is circa 1697-1705, and the piece measures 165 x 75 inches. I cannot even imagine the work that went into this piece … but oh, how beautiful! I don't believe I've ever seen a tapestry depicting teatime before. Have you?
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January 30, 2017
Ready for spring … and teacup gardening
A few weekends ago, I was convinced the springlike temperatures meant winter was behind us here in Georgia, but alas, we've dipped back down to the freezing-cold fifties (that's freezing by *my* standards), so alas, I can only dream of spring. But I was delighted to find spring's return in the form of one of my favorite annual magazines! I found a copy at Ingles over the weekend, and since this magazine always seems to disappear quickly, I wanted to alert you fellow garden- and flower-lovers as well that Flea Market Gardens 2017 has arrived.
I love to incorporate old stuff into the garden, and since I've totally neglected my home's landscape for about two years now, this is the year I'm going to make myself whip things into shape. The first idea I fell in love with in this magazine, though, is an idea I want to use indoors: a teacup chandelier for displaying African violets! I'm rooting some new African violets right now, so I hope I can find a thrift store light fixture in time for some quick upcycling.
And while I don't know what this particular plant is, the cutline says to fill a teacup with "any low-growing, cool-weather-loving alpine plant," so I guess I'll be researching that. Isn't it lovely how the little plant spills out of the teacup?
Finally, another of those so-simple-why-haven't-I-thought-of-it-before ideas is to simply use vintage teacups as containers for tea lights when entertaining outdoors. The issue also has lots of ideas for container gardens and fairy gardens, including one made using a vintage suitcase that is absolutely darling. So if you're like me and ready to putter in the garden but the weather's not quite there yet, be sure to grab this issue before it disappears from your newsstand!
