Angela Webster McRae's Blog, page 61

An April giveaway: a kitchen towel for spring

Don't these terry cloth dish towels look like spring? I saw them at Kroger the other day and decided to get one for me and one to give away to one of you!

That aqua background caught my eye, but with birds and roses and a teacup …

And even a teapot, well, I couldn't leave these for just any ol' body to get when I knew one of you might need one! So if you would like to brighten your kitchen just a wee bit this spring, simply leave an "Enter me" to this post by Friday, April 15, *making sure I have a way to contact you if you're the winner* and you'll be entered to win. Good luck!

Bath and Body Works Hand Soaps with tea fragrance

After receiving the gift of those new bath products from Bath and Body Works, it occurred to me that I should look online to see if they had any other new tea-ish products. Turns out they have lots of new stuff with tea in the name, and I'll be watching for the lotions and bath washes to go on sale, but meanwhile, that's how I learned that hand soaps are currently on sale for just $3.50, so I ran by my local store and grabbed a couple this week.

The White Tea and Sage scent, I realized, is the same lovely light floral fragrance I tried last Christmas, included in a gift bag of goodies from my stepdaughter. She's great about planning her B&BW shopping and told me she stocks up on these hand soaps when they're on sale in bulk each year, but so far, I haven't been savvy enough to keep up with the sales. So I already knew I liked that fragrance.

The Iced Dragon Fruit Tea fragrance was a new one on me, and I like its clean, fruity scent, which seems appropriate for spring. I realize hand soaps are cheaper at dollar stores and grocery stores, but a $3.50 hand soap is a "cheap luxury," as they say, and it's one I'm happy to splurge on once in a while.

Merry Christmas in March!

Last week, I was able to schedule lunch with a dear friend I hadn't seen in a while. We enjoyed catching up on each other's families and our various pursuits, and since she'd just had a March birthday, I took her a pretty Talbots scarf (I'm addicted to them now) as her gift. To my surprise, she had a belated Christmas gift for me as well as an early birthday gift (strawberry plants!). I like to think I keep up with all the teas and tea-themed body products on the market, but apparently I've missed a few.

This yummy-smelling body wash and lotion from Bath and Body Works is the Eucalyptus + Tea fragrance from their Aromatherapy line. The scent is light and floral, and I think the packaging is pretty too. I love having that nice *glass* bottle of lotion on my nightstand.

And Erica's tea was definitely a new one on me! I found this vendor's name a little ironic since a key character in the book I'm currently writing (book one in another cozy series, not the jewelry one) is named … Erica! I also have a writer friend named Erica, and over the past year or two, I've been following a "silver sister" (i.e., gray-haired style influencer) named Erica on Instagram. So I'm just finding Ericas everywhere these days.

This herbal tea blend is quite delightful. I do enjoy a nice herbal blend, and this Hibiscus Orange Mint flavor had a bold, fruity taste—though happily not as tart as some hibiscus teas I've tried—and held up through several delicious steepings. Have any of you tried Erica's teas before? Am I the last to hear of them?

A fabulous find in Fayetteville

I've been a fan of Sandy Lynam Clough's tea-themed artwork for decades now, ever since I first learned of her when she was illustrating some of Emilie Barnes's lovely teatime books. Some will remember when Sandy's prints and tea wares were sold at home parties (the nineties, I think), and I am fortunate to have some of these items today. I'm particularly proud of an SLC teapot, cookie plate, and two teacups that were gifts from two different friends I met through this blog. These are some of my most treasured tea-themed pieces ever, and they continue to make me as happy as they did the day I received them. So when I saw this signed Sandy print at a Fayetteville thrift store on Saturday for just $8, I was more than a little excited! I'd been out thrifting and antiquing with my friend Kathy, and it was one of our last stops of the day. She found some bargain craft supplies, and I found some kitchen wares. Then I happened to be walking by a stack of artwork, which I rarely look at in thrift stores, when I saw just an edge of this piece peeking out, and I knew immediately whose art it was!

Perhaps because Sandy lives here in Georgia and not too far away from me, I have been fortunate to find several of her signed prints over the years, but rarely at a bargain price like this. The first time I bought one of her signed prints, I remember paying a good bit for the print alone and then well over $100 to have it professionally framed.

And this frame with its elegant curlicues is exactly the sort of style I like. The piece is 17-1/2 x 29-1/2 inches, so it's a nice size. I've had my oldest signed Sandy print in the dining room for a while now (shown here), but since it's pink, it's moved upstairs to a bedroom that I recently redecorated in pink, and now this newest teatime print is in the dining room. I'm curious to know whether you all are fans of her work too. I'm betting many of you also have a print or a book, greeting card, bookmark, or mug featuring Sandy Lynam Clough's teatime art. Yes?

Tea garden gazing …

Just because I haven't explored any tea history in a while, I decided it was time to share another of the stereoscopic images from the Library of Congress, this one from a tea garden in Japan circa 1901.

I had to gaze at this one for quite a while before I was able to get that 3D effect, but I finally did. These are always so fun to come across, and one day, I will break down and actually buy a vintage stereoscope for my own use.

The original image is here if you'd like to see it.

A shopping alert for fellow stampers

I realize that not everyone here is into scrapbooking and card making, but I believe that enough of us are that it behooves me to tell you about bargains on tea-themed craft supplies when I come across them. And I recently came across a clearance on this Pop Rose Teacup stamp set from Stampendous at Hobby Lobby. Regularly $15.99, the set was on sale for just $3.99. Sold!
I have a similar set from Stampendous and was trying to talk myself out of getting this one, too, but with the pretty flowers and roses, "myself" wasn't hearing those do-not-buy messages.
I haven't even had time to use my new set yet, but I wanted to go ahead and tell you about it since these clearance items tend to disappear pretty quickly. Here's a sample card shown on the back of the package. I love the idea of using the sentiments to send a cup of courage, love, gratitude, etc. to the recipient. So today, I just wanted to share a cup of savings!

Sampling new teas from Charbrew

When I was at a HomeGoods store with Aunt Jane on Friday, these two teas from Charbrew caught my eye. I've certainly heard of "bottled tea" before, but it never looked like this! They had several blends that all sounded appealing, but the ones I got ($4.99 each) were the Mint Peach Tea and the Apricot Jasmine Tea. Aren't the labels lovely?
This is the Mint Peach Tea, and it contains green tea, mint leaves, rosebuds, blue mallow buds, and peach and mint flavor. I thought that was an unusual combo and was curious enough to try it, and when I sipped this tea, I liked it! Somehow, the peach and mint flavors are both evident but subtle, making the blend neither too minty nor too peachy. I fear, though, that this tea may have ended up at HomeGoods as a remainder type of thing, because I wasn't able to find this variety for sale online except for one place in Costa Rica! 

Now the Apricot Jasmine Tea is one I thought sounded quite good, because I don't believe I've seen many flavored jasmine teas. The flavor was outstanding! As I took my first sip, I got that classic whiff of jasmine, and the fruitiness of the apricot flavor made it even better. This tea contains green tea, sunflower petals, rose petals, marigold petals, and apricot and jasmine flavors. Have any of you tried these teas before? And are you ever swayed by a tea's pretty packaging? Please tell me I'm not alone!

The winner of “Rough Draft” is …

 Frances L.! Thanks to all who entered. Alex is getting some great reviews on the new book!

Recommended Reading: Flea Market Garden Style

So many lovely new magazines are on the newsstand these days, and one of my favorites is the annual issue of Flea Market Garden Style. An old metal patio set with teacups on the table? Yes, please!
With this particular magazine, I always find so many ideas that I can use in the garden as well as indoors. Here, I'm intrigued that they used the rusty old bedsprings as a coffee table, but that tray with the tea pitcher and glasses is something I've never thought of styling. I have several vintage tea pitchers, including one with roses and matching glasses, but I've never used them in decorating. Now I will!
The projects in this magazine range from the simple to the elaborate. This idea for a hanging teacup planter looks pretty easy to achieve.
And this wonderful "Garden Party" spread had lots of cute decor as well. So whether you garden or not, if you're a tea lover, I think you would probably enjoy this new magazine.

Serendipity with a tea towel

The other week, my friend Ann texted to say that she'd been invited to tea and was asked to wear a "tea party hat." Did I have any idea where she could get one? Ann is also my Bible study leader on Thursday mornings, so I told her I had several and would take them to class for her to check out that week. She liked the rose-colored wide-brimmed hat and said it would be perfect with the outfit she planned to wear. Now that was certainly no big deal to me, and I imagine many of you, too, have loaned hats and all sorts of tea wares over the years. Ann said the tea was lovely, and when she returned the hat, she mentioned that she had tucked something in the bag with it. Probably a thank-you note, I thought. Only later that day did I remember what she'd said and looked inside the bag to discover this charming tea towel she stitched for me! Did you notice how perfectly it matches my new Sadler mug from the Salvation Army?

I love a handmade gift so much, and I was just so touched that Ann would make this for me. I knew from her Facebook posts that she has one of those fancy embroidery machines that she uses to make darling clothes for her young grandchildren, but I don't guess I realized she also made goodies like this.

And those colors! I don't believe we've ever had an occasion to talk about our favorite colors, so I'm a bit mystified that she chose a color palette featuring my favorites. What a great gift!