"White Linen!" Why on Earth ~ For Tea

At an early age of 6 I remember placing things aside in my trousseau.  It was a large wooden casket that smelled of cedar on the inside and had a large shelf on top to lift out.  I remember sitting on the floor long after lights out and going through the bits putting them into piles of colour and size.  You'd not have to wonder why I'm obsessive, after all I was 6 and already being made to collect bits before I could do cursive.

Linen - white scads of it, that was handing down, given as gifts, and wallowed over while ladies had tea.  Perhaps I'd been given the pieces that weren't of favourite to the family.  Anyway, I had some items I'd never have use for, such as lace napkins - I tucked them inside tea towels the other useless item I had.  I wouldn't have a use for tea towels because I was going to have a dish washer when I grew up, a cook and a cleaning lady.

Right Cinderella!

That was yesterday, today I'm the cook, the cleaning lady and the dish washer at Grandma's Afternoon Tea Room, and I love every bit of it.  Not to mention I found a use for those lacy napkin thingies.

To Town

I visited Ellicott City in Maryland yesterday.  I was antiquing, nothing special that I was looking for or even had in mind to buy. I did however, have just one  shop I couldn't resist visiting after I'd come across it on the internet.  It was the Forget-me-not-Factory.  Yup a fairy store full of nothing but.

As much fairy dust and stuff that a little girl could dreamover.

I came away with a bag of goodies all keeping within the two digit budget and with lots of ideas for the gardens this year.

Across the street:
I came out of this shop and right back into another. They were all over the place and up and down the street, doors open and windows filled with antiques, and an open sign hanging on every door. Then I spotted Cottage Antiques at 8181 Main St.

Upon entry:
Joy over took my every move and before I knew it, I was sitting on my bedroom floor with all this linen and lace about me. Yup, Guy found me tucked in a corner behind a curtain and I'd found a box of napkins and I was going through them picking out linen for the tea room.  I looked up and saw the disappointment on his face as he said, "what do you need more napkins for?" (Smile)

Not machine done either, this was the real McCoy

Lace Embroidered:
I held it in my hands and felt the stitches between my fingers as my mind wandered to a 5th floor attic, where a trunk sat with all these never used linens and how they might have fallen into the wrong hands as they were cast aways of an estate sale that the heirs frowned down on. My mind quickly snapped to reality and I had to save these cast aways hidden deep in this box. Mine, they're mine, all mine.

A voice from above me:
Sounded deep, but stern was this voice.  Oh! Was I about to be scolded for sitting on the floor going through this box?  Not at all, the voice was smart and quick as it's age didn't need two repeat oneself, "If your interested in any of those, bring them upfront and I'll give you a good price on them." I made it up front before she got there.

"What on Earth"
The same voice was asking me why I needed all these napkins. I explained the Tea Room.  How Grandma's had come to be from all the tea cups and lace that was handed down and I'd need replacing the ones I used from my tickle trunk.

Back at the RV:
I opened the large bag, took out all the napkins, put them into individual piles, lace on the right, embroidered on the left.  Obsessing over my new find and enjoying coffee in my newly gifted Fire King Jadite Mug, yes, from the same shop.  I'd been looking for years for skeleton keys and I'd just asked as a matter of fact.  And a full ring of them gets tossed down on the counter in front of me, teasing and taunting me. "How much." I never took my eyes off them.  As I'm looking up I see an arm over my shoulder passing her off what she had asked for them. They were snatched up so quickly they had to be a good price.  Then they were mine, all mine, the keys, the cup and the linen.  Life is grand, this day is great, how could there be so much excitement in this short of time.

Not just a cup:
This cup has created a lot of memory for me.  My mom drank from nothing other than this exact mug.  She sure enjoyed her coffee and I can tell why, it is the mug, amazing and you are going to think I'm crazy but coffee tastes so much better in this mug.

For Heaven's Sake

Listen to me going on about cups, keys, linen and lace and all along I was the one who invited you for tea. Scuttlebugs, let me fix you something, anything, oh here sit down.... I can't believe I've left you standing here waiting on me this long. Heavens, you must be vamished, or in the very least, just a little upset with me.

My finest:

I've taken out the good China, after all you are company. This Midnight Pink Rose tea cup and saucer will not only hold your finest cup of tea today and by the way, we are having Queen Mary ~ a sharp but lovely stern cup of tea,  Rather reminds me of Miss. Joan - you remember her, I mentioned her a while back, "the voice from above."  Well she is the owner along with her son and daughter-in-law of this lovely shop, The Cottage Antiques.  After a mile of chit chat they are going to head up to Prince Edward Island this summer for a visit.  Won't that be fun? 

I almost forgot, I'v some fresh dipped Palmers dipped in dark rich chocolate.  Can I get you one or maybe two, they are a delight. I'm so glad you stopped by for tea today it...well it gave me a chance to tell you the story of the discarded linens that make it into antique shops never used.  Years ago we kept things for good, they were not to be used but to be only looked at.  Mother had a set of these, look at dishes, I had all these useless napkins, tea towels and tablecloths and lace.  It goes to show, linen and lace are a lot like people in a way...if you use them they will spoil, but if you put them up they will soil.   I guess that is why my linen needed to be replaced, I put them up there for everyone to use in the Tea Room.

Did you want that Palmer now? Here let me get you a new napkin, heaven knows I have lots.

Did I tell you the story about the two Kindred Spirits I met? Well I don't know where to start... but one thing is for sure if you visit the Cottage Antiques in Ellicott City, Maryland, be sure to tell both Miss. Joan and Miss. Ruth that I sent you, really, I'm not kidding they are good friends of mine... yup we go way back and they will even cut you a deal, yup you will walk out of this shop with your bags full, 3 bags full.

Oh, and one more thing before I go:

This skull cap (bonnet) dates back to 1819.  I stood by while Miss. Joan so carfully unwrapped it from fadded paper and flannel material.  These will be going home with me, back to Prince Edward Island, and if you wish to stop by Grandma's Tea Room you can view them on display in a shadow box where they will be put up enjoyed and appreciated for their age.

Perhaps I'll show you next; the plans I have for those skeleton keys.  Oh, do you know why they were called skeleton keys?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank You For Joining Me In Afternoon Tea~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm dreading the long road ahead today.  Our stop tonight will be checking my mail and visiting your tea times.  We are still RV-Living but have been called home to the Island as Grandma is needed.


~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

Peachy ~ Sunlit Sunday

Oh what a day, just a Peachy One,

Our RV travels took us to Ellicott City, where I met a kindred spirit who is the owner of the Cottage Antiques shop.  Miss Joan dazzled me with her humour while she dazzled me with great prices on never used vintage linen and napkins.  When she found out we were of Grandma's Tea Room in Prince Edward Island she was happy to accommodate us with all sorts.  I'll better have a write up when our internet service is better and I'm able to upload pictures at a greater speed.  

My Sunlit Sunday picture is being shared over at My Little Home and Garden, please join me for some fun and very nice photos that other folks share.

~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
 or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

Past Favourites ~ Note Card

A Time To Share

A Time to View

A Time to Look Back

A Time for Fantasy

Joining Vee in her Note Card Party over at A Heaven for Vee.


~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
 or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

Fright to a Fairy ~ Sunlit Sunday

I have been thinking about the Fairies returning to the gardens, now that the snow is starting to melt and the heads have fallen off the snowmen it is time to a little cleaning up around the yard and garden to attrack these ity bitties. 

First the walls of the garden shed

These scary mud whasps might return so I'll pull them down.

This owl would frighten itself

I know HOP wanted to get into the RV just in case we left tomorrow without him.

And I have to wonder about this frightful looking thing to a Fairy. Someone should call the French Gardener to remove these awful looking things.

It certainly doesn't appear as soft a landing as this teal piece of seaglass I provided for this dragonfly to set her dainty little feet down onto. 

I've been busy, putting some new items listed on Etsy.  

Today we pack the RV and tomorrow we say good-bye to the grand-children and kids for another year.  The time has gone by fast but so has the last 10 years now that I think of it.  I'm trying to slow down the time by adding favourable things to my day like photography, fairy gardens, teaching the girls to knit, and occasionally joining in a blog party along the way.

Today please follow me while I visit Karen over at My Little Home and Garden where she is having a wonderful Sunlit Sunday.  

Thank you for taking the time to visit today. I must say these past couple of weeks have been grand ones, I've met with new followers on Grow Your Blog, taught Makayla and Savannah how to knit, overcome Valentine's Day, and watched the sun come up and go down on the same day. 

Hugs,

~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

Grow your blog giveaway - Winner

Today is the Grow Your Blog Giveaway Day

Feb 15, 2014

We are celebrating Logan's First B'day right now.

I have taken a picture of the seaglass necklace.

Put everyone's name into a hat.

And after the party I'll be back to post the winner.

Here is the Seaglass Necklace

Here is the winner of that necklace

LesleyAnn of Plum Hallow

Sorry about the picture on the envelope.  I'm not properly set up for picture taking and wanted to be sure to get the picture before the sun went down.  So LesleyAnn, please contact me with your full address so I can post postage.  

Enjoy

~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

Shoestring budget ~ Valentine Tea

These days we are RV-Living, not your average life style.

Not easy to set up for a Valentine's DAy Tea

Non the less on a shoestring budget.

However I did, &

Decorated

For

$7.30

You have to love the dollar stores or as they call it here Dollar General however all the lights are burnt out on the sign and it reads "GE" in canada that is an appliance store, nugh said.

Welcome To My RV-Living Valentine's Day Tea Party

Shoestring budget decorating $7.30
Table cloth $1
Valentine decoration $1
Napkins $1
Plates $1
Sparkle hearts $1
Scrapbook paper 5 for $1
Round coasters $1
Ribbon $.30

I cut up the packaging that most of the decorations came in and put tape behind them and stuck them about the RV. I used the little hearts and stapled them onto the ribbon and put stripes on the cupboard doors and onto the fridge.  For a $1 one package of cupid decorative coasters are taped and hung about as decorations.  I cut hearts out of the backing of the gift wrap and lined the window trim with it.  I even cut from the cardboard carton and made Grandpa a gift tag.  How frugal is that?

PEZ and handmade tags

Ribbon heart cupboards

 I made a paper throw blanket for the foot of the bed

 and wrote sweetheart notes on it.

Some pink daisy binding addes to the Hershey's message

Scrapbooking paper decorates the table.

I pulledout the little bear and out spilled all these hearts and hershey's chocolates. (Forgive the tape)

Looks like bear might be a little shy, he is trying toget back into the cup.  

It isn't abvious but this cup will hold 18oz of cocoa (big gulp)

RV-living has limitations. So Grandma is going to bake box cookies with the kids and they get to decorate with Pink Vanilla Frosting and Pink Sugar Crystals.

A couple of Scrapbooked note pads keeping with the theme.

Hearts, hearts and more hearts.

From left to right - pink marshmallows, cupid coaster, sparkle heart

Heart shaped box of Dove Chocolates for Grandpa. (No Peeking)

Isn't the box amazing?  I love it and had to have it, I'll give grandpa the chocolates and use the tin for this and that's. I'm tempted to give him this early so it can be mine all mine. I figure it doesn't matter what is inside the tin as long as the outside is pretty it has to be good.  This one is not only pretty it will be useful. Then a Happy card, and sweet heart candies for the kids.  I used to get these chalky things each year growing up and we would give them to each other and oh and aw over what was written on them.  I never liked the taste and remember getting one on my desk from a boy in 3rd grade and being so embarrassed. Times have changed.

On my travels I found seeds - 5 packs for a dollar.  Back home they are $1.49 each.  I hope they grow, lol. 

I cut off the Dove tag and used it to decorate the wall.

Coffee Mill Cookie Jar

Coming back from Boonville yesterday we stopped at a road side Antique Mall (one shop with 400 vendors.  I happened onto a booth with about 200 cookie jars or more.  I looke at a couple of the prices and I saw $49 to $180.  Then I spotten this old time coffee mill and figured it had to be ours.  I took the lid off ever so gently and took a peek inside for the price tag, there it was laying on the bottom with old cookie crumbs and it read $17 MINE.

A Red beauty - she will fit nicely with our coffee roasting shop.

Please raise a cup and follow me while I have tea with:

Martha at Martha's Favourites: http://www.marthasfavorites.com
Terri at Artful affirmations  : http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com
Bernedette at Bernideene's Tea Time: http://blog.bernideens.com
Sandi at Rose chintz Cottage: http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Just to let all you lovely tea lady's know, I am having a hard time writing and reading blogs without high speed interent service.  I'll get around to you and visit each and every one and answer email comments. And I thought short memory ws my biggest issue these days.  Happy Valentines' Day to all you Lovelies, wishing you sprinkled with love and chocolate.

Thank you for joining me in my afternoon tea,

~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)

or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my children;

All these years have passed and it went without Valentine's as you grew up and it comes with reason.  On Jan 11, 1971, I woke out of bed a child of 9 years old and demanded to go and see Grandpa so I could deliver him his valentine.  After not taking no for an answer your papa took me to see him.  I hugged him and remember him saying, "thank you child".  It was only 30 minutes later that a massive heart attack took his life.  Your grandfather, my dad was a very angry drunk and punished me for years by telling me I knew he was going to dye and I didn't give him the chance to say good-bye.  Valentine's has never been a time of year that we decorate, celebrate or at the very least exchange cards because of this.  I was 9 years old, what did I know?  Today for the first time I have let myself decorate, celebrate and enjoy the fun.  Logan is one today and I'm about to go roll him on the floor and play with him.  It is 3 days before Valentine's Day, early I know, I still won't give anyone a Valentine Card before the 14th but I promise to forgive myself and move on today, after all it has only been 43 years.  I'm glad through Skype I was able to share this moment with you today, Hugs with all my heart. Mom

Rusty Wood ~ Sunlit Sunday

Welcome to the very little bit of sun found this week and snapped up and captured right away by my camera. 

Come sit a spell with a cup a tea while I read some Sunlit blogs that Karen has hosted on her party over at My Little Home and Garden. Thank you Karen

For this sunny meme.

The colour of rust

 I found this treasure in the back yard at my daughter's house. There is something about rust that attracts me to it, not that I want to clean it because I'm impulsive but there is just this rustic charm that resides close by.

We are still on holidays.  That means RV-living in the woods where it is amazingly beautiful, calm, quiet and at times a little creaky.  There isn't any wind in North Carolina like there is in PEI, however every now and then the wind will catch the leafless trees in the forest and the sounds it makes are creepy and creaky, it sent me running into the RV one night.

The smell of fresh cut wood
  Like most of the US and Canada this PolarVortex has created a lot of stir and cold.  We came away with short sleaves, a pair of shorts and spring jackets. So are I have purchased long sleaves and turtle necks.  Here the kids heat the house with wood.  It has been so cold we have gone through 3 piles like this. We lined the kids up and had them pass them down the line and we piled it.  This pile is all burnt, tomorrow I'll be splitting wood and grandpa will be piling it.

 Grandpa is talking about heading to Kentucky. On Monday we are going to take a short road trip to Booneville to visit the feed and grain mill to get some fresh stone ground corn meal.  Grandma is going to make some Hoecakes.  Have yourself a wonderful weekend, I hope to get around to ya'll soon.

~00~ Grandma (aka Cindy)
 or Crafting - http://scrapandwrap.ca

SWEET ~ Tea Time Tues

All Things Sweet

A daughter's tea cup

I went poking around and found this pretty tea/coffee cup for tea today.  It is rainy and a dreary day, I'll need some company to cheer me up and I even found a second cup, won't you join me for tea today?

Sweet but not home baked

This is the first I've seen these pretty oreo cookies. Yes they are out for the holidays and grandpa loves them.  Good job they are only out once a year, lol.

Sweet Red Hatter Jewellery

I had plenty of requests for Red Hatter Memorabilia.  Scrapbooking, seaglass, wire wrapping and necklaces.  I've made a red beaded necklace to go with this and plan to put it together today.  I attached an incense bottle just in the event the Red Hatter party is having too much fun and someone needs to be brought back,  sweet.

Sweet new wire wrapped seaglass

Recently I sat at my craft table and played for a bit. This is my new friend, she is blue today and after we had coffee she was a little wirely, not wrapped so tight - if you know what I mean, all in fun.

Sweet butterflies

This necklace is another I've created with found objects.  I love to create and I'm imagining this to be the tree of life, with the larger butterfly up-top as the teacher for the wee one learning as it grows into something beautiful with wee little bits of seaglass throughout it's wings.

Sweet gumball seeds 

If you are anything like me and step on one of these you would think there is nothing sweet about them.  The gumball tree can reach heights of 40 metres, 131 feet tall. Spiny fruit, that contains numerous seeds and is all covered in prickly woody armatures, possibly to attach to the fur of an animal.  The tree is classified as hardwood and is the last tree to leaf in the Spring and the last of the trees to drop its leaves in the Fall, with a multiple of colours.

  

I collected a bunch of these in the driveway and my son-in-law looked at me and calmly said, "what are you doing to do with that?"  I wanted to just take pictures of them, but somehow by the tone of his voice I got the impression that these were used as weapons between him and his younger brother and he might have thought I was walking towards him ready with one in my hand and another 20 or so rolled up in the front of my t-shirt. I just thought they were interesting, they have pinchers like an earwig does.  Do you have earwigs where you are?  I can remember the years between 1985 and 87 they were everywhere in Ontario by the millions.  So bad that we designed these two boards and took the rip saw and made a channel down the long length of the board.  Placed one on top of the other and put them aroud the yard. Each morning we would go out and you could hear the neighbours clapping their pieces of boards together over top a gallon pail collecting the early morning earwigs.  Earwigs liked to hide in cool, dark and damp places. Nothing sweet about an earwig.

Sweet glasses

Yes, my glasses are sweet and I'm getting use to them being new and all. I went from a single engine to a triple loaded pair and they have been playing tricks on me.

Won't you join me in the tasting of tea and never mind the crumpets, they are rather a cake that could do nothing more than pinch you from behind. Come join in the fun and visit Terri over at Artful Affirmations for tea today.

My second cup I'll be joining Sandi over at Rose Chintz Cottage where she is hosting Tea Cup Tuesday. When you have a chance come by and sit a spell, meet some tea folks.

Proverbs 16:24

Kind words are like honey -- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Our Heavenly Father as we wander about and learn all that is sweet in this world, let us be reminded.

~00~ Grandma (Cindy)

Farm Barn ~ Sunlit Sunday

If you are visiting me looking for 

Grow your Blog and Seaglass giveaway

You can find it here.

Onto today.  This is going to be short. Just the way my concentration love's it.  Grandpa and I are in charge of three yippy yuppy girly girl grandbabies today and we plan to help their finger blisters from playing, tablet, ice box, and wee, into calluses. Grandpa said it is a x-box and Wii- I rolled my eyes at him.

Today I'm joining one of my favourite little spots and blog party
My little Home and Garden ~ Sunlit Sunday

Isn't she a beaut? 

This is what I have been waiting for all week to share with you all.  

Look at the sky, amazing or what, this is such a post card picture.  Maybe I'm the only one that is in love with taking pictures of barns - I just thought of that.  I'm hopping to get around to visit you when the parents are home, lol.

~00~ Grandma