As if ruelala isn't addicting enough, I now have One Kings Lane to be obsessed with. If you like home furnishings and any/all things related to the home, join the site and be prepared to get some really amazing deals. Today they had a teapot for 6.00!
Click here:
One Kings Lane
Wish List: Little People Tree House Toy
Every so often I go on the hunt to find this toy:
This was my favorite toy as a kid and somehow I still have ALL the pieces except for the treehouse. I'm convinced my dad threw it away after the basement had a flood many many moons ago (he claims he didn't). This was a toy my neighbor, who we called "LaLa," gave to me. I could remember playing with it every day and everywhere - bedroom, living room, backyard ... It was a lot of fun. There was an elevator! Check out this video:
And the little people were made differently in this toy, not like the others I had - which were all plastic. It was well-made, well thought out, and very durable for kiddies. I keep the car with the little people on my desk at home - I remember always keeping it somewhere in my room throughout all these years. There's something about this toy I can't seem to kick! Here they are (how cute are they - - though I'm still trying to figure out how the girl ended up with red hair!):
I'm putting this on my wish list - - even with the 100.00+ price tag on ebay. It's crazy to want a kids toy, but this has so many fond memories I can't help but want it anyway. And who knows, maybe I'll even play with it when no one's looking ;)
Crafts: Counted Cross Stitch
I made this counted cross stitch piece for my cousin Corrie a few years back when she had a baby. It was supposed to be a framed birth announcement piece, but I thought it'd be more fun to make it a door hanging. So I put some material in the back and sewed it on via those brown stitches and used 2 buttons to hold the ribbon for the hanging (and to conceal the knots in the back).
Sadly I think this was my last "big" counted cross stitch piece I've completed. I have so many projects started ... time to buckle down and finish at least one! It's just a demanding craft because it requires a lot of concentration. Unlike knitting which I can do while watching TV, I need no distractions and at least two hours at a time to work on it. But I do miss doing that work, there is something very fulfilling about starting with a blank canvas and creating something like the above.
New Snack Plate and Teacup Set!
I just purchased this Noritake Snack Plate & Teacup set - how beautiful is it? I've decided these are the tea sets I want for myself and for the teahouse I own one day. And yes, I said own one day because I'm making it a reality! If you put it in the universe ... or so they say right?
These should be arriving in the mail soon, I just hope they aren't chipped - they seem to be in good condition.
Compared to my other set (which is known as Noritake Colony I found out during some google searching), these are much more traditional floral. I like them. They're girly, they're delicate, and they make you want to drink tea.
Now all I need to do is start collecting teapots!
Netherland Dwarf Rabbits
I want:
How ridiculously adorable is this rabbit? I am obsessed! I want one! They're only like 3 inches and could fit in a cup! This video makes me want one even more:
Afternoon Tea
I love tea. I prefer it over coffee. And over the past year, I've developed more of an interest over having afternoon tea and the art of it. On a trip to Boston last year, my friend Leanne and I had afternoon tea at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and then was born my obsession. I want to go to afternoon tea every Saturday, but alas, life calls and I can't.
Since I just caught up with Downton Abbey, I thought it would be fun to do a season 2 finale viewing party with my friend Mark and his roommate Cynthia. And what better way to bid adieu to Downton until 2013 than with an afternoon tea party?!!!
I have to say, this may have been my best idea for entertaining yet - - since it may or may not have planted a little seed in my head that I could do this for a living (as in host afternoon tea parties for people at my tea house cafe!). For now, it's a pipe dream, but below is my recap of the afternoon tea extravaganza. It was so much fun planning the menu, the teas, and of course what chinaware I would be using. I would have liked to have made my own blends of tea, but perhaps next time I will be more adventurous with that.
First things first: the flowers. I think my florist thought I had gone crazy when I asked him for a few random beaches of some random "filler" flowers and then 3 roses, but oh well. I had a vision! And it was this:
Next up were the teas. I have plenty of tea in my house so I really only had to go get one traditional English Breakfast tea. Here was the selection:
And onto the fun part: tea sandwiches! Now, I'll admit I was a bit intimidated by this part since I never made a petite sandwich before, but there's a first time for everything!
The "Classic" - Cucumber Sandwich
The Interesting One - Watercress & Goat Cheese Sandwich
The "Other" Classic - Egg Salad Sandwich
The star of the sandwich trio was the Watercress and Goat Cheese. Absolutely delicious. The recipe called for butter to be spread around the sides of the sandwich then rolled in pecans but that just sounded all kinds of disgusting to me, so I instead chopped up pecans and placed them over the spread goat cheese. I loved this sandwich so much, I think I will make a little snack of my own with it!
And here are some other random pictures of the rest of the table:
SUPER delicious biscuits.
Noritake Snack Plate and Teacup (my most exciting antique market find!)
SCONES!
So I kept reading about Clotted Cream in my research for a menu. My trusty ol' Irish Butcher of course had it. And boy was it divine on that scone!
Sugar cubes!!!
Biscuits!
Tea + Sandwich = Divine!
Tea + Desserts = Heaven!
Mark brought desserts, which I foolishly did not take a picture of :( I had them displayed on my nice 3 tier dessert tower. Next time ...
This was such a low-stress, super fun entertaining idea! I think I want to do this more often. So much simpler than preparing a whole meal and not to mention the perfect amount of food for an afternoon bite.
If you want me to plan an afternoon tea affair, let me know! I am all about this right now!
I will leave you with this tea quote:
Mason Jar Covers
I've been experimenting with making hand scrubs and just gave a sample of one to my sister-in-law Lucy. I couldn't just stick the scrub in a jar and pass it off though so I added a unique little jar lid: an oil cloth one.
I'm still deciding if I want to do that for all the jars I end up using, but here's my first stab at it:
I'm still deciding if I want to do that for all the jars I end up using, but here's my first stab at it:
Materials:
Oil Cloth from The City Quilter
Bamboo Spoons found on amazon.com
"ribbon" is actually a clothesline rope
Mad Men
Mad Men and Downton Abbey are sort of in a fight over my #1 TV Show Spot right now. I adore them both so much, though for different reasons.
Downton Abbey is over until 2013 - ultimate sadness of my year. But Mad Men returns in just two weeks - ultimate excitement of my year.
I was talking with my friend Lisa about Season 4 of Mad Men and we were hoping for a long recap in the first episode of Season 5 so we were reminded of certain story lines.
But then I stumbled across this awesome recap on Pop Sugar which did an excellent job of reminding me of all the awesomeness.
Downton Abbey is over until 2013 - ultimate sadness of my year. But Mad Men returns in just two weeks - ultimate excitement of my year.
I was talking with my friend Lisa about Season 4 of Mad Men and we were hoping for a long recap in the first episode of Season 5 so we were reminded of certain story lines.
But then I stumbled across this awesome recap on Pop Sugar which did an excellent job of reminding me of all the awesomeness.
A Foot Injury
I couldn't resist asking my podiatrist for a picture of my left foot x-ray during a recent visit to him. I stepped on something (what felt like a sharp metal corner of a desk) while walking to work one morning and ended up getting a lisfranc injury from it. Just grand. Very painful, very frightening (since I love my reflexology!), but thankfully it wasn't the worst of the injury and after a few days of my foot being wrapped in tight bandages, I seem to now be all healed. Lesson learned: watch where I'm walking and what I could potentially be stepping on. Sometimes it's ok to not hold your head so high ...
On another note, after months of studying the anatomy of the foot for my reflexology studies, it was sort of really awesome to see the bones in the x-ray and actually see what it is I feel while doing a reflexology session. And I'm always curious what I look like inside.
Warm Milk
I've always heard of warm milk as being a before bedtime treat, but I never had it. Actually, it never really sounded appealing to me. But then I was watching Downton Abbey and heard a remedy for being ill was cinnamon and warm milk. Now that sounded like something delicious. I quickly did a google search, found a few recipes to marry together, opened the fridge, took out some milk, opened the cabinets and took out some basics and within minutes had a nice warm treat. Delicious - check. Sleep inducing - check plus. I don't have any issues with falling asleep, but rather with sometimes having a good night of sleep. Well, this definitely calmed me and I had a night of very good sleep. It's also a nice "midnight snack" - low calorie at that - and an alternative to a warm spirit on a chilly winters' night (so long brandy!).
Warm Milk
Makes 1 8 oz glass
Ingredients:
8 oz milk (I imagine this would be just as tasty with almond or soy milk)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey
1 cinnamon stick
Bring milk to a simmer, add vanilla extract and sugar. Allow to boil.
Place cinnamon stick in mug, pour boiled milk over cinnamon stick.
Place a flat dish over the mug, sit covered for 5 minutes.
Remove dish, sip, and enjoy!
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