12 months in 7 days

It all began with a homework assignment…

to create a 12 month calendar. In betwixt everything else I had to do.

Up to this point I hadn’t been very inspired by my homework
projects, which poses a terrible dilemma…
NO INSPIRATION=NO FUN!

But this was different

I was able to choose my own theme…yippee!

Can you guess what I chose?

TEA!!! Or tea cups…which ever makes you happiest

But then there was this one. A bicycle mixed with tea cups?
My thoughts on the deviation from the theme...
Who needs to be drinking hot tea in the middle of July?
We should all be out riding our bikes .

I spent 7 days building this 12 month calendar only to get to class
and find out that I had to spend 3 more hours fixing a problem that
took me 7 hours to figure out.

LIVE & LEARN!

And it all began with Miss V.’s Halloween. Looking through
my pictures this one caught my eye so I decided to use it
as my jumping off point.

Then build around it.

Now I just need to print it, then turn it in.
And I WANTED to go back to school.

Sweet treats for my Friends

It’s almost tea time and I still have to finish the gifts for my guests.

I decided to make lavender shortbread this year and wrap them with pretty ribbon and a tag. The recipe calls for the shortbread to be rolled in course granulated sugar so as part of my gift I made these cute spice jars filled with sugar.

But I haven’t got a clue as to how to treat the tops and handles of the boxes that will hold all the goodies.

Any ideas?

Dreamy little Lollipops

Hello and how are you all doing? It’s been crazy busy here at Brambleberry Cottage what with Thanksgiving just a few days away and family coming to stay from out of town. I still haven’t done all my grocery shopping or cottage cleaning, but I did start my Christmas decorating.

I found these darling little sugary confections at Target and bought every one of them. Then I went to the Target across from work and bought more, although they only had four…but I still need more ;-).

I decided that since my family was going to be here for Thanksgiving I’d decorate for Christmas. Does that make sense to you? Funny, it does to me too!

And since my Kitchen is pink and green I thought I’d do a pink, green, and silver theme and I’m really loving the way it’s turning out. Hubby refers to it as my ongoing, ever changing, science project.

On Saturday my friend Janet and I set up a Tea Table at our local museum for the “Josephine and Jane Austin Tea” that was held there. Of the two of us Janet is definitely the more organized and always wants to know the “how’s and why’s of what we do.” Me? I just want to have fun!

And as you can see we did just that!!

The Gingerbread cookies look delicious don’t they? Janet and I were often amused whenever anyone would ask if they could take one to eat, and just in case you can’t tell, they’re plastic tree ornaments…

however, there were the most delicious Napoleon desserts provided by a catering company called Champagne. Such gooey sweetness that both of us ate two.

After our tea adventure we headed back to our homes and I spent the rest of the evening with Hubby and my darling little pups.

Well, I'm thinking that I probably won't be around for the next few days... more likely not until after Thanksgiving... so I thought I'd wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving filled with lots of love, laughter, and THANKFULNESS!!!

If England and France were meeting for tea...

who would they send to represent each country?
Why Josephine and Jane Austin of course.

There's a little known museum here in our little town that will be hosting a tea this coming Sunday. My friend Janet and I will be representing the "Pinkie Teas" and are setting up a table filled with china, tea accessories and a few of our favorite recipes.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood you should drop by just to say "Hi!"

Here's a link to the event: MUZIO and we hope to see you there!

A Bunny's Tea

This is my story neither mad nor true,
about a little white rabbit with nothing to do.
So early one morning she went out to play, but this was not any ordinary day.
You see, there was a giant wind that whipped her into the air,
tossing and tumbling her here and there.
Twirling and spinning her everywhere...

till the wind gently set her down in a magical land,
but there was one problem...
she was stuck in a vine,
but this upside down world was simply sublime.

For she was like all rabbits that dwell in our land
only able to see a world that's colorless and bland.
Here she saw colors she'd never seen
primaries, secondaries, and those in between.

But then she noticed as she hung by her knees
something on a table stirred in the breeze.
She decided to take a closer look and see
if her eyes had deceived her...
nope...
it was her favorite...
rose tea...
with frosted cupcakes that looked ever so sweet.

Suddenly there was a noise quite near
from a tiny little mouse climbing into her ear.
He was in search of the grapes that you see
while she hung there dangling beneath the tree.

"Please someone help me get me out of this vine
so I can make those cupcakes mine."
But no one came and there she would be still
but she needed those cupcakes
her belly to fill...
plus they were really pretty colors...

with pink roses on top.

Poor little bunny got out of the tree
without a single scratch to her furry white knee,
but the cupcakes were safe beneath a glass jar
and bunny's short arms couldn't reach that far.
So she sat there and cried and cried all day
till a giant green butterfly fluttered her way.
"Why do you cry," he asked.

Bunny had never seen a green butterfly in her entire life.
Come to think of it, she'd never seen a pink table cloth
or a chintz tea pot or pink roses or green grapes.
She had seen no color at all.

Bunny and the butterfly talked for hours
as they nibbled on the pretty pink flowers.
The butterfly you see was wise beyond years
and wiped away little bunny's tears.
For he knew that there was more to this life
then cupcakes with frosting and colors so bright.
Friendship he thought was better then these
especially a friend who hangs from her knees...
even though she didn't like it.

So if in the vineyard you ever see
a little white rabbit hung by the knees
you know she'll be hanging there in delight
with her little green butterfly friend at her side.

So this is where my story ends
but you can continue and make new friends
by clicking on the badge at the top of this post
where you will visit our lovely host (ess)
the ever DELIGHTFUL Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist.

Have fun!!!

Do you know what today is?

Today is the day before Vanessa's Mad Tea Party at a FANCIFUL TWIST in Bloglandia. It's going to be a day filled with lots of fun and Fanciful Mayhem so be sure to stop by and say hi.

The clock is ticking and I haven't begun
to make preparations for all of the fun!!!!
I'm going to be...
LATE!!!!...
LATE!!!!!

LATE!!!!!!!!

The Guest Writer

Did you know I have another blog? I do, but I seldom post over there. It's called the "Pinkie Teas" and started out as an idea between three friends to start our own little Tea Society where anyone could join. We were going to meet by-monthly, have our own newsletter, and just have fun, but then hubby was laid off and I had to take on more hours at work which meant less time for the funner things in life. That was four years ago and our little society still hasn't taken wing and flown to who knows where, but Janet and I have continued to dream and still get together for tea as often as we can.

This is Janet and I at the last tea we attended which is one of our favorite annual events. It's called "Locke & Noble Tea" and is held in the home of the couple that host the tea...such a lovely event!

Recently Janet attended a tea and wanted to post it on the "Pinkie Teas" blog so I said, "send me some pictures and your write-up then I'll post it." So if you'd like to read about Janet's interesting adventure click on the picture that says, "Pinkie Teas" and it will redirect you to her post.

I hope you enjoy my Guest Writer and her recap of her "Teaventure."
Pinkies Up!

Tea, Sweets, and other edible Treats

Lets see, where did we leave off? The Fashion Show...
Once the Fashion Show was over we were treated to a delicious tea that included Raisin Scones, Clotted Cream (one of my favorite Tea treats...yum!), mini Cheese Cakes, Cucumber Sandwiches, fresh Fruit, and many other delightful edibles.
The tea was very casual and people just sat where ever they could find a seat. Donna and I found a wonderful spot under a cool shade tree to enjoy our tea while watching the comings and goings of all the other guests. The models from the show mingled with the guests and that's how we met Cookie. She was a darling woman and rekindled my desire to get involved and guess what? When I got home I told hubby that I wanted to attend Costume College and he said, "great! You always let me do the ridiculous things I do, so why not!" I did after all allow him to buy two motorcycles ...LOL!

Tea was served Buffet style and there were plenty of left overs.

This is the Hale House one of eight structures on the property grounds. Don't you just love all the colors and gingerbread? Aren't you glad you don't have to paint it or pay someone else to paint it for you? I can't even begin to imagine how time consuming it must be, but it sure is purdy to look at and to dream...

Hey Becky, I can see us sitting on the porch enjoying a hot cup of tea and sweet conversation...what fun!!


The Queen Anne exterior is painted in four shades of green, three shades of red, with a combination of yellow and Victorian black. Above the front porch is a shield painted to look like the American Flag. During the restoration process the colors were uncovered and then reproduced from paint chips.
Some of the distinguishing qualities of a Queen Anne building are the fish scale shingles, the iron grill work that forms the railing on the second floor balcony, the corner turret, and the dentil work just below the roof line.


Take a closer look at the beautiful detail work and the whimsical finials atop the turret.
They just don't make them like they used to, do they? It's so sad.

You can usually tour the inside of several homes, but on this day they were closed except for my favorite house which I'll show you next time, however there are no interior shots as one of the women had her Vintage Gowns on display and flash photography causes the fabric to deteriorate quicker.

So, that was just a small look at one of the houses and I'm still playing with pictures so there will be more to come.

We're still painting our cupboard and I've had very little time to post so hopefully I'll be able to continue the tour on Friday since tomorrow is Thursday and I'll be having coffee in bloggyland with the girls from "ABC's through the Word" hosted by Pam from Grey like Snuffie...of course you could join us if you'd like!

This is me and I'm ready to go for another exciting Tea and a Fashion show. I thought it best to paint my toes since I'd be wearing my ever fashionable flip flops to the event. It was held outdoors and the day was expected to be hot and it was.

Do you remember Natalie Meyer from last weeks tea? Well, here she is again. She's in charge of all the costume events that are held at Heritage Square...what a fun job!!!!
Her gown was so beautiful and in my favorite shades of taupe's and creams... be still my heart!
Did I remember to take notes of the gowns...NO! I thought for sure all the details would stay neatly tucked in one of the crannies of my brain so I'll have to see how I do.
Natalie's gown was from around the Civil War.

This is Natalie dressing Cookie in her proper under garments for the Victorian Era. I talked with Cookie after the show and she was telling me how wonderfully comfortable her corset is. Have you ever worn a corset and did you think it was comfortable?

See the funny little contraptions at Cookies hips? Those are called Pannier's and were placed under women's skirts during the 1660's. They were used to stash a woman's car keys, her cell phone, credit cards, make up, and whatever else she needed to carry about with her for the days activities. But in reality it would have been more along the lines of hankies, bits of ribbon, and other such things. This was one of the first pockets. Pretty creative way to conceal your accessories don't you think? Me to!

Do you see the lovely little garland of roses across Cookies fanny? I placed it there to hide her flesh. She is after all, putting on the under garments of any proper Victorian Lady and all proper Victorian Ladies wore crotchless drawers. I'll bet you didn't know that now did you? Could you imagine having to make a mad dash to the ladies room and lift up who knows how many layers of petticoats and a chemise and then get under your corset to pull your drawers down? I would imagine there may have been many embarrassing moments so the simple solution...drawers without crotches. And by the way, it was only the ladies of ill-repute who wore stitched up drawers. Go figure!

A front view of Natalie's gown and her darling bonnet.

This is a Bustle gown from the 1880's and would have been worn when a woman was either receiving guests in her home or was visiting at a friends. This particular gown is from a Historic collection owned by one of the models. If you look at her left arm she has a small bag that matches the gown. It's known as a "ridicule" and is the precursor to the hand bag. Women were often teased when they first started carrying them, thus the name.

Now ladies, how is this for a bathing beauty? This guy was so funny and kept doing his muscle man poses for us all in his lovely woolen bathing suit. Now why can't guys wear those now-a-days? I think they're rather cute!

Now this is my kind of bathing suit!!! Up to the neck and down to the toes. Why I'd even wear the shoes in the water and look at that exposed leg...very scandalous!!

This was one of the most beautiful vintage pieces modeled. It's from the Edwardian Era about 1912. The linen fabric was in such excellent shape and the detailing along the hem was exquisite. You can click on the picture to get a better view.

I don't remember a thing about this piece other than it's vintage and has beautiful detail work.

This is what a typical young service man would have worn while enlisted. His calves are wrapped to protect the hem of his pants and I would think to keep him from getting tangled in who knows what.

A young girls Edwardian gown.

I loved this little Regency gown made of butter cream yellow and the sweet little Bonnet to match. Those of you who love Jane Austen will probably recognize this gown as the style that was popular during her day. Napoleon had just discovered Pompeii which caused all things Grecian to become popular during this time in history.

Another beautiful example of an Edwardian Tea gown with all its tucks and pleats. Don't forget to click on the picture for more details.

A close up of the sweet little Bonnet. For some reason Blogger isn't allowing me to move my pictures where I want them so many of them are out of order. I'm so sorry!

And a closer look at the beautiful pleating and lace work on the tea gown.
I took a million more pictures, but didn't want to bore you to death so for now this will be enough. I don't know about you, but after seeing all the gorgeous gowns and fabrics I think I'm ready to enroll in costume college!

If you come back tomorrow I'll share some of the Architecture and tea treats we were able to sample.
Until then have a fun afternoon!