Friday, September 30, 2011

A Happy Halloween

Source: flickr.com via Snap on Pinterest


A Hallowe'en merry, a Hallowe'en bright,
Though pumpkins make faces
and ghosts walk at night,
Let no noises scare you, and don't start to run,
For 'tis but a joke, and Hallowe'en fun.

From the back of the postcard:
Ellen Clapsaddle, Postcard, N.D.

There is quite a bit of information online about Ellen Clapsaddle.
Here's just a tidbit.


"Clapsaddle's illustrations are favorites of many, and she published more than three thousand signed postcards and designed countless more unsigned pictures.  Over half of her illustrations are of children, and the rest are more general scenes.  She was born the year the Civil War ended, an only child, attended a country school and graduated from Richfield Springs Seminary, New York, in 1882.  A self-taught artist, she gave private painting lessons until she attended Cooper Institute in New York City. There, she contracted to work for the International Art Company (IAC), and relocated to Germany to design articles as diverse as porcelain, calendars and greeting cards.  She returned to the U.S. in 1906 to become principal artist for the Wolf Company, a subsidiary of IAC.

She was a very prolific artist, and her designs reflect the entire spectrum of seasonal and holiday themes, drawing upon folklore, traditions, games and nursery rhymes.  Unlike other artists whose illustrations were adapted for postcards, Clapsaddle designed specifically for the medium.

During the height of her career with IAC, she invested her earnings in the booming German postcard industry. While on a business trip to Germany in August of 1914, World War I broke out.  In the confusion and destruction, Clapsaddle became stranded and ultimately destitute.  One of the Wolf Company partners went to Germany and, after a six month search, found her in poor health.  She returned safely to the U.S., but her health declined and she lost the ability to work. She died thirteen years later at the Peabody Home in New York. "



Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tea For One




There is a wonderful shop in my Village called The British Isles.
Tea cups and tea pots and tea and tea things everywhere you look.
A feast for tea lovers.
I went in one day with a dear friend and I splurged on a Tea For One.



Nina Campbell Tea for One


There were many tea for ones to pick from,  
but this caught my eye from the start.
It was so different from all the others with its parrots, butterflies and flowers.
Simple and makes me smile!


Nina Campbell Tea for One


It is designed by Nina Campbell for Roy Kirkham.



Nina Campbell Tea for One


Before the Royal Wedding, I checked the British Isles for
Harney and Sons special Wedding Tea blend
and they didn't have any.
But, as you can see, they got more in and I put my new 
Tea for One to work with the Wedding Tea
(black tea, roses and vanilla).


Flowers


Thanks to our tea party hostesses.
These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea! 

Monday, September 26, 2011

My World: Tut

King Tut and some of his friends are coming to visit in October!




Be sure to see what else is going on around the world here.

Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled week.


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

Fall Arrives!

Fall arrives today and to celebrate I'm posting a
Halloween Postcard.




The card is from a book of Halloween postcards published by
Darling & Company of Seattle.
The back of the card reads:
Anonymous postcard, No date.


Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Healing After Loss













Source: google.com via Snap on Pinterest




"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead 
and the bridge is love
the only survival the only meaning."
~Thornton Wilder

I found the Thornton Wilder quote first and was having a hard time picking a
photograph to pair it with.
Then I found the Pooh quote on Pinterest and knew this was what I was going to use.
I've always thought Pooh and the Pooh Crew where very good philosophers. 

Love does not cease with the event of death.
I still Love Mr. Dragon
and
He still Loves me. 

Wishing YOU well.


Monday, September 19, 2011

More Tea Bliss

I have one more teacup to share with you that I found at
The Guild Shop. 



Paragon Tea Cup



It is a Paragon cup.
My favorite color is green so you can guess that I love this cup.


Mosaic Paragon Tea Cup


I have some more quotes for you from TEA BLISS by Theresa Cheung.

"One should drink tea while appreciating the fragrance of the flowers, the brightness of the moon, the beauty of music. After drinking tea one will  no longer be in a daze but feel as frank and as open as heaven and earth." ~Seng-Jiao Ran (720-799), Chinese monk of the Tang Dynasty

"When you place a tea utensil, you should withdraw your hand as though it were a loved one you were leaving." ~ Sen Rikyu (1522-1591, Japanese Tea Master Who Perfected The Tea Ceremony

"Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one."
~Chinese proverb

"One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and chair in the room with some boiled water and a fragrant tea. Afterward, sit comfortably and allow one's spirit to become tranquil, light, and natural."
~Li Ri Hua (1368-1644), scholar during the Ming Dynasty

"While there's tea there's hope."
~Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934). British actor, playwright, and essayist

***

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.
These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea! 


Monday, September 12, 2011

Remember This?

Remember Mr. Brown?
I crocheted 14 of these strips.

Crochet


I added green to 7  and
red to the remaining 7 .




 The strips were linked by white,
alternating the colors
and I finished the Christmas Afghan*.




Then I put the crochet hook down and
had a cup of tea.


Christmas Afghan


And it isn't fall yet!
Back to 100+ degree temperatures this week.
This is way past the getting old stage.

My thanks to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.


*The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book featuring *Mile-aMinute* afghans.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

More Tea Bliss



Another tea cup that I found at the Guild Shop.


Blenheim Tea Cup


I've paired the new tea cup with another Price&Kensington tea pot
that I found at T.J. Maxx. I should have purchased one
in every color that Maxx had,
but I kept telling myself I had enough tea pots!
But it is fun to pair them up with a tea cup to make a pretty tea for one.

Blenheim Mosaic

The bottom of the tea cup reads:
Queen's China
Blenheim
A Crownford Product
English Bone China
Est 1875


Blenheim Tea Cup Mosaic

A few more quotes from Tea Bliss by Theresa Cheung:

"The best state of mind in which to drink tea is one of deep meditation. The second best is while looking at a beautiful landscape or listening to music. The third best is during stimulating conversation. In all cases it is necessary to aspire towards a quiet and tranquil frame of mind."
~Paichang (729-814), Chinese Ch'an (Zen) master

"You can taste and feel, but not describe, the exquisite state of repose produced by tea, that precious drink, which drives away the five causes of sorrow."
~Ch'ien Lung (1710-1789), Chinese emperor

"If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you."
~Anonymous

"I hope next time when we meet, we won't be fighting each other. Instead we will be drinking tea together."
~Jackie Chan, Rumble in the Bronx

"(I am) a hardened and shameless tea drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning."
~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English writer

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.
These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea! 


Monday, September 5, 2011

Sitting By The Dock

On this Labor Day,
I hope you are Sitting By The Dock of The Bay
Enjoying Your Day......



Sitting By The Dock



Thank you to our hostess:

(A quick edit. The high temp today will be below 100. I'm taking the day off from watering! Still no rain. Shucks!)


Friday, September 2, 2011

Healing After Loss


Monet's Gardens at Giverny
Postcard: Monet's Gardens at Giverny




I feel your presence
Together we made it bloom
Musashi's Garden



Musashi's Garden
Musashi's Garden


A big thank you to our hostesses:
and

Wishing YOU well and a joy filled weekend.