hauoli makahiki hou

that's happy new year in hawaiian ;)

may your ship sail 

on gentle seas

with warm breezes

safe harbors

shelter from storms

islands of peace

happy 2012

health(ier) tea

I've been for a walk today already

and plan to go on another walk after tea

- boxing day -

does that come from the idea of boxing up treats and getting them out of the house?

and this is just the candy

never mind the

cake

waffles

cinnamon rolls

truffles

cookies

egg nog

uff da

*

happy tea on tuesday

a very healthy thing to do 

:)

*

I've been off the grid all weekend and hope to get around to everyone

a s a p

!!!

xoxo

lo, how a rose

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

*

Merry Christmas dear friends!

beachcombing tea

it was a good day to get out of the house

and get some fresh air

and sunshine

December 19th ... a great beach day on Puget Sound

*

how are you holding up during this busy busy time of year?

what do you do when you need to take a break?

where do you go when you have cabin fever?
happy tuesday ... I hope all is well where you are!

*

p.s. please visit Bleubeard and Elizabeth... She is in the midst of computer woes and is unable to link back from a comment box :(

noel

we have a December birthday in our family

she is twelve ears old and almost as tall as me

where does the time go?

(elizabeth, my cake making friend, I made a red velvet cake!)

sit down a while

after school I made myself a cup of tea

and this was my view

it felt good to sit down and watch some busy hands at work

my 10 yr old is making waldorf tissue paper stars

(here's the link for a great how-to)

they are a spot of color in an otherwise dreary day

hanging in the window the light transforms

and the color spills

my tea today: Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings

oh, and don't forget the cookies to go with that tea!

***

are you able to take a break?

what do you see?

I hope it's a spot of color in your day

:)

candy dish

this once was my grandmother's candy dish

she always had this type of candy in it

as kids we weren't too crazy about it ... wishing for chocolate I guess

and even now, the only good thing in there is the raspberry filled one

but they sure do look pretty

:)

my little town ...

... has a really neat little tea shop

I was in there yesterday and picked up a little pudgy british teapot

but I always stop to admire the exotic asian ones too

and I picked up some tea as well,

but I also stopped to admire the exotic teas from china

the shop is all decorated for christmas

and all the talk was about how busy they were this weekend

and how business is looking up

this beautiful teapot is in the front window 

a lovely gift for any elegant tea drinker

and this one was on the shelf below it

... my personal favorite ...

:)

***

do you have any holiday shopping tales to tell?

don't forget to slow down and sip a hot cuppa 

orange wreath

remember the dried orange slices?

I used some of them to decorate a large willow wreath from the dollar store

I attached the slices with fishing line

and tried to alternate the more "well done" slices with the slices that were more on the "rare" side

*

it's a nice patch of sunshine on my entry way mirror

:)

a good day to

paint

rocks

rockin it

sustainable wreath

every year 

I think it would be so cool 

to have one of those 

giant beautiful evergreen wreaths 

on my front door

*

one year I did .... 

it was a secret gift in the middle of the night and I still don't know who it came from

.... it just appeared on my front door ....

big, beautiful, extravagant and, oh so, fragrant

but

... and this is a big but ...

but

many of the branches that go into the making of those wreaths are harvested illegally

poached from local forests

leaving young trees struggling to survive after being denuded of their branches

(you can read an article about it HERE)

this wreath is made entirely from found objects on the forest floor

pine cones, lichen, moss

and one little token piece of imported plastic

I thought he was uber cute

:)

even though he is plastic

just orange

today I have sunshine streaming in and the oranges are showing off

I slice and dehydrate them for autumn and winter projects

an occasional slice slips into my tea

I mostly use them in garlands

but they're pretty just sitting in a dish too

... captured sunshine ...

***

what is showing off for you today?

is it orange?

or something else?

another pinecone project

a couple of weeks ago I showed you some deconstructed pinecone ideas

(click HERE)

what I love about these is the complete lack of anything manufactured in a factory somewhere

(except the hot glue sticks I guess)

I used some of the wooden sewing spools from my collection

sticks, moss and pinecones from the forest

and glued the "deconstructed" pinecone parts to rolled up cone shapes I made from sturdy paper

miniature magic .... fit for any elf

thankful

we have a beautiful sunrise here

wishing you and yours a blessed and happy day

xoxo

tea and stitching

my tea this morning is irish breakfast

hot, strong, and tempered with a little milk

it's a rainy and dark day

a good day for stitching

... I was gifted with this sweet little needle case ...

a give away from The Red Tin

thank you so much!

all of my favorite things have been gifts

the pincushion is from Patina Moon

the old recipe box is from my sister

and the quilt will be a gift from me to my daughter

it's slow going, but today will be a good day to make some progress!

*

what are some of the simple gifts in your life that give you joy?