Gifts for Tea Lovers

Hi, its been a while since I've feautred a themed gift post so here is one of my personal favourites, gifts for tea lovers. Those who know me realise I don't get very far in life without my cup of tea, and can't pass a shop window or store display that consists of anything tea related. You can get wonderful tea gifts in local stores and online, both old and new, so here are my favourite tea things, and the online stores I stalk!



The picture above is a cute little trinket holder my Mum got for me, I love my little teddy teapot! This is just the sort of little thing you can pick up almost anywhere for under $10, often well under that price.

This photo has two of my favourite items, my mini tea service for one, the teapot sits inside the cup and in the background is my favourite tea cosy, bought from britgal designs on etsy (www.britgaldesigns.etsy.com) she has just the best prices of all the online sellers I have seen, and her work is beautiful, speedily delivered, and keeps my tea hot for around an hour!

I have had this miniature tea cup and saucer since I was a preschooler, my Nanna gave it to me, and as she drank her tea I would drink water out of mine, this is one of my most precious possessions, it is well worth considering getting a china tea cup or pot for the little girl in your life, it will become an heirloom no matter how little it costs you, and if you are worried about it breaking, just get a cheap used one, like the teapot below, Mum brought it home for me after her club auction she got it for $2 and I love it!

Don't forget real tea fanatics would love photos, or vintage postcards of anything tea related, I took this photo in one shot earlier this year and it makes a lovely card. I'm sure you could take a photograph that would also frame nicely.

My favourite online tea gift suppliers are

customcozies.com and rose and teacups (I have lost the exact address but found them by
googling teapot teacup charms, and yes, they have gorgeous tea charms for bracelets and jewelry)

Don't forget www.etsy.com and search for tea, teapots, tea cups, you will have a ball!

Celebrating My New Camera!

I got my new camera with macro lens today, so now I will be able to sell the creations I wasn't able to photograph before.

First we have these beautiful glass frog charm earings, with tiny flower button in centre.

Above are my favourite glass charm creations, these amber dragon earrings that spiral around and have a ruby glass flower hanging above their head.

Silver leaf earrings with glass flower and leaf charms

Aquamarine Necklace

I made this necklace this morning to sell on Etsy, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to sell for the northern hemisphere summer, but I really don't mind who buys it!

I had the twisted glass feature bead left after making earrings (why do bead makers sell uneven quantities of beads - oh that's right, to make us buy more packets to balance it out! - well I showed them!). As it is part golden green, and part blue, and sparkles so charmingly, I knew I had to make a completely blue and green and in between necklace!

There are glass, crystal, and jade stone beads in this necklace which has a drop of 25cm (just over 50cm total length).

Such a refreshingly cooling piece to look at and wear during the summer heat, the necklace is available at www.starzyia.etsy.com or click on the my etsy link on the right of this page.

Easy Gift and Trinket Boxes

Having made my mum a necklace for her birthday, I spent today decorating boxes so I could choose one to put her gift in, and a pretty box that is durable serves as a trinket box she can always keep it in.

The boxes above both came as plain pink boxes from Spotlight, the larger one (top of picture) has a printed panel from a tissue box glued on, I love this image of spring blossoms. The corners are embellished with flower gems sent to me by Jace, www.jacemakes.blogspot.com

The smaller box has a fabric flower on it and it sparkles with its very fine thread of gold running through it, and pearlized bead for centre. The petals are individually made then sewn together and glued onto the box.

This box is an upcycled Avon necklace box that I covered in plain lavender wrapping paper, and then glued two glittery flowers on, one white, one very pale pink, these are bought in multi packs in craft stores and sometimes even the $2 Shop.

This is another premade box from Spotlight, I covered the lid with glitter print cardstock, and attached a sparkly fabric flower with pink pearlised beads in centre, I bought this flower at the beading and craft fair this year for 20 cents.

Thank You Jace!

Today I got a bundle of joy in the mail box, my pay it forward parcel from Jace, and I am thrilled, she has been so generous and everything is delightful. Jace has a blog here you can visit it via my blog roll, or www.jacemakes.blogspot.com and please, please, visit her wonderful store on etsy www.jacemakes.etsy.com where she sells the most gorgeous handmade items.

I received two of her handmade origami book corners, as seen above (sorry about the dodgy photo!) these are used as bookmarks and are one of the standard stock items in Jace's store.

I also received this gorgeous bag charm, wonderful, such perfect work, these and mobile phone charms are also in Jace's Etsy store, and can be viewed on her blog. I have never had a bag charm, so the hardest and most fun part was deciding which bag the charm should be attached to, of course it is easy to swap, but I picked my favourite large plum coloured bag.

The bag charm is hand crocheted and beaded with the utmost care and attention, and is just a joy to behold.

I really recommend visiting Jace at her blog and her store, and I hope you will, by the way Jace is also beginning to make ATCs and they are going to go like hot cakes I just know.

Thanks Jace, you have made this a wonderful day, and I will think of you every time I see my beautiful bag charm, and use the book corners. And thanks for the bonus craft supplies, I will show you some of the finished products when they are done, I am burning to create with them already!

Giving Simple Comfort in Winter

Getting a family through winter can be tough, there is the driving wind and rain, frost, coughs and colds, but the bleak sunless days can be brightened with things that help make winter more joyful.



A hearty family meal can be more easily enjoyed together in winter than in summer, when we want hot comfort food to warm us up and bond around the dinner table. My favourites are piping hot gnocchi bake, pumpkin and lentil lasagna, rogan josh, and baked beef tortilla stack. Everybody has their own ideas and favourites, if you have a family where the kids can't agree on a favourite, you might make one night a week a roster for choosing dinner that night.



Getting your children to have their bath may be made easier if you gently warm their pjs and robes in front of the fire or heater (not too close!) so they are getting dressed into warm clothes that feel inviting and snuggly. I have a friend who made a rule, no hot chocolate for children who have not had their bath! If they put their own clothes in the hamper they get a marshmallow in their supper time drink.



Heating the home is one of the biggest worries in winter, as warmth equals comfort but most people are worried about the expense. I would definitely surrender new playstation games, pay tv, and take away pizza for a warm home through winter. The kids may complain to begin with but if you make home a happy, warm, and joyous place in winter, they will get over it, and remember winter days with pleasure all their lives. Eat, drink and be merry isn't just for the rich, you can simply and economically let the good times roll.



The cost of home baking is not too high, if you don't have the basic supplies to begin with the start up cost may be the kicker, after that most recipes are surprisingly economical. Hot muffins, teacake, puddings, and cookies are great in winter. They fill the home with lovely aroma, and raise the spirits and morale.



If you find in winter the children drink less milk and don't desire cold yoghurt you may be concerned about their calcium intake, but I experimented with warm banana smoothie and love it. I simply blend the smoothie as usual, with milk, icecream, banana, golden syrup, and cinnamon, and then pour it into a mug, and gently warm it in the microwave. It is warm and spicy velvety comfort in a cup.



Other than hot chocolate, chai latte is also very delicious and warming, and the spices are good for the heart, help regulate blood sugar levels, and encourage appetite. If you have had sickness in the house and you find the ailing does not have appetite, I would certainly encourage filling the air with the scent of vanilla or cinnamon. Apple and cinnamon muffins would be good, as is pie, chai latte, porridge with golden syrup, and baked apple.



I am not a fan of electric blankets or hot water bottles, but do like the wheat bags that you can heat, they are great for aches and pains as well as warming oneself up.



Winter is the worst time to be woken up for a child who has wet the bed, having to change the bedding in the cold is awful. To save time you might try this: put a fitted sheet straight on the mattress, then the flat sheet, then the waterproof mattress protector/rubber sheet, then a fitted sheet and flat sheet on top and make the bed up as normal. On the night your child does wet the bed you simply and quickly remove the top set of sheets, the mattress protector and you have the sheets made up ready, pop your child in and cover with the blanket and quilts, and hurry back to your warm bed.

And to make up for cutting back on the takeaway pizzas, here are my two favourite home made pizzas that are packed with flavour. Either make a simple pizza dough, or select your favourite pre made base, and spread with Master Foods Meditteranean Relish, it is really tangy and has pieces of onion, eggplant, capsicum, and olive in it. Then apply sweated red onions, fried mushroom, red capsicum, fried bacon, and either cherry tomatoes cut in halves or soft dried tomatoes, and plenty of cheese. For a pineapple pizza I use two tablespoons of Dolmio Sweet Basil or Classic Tomato pasta sauce (you will still have enough sauce left to make a full pot of pasta the next night using the sauce), pineapple pieces, ham or bacon, and plenty of cheese.

Now I am off to light the fire and warm myself up!

A Tribute

A tribute to my grandmother, Mary Beatrice Boyd (nee Newell) born on June 27th 1903, sadly passed at age 97 on July 7th 2000. On this, the anniversary of her birthday, I would like to share some of her life story with you.



One of the most fascinating things to me, raised as an only child, was my Nanna's family, of 7 siblings, six were girls. They would say 'here come the Newell Girls plus Boy' or something along those lines.



In the photograph above, my Nanna is in the back row, second from the left. With her are Blanche, Lil, and Avis (my very favourite great Aunt), and in front, Cyril, Dot and Ede. Only Dot is still with us, but the Newell Clan is going on strong in Heaven, rich in the love and happiness they deserve.



The Newells were country stock, living in Goolwa, but the happy family tragically lost their father, my great grandfather who drowned in the River Murray on the 15th of January 1923. Great Uncle Cyril had been with him that day, and was fortunately saved after he fell off their small watercraft, great grandfather Richard Newell jumped in after him and got him to safety. It was a strange and sad accident to befall a strong and respected 'river man' who garnered many touching tributes from important political and mercantile figures who would always take Richard for their friend and guide on their trips to the river. One such tribute was published in the newspaper The Register, Adelaide at the time.



This sudden and sad twist of fate meant that the eldest girls, my Nanna included went to work to help the family to survive. I am so proud of the way the family survived, and the siblings remained loving and close for all their lives, I couldn't ask for better role models than my Nanna and her family.



My Nanna met and married Edward Kenneth Boyd and together they had two girls, Lillian Jean Boyd, and my mother Ruth Mary Boyd. Mum was raised in Goolwa, Hindmarsh Island and Norton Summit, always on farms, with respect for her hardworking and principled parents.



Nanna got herself and her girls through WWII while grandpa was in Europe, she kept every postcard and photograph ever sent home, and thank god he returned safely to them.



Sadly I never met my grandfather, he died the year before I was born, in fact Nanna was the only grandparent I ever knew, and I admit I was a Nanna's girl for all my life, still am, I am so sweet on my Nanna! Nanna was so strong, many a time I have seen it when one spouse dies, the other doesn't long outlive them, but Nanna was with us until the year 2000, I had the richest of childhoods knowing the love and fun of my Nanna's companionship, mostly through summer holidays spent in Adelaide with her and my dear Aunty Jean.

This is the last photo I had taken with my Nanna, (she is centre, Aunty Jean is on the left). I believe I have Nanna's cheeks and cheek bones, I was always called Chipper growing up, because my smile blew my cheeks out like a chipmunk carrying acorns in its mouth.

Anyway, I digress, to sum her up, I would have to say, as I did when she passed, that Nanna is truly the woman described in Proverbs 31, Her Price is Above Rubies and if you read that passage you will see exactly who Mary was, kind, diligent, hard working, charitable, and blessed.

Nanna I love you, I have always loved you, I will always love you. Rest joyfully. And my love to all who knew and loved this wonderful soul, be comforted for she is in the best of places where she waits for us.