Unicorns and Tea

Every now and again I go a bit crazy on Ebay looking for items that are unique and that I feel are on trend and exciting for tea lovers. In August I ordered my unicorn infuser and I love it!
Growing up I was a huge fan of horses and my little pony, when they brought out the unicorns I was over the moon. Right now there is a huge Unicorn trend and when I found these lovely little infusers I very much used the power of impulse buying to acquire a tiny heard to put away for the gift giving season.

Once I put it on my table though, I knew I could not wait until the holidays to give a few away. My sister got one and my friend Jana. I loved how happy there were to get them. Then I was looking on Etsy and thought it might be fun to share two of my favorite fun finds!
If you are looking to purchase one or your own heard you might be able to find them on ebay still by clicking this link 

On Etsy I found the most adorable little unicorn tea friend that sits on your cup and holds your tea string in place! Offered by mini hands crafts this little lovely can be seen by clicking here.

Creativi Tea Tags also has a listing for 8 tea bags that have such cute designs, seriously the shop is amazing! Click here to see this listing and check out the corgis while you are at it! 

Thank you for joining me this morning for a cup of tea and a look at some fun tea time accessories. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Cautionary Tale Buyers Stay Clear of Ebay Seller ideal887 A Very Dishonorable Seller!

I love to take photos of my tea and books I am reading as you know and I try to find fun items to put in my photos that match what I am reading sometimes. I set out to find some fun photo props to use on Ebay. I found a fun crystal ball that was not too expensive and the photos looked great. I purchased it from Seller ideal1887  and waiting for my item to arrive. It was sent promptly and it arrived two days ago. It looks nothing like the photos shown and when I contacted the ebay seller they were very unapologetic and offensive. The item they advertise is shown here below.

Please note the sizes in the persons hand. Now look at what I received.

Now look at what they advertised it as...

Tell me does what I got look like what they advertise?
After several conversations with this seller, it is clear to me that they do this all the time and that people complain but they justify what they do with this quote. 
"NOTE: the product in the picture maybe larger than actual one, Please check the size before bidding !!!"" This is posted in their store in fine print and this happens all the time.They have it there for a reason clearly and are allowed to continuallyget away with it and it is wrong. 
I have since closed my case with them preferring to share my displeasure with their shop the honest way,by giving them the feedback they deserve.  I gave them a chance, they offered me 20 cents back then 50 for "My mistake"
It was never about the money it is about principal and admitting that they use false photos of the items they sell and they get away with it.  They could have given me my money back and it would have been over but but instead they chose to insult me over the course of several messages and never would admit their fraudulent ways dishonesty. So I will leave it up to you to decide if you think I got what was advertised...
Karen's Tip of the day stay clear of shop:

Top-rated seller

ideal887 (140031 )

98.9% Positive feedback- I highly doubt it!

I digress buyer beware and on a positive note I think I have found another wonderful plot for a Cozy Mystery to write! I shall now seek out the right people to cleanse the bad "juju" from the ball before I use it in anymore photos or I will just get a new one from an honorable shop.

Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery Yet To Be!
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

New Tea Strainer I Just Love! New Cozy To Pre-Order...

Silicone novelty tea strainers are very popular right now and I found one I just love! 

Shaped like a "real teabag" this is one of the cutest ones I have seen yet, I ordered a few in various colors but the orange one was first out of the envelope so that is the one I am sharing today.

To use, simply pull the bottom away from the bag and open it to add your tea leaves, replace the bottom and place it in your mug or tea pot and pour the hot water over it allowing the leaves to steep as you like them.  When ready remove the tea bag and let it rest. To remove the leaves simply pull the bottom away and dump out the leaves!  Give it a rinse and let it dry.

These adorable little tea bags can be found inexpensively on Ebay. They make great little gifts or stocking stuffer for tea lovers, friends, wedding shower favors teachers and more.  I bought mine from small-sellers Ebay shop to view their listing please click here.
Thank you for joining me for A Cup of tea! Now for that new Cozy Mystery....

The new "Cozy" on my table to read this week is called Peaches and Screams.  I was thrilled to get an Advanced Reading Copy of Susan Furlongs Peaches and Scream Cozy Mystery due out July 5th! You can pre-order your own copy by clicking here. I can not wait to read it! I love Southern Mysteries and just check out that cover art!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com