On my table and in my cup May 19-26th

Greetings from my table to yours this week. While I have had some wonderful books on my table this week I have also had some amazing people around my table and in my tea tent. Simple pleasure of being outside and in the comfort of friends has lifted my spirit this week and filled my bucket for sure. 

“Whenever you are lonely just look at the spaces between your fingers and remember that’s where my fingers perfectly fit”- author unknown. I found this driftwood on the beach his week when I was taking to my sister on the phone. It looked so much like a pair of hands. It is simple a beautiful reminder that we are not alone.

I will start with what has been in my cup this week. While my normal standby is the Vanilla Black tea I drink most often from Murchies, we have been enjoying the Wedding blend, Orange Pekoe and Murchies afternoon blend in the tea tent this week.  The Murchies Afternoon blend is a delightful tea that was once called Empress Afternoon Tea and was served at the Empress hotel in Victoria for years. It is a favorite of mine and my guests. 

 I ordered and am reading through Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries by Tonya Kappes right now.  I ordered this book and already can tell I am going to love this series.  

 I read Murder at the Mansion by Sheila Connolly, a very good read and first in a new series.

I also read Rockets Dead Glare by Lynn Cahoon this week, review coming up tomorrow. Love the Tourist Trap Mystery Series and this one was a favorite! 

This was a very busy and fun week, from the Royal wedding last week to spending Victoria Day with my nieces and friends at the Victoria Day celebrations to enjoying time in the tea tent with friends, both photographed and not, a bunch of great thrift store finds, a new bear and great reads. I feel truly blessed. 
Thank you for taking time to join me for a cup of tea and a week in review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

This weeks Treasures...

This week one of the charity shops I frequent had a half off everything sale. I picked up some treasures this week, some new pillow covers for the tea tent in a lovely floral pattern and this lovely little bear, whom I have named Earl Grey, he needs a bow tie though, maybe several, the hunt for those is on. Two pillow covers and the bear, $3.

Another couple of dollars spent on some tea cups, only one is a true match but I have fun matching up with different saucers, and you never know I might yet find the matching one!

I am completely thrilled with my new tea tent mascot, but I think he needs a bow tie, I have begun to look for small tea themed printed fabric so I can make him a few bow ties, I think he will need some for each holiday as well! What a fun project I have created for myself. If you happen to know where I might find some tea themed fabric let me know!

This years tea tent just keeps getting better and better, I now have a much more functional table then teh stools in the tea tent thanks to the power of our FB recycling page in our city. I am very much enjoying my little escape.
Thank you for taking time to drop by for tea. I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.
I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Backyard Oasis and some of this weeks thrift store finds.

This years tea tent is starting to come together with some amazing craigslist and thrift store finds. I build a place of respite in my yard now going on it's 3 year. My first tea tent was a much sturdier structure but it collapsed under the weight of the snow the first year I had it and the first year we had seen snow like that in a decade. The tent I have now my dad bought me and it is easy to put up and take down, while not as grand it does provide an outdoor refuge from daily life. My first guest in the tea tent this week was my cat Mia.

Usually I just put a table and chairs under the tea tent but this year I found some wicker chairs (that I got FREE) and a large wicker basket (I also got Free on Craigs list) I paired it with some throw pillows and my recent tea tray find, teapot, and teacups from another thrift store, a square table covering from the SPCA thrift store and birthday flowers I got. I am still hoping to add a few more items to this years tea tent and I have enjoyed sitting and reading in the tent, sipping tea already.  I have added battery operated lights which will come in handy later in the summer. I got them at the dollar store.

This week I also found three saucers at different thrift stores and one beautiful white and gold Hamersley Rose cup. I paired the two saucers on the left with cups I had at home and was looking for something close. The yellow and gold one I put with the new white teacup.

Even though none of these is a true match, they do look like matches made in heaven.
I will leave you here and start the day. Thank you for popping in for a cup of tea and a look at this weeks thrift store finds.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tea Tent Is Now Up and Open To Receiving Guests!

Yesterday was the first really nice day here this week and my dad an my niece came over to help me erect the tea tent.  For my 40th birthday a little while ago a friend bought me an outdoor tent that I transformed into an outdoor escape. I called it the tea tent the old one is shown above.

Well sadly on December 10th,  just before we moved the original tea tent collapsed under what I thought was a freak ice/snow storm. We just don't get snow like that here normally so I never thought to take the tea tent down.  I was devastated, so many happy memories in that tent!

My dad found one online and on sale in December to replace my special place. It has sat in my basement since we moved. We had 4 more major snow storms during and after we moved so I had not even dared to put it up. This weekend however is the May long weekend for Victoria Day, a celebration of  Queen Victoria's Birthday and for us in this house a 4 day weekend.

The tent we put up yesterday is  a little different, lighter weight and easier to put together ( so taking it down in the fall should be easier too).  This is a photo of my first two guests who helped me put it together yesterday. My dad and my niece PB who's sisters were shown in the tea photo above and who at the time was too little to enjoy a tea party.  She and I get to spend a lot of time together so we will have many more tea parties to come.

Even though everything in my life feels so different now in the new house, new neighborhood I started to feel a bit more at home as soon as I hung up my chandelier.  If you are a long time reader you may recognize it, I turned this once indoor candle holder into a solar powered outdoor chandelier for the tea tent and it is one of my most favorite repurposed items ever .
I am happy to say the tea tent is now open to receive guests as early as this weekend, I think I need to go bake some scones now...

While they are baking I will go read a bit more of Sweet Tea and Spirits by Angie Fox.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cosy tea tent update.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

An Update On My Tea Tent ...

I have not been reading in the last 24 hours as much as I would have liked. I have however been gardening, getting my back yard tea tent in shape.

Today I planted the succulent garden in a beautiful chandelier that was not working, I am only sad that I broke one of the glass containers so I had to remove another one, but I will put two solar lights in them and hope that they look okay.

 I filled the glass with dirt and a succulent plant I love how it looks I think the little lights will be a welcome addition.

I recovered my hand-sewn pillows with some dollar store pillow covers, I was going to buy new pillows but for the price of two pillows I got 8 pillow cases that zip over the old ones! $24 is a great investment and now I just need to purchase a few more square pillows which will still be a fraction of the cost of 2 new ones. The dollar store ones are in a steel blue and steel grey, I can add embellishments easily if I wanted too at $3 each they are a steal! You can see them in the first tea tent photo above, they are the solid blue ones, I was loosing the light as I put this post together but will have more photos soon of the updated look.

My best find though thus far is the tent chandelier, this candle holder I added solar lights too and it is such a beautiful piece!

I hot glued in some solar lights and it is really pretty a night, not super bright but very pretty!

With candles going and the glow from the house lights this will be a lovely space to sit and read as the nights turn warmer.

If you want to see my previous posts on how the tea tent has been coming together and my insperations over the last year please click these links below:
http://acupofteaandacozymystery.blogspot.ca/2015/07/she-shed-101-building-of-my-tea-tent.html
http://acupofteaandacozymystery.blogspot.ca/2015/07/tea-party-fun-in-my-tea-tent-i-wish-you.html
http://acupofteaandacozymystery.blogspot.ca/2015/07/turning-cracked-tea-cup-into-bird.html

While I love my front yard tea spots in the late spring and summer mornings, evenings in the back yard are much more comfortable. This photo is taken in my front yard under the maple tree, the one below is the tea table for two I have just outside the front door. Each space is unique and provides the most wonderful of respite.

I love having these 3 spaces to call my own, finding the right items to put in these special spots is a passion of mine, next up, book the tea tent for some afternoon tea with friends.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery today! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com