Keeper of The Light Lantern, Cup of Tea & Haiku

I have been spending my time at home crafting with my new cricut joy and items I have purchased at the dollar store. I found these $4 lanterns at my local Dollarama and I used permanent black vinyl and added my decal, a Lighthouse. I added the words Keeper of the Light. Which is part of my Haiku, I wrote below. 

Keeper of the light

Strong, and steadfast, unswerving

The Beacons of Hope

by Karen M. Gibson

It was so much fun creating yesterday and having so much fun. Waiting out the Moon was worth it too, I cannot wait to try to paint what I saw in my night sky!

I think it looked like a painting already. So I am going to try to paint it.
Thank you for joining me this Friday for a cup of tea and a Haiku. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Cup of Tea and An Inspirational Article from Tea Time Magazine.

This morning I got my Tea Time Magazine and was delighted as always to find such comfort and inspiration with in its pages.  I enjoy the blue and white theme and how easy it is to mix and match. While I don't have the beautiful teapot on the front which is available through Tea Time Magazine, I do have a great Maxwell Williams one I picked up at Murchie's and my Buckingham Palace Morning cup and saucer set I picked up in England, I love how it coordinates on my table.

For some reason I cannot seem to turn this, but the most wonderful article that caught my attention was the one written about Tea Amo, a traveling tea room in Ontario, Canada, something I have dreamed about doing myself for years. I have thought of doing it for duel purposes as not just a tea party to go, but a writing retreat as well. I almost secured one this past winter, however at the last minute if fell through so my hope is that the opportunity will again present itself. 

The article got my heart racing and my mind wandering to the possibilities that the future holds. For weeks now I have been holding my breath, without realizing it, I have been slightly more focused on the negative aspects of the unknown. This article got me excited, anxious and inspired far more than I have been in quite sometime. 
What motivates you? What gets your creative juices flowing? What are you focusing on going forward?
I learned in the last few hours that I may be returning to work very shortly. I have missed my tea shop. I have missed my customers and I am anxious to learn about how the next phase of my tea journey will unfold.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at this new issue of Tea Time Magazine. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Diva Spices It Up by Krista Davis

I read and loved The Diva Spices It Up by Krista Davis in one sitting on Tuesday night. I could not put it down. This is a series I fell in love with years ago with book 5, the first I had read in the series, I quickly ordered the previous 4 and have read every one since. In the Diva Spices it up there were so many twists and turns and so much wonderfully addicting plot lines. Everything blended and meshed so well together, there was so much mystery, plenty of crimes, mouth watering recipes and deep relationship themes. This book was action packed, it was endearing, it was full of surprises. Krista Davis absolutely spiced this 13th book in the series up!

After a celebrity ghostwriter dies on the job, Old Town’s favorite entertaining expert and sporadic sleuth, Sophie Winston, whips up an impromptu investigation in the new Domestic Diva mystery from New York Times bestselling author, Krista Davis . . . Sophie never considered ghostwriting as a side gig, until former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru, Tilly Stratford, trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needs someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agrees, hoping she’ll earn enough bread on this assignment to finish her bathroom renovations. But as it turns out, Sophie isn’t the first foodie to get a taste for recipe ghostwriting, and if the marginalia are any indication, this project could be a killer . . . Wesley claims professional ghostwriter, Abby Bergeron, suddenly abandoned Tilly’s cookbook with no warning. But Sophie quickly discovers that Abby may be more ghost than writer now . . . and her disappearance was no accident. So Sophie cracks open a fresh investigation, but sifting the seasoned murderer from this sampling of salty suspects won’t be easy. Will Sophie savor another case closed or will the culprit simply melt away? Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips! 


This book is out now and you can find it on amazon.ca by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tea and Treachery By Vicki Delany

I was blessed with an Advanced reading copy of Tea and Treachery by Vicki Delany. This is a first in series and it is out in late July this year.  This is the first in the Tea By the Sea series that I think you may find like me to be a new favorite. There is quite a bit to love  right off the bat. A great setting, strong characters, an opinionated octogenarian, an overworked granddaughter, a tea room, a sassy cat, a loyal pup and a slightly off the wall best friend. I also liked that the back stories of the characters were not overly traumatic and the message of strong willed women I got from reading and enjoying the book. I am anxiously awaiting the second book in the series already!

I love a beautiful cup of tea, in the perfect china pattern and was pleased to find the Royal Doulton Winthrop, red and gold maple leaf pattern mentioned in the first part of the book, the mouth watering recipes including the mention of the children's tea chocolate chip cookies, had me baking my own. My own children were happy to help me devour them. Real butter makes them so much more delicious.

The description on Amazon.ca (I am not an affiliate) for Tea & Treachery ...
"As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea shop . . . for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business. Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag."

Out this summer and one not to miss Tea and Treachery can be pre ordered on amazon.ca by clicking here.

May The Fourth Be With you

It is May the fourth and in my family that is Star Wars Day. This year on my brithday I binged watched the Mandolorian, ( not sure how to spell) with my oldest son and then I found these cups and saucers that were plain at the dollar store. I added some free SVG clips which I printed on my cricut joy and made the perfect cups and saucers for my Star Wars loving niece in London England, but I had to try them out before I sent them.

I made these on Saturday and they were a labor of love. I made one with "The Child" aka baby yoda and then on the back of each of them this...

While they are not perfect they are perfect for me and I hear my niece in London England is pretty excited to see them. I made these using the Cricut joy, permanent vinyl and some free SVG patterns. They are not dishwasher safe, as all good china should be :) nor should they go in the microwave. 
I had so much fun making these and debuting them today for May 4th. I hope that you can add a little Star Wars Magic into your day.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of Star Wars themed tea and a Monday morning check in.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

My Yaymaker Painting Class From Home

Yesterday I immersed myself in crafting and ended the day day with an on line painting class I found for $15 on line. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and I am actually proud of what I made.
I am trying to use the time I have off and nurture the creative side of myself by trying new things. The Yaymaker.com website had a ton of events to choose from. I got to paint in my pj's and not have my camera on, while enjoying learning new painting techniques with people across Canada and the USA.

This was a great way to spend the evening and I have actually signed up to do a different one Monday night!

Each teacher does a little bit different technique and while the original image on the advertisement was more of a tea cup this teacher chose to do a mug, I have to say I really like how the mug turned out.

This was the original from the Yaymaker website.

I am still in awe of how my yellow swipes and flicks of the paint brushes from the dollar store turned in to something that actually resembled flowers!

I keep working on his snout and I preferred not to to put the flower behind the ear, I am so excited though to share something that I made and am really excited to hang up. You can find a Yay Maker class on line by visiting the website and clicking here

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and my Hedgehog in a cup painting. I hope to share more of my creative journey with you again soon. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Happy Beltane, Happy May Day from my table to yours...

Beltane Wishes from my table to yours. I have been working on my maypole since sundown April 30th,  which is when Beltane begins. Beltane or Beltain (/ˈbɛl.teɪn/) is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. ... Also known as Cétshamhain ("first of summer"), it marked the beginning of summer and was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures.
Beltane April 30th - May 1st. Sunset to Sunset. Beltane honours Life. It represents the peak of Spring and the beginning of Summer. A perfect time for tea and fairies.

I made my may pole out of items I had on hand and tried to focus on just crafting shutting out the din of the world, much easier when you have tea to go with it. 

This time of year I love to bring out my treasured Fairy books, I love Cicely Mary Barker, my favorite of her designs is on my plate in the photo above. I have several books and have been charmed since childhood with these beautiful illustrations. 

This morning I pulled out my yellow cup, it is an Adderly and the flowers inside are the same style as the illustrations in the books. the little pewter fairy is a statue from a collection my parents got me in 2007 and I have them in planters and around my house. I love them. 
I hope you find time in your day to enjoy a cup of tea and spend a few moments looking for fairies. 
I would love to hear from you  so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com