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 

Early Morning Thoughts in The Dark

As I write this I have been up more than and hour, its still black as night and just after 5 am here on the West Coast. I woke from a fitful sleep and decided now would be as good a time as any to get up. Just the cat and I this morning surrounded by birdsong and anticipation of the daily news. 

My sister in London is up, she messaged me about an hour before I got up wondering if I was up, that would have been just about 3 am. Our daily conversations are quick, few sentence statements about the world and the virus that has many of us safe at home.  For those of you who don't know I am in Canada, on the West Coast, my sister is in London England. As of yesterday more than 26,900 people in the UK have died from Covid-19, in Canada, a country so much larger, we are at 2,996.  The numbers are staggering and very much disheartening as much as vastly different. 

I have been taking comfort in being home, safe at home, yet constantly in a state of panic. From one moment to the next, I can feel comfortable and happy and completely at a loss.  The constant state of anxiety and heightened awareness gnaws at the back of my neck and the pit of my stomach. It robs me of the gift of the present and steals from my tomorrows. On the times I do venture out, the anxiety gives way temporary to the task at hand, yet the very act of going out, putting everyone at risk, is unbelievably outwardly normal looking. For a second, being in the car seems normal. Going to the store, despite the lines, feels somewhat routine, yet on the way home the knowledge that things are far from normal and guilt for even the simplest trip grips at me.

I try not to check the news every hour, but it is hard to refrain. I busy myself with crafting and projects I have always wanted to try but never found the time. But distraction is only a temporary relief. I was for the last 6 weeks worried about being at home, worried about the people in my community, my home and family. Now I am worried about going back, out into that same community, back to work, back to the unknown.  I feel like we are at war with an unseen entity, fighting blindly and unmatched in weaponry. I wonder if this feeling will pass, or if this unsettled new way of being is our new normal.

I feel a little like this fairy jar I made, safe and warm inside, looking out at a world in a shroud of darkness, waiting to be let out.

Hoping your feeling safe at home, and that sharing these feelings are more of a time capsule of a glimpse into what it truly felt like to live through the pandemic and survive to come out on the other side of it.
Thank you for allowing me to share and for joining me for these early morning thoughts. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tea 101 With Monarch Tea Co.

On Monday evening I took a very fun course from Monarch Tea Co. This was a class I found on instagram and signed up for. The course fee which was very reasonable was $35 and it included the shipping of 6 teas which we brewed and talked about throughout the class.

Mine arrived just hours before the class and they were beautifully packaged. Teas included were Pai Mu Tan, a white tea, Huji Cha, a green tea, English Breakfast, a black tea, Ti Kuan Yin, an Oolong,  Pu'erh Tea, a fermented tea, as well as a Fruit Tisane which was called Mango Love, I did not have this one as I have a mango allergy.

I had a fun time with this, we steeped the tea and covered with the saucers and sipped and chatted about the teas we were enjoying.

I have a great love and passion for tea, working in a tea shop I furthered my knowledge of tea, and I was drawn to the class because it was taught by a Tea Sommelier. What I did not expect to get out of the class was a renewed sense of passion for tea and that our instructor  Katie shared her knowledge and passion in a very engaging way. I was also thrilled to find I learned quite a bit about tea that I did not know.

I am trying to make the most of my time being laid off, learning and trying new things. This class was a bright spot in my social distancing and self isolation. If you wanted to learn more about tea, consider taking a class from Monarch Tea. Thank you for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a look at a great online learning class. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

My Mixtiles Me Moment Wall

I got a one square Mixtile box in my mail today and it had the bottom right tile for my bedroom wall of my tea photos in it. I love how it turned out and how this wall is coming along. For me the morning me moment tea is one of the most important parts of my day. I love the simple beauty of taking that time for myself and using my treasured teacups, lit by candles and often accompanied by my cat Squirrel.

My sister introduced me to Mixtiles, something she started ordering two years ago and I love them so much. They cost very little and are easy to put up and take down. I love that I can swap them out, and add different ones for the holidays. I have them on every wall of my place!

Sometimes I even know when I take a photo in the morning that I am going to order it as a Mixtile in my next order. If you are looking for a fun and inexpensive way to get the photos from your phone to the wall, give these a try! I am not an affiliate and not getting paid to promote, I just love them. Click here for their website, and they even have a phone app! 
Thanks for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at my Me Moment Wall. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com