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Happy
August,
--oops! I mean Happy Fall, Tea Friends ~ –
If you
think that the "Happy August" above is a mistake, it really
isn't. Things got busy and the August QofH just never made it to
Grandma Rae's site. But, I still wanted to pass along what I had
written, so I am going to start by saying I hope you are all enjoying
the cooler Autumn weather and "Happy Fall!" It was
always my intention to combine the September and October Qof Hs as I
will be off on vacation for the second half of October. So, you
are going to have more Teapots of the Month to look at than ever before.
I will also have some exciting news at the end of the virtual tea room -
a short, but very sweet, update. So, please read on -- and
remember what you are reading was written back in August.
Summer
is in full swing – sunshine, hot weather and lots of time spent with
family and friends. So, that was my inspiration for the Queen of
Hearts Tea Room this month – family and friends. I got to
thinking about all the wonderful moments these people give us in our
lives and decided to look for some meaningful quotes about both family
and friendship. I found so many that I thought I would share a few
with you… some meaningful and some just plain fun…
Sometimes
our hearts get tangled
And our souls a little off-kilter
Friends and family can set us right
And help guide us back to the light.
~Sera Christann
Family
First
Families
are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.
~Author Unknown
I
don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.
Those of you who have been following along month by
month will know that last year my family of one husband, four sons and
the one lone female (teapot collector – can you imagine all those men
living amongst all those teapots for so many years?) added a
daughter-in-law to the clan. And sometime during this month,
another family member will be added… making me a grandmother!!!
I am so excited – I can hardly wait. We don’t know if it will
be a boy or girl, but either way you can bet I will do my best to have
as many tea parties with him/her that I can. In anticipation of
the new addition, I thought I would share some baby items that I just
love to make – and they are cute, useful and quick to do.
Friends
A friend is someone who
understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the
way you are.
Where would we be without our wonderful friends?
Who would we get to have tea parties with? Over the years so many people
come and go in our lives...co-workers, classmates, teachers, students,
and the list goes on. But true friends are always there.
Maybe you see them once a year or maybe you see them everyday, but you
know who they are when you meet them and you know who they are when you
need a lift.
I want to share some pictures of a tea I had last
winter for a very special friend. Varsha was here in the United
States as a Fulbright Scholar from India. She came to spend
several months in the department where I work (at a university).
She was most gracious, and early on in her stay with us, she gave a
presentation on one of her holidays, Diwali. She showed us slides
of her country, her family and how they celebrated the holiday.
She also prepared many of the foods that they would eat at their
celebrations, and we all enjoyed trying all the foods and spices that
were so different from what we eat. She was wearing a sari which
was made of a beautiful red fabric, and I commented on how much I loved
it. We got to talking and somehow we got on the subject of tea,
and I told her about my collection of teapots. She said she would
like to come to my house to see them before she returned to India.
Between the crazy winter we had and the holiday season last year, it
wasn’t until the last week she was here that we were able to find a
day that I could pick her up and bring her to my house so that she could
see the teapots. Of course, I invited her to come for tea, and we
had a wonderful time. I learned so much about her and her culture
that day – and while I collect teapots, Varsha collects saris.
Just as I have over 100 teapots, she has over 100 saris. She had
been in the US for a few months and it wasn’t until the last few weeks
that we got to really know each and become good friends. She will
always have a special place in my heart. She wrote to me after she
got back home and told me how she had included pictures of our tea party
in the presentation she was required to give after her time spent in our
country as a Fulbright Scholar – I was more than honored. So
today I share those pictures with all of you.
Truly
great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave,
and
impossible to forget.
Teapot
of the Month…
I picked TWO teapots of the month for August based on
family and friends – one from family, one from a friend. When my
friend Brenda from Alabama visited last year she brought me this wonderful
rooster teapot telling me that in Alabama everyone has to have a chicken
in their kitchen for good luck. The other chicken teapot was given
to me by my third son, Joe – two years ago he took a cross-country road
trip and found this for me on one of his stops. So, I guess not only
do I have a lucky kitchen with these two chickens watching over me, I also
feel very lucky that my family and friend brought these two great teapots
to me.
So, my friends, have a wonderful August – and spend
time with your family and friends – they are truly a blessing.
Thanks for visiting the tea room.
People and friendships are
like tea bags. You have to put them in hot water before you know how
strong they are.
~Author Unknown
September
and October - Update
So, I'm sure now that you have read the August
Queen of Hearts, you are very curious to know about my new FIRST
grandchild. Charlotte Mae was born on August 10th, weighing 7 lbs, 8
oz. But August and September became very crazy in our world as she
had some complications during birth which kept her in the NICU for an
entire month - she was finally able to go home on September 10th,
and I am happy to say she is doing very well. In honor of Charlotte,
I have changed my pick of the September Teapot of the Month (it was going
to be a beehive teapot). You can bet she will have a many bibs as
she needs... and I look forward to many tea parties in the years to come.
Teapot
of the (Autumn) Months...
I don't have any "baby" themed
teapots; although I do have plenty of children's teapots but that's not
what I was looking for. So, as I looked around the room my eyes
spotted Humpty Dumpty. I thought to myself yes, a Nursery Rhyme
teapot for Charlotte. But then I also saw the Cow Jumped Over the
Moon sitting on the shelf. Once again, too hard to decide, so TWO
TOMs for September!! (Both of these were given to me by a very dear
friend. Nancy and I graduated from high school together but did not
become good friends until years later. We re-met at our 10 year
reunion planning meetings and she encouraged me to join the PTO. We
have been laughing, shopping, laughing, having lunch together, and
laughing ever since. She's truly a wonderful friend.)
October, on the other hand, was an easy pick.
I've been planning to show this teapot all along. Not only is it a
good pick for the Halloween month of October, but my little black
cat teapot deserves the honors for another reason. It is also my
very FIRST teapot ever! I've had it since I was a little girl, long
before I'd ever dreamed of being a teapot collector. But I should've
known there were teapots in my future... one of my two favorite
childhood songs was (what else?) "I'm A Little Teapot."
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EASY Bibs
My mother-in-law used to make these for
me all the time when my boys were little. These are great for babies
and little ones as they are so absorbent and can be used as a washcloth
after mealtime is done. Plus, they get thrown right in with the
towels when you do the laundry and come out much cleaner than those small
plastic bibs.
To make one, you will need a fingertip
towel. Fold over one end about one-third of the way. Draw a
half-circle on the fold (in the middle) – I usually use a small bowl to
make the line. Sew on this line. Then cut out this half circle
(with pinking shears) leaving about a ¼” seam. Fold over and sew
a 12-15” piece of twill tape (or ribbon) on each side right next to the
neck opening – and viola!!! You’re done!!! I always keep on the
look-out for bargain fingertip towels – after any holiday they are
usually marked down and can be bought for under $1. Just be sure
that if you are using a towel that has an appliqué or some sort of design
on it that you are careful to fold over the top AWAY from the side with
the design on it. You don’t want that nice design to end up
on the wrong side.
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Circle sewn and cut
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Finished bib
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Different
designs, same bib
EASY
Burp Cloths
You know that babies spit up and
you always need to carry around cloth diapers to have on hand
to either protect your clothing or wipe up after the fact.
Here is a way to make those burp cloths look a little nicer…
Use a pre-folded cloth diaper.
Decorate one side any way you like. I have sewn ribbon along
the seam lines. I have also seen these done with the
baby’s name sewn down the middle in colorful letters and/or with
shapes sewn on made from chenille or other soft fabric. I
sew satin blanket binding on the two short edges to finish them
off, but they can also be left as is.
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One cloth
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Different colors
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Taggies and Squeakers
These are
made from fleece material and assorted ribbons. The squeakers have a
plastic squeaker (used in dog toys) inside of them and can attach to a
stroller or car seat by the plastic ring through the top. When I
make them, I sew over the ribbons five times so that I know they are
secure. I will be happy to share dimensions, instructions, etc. with
you – if you want to know how, please email me at QofHTearoom@comcast.net.
August
Teapot of the Month…
| A chicken in every
kitchen... |
September
Teapot of the Month…
and an egg sitting on a wall...
along with a cow jumping over
the moon!
October
Teapot of the Month…
and an old black cat
I'd love to hear from you with any
comments, questions, etc... QofHTeaRoom@comcast.net
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