" A LIMONCELLO TEA "

WELCOME Ladies ... to my rather late teatime.  The kettle is whistling and the tea cups are on the table awaiting your visits. The music is rather loud, so  feel free to join into the spirit of the song  any time.

Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade...

Masquerade?

Hide your face,

so the world will

never find you!

I  have found something special to share with you  today .

Yes , I'm listening  to  the lyrics of " Masquerade " from  Andrew Lloyd Webber's " Phantom of the Opera which perfectly describes todays ' Paragon',  cup and saucer.

It's an unusual tea set, that  is filled with artistic folly.  I was originally attracted to the  imperfect  colorations that ooze around the pattern . Is it a mistake? ....or is it an Artisan creation?

As the song goes...

Masquerade!

Every face a different shade ....

Masquerade!

Look around

There's another mask behind you!

              The china seems to have been created somewhere  between 1939 and 1949,
                                              according to the " Paragon" markings chart.

Forgive me for smiling  but ...

It looks like pink icing has stained the inside of the cup in such a delicious manner,

                                  that  I won't have to add sugar to taste the sweet imperfections.

While the scalloped edges balance the set quite nicely, each piece seems to stand alone. The saucer, itself, is another work of art, imprinted with a textured leaf or petals resembling a  lotus blossoms. I am  wondering, if more than one artist created this curious  little gem.

I  dare say that most people would not buy this set due to it's peculiar

attributes ... It is a continuous version of the song " Masquerade"... and I love this irregular creativity.

Flash of mauve ...

Splash of puce ....

Fool and king ...

Ghoul and goose

Green and black ...

Queen and Priest ...

Trace of rouge ....

Face of beast ...

It reminds me of the  Arts and Craft Fairs that I attended last week in Montreal. 

What a creative frenzy of synergy.

There is a  distinct difference between an Artisan Fair and a Crafters' Fair 

One is more  professionally focused with higher priced goods while the other is more creatively focused, in a homegrown and cutsey fashion,  plus,  the prices are cheapers.

I was so happy to find this original blend of tea,  created in Quebec, Canada.

Loose tea just seems to release a little more flavour into the teapot.

                                         Hopefully, you can imagine how it smells and tastes
                                                                      FABULOUS !!!!
                                                 Not to mention the sweet packaging can.
                                                                              AND ...
                                                                 It's my colour  ( Ha ha)

                                                 

Look at all those  yummy ingredients......

 black tea, lemon peel, essential oil of 

Italian lemon and chrysanthemum.

There is a lot of great information and steeping tips inscribed on the can too (for instance)

Instructions:  1 teaspoon percup .. steep for four 

minutes.

Would  you like to see what else I bought? 

Yes, I splurged and purchased two silk poncho shirts and a scarf from"Caspian Design, Hand painted Designs on Silk"

The purple one is a Christmas present for my mother and 

the blue one is a Christmas present for me ( (ha ha)

The  garment colours were amazing!

Each  of the Caspian designs is a stunning display of colours and originality. I have always loved the art of " tie dye"  so the soft melding of the dyes on shimmering silk is personally exhilarating  to me. 

Made of 100% genuine silk, each piece is individually hand painted and signed

 by the Canadian Artist, Majid Sadri. HA HA ...Nothing like wearing and artist's name ...too funny, but so appropriate for an Artisan Fair. Artist definitely don't get enough credit for their  wonderful talents.

Of course ... No two items are ever the same at an Artisan Fair.... It's a Artist thing!!!!
Later we continued the " Masquerade " journey while  attending a good old fashioned 'Crafters Fair, where we had tea and cookies and bought many,many adorable ornaments for the children.  I'll show them to you when we decorate the  Christmas tree.

It was so much fun !!!!

The most special piece of artwork was from my Grand-daughter, Auriane, ( 2 years old) who created this"Welcome Grandma" picture  for me, on the day I arrived.

You can't buy this  kind of art. 

                                                                         Faces ...
                                                           Drink it in, drink it up,
                                                               till you've drowned
                                                                       in the light
                                                                      in the sound

            LADIES  .... Don't forget to don your " Happy " faces and  feel free to masquerade
                                              around in curious teatime places this week ...
                                             You never know what treasures you will find.
                                        THANK YOU for joining  me  for a late cup of  TEA

Today I am joining:Rose Chintz Cottage, Martha's Favorites, Tuesday Cuppa Tea&Bernideen's Teatime Blog

"CRAFT FAIR "

                                         It's time for Gingerbread Houses and  Craft Fairs.
                                This week-end I will join my daughter and  grandchildren  
                                               in Montreal for a 2 day craft extravaganza.

SO I might be a little late for tea !!!

( Artwork) courtesy of pinterest

" BIRD SONG TEA "

GREETINGS  LADIES . ..Are you ready for teatime and a song?

The North wind doth blow

And we shall have snow

And what will poor robin do then,

He'll sit in the barn 

And keep himself warm

And hid his head under his wing

Poor thing.

This 16th century, Nursery Rhyme is so appropriate for today's gathering .
LOOK  WHAT 

I have found in my cupboards... It's a novelty teaset, that I purchased in Manitoba, Canada, around  the 1980's.... Ouch...I'm telling my age !!! 

Let's just say, I'm young at heart, like all of you.

The  little birdie told me to pick this  "Royal Albert" teaset for  today ... and  to peek  into the music room ... Yes indeed ... There is something magical happening there.

It's the  Christmas Cactus  .... Isn't it beautiful ... I had not  been into the room for a few weeks, so you can imagine my surprise, to see such a huge cascade of blossoms.  Quite frankly, it took my breath away ... " Neglect ", is the secret to growing the Christmas Cactus ... Truly, I only water it every two weeks, when the soil is absolutely dry.

Seeing the mass of blossoms was like adding  sweetness to the sugar bowl.  I was so excited, that I simply forgot about my tea. " Snap Snap", I must have taken a hundred pictures, so that I could share the beauty ...  Just a little excited !!!!

This plant loves it's  sunny location  and of course the musicality of the room... there is always a song to be sung there. Funnily enough,  I had read an article stating that the  Christmas Cactus prefers a diffuse light, but this one is sitting pretty in our bright, chilly window.

It is so befitting to use this cheery little set with it's pert cuteness, however, I'm not sure if the artist was painting a robin, a blue jay or chickadees... Can you tell ? No matter, it looks to be a  feathered whimsy of all three, that makes me smile.( ha ha)

As a creative bonus, the artist has roughly smudged stains around the rim of the creamer in a delightful way ... a little here and a little there...too charming !!!

While the teacup is much more delicate, it blends quite nicely with the whimsical accents of the teapot , sugar bowl and creamer.

The rippled surface of the saucer spins with glimmers of light that are reflected  throughout the surface of the  arched lip.  I'm wondering if this plate was designed as a drinking  saucer since it is  twice as high most of my other tea saucers. 

There now, the tea has been poured with a  melodious  amount of song and warmth from the heart of this little songbird. ( Tra-La-La )

Although it's a cold, windy day .... Teatime can be such a happy throng ... especially when the sun is sparkling all around. 

( Happy Happy)

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing.

He'll come in for tea,
With you and  me
And flutter and sip and  sing
Happy thing.

(My rendition of the nursery rhyme)

"ENJOY YOUR DAY LADIES"

 Today I am joining:Rose Chintz Cottage, Martha's Favorites, Tuesday Cuppa Tea&Bernideen's Teatime Blog

"OH MY, CHAI "

Sipping tea from the royal pedigree of ' Royal Albert " china is  indeed  a memorable  pleasure. What better way to spend "Remembrance Day", than, to talk with my mother, a veteran and war bride, who travelled to Canada, April 27th,1945, with two Battleships flanking both sides of her sailing vessel.

I'm particularly excited about this vintage Royal Albert cup and saucer, since I'm reading Melynda Jarratt's book, " War Brides"... the history of over 45,000 British and European women, who left their homeland and families  behind, in favour of a new life in post war, Canada.

      Ms. Jarratt is the leading authority on the history of War Brides of the Second World War. She  has  appeared and written extensively on this subject for  radio, television  and the internet media. Melynda also runs an authoritative website on the history of Canadian War Brides. You can review her other books at ( www.goodreads.com)
               

               I don't normally use sugar in my tea, but,who can resist one or two lumps of
                                    german rock sugar to ...  sweeten the pleasure of reading 

" Lovelace'( above) is such a pretty pattern ... Romantically feminine and floral, are only a few ways  that I can think of,  to express the beauty of this Royal Albert tea set. 

Historically,  Royal Albert retains a history, that stretches over 100 years, to a small pottery business established  by Thomas Wild( 1896 ) at Longton, one of the six towns that made up Stoke-on-Kent.
 " The Potteries" in England.

' Lovelace" is an enchanting  name for this lovely tableware, which was created in five different colours, brown, blue, pink, green and black ...  It is the ' brown' Lovelace, that seems to possess a timeless popularity which was inspired by the English country gardens and England's national flower, the ' Rose".

You have probably quessed, that the china was, named after Prince Albert,
who later became  King George VI( 1936) ... Ultimately, every time you drink from a Royal Albert cup, it is like having tea with royalty
( Ha ha). Check out :(www. Royal Albert China.com) for an informative review of it's origin.  Ruth W. has found an alternative for the origin of name Prince Albert, so I am eagerly  awaiting her confirmation of information so that we can solve this mystery... We're super sleuths on the paths of origin ( Ha Ha) How exciting !!!!

This little pot, would probably not be found in any royal  tea rooms ... It would  rather, be located on the kitchen table, ' downstairs' in the castle.  I do however, love my little Brown Betty, which seems to keep the tea warmer than most other teapots. She( above) has a  royal spot in my heart.

Today I'm enjoying a chai tea, which is actually black tea, steeped in milk and flavoured with wonderful spices. Can you smell the aromatic fragrance of the  tea yet?

Chai is an intoxicating blend of star anise, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorns and  cardamon pods, that you can buy or make yourself. I purchased this special blend at our local  tea shop. It is  especially  nice to drink on a cool Autumn day.

Just incase we have a few spills, I am using this pretty tea towel that I found at our local  Flea Market...  Don't you just love crocheted edges and hand embroidered pieces. These little beauties seem to be harder and harder to find, so for the extravagant price of one dollar, I snapped it up, as a treasure for myself and mother to share. One might be surprised, at how many old stories evolve from a handmade item, during teatime.

I'm so glad that you stopped over for a ' Remembrance Day " chatter .... I hope you enjoyed the  chai tea!!!

 May I encourage you, to continue our teatime chat with older family members and war veterans, in efforts to learn of life sacrifices and achievements during times of war.

" LEST WE FORGET "

 Today I am joining; Rose Chintz Cottage,  Martha's Favorites, Tuesday Cuppa Tea and Bernideen's Teatime Blog