Tea Moons - A Re-Run!

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.~Catherine Douzel

While mindlessly flipping through blogs one afternoon, I came across a very interesting site called CHA DAO. It is dedicated to the discussion of tea. The author, Adrian Lurssen, described the making and collection of "tea moons". Adrian has collected many samples of teas and "moons". I decided to try making my own moons. What I would do differently when making tea moons again is to use a more absorbent paper with more texture and beauty. Here are the results of my quick tea moon session. I think this idea would made an incredible tea journal, perhaps for a gift, together with a variety of teas.

Tea moons are made by two different methods. In one, while enjoying a lovely cup of tea you wish to remember, allow a bit to spill onto the saucer, placing the cup back in the tea puddle. Then place the cup bottom on a piece of paper or a tea journal page, thus making a tea moon! The second method of tea moon making is to save a spot of tea in the bottom of your cup or a little dish. Using an artist's brush paint a tea "moon" onto paper or in your tea journal. Personally, I prefer the tea cup method - it seems more natural. Which ever method you use, allow the tea moon to dry. Then write or type the name of the tea, your description of the tea's flavor, and your enjoyment of it. Finally jot down any memories, old or new, that the tea evokes.

Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history,

inhaling ancient times and lands,comfort

of ages in our hands.~Faith Greenbowl

Making Party Invitations

Kelli, There Is No Place Like Home, is hosting a craft week and giveaway. Stop in to visit her and see her wonderful cards and links to more crafts on other blogs!

My son is getting married in June. His fiance is one of the sweetest, most precious young women I have ever known. To say I am thrilled my boy chose so wisely is an understatement. I had some occasional nightmares about who might one day call me mother-in-law...but let's don't go there, because he chose sweet Jenni! I've decided that the kids were simply born in the wrong decade. They dress like and love the same things we did in the '70's when I was a teenager. But I love that about them! Their wedding theme is orange Gerber daisies - I had daisies at my wedding in 1970! Their colors are Spring green and orange - bright orange! I am involved in hosting a shower for Jenni this Spring. Jenni is such an unselfish girl and I want everything to be perfect for her. I couldn't find anything that looked just like her - pink frilly invites just wouldn't do for our girl, so I decided to make the invitations for the shower, something I've done for other parties I've hosted. It's time consuming, quite a bit of work if the party is large (I made 96), and not usually less expensive than buying ready made invitations. But if you have created a picture in your head of something you just have to have - that stores just don't make (my husbands frequent description of the way I work), then making invitations is the answer. As a tutorial, in case you are interested in making your own invitations for a party you might be hosting this Spring or Summer, I've posted pictures below that I took during the process of making Jenni's shower invitations.

The first step in preparing for this project is to know how many you need and decide on a theme for the invitations. I spoke with Jenni about her preferences and we decided to follow her wedding theme of orange, green, and daisies. Decide if you want a folded invitation or a multi layered card like the design I used.

Gather all the materials you will need: plenty of paper in all colors you want to use, scissors, paper cutter, punches, ribbon, invitation size envelopes, and address labels. It's also a good idea to have a tray to place finished invitations as you go along to keep them clean and crisp.

I cut the number I needed of each color paper to the correct size.

I planned to use the orange paper as the base of the invitation. The green with tiny white polka dots was the second layer so I cut each of those pieces slightly smaller than the orange and then punched a daisy from the bottom edge of each green piece.

I used Print Shop to type out the text of the invitation and printed on a good quality white linen paper - no watermark. The white pieces for the top layer are cut smaller than the green. I just cannot work in clutter so I cleaned all scraps and trimmings from the table before assembling the invitations.

As you can see, I placed the green piece on top, making sure the borders were straight and even. Sometimes I had to trim a little to make them perfect.

After securing each piece with adhesive I was ready to start applying the orange ribbon. Self healing cutting mats are wonderful because you can quickly and easily eyeball center. I used a 1/8" punch to make two round holes centered at the top of each invitation. Then I fed the ribbon through the holes and tied a bow on the front of each invitation, trimming the streamers evenly.

The finished product - 96 custom invitations!

Print and apply your address labels...

Stuff the envelopes with any bridal registry cards...

Stamp and stack up your labor of love, ready to drop in the mail!

Making your own invitations is a project anyone can do beautifully. Just plan ahead, organize all the needed elements, and pay attention to the details!

Painting: A Life Passion

Years ago I attended a fund raising auction for the private school I worked for. I fell in love with a hand painted mirror frame painted with folk art village scenes. Fortunately, I did not win the bid. Fortunately, because I decided on the spot that I could, and would, paint one for myself. I went to an art supply store the very next day and purchased brushes, paints, and an unfinished frame. This venture was the start of one of my life passions. The first item I painted was the egg pictured and the second was the mirror frame. Since then I have painted and sold quite a few of these framed mirrors. I also paint furniture and wall murals - and anything else with a surface to paint! (I've improved since the egg!)