Been Busy!

Hi Everyone!

I've been busy lately... as some of you know, what you now see at my new website is merely temporary. I'm currently setting up a whole new website behind the scenes. I've been truly lucky to find such a good friend in Rebecca -- her website is here -- and she has been helping me with the set up of my new site, from templates to servers to shopping carts! When all is done, I will have an awesome site that will allow for the use of coupons & discounts, have all the bells and whistles and gadgets I want in a site, plus... (and this is most important, at least from my point of view) I'll be able to charge a more accurate amount for shipping!

Right now, I have the paypal shopping cart, and it's great, especially considering it's free. But free does have it's limitations. I can't offer discounts and coupons, and I have to have a flat rate shipping table OR a percentage of sale shipping table. I can't charge according to WEIGHT... which became very problematic, especially when I was selling scones mixes, because while they are not very expensive, they are heavy, so I found myself in a quandry... do I overcharge everyone for their shipping to make up for this, or do I charge more for the scones mixes and potentially lose sales because of the high markup? So, rather than do either of these, I ended up just breaking even on my scones mixes.

Which is one of the reasons I chose to not sell the scones mixes anymore. Another reason is that I really wanted to simplify things. I wanted to focus on my strengths within the tea market, and I feel my strengths consist of blending superior quality teas. My tea blends are uniquely delicious, not your everyday garden variety! I create blends that are stimulating to the senses, not just flavorful, but also delightful to smell and to see! I believe that tea should be a total experience to behold, something that brings joy and exuberance ... not just a casual and almost careless activity.

So, you won't find scone mixes, petit fours, fancy strainers and teaspoons, nor fine china and cast iron teapots at my site. The only accessory available on my site now will be T-Sacs, which I will continue to carry because I use them for my free samples (every purchase 'earns' a free sample!) and also because they are in great demand from my customers.

And of course, you'll find the best tasting tea at my site. But you already knew that!

Well, that's all for now. More changes are afoot with Liberteas... but I will inform you of them as they begin to manifest themselves...

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Well, it's been a few days since I've last posted here... but I do have a pretty good excuse! I've been pretty busy (still working at getting all caught up, and it seems like the closer I get, the further behind I fall!). I have been working on some artwork though, mostly my two 'zines, but also some other fun stuff.

This is a picture of a recent button/card swap I participated in. I made the buttons out of polymer clay and embossing powder, and then after curing I brushed with a light coat of lacquer laminate to give them a seal and some shine. They were a lot of fun!

As I mentioned earlier, I've been working on my two 'zines. I've got all the material copied, I'm just assembling now. I have two 'zines that I'm working on, the first is an extremely personal issue that where I've focused on "Moving" ~ a quick, non-reflective look at my past tells me that I've moved some nearly 30 times in the less than 40 years that I've been alive, and that certainly gave me a lot of material to reflect upon.

The second 'zine I've dedicated to "decos" ~ one of my favorite little artforms! If you don't know what a deco is, perhaps you should order a 'zine from me to learn more! hehe!

As far as tea goes, this morning I'm enjoying an Irish Breakfast blend I received from a vendor recently. Quite nice. I like the robust edge of Irish Breakfast, and I've played around with my own recipes of Irish Breakfast blends. The recipe I finally came up with was a Creamy Irish Breakfast. The addition of vanilla creme flavor brings out the subtle, naturally caramel-ly characteristics of the teas, and helps to smooth out the vigorous flavors which make the Irish Breakfast blends... well... an Irish blend.

I'm all sold out on my Creamy Irish Breakfast for this year, and I will only be blending it once a year, just in time for St. Patty's day!

Over the past few days, I've come to a decision about my tea business, and how I'll be shaping my little company, but more on that at a later time. I have an appointment today that I'll be late for if I am to sit here all day and tell you about that!

Lookie! I'm here!

Incredible! Only two days have lapsed since I last posted to my blog. Let's hope this is the start of a more productive trend.

Not that I've not been productive in the past, just with other things.

I'm FINALLY finished with my 'zines. The last of them are going out tomorrow and Wednesday. It's been a long journey... a very fulfilling and happy one, but still, long! I hadn't anticipated that it would take me so long to complete these.

I've actually been able to focus on other artwork as well. I'm nearing completion a mini-zine for the Gleaner swap, as well as the mini-zine that I'll be submitting for the swap within my own yahoo group.

I've even managed to get involved with a few other art swaps. It felt good to do those, because it had been so long since I've worked on things other than my 'zines. And... of course, I've managed to finish a few decos along the way too!

Well... that's all for now... maybe I'll be able to sign on again in a couple days!

~Anne

Neglectful me...

Hi there... again, with the neglect. I should be turned in for blog abuse.

But... I think my life is finally settling to the point where I can feasibly set myself a goal of updating on a regular basis.

As some of you may have noticed, I no longer have an accessable website. This is because I am working on a new site. It will be up and running within a couple of weeks, and of course, I'll update you when that happens. I will have an all new (more reliable and cost efficient) server, and an all new look on the website. I hope that the changes are agreeable!

Another change that has occured as a result of the aforementioned change in server, is a change in URL. My previous server was unrelenting in the release of my domain, so I will have a different URL and then when the old domain is available again, I'll obtain that and have it forwarded to the new site.

Because of everything going on, it's set me back on a lot of projects that I had planned, and a lot of things that people have been waiting on... and I'm terribly sorry about that. I'm nearly caught up though, and I feel really good about that. Things are definitely on the upswing. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they remain that way!

What's new in the land of LiberTEAS? Well, if I haven't mentioned it before, I finally have finished/perfected and blended my first batch of LiberTEAS Breakfast Blend. This is a very complex blend of teas. Most breakfast blends are a blend of broken Assams and Ceylons, mine is a blend of high grown Ceylons, Whole and Broken Assams, Niligiris and Yunnans. I've also added a touch of African Honeybush and vanilla to round out and smooth the flavors of these exceptionally unique tea flavors. This tea is a delight to all the senses!

To accompany my Breakfast Blend, I've also created a uniquely different Decaffeinated Breakfast Blend. This is not merely a decaffeinated attempt at the regular blend; rather, my Decaf LiberTEAS Breakfast Blend possesses it's own, unique flavors and characteristics that stands on it's own. This tea is amazingly satisfying... you won't miss the caffeine!

Both teas are absolutely incredible and must be experienced to be believed!

What else have I been up to? Well... in time for St. Patrick's day, I created a sublime Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend. I blended very limited quantities of this tea, and it has already sold out! Ahhh... but it is delicious! Be sure to check back with me next year for a new batch!

And... I haven't been blending only black teas recently... I've also been working on some unique Oolong and Green tea blends, as well as an amazing herbal Tisane.

The first I'll talk about is my new herbal tisane. This one I only have limited quantities of at the moment, because I wasn't sure of the result! I was just kind of messing around one day at the tumbler and I concocted this amazing tisane of lemongrass and mint. It's got a zesty fragrance that is enticing and the flavor is lively and invigorating and oh! so! good!

Unfortunately, I've yet to concoct a name that I'm satisfied with... so for now, it's known as "My New Tisane with No Name" ha!!!

The second blend is a green and black tea blend that I have called Shangri-la! It's another tea that simply defies explanation... it's one that must be experienced. So amazingly good.

The final blend is a blend of Oolong tea and sweet summer melon flavors. I was skeptical at first, because I simply adore Oolong tea and it's naturally occuring sweet fruitiness... and I wasn't sure how it would pair with the flavor... but, it is very good. The melon flavor is not overwhelming, it's subtle and dreamy!

Well... that's all for now, I've got a lot to get done, and the time is ticking away!!!

Thanks for reading along!