Just a quick art update!

Hello Everyone!

I just want to take a minute to post a couple of pictures... I've been working on decos lately (in addition to the 'zines!) and I have one spread to share with you... this spread is from the Merry Mermaid's deco (Betsey's deco). The top is the left side, and the bottom is the right side. The shiny thing in the upper right corner of the top picture is a shell with a mermaid charm... it looks a lot better in person than the scan shows because of the reflection...

This was a really fun deco to work in.

thanks for checking it out!

~Anne

Friday, September 22

Hello Everyone!

Let's start out with a tea update! Well, without further delay, my Breakfast Blend will be ready for shipment on Monday! Sorry for the many delays on this one, but unfortunately, the estate Yunnans I obtain for this blend were on backorder, so I had to wait. . . I'm glad to have it back in stock though... I've missed it! If you've been meaning to get yourself some of this blend, I recommend ordering right away, because it sells out quick!

Secondly, my Almond Mocha Mate is ready for shipment! This is my tea of the month for September. Although it's a little late ... it's well worth the wait! I'm sure you'll agree when you try it!

Next, my Honeybush with Vanilla is back in stock! This is my absolute favorite way to enjoy honeybush, with just a gentle touch of vanilla. It's smooth, slightly sweet, and oh-so-good! Plus, it's so good for you!

Finally, my Shangri-La is back! It was sold out for a brief time, but I'm happy to report that it's back in stock. This is a delicious blend of high quality Assam Black tea & Green teas from China, flavored with exotic tropical flavors! A uniquely delightful flavor that will excite your tastebuds!

And now for my sold-out list... I'm currently sold out of:

Chocolate Rose Romance -- I hope to have this one back in stock by November, as it's one of my favorite cooler weather teas. When it is back in stock, it will be a whole new sensation, as the flavor is even richer and more delicious than before!

Momoko Melon -- This one went fast! I will have it back by early spring to enjoy for iced tea season!

Now, how about an ART update? I haven't been as productive as I'd like to have been over the past few days, I've been working a lot on the 'zines but not much on anything else. I have, however, completed a monthly challenge for a yahoo group in which I'm a member. This month's challenge: we were sent small drawstring bags made of muslin (these are the same bags that I sold at one time -- they're reusable tea bags made from unbleached cotton), and we were to do something with it!

Every member of the group did something a little different with their tiny bag... one person used it as a binding for a journal, one used their bag as an embellishment for an altered bottle... these are just two of the many examples! I love these kinds of challenges because everyone starts out with the same thing but each interprets it in their own way and makes something unique! Here's what I made:






A mini-purse/tote bag. I used alcohol inks, fabric paints, india inks, and a couple of different fibers on the bag, then I strung beads onto a small gauge wire and attached it to the bag.











Here's the other side of the bag:








I have a few projects on the 'to do' list... including several decos that are waiting for my attention, and I need to finish up my altered rolodex cards for this month's swap.

Hey, speaking of yahoo groups, have you joined mine? Here's the link.

It's a fun, art-filled, tea-inspired group with a relaxed atmosphere -- the objective of our group is to help foster and nurture the creative spirit! If you're an artist looking for a home, consider joining us!

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Hello Everyone!

First, let's start with an art update... I've been busy at work on my 'zine... a one-shot, swapper mini-zine for the Gleaner zine swap that's due at the beginning of October, as well as issue #2 (at long last!) A lot of exciting new developments have occurred on that front, but I'm not going to reveal all just yet.

Aside from my 'zine, I've also recently worked on a canvas, this one is a mini-canvas, just 4" x 5", and I call it Tea and Roses.

This one was a lot of fun, and I haven't worked on a canvas in some time, so it really felt good, kind of like an escape!

Now, how about a tea update?

My tea of the month for September is my Almond Mocha Mate. It will be available by Monday, September 25th. Sorry about the delays on this one, they were unavoidable.

My Breakfast blend will also be ready for shipments on that date.

Well, that's all for now, I'll update you more later! Thanks for catching up with me.

~Anne

September 8, 2006

Hello Everyone!

Just a quick update... here's a deco layout I made for Catherine. Her deco theme was "I'm Getting Married in the Morning."

I was really unsure what I was going to do with this theme, I mean, yeah, I had lots of really wonderful vintage & antique lace, and even the beaded rose from some wedding dress fabric, and the neat "cherish" ephemera. But, I didn't really have a 'subject' for the deco... until I found this great image on a greeting card that I had in my stash! I love the 'art deco' style of it, and it played nicely with the embossed texture of the background paper I chose. Although it doesn't show up here, I painted the embossed paper with pink twinkling H20, so it has a nice shimmer to it. The background on the other page is made with tissue paper that I painted with the same twinkling H20 paint. The tissue paper absorbs a lot more of the pigment of the paint, so it gives the paper a whole new texture... something I'm going to have to explore with more!

I hope Catherine likes it!

~Anne

September 4, 2006: 2:43 pm

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. Me... well, I've been caring for a young one who has a touch of the flu... so that hasn't been a lot of fun. As a mother, I always tend to 'over worry' about my little ones, even when they get bigger... but especially when they're young. My youngest (the sick one) is 5 years old, and she has been so very healthy over the past couple of years that it really throws me for a loop when she comes down with something.

Anyway, I think I shall start with an artistic update since most of my 'spare' time has been devoted to some artistic endeavors. I've been working on decos mostly, I've signed up for quite a few, and it would seem that no sooner do I finish a deco that I get a envie in the mail that has another deco in it (or 2 or 3 more decos!)... so I do have a bit of catching up to do as far as decos go... so I've been trying to do that.

Recently, I've sent off 2 decos, one that was called "Land of Make Believe." I really enjoyed working in this deco, because it allowed me to go back in time a little bit and reminisce about my childhood. I was pretty much a loner while growing up -- in the words of my father "I was a very unhappy child." -- I think it had less to do with unhappiness and more about my mood disorders, but, that's a different story all together. But one of the things that my father based that synopsis upon was the fact that I had very few friends growing up. I preferred to be alone... I would spend countless hours playing alone and would grow impatient when I was cast into a situation where I would need to play with someone else. I guess I just felt like nobody really 'got' me... I felt alone, even when I was with others.

I don't have a picture of this deco to show you, because it was in a round accordian style deco, and I felt it would be difficult to scan. Basically, though, I explained a story about one of my favorite childhood past-times -- I pretended to be "mother nature". Remember those old margarine commercials that would say "It's not nice to fool mother nature?" -- well, that was me. However, in my gameplay, I didn't eat margarine, instead, I would play in a woodsy kind of area (when I was staying with my mother at this time, she lived in a very rural community, and it was easy to find a place to be mother nature. Later, when living with my father in an apartment complex, it was more difficult, so I would pretend to be mother nature behind a flowered bush!) and pretend to be mother nature, waving a magic wand and casting spells onto bugs, leaves, trees, whatever. It was silly, but then, most child-play is, isn't it?

The second deco that I recently sent out was a deco that celebrated the artwork of John William Waterhouse. Here is the layout that I worked on:

It was a beautiful and fun little deco made of dark red paper bags. I used dyed and painted napkins to accent the background, which allowed me to utilize the beauty of the burgandy color already present on the bags. Because it was made of a bag, I also made a little tag to slip inside of the bag opening. Here is side one of the tag:

Here is side 2:

The next deco I've worked on is one for me... my Paris deco. I have always been intrigued by the beauty of Paris...

The above pic is the cover of my Paris deco.... below is my spread for the deco...

Now, how about some tea updates? My breakfast blend should be ready to go around the 20th of this month. Same for my tea of the month... this month will be my Yerba Mate Blend called Almond Mocha Mate. I look forward to being able to enjoy both of these again!!!

Thanks for reading along!

~Anne