Tea Journal

Time to Say Goodbye!

2011-02-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

To this blog... anyways. Now that my business is closed, I really won't be keeping this blog up to date (I guess I should say, I haven't been keeping it up to date).

However, you can still find me online! Instead of flavoring & blending teas, I'm writing about them regularly. You can read my thoughts on tea here: SororiTea Sisters, The Tea Review Blog, and Steepster.

I am also still writing about my art on occasion (and hopefully will be doing more of it in the near future): EccentricPastiche.

My newest venture is my Foodie Blog: Hungry in Portland. I hope you'll check it out!

Thank you to everyone who followed me, who inspired me, and who enjoyed my tea!

My Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2010-08-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not my recipe, exactly. In Portland, OR, there is an awesome little food cart called the Grilled Cheese Grill. And, they have a sandwich there that is called The Jaime. And... this is truly the most sinful, decadent, delicious sandwich I have ever tasted in my life.

Since I can't go to the Grilled Cheese Grill as often as I'd like to, I decided to gather the ingredients of The Jaime and try to build one for myself... and my own version is quite like the original.

Here's the ingredients:

Cinnamon Bread - I like the Cinnabon bread with raisins... but it can be rather spendy. Really, any cinnamon bread will suffice, I prefer it with raisins... and it's been a while since I've been to the Grilled Cheese Grill so I can't even remember if they use Cinnamon Raisin bread for their sandwich or not. But it's really good with the raisins!
Marscapone Cheese
Banana
Nutella Spread

Yeah... just reading the ingredients makes my mouth water!

So, here's how you assemble it. I start by sauteing the banana. I slice it thin and saute it in butter until it's really loose and golden brown. After it's golden brown and delicious, I remove it from the pan and mash it up.

Take two slices of bread and spread marcapone cheese on both sides (you don't want to go too heavy on your spread otherwise it will be rather messy when you grill your sandwich). Then, spread a thin layer of Nutella on one slice and a thin layer of mashed, sauteed banana on the other. Then, I sprinkle one side with cinnamon toast spice, which I buy here.

Close the sandwich. Melt a pat of butter in a hot skillet, place the sandwich in the skillet and grill it the same way you'd grill a grilled cheese. When the sandwich is golden brown and delicious, devour with reckless abandon.

Make yourself a cup of tea, and Enjoy! But be warned... these are extremely addictive.

I've even made these using my regular "go to" bread (which is Dave's Killer Bread, my newest favorite is the Good Seed variety, and you can read my review of this bread here) and it is really good with that bread too... and, I've even made it when I'm out of marscapone cheese... just nutella and banana - and it's really good like that too.

Cheers!

~Anne

Going Out Of Business Sale - part 2!

2010-07-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

OK... I've decided to change things up just a little bit on my going out of business sale. I wanted to make it nice and simple, so here goes:

Everything is available currently in tins. I'm nearly out of the refill bags, and I will probably go back to them after the tins are gone, but for now, let's focus on the tins.

All products in my Artfire Tea Shop!

All 4-ounce Tins are just $10.00 - including shipping! (that's right, shipping is FREE)
All 2-ounce Tins are just $ 7.50 - including shipping!

This offer is available only while supplies last. I'm not planning on restocking!

Also... here is the low-down on a few customer favorites:

Earl Grey Creme: as I type this, I have only one 4 ounce tin of Earl Grey Creme, and one 2 ounce tin of Earl Grey Creme.

Breakfast in Bed: as I type this, I have only three 4 ounce tins of Breakfast in Bed, and one 4 ounce tin of Breakfast in Bed.

~~~
Thank you to everyone for your support!

~Anne

Going Out Of Business Sale!

2010-07-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yep... it's official!

Well, it was official a few months ago when I first announced it...

But now it's really official, complete with a "Going Out Of Business" sale!

All of my remaining teas have been priced to move! Be sure to check out my Artfire Tea Shop and see what I mean!

Also, for a limited time only (I don't actually have a time limit on this, but it is limited to stock on hand as I won't be restocking!) - if you purchase a 4 oz. tin of Potpourri Green Tea, you'll receive a 2 oz. tin filled with the tea of your choice - absolutely FREE! Just use coupon code FREETIN in the coupon code at checkout. (it doesn't have to be in all caps, but, it should be typed out as one word with no spaces)

Potpourri Green Tea

You should also either email me (or convo me via artfire), or leave me a seller's note either at the Artfire checkout or the Paypal checkout to let me know which free tea you want!

My Potpourri Green Tea is fantastic! It is a blend of Chinese Green Teas, jasmine, rose, laurel and lemon myrtle. The result is in a tea that is sweet, floral and so luxurious! I enjoy this tea hot or iced!

Sweet Caramel O'Mine - and other news!

2010-04-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I just got finished blending about 2 pounds of my Sweet Caramel O'Mine tea, it will be ready and available for sale beginning May 4. I'll be sure to make an announcement here, or possibly on twitter (are you following me on twitter? Please click on the link here on my blog)

a little visual temptation - mmmm... Caramel!

My Chocolate Rose Romance is now sold out. I think I probably will end up blending this again in the Fall, as I can't imagine myself going through the winter months without my favorite chocolate tea. Not making any promises... we shall see!

I also recently sold the last of my Almond Mocha Mate.

Earl Grey Creme ~ I did blend a 2 pound batch of Earl Grey Creme and there is some available in my shop. I have already sold over a pound of it - so if you want some - get it while it's here!

My Earl Grey Creme

I still also have my Meadow Nocturne, Allergi-TEA and Potpourri teas available, but these are also going fast!

~Anne

Chocolate Rose Romance - It's Almost Gone!

2010-03-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I have only 2 (yes, that's TWO) refill packages (approximately 4 ounces each) of Chocolate Rose Romance left. After it's gone, I won't be blending it any more... so if you want some of this amazing tea - you should get it while the getting is good!
This tea is rich, decadent and delicious - it is just perfect to soothe that inner beast that's just craving some yummy chocolate!

Stop by my Artfire Tea Shop to see what else is available!

~Anne

Dave's Killer Bread

2010-02-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

Never did I ever imagine that I'd get this wildly excited about store-bought, sliced BREAD. I mean, sure, I'll do the happy dance for a slice of fresh, still-warm-from-the-oven, homemade bread any day, but, a loaf of bread that I bought in a grocery store? Until I tried this bread, I never thought it would happen.

What makes this bread so different that it would inspire me to sit down and compose a blog post? Well, first and foremost, it has changed my whole idea of what bread really is. Most store-bought bread that I've eaten until now has been bland and lacking in texture and substance. Even the fancier, seeds-and-whole-grains-baked-right-into-it breads are not much to write about.

But what Dave Dahl (the creative genius behind Dave's Killer Bread) has done is brought together only the finest quality, organic ingredients in their purest state, and created breads that are full of flavor. You can feel the whole grains as you bite into them.

This isn't your mother's fluffy white bread!

In fact, it isn't fluffy at all. It is dense in whole grains and seeds. The texture is incredible. The flavor is unbelievable. You feel like you've eaten a meal rather than just a slice of bread when you eat it.

This is easily the best not-homemade bread I've ever eaten. (Sorry, Dave, but you just can't compete with my gramma's oven-fresh goodness) This is the kind of bread that you buy and HIDE so that the kids don't grab it by mistake and make themselves a peanut-butter and jelly. I mean, yeah, if you think your kids will appreciate what goes into this bread, then by all means, but, I know that my kids would think this bread is just too weird.

And maybe it is. Maybe that's why I like it so much.

My favorite way to eat (read: devour) this bread is lightly toasted, with my yummy spiced apple butter.

I think that this bread is available only in the Portland area right now... but, if you shop at Costco, check out their bread aisle and see if it's there... also, if you have a Winco nearby, check them out - that's where I get mine!

But I must warn you - you'll never want to go back to ordinary bread again. Yep... it's that good.

~Anne

It's Been A Great Ride!

2010-02-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Well, it has been a great ride - but, all good things come to an end, and I really feel it is time for me to close shop with LiberTEAS.

Please know that this decision did not come lightly. It is something that I've been thinking about for quite some time now... many months, in fact. I have thought long and hard, weighed the pros and cons, and I just realize that it would be best for me to let it go.

There are many reasons behind it. But the main reason is that I feel it's what is best for me and my family.

Over the course of the coming weeks, I will be blending what teas I have left, and posting my remaining stock in my Artfire store. I will not be reopening my 1000Markets shop (which I closed right around the holidays after my supply of tins depleted), and I will be closing my Etsy store some time in the coming week.

So for those of you who want tea - please shop at my Artfire Tea Shop, because, this time... once my current stock is gone, it's really gone, I won't be restocking.

I will still be around in the tea community though. I post regularly to the Tea Review Blog and will continue to review teas for them. I love tea, and that passion has not diminished. I just feel that the passion can still be experienced as a tea reviewer, and not as a tea purveyor. It is simpler that way for me.

And, every now and then, if I happen to get a wild idea for a tea flavor, I might pull together the ingredients and give it a try... if I like the blend, I'll sell it as a limited edition flavor. And... every now and then, if YOU happen to get a wild idea for a tea flavor, don't hesitate to contact me... I'll see what I can do about creating the blend for you.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me over the years... I truly appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you can understand my need to do this for myself.

Sincerely,
Anne aka LiberTEAS

Cupcake Jones

2010-02-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone!

Yesterday (Tuesday, February 9) my husband and I went for a drive into Portland. Not a big deal in itself, because Portland is only about five minutes away. But, what was a big deal - at least for this cupcake enthusiast - was where my husband took me. We went to Cupcake Jones!

Located in the Pearl District of Portland, Cupcake Jones is a cute (albeit tiny) little shop. They feature six cupcake flavors every day, three daily flavors (that is, cupcakes that they sell every day), and three special flavors. Each of the six flavors comes in two different sizes: "jumbo" and "mini." The jumbo cupcakes appear to be standard size cupcakes to me, but they are jumbo on taste - and what really differentiates the two sizes, other than the size, is the fact that the jumbo cupcakes are filled with a luscious creamy filling.

The Velvet Painting

Now, for the hard part. Deciding! Which flavor do I choose? I decided to go with a dozen of the mini cupcakes, 2 of each flavor, for $16.50. This way, I could try one of each of the flavors without feeling too guilty.

The cupcake is moist and flavorful, and the frosting is creamy, and well... YUM. It's FROSTING! (And for those who love frosting, they also offer "frosting shots" which is a little cup of just the frosting.)

Here's the rundown on the three daily flavors:

The Pearl - a vanilla explosion! White cake topped with vanilla bean buttercream. One of the best buttercreams I've ever tasted from a bakery. Each cupcake is topped with a sprinkling of clear, sparkling sugar sprinkles and a tiny white chocolate pearl.

Downtown Cupcake Brown - The chocolate cupcake is rich and sinful, just the way a chocolate cupcake should be. The jumbo cupcakes are filled with a chocolate ganache which looked incredible... and it took a great deal of strength to resist! The frosting is very smooth, chocolate-y and topped with a sprinkling of shaved dark chocolate.

Velvet Painting - Classic red velvet cake topped with an INCREDIBLE cream cheese frosting and a candied rose petal. The rose petal added such a delightful touch of elegance to this cupcake, and this (along with the Pearl) would be my two choices to serve at a tea party. So petite and pretty!

On Tuesdays, the three specially featured flavors are: coconut lemon (my favorite of the batch), caramel latte, and black forest. Here's my thoughts on these three delights:

Black Forest - deliciously moist devils food cake with a little shot of cherry sauce which adds extra moisture to the cake (and that little shot is even added to the mini cupcakes, so be sure to grab an extra napkin if you choose this flavor). Instead of frosting, they are topped with whipped cream, grated dark chocolate and a cherry. A truly outstanding interpretation of the classic black forest cake.

Caramel Latte - I actually "cheated" and got a large caramel latte cupcake (in addition to my minis), which is why I'm posting this review of Cupcake Jones today instead of yesterday... I indulged in my jumbo caramel latte cupcake yesterday instead of the mini cupcakes, and saved them for today. I just had to try the caramel pastry cream filling. And it was worth it! Incredible! The cupcake is a coffee flavored cake (I know, I know... coffee?!?!?!?), but it is quite yummy even though I suspect it would be even better if perhaps it were a chai tea flavored cupcake! (haha!) The frosting is a caramel buttercream frosting (delicious - may I say right now, this is the best. frosting. ever.), and topped with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce and chopped coffee beans. Even though I am not a coffee fanatic (duh!) ... I must say that the chopped coffee bean topping added a very delightful texture to the cupcake, and I actually quite enjoyed it.

Coconut Lemon - My favorite cupcake of the six from Tuesday's lineup. Lemon cake (the jumbo cupcakes are filled with lemon curd coconut pastry cream - which sounds unbelievably good!) and topped with a swirl of lemon buttercream, toasted coconut shreds and a "lemon chip" which looked a lot to me like a little tiny sliver of candied lemon. What makes this particular cupcake my favorite? The lemon! It has a bright, light taste, and in my opinion, would bring a ray of sunshine into even the grayest of Pacific Northwest days. The coconut adds the right amount of interest and sweetness to the cupcake. It's just perfect!

I've tried a couple of specialty cupcake bakeries in the Portland area now, and I must say that Cupcake Jones is (by far!) the best. The cupcakes are flavorful, moist, and the frosting is delicious - and doesn't taste overwhelmingly sweet the way some bakery frosting can - it tastes like homemade buttercream! YUM!

One Delicious Blog!

2010-02-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Check it out! I've received a blog award! Woot! I realize that for some of you, that's no big deal, but it's my first blog award, so I'm thrilled! Thank you to Shake Your Bon Bons for the recognition!

Pumpkin Muffin Mix from Stonewall Kitchens

2009-12-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

OK, so I don't talk about a lot of mixes on this blog, mostly because I do prefer the taste of "from scratch" -- but hey, I do live in the real world, and sometimes (ok, most of the time!) I don't have the time or the inclination to start baking something from scratch. Enter convenience mixes.

However, rarely is a mix so good that I feel like writing about it on my blog. This mix is the exception.

The muffins are moist and delicious, and rich with pumpkin flavor. The customary spices are also detectable (most notably, I can taste some cinnamon and some ginger). Yes, these are very, very good. But not exceptional.

That is, until you get to the crumb topping!
What really rocks these muffins is the maple crumb topping.

Sure, you could bake these muffins without the crumb topping ... I guess. But why? To save a few calories and sugar grams. Yeah, you might save some of those, but, you'd be losing a lot of flavor on these muffins.

The maple flavor of the crumb topping is not monumentally strong - it is a pleasant maple presence that compliments the pumpkin flavor perfectly.

My one complaint... the mix only makes 6 muffins.

These go great with that morning cup of tea and is total bliss when served with my Breakfast in Bed tea! And right now, at their website, Stonewall Kitchen has the mix on sale! Yum!

Yay! Back in Stock!

2009-12-17T16:31:00.001-08:00

Greetings Everyone!

Well, it's a little late for guaranteed by Christmas delivery (I can do my best though!) but, my best sellers are BACK IN STOCK!

Please note that the links I've provided for the following are direct links to the items in my Artfire Tea Shop. These items are also available in my Etsy shop and 1000Market Shop, if you prefer to shop at either of these venues.

Chocolate Rose Romance: This has been a big seller, especially now that the chilly weather has set in. The rich, chocolate flavor of this chocolate melds perfectly with my selected black tea leaf. Yes, there are other chocolate teas out there, but you won't find one that rivals my creamy, decadent flavor.

mmmm... Chocolate Rose Romance, my favorite!

LiberTEAS Breakfast Blend: Yes, there's a story behind this one... I created this blend several years ago after having carried a delightful English Breakfast blend in my shop, and realizing that it just felt weird to be selling an English Breakfast tea in a shop that I call LiberTEAS! So, I went about creating my own, exclusive blend. This tea is rich and brisk, with just a touch of creamy vanilla. A perfect tea to serve at breakfast ... or anytime!

Breakfast in Bed: I fear that some people might confuse this tea (or the name of this tea) with my Breakfast blend. Rest assured, they are two totally different teas. My Breakfast Tea is a robust blend of rose scented teas, flavored gently with vanilla and tossed with cinnamon chips for just a delicately sweet touch of cinnamon. This is the tea you'll want to linger over!

Earl Grey Creme - smooth and creamy!

Earl Grey Creme: Another best seller. I love my Earl Grey Creme because it offers a lovely Ceylon base, scented with bergamot, and lightly flavored with vanilla cream. It's a fresh, delightful twist on a classic favorite tea.

Well, that's about all for now. I hope everyone has a very happy and safe holiday season!!!

~Anne

News from LiberTEAS

2009-12-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

Greetings Everyone!

Some of you may have been browsing through one of my shops, and have noticed that a few teas are missing from the "shelves" -- currently, I'm out of stock of LiberTEAS Breakfast Blend, Earl Grey Creme, Breakfast in Bed and Chocolate Rose Romance.

For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting these teas to return... I wanted to let you up to date with the latest information:

Breakfast in Bed: This will ready for shipment this weekend! I will be adding it to the stores tomorrow afternoon, but any orders for the tea won't be shipped until Monday (12/14/09) afternoon.

Earl Grey Creme, Chocolate Rose Romance & Breakfast Blend: These three will all be ready to ship by next Friday (12/18/09). If you want one (or more) of these teas and would like to pre-order yours, you may contact me and I will set up a special listing for you, and your tea will be shipped on Friday afternoon. For US shipments, if they are shipped via Priority Mail, this will still allow just enough time for Christmas delivery.

Also out of stock: My sampler tins! These won't be restocked until February. I apologize to everyone for the inconvenience.

Thanks for catching up with me, and your support over the years... I have truly appreciated it.

~Anne

A New Etsy Shop!

2009-11-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

OK, so you're probably reading the title of this post and thinking... doesn't she already have an Etsy shop? Why, yes I do. When I first signed up with Etsy (way back in 2005) I signed up with the name of my 'zine, because I had originally intended it to be the place to purchase my 'zine (when ever I might get around to actually publishing one haha!) and only put my teas there temporarily until my website was up and running.

However, I hadn't intended for the EccentricPastiche Etsy store to be my tea shop. And then, once people started buying teas there, I kept them there, because I didn't wish to create confusion. I know that I'm always confused when I encounter a shop that has moved... and I didn't wish to cause confusion for someone else.

So, now, I've finally set up shop for my tea on Etsy... appropriately named LiberTEAS!

I don't have all my teas listed there yet... it's a slow process. Please be patient with me.

If you go shopping at my Etsy TEA shop (and you SHOULD!) and you don't find what you're for -- please feel free to either convo me and if I have it in stock, I'll list it just as soon as I can... OR if you'd like, you can shop at either of my other two tea shops: My Artfire Tea Shop ~ OR ~ My 1000Markets Tea Shop.

Thank you for your patience with this ... and a most sincere thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years... I truly appreciate it!

~Anne

PS: Don't forget about my FREE SHIPPING offer in my Artfire Tea Shop! Get free shipping on all orders $25 or more! Just use the coupon code: THANKS (Valid for US and Canadian Customers only)

International customers can save too! On orders $25 or more, just use the coupon code: INTERNATIONAL and receive $5 off your order.

Thanksgiving ... and all that SHOPPING!

2009-11-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone!

This will just be a quickie blog post, just wanted to update everyone on the **Sales** I have going on in my Artfire Tea Shop.

As I posted previously, throughout the month of November, you can use the code NOVEMBER to receive 20% off your total order of $20 or more (not including shipping). And, of course, that sale is still active (since it is still November!)

But, for the upcoming BLACK FRIDAY (one of my favorite shopping days -- certainly don't like the crowds, but I love the sales!) and CYBER MONDAY ... I am also offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders of $25 or more for all US and Canadian customers. Just use coupon code THANKS.

For my international customers, I want to give you a reason to shop with me too... so I am offering $5.00 off your order of $25 or more. Just use the coupon code INTERNATIONAL. Of course, anyone can use this code with a qualifying order.

OK... so now for some fine print...

Discounts are limited to stock on hand, sorry no rain checks. Coupon codes are limited to one per customer, and one per order. (However, if you'd like to take advantage of all three coupons, I'd be happy to accept three separate, qualifying orders.) Coupon codes are valid through December 1, 2009. Discounts/Coupons valid for my Artfire Tea Shop only.

So, that's that! Time to shop!

~Anne

PS: Also... as it is that time of year, I'd like to offer a big THANKS to each and every one of you for your support over the past five years. I truly appreciate it!

Mind Body Spirit Marketplace

2009-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

As most of you know, I have a shop on 1000Markets. I really like this venue: it is attractive and holds the sellers to high standards to maintain the highest quality product and appearance. When you shop with 1000Markets, you feel like you're shopping in a top quality boutique, rather than a flea market or garage sale.

Not to say anything bad about flea markets or garage sales -- I love them!

But I also love 1000Markets.

In the coming weeks, I plan on highlighting the marketplaces of which I am a member on 1000Markets. This week, I am featuring

MIND SPIRIT BODY MARKETPLACE

Please visit the Mind Body Spirit Marketplace on 1000Markets -- and support handmade at its finest!

1000 Markets

Mind Body Spirit

Visit the Market

November's Sale!

2009-11-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold outside, and it's a perfect time to curl up with a hot cup of tea! And what could be better than tea? Maybe 20% off on your tea purchase! Check out this sale!

Now throughout the month of November (Hey! That's this month!) you can receive 20% off your entire order ($20.00 or more, not including shipping charges) from my Artfire Tea Shop! Just use the coupon code: NOVEMBER at checkout and your discount will be applied.

mmm... Chocolate Rose Romance Tea!

Fine Print: Coupon valid from November 6 - November 30. Limited to stock on hand only (no rainchecks), and can not be combined with any other discount. This coupon is valid for my Artfire Tea Shop only.

That's it... Just place your order of $20 or more, use the coupon code - November - and get 20% off your order!

~Anne

FREE SHIPPING offer!

2009-10-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

To celebrate Autumn, and all that goes with it, including my Masterpiece Chai! -- I'm having a free shipping offer now through the end of October!

mmmm.... Masterpiece Chai!

Just place your order of $25 or more worth of product from my Artfire Shop, and use coupon code: Autumn and get FREE SHIPPING on your order! This is good through the end of October, limited to stock on hand only, no rainchecks, and for orders in my Artfire Shop only.

~Anne

It's Baaa-aaack! Masterpiece Chai!

2009-10-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

And nobody is happier about this than I am -- I've really missed this tea!

There is just something truly rewarding about a hot cup of spiced chai latte on these chilly autumn afternoons here in the Pacific Northwest. It's so beautiful up here this time of year as the leaves change color, and the skies take on their misty gray hue ... and nothing goes better with it than my Masterpiece Chai!

Hey, this ain't no ordinary, namby-pamby, whimpy chai -- this chai goes for the gusto and will knock your socks off! It was designed to brew in water (rather than milk, although, if you wish to be traditional, you can go ahead and brew it in milk. I prefer things simple, and that means brewing it in water for me!) and to take on the addition of milk or cream (I use half and half)... too often, with chai teas adding milk or cream to create a latte beverage and the tea loses some of it's vibrance... NOT so with my Masterpiece Chai! The addition of milk, cream, half & half, or even your favorite soy/rice/almond/hemp milk-like beverage will enhance the overall flavor of this tea.

Don't get me wrong, it will also taste quite good on it's own, without the milk or cream... but, I love chai as a latte, so that is why I created this chai! It's absolutely perfect! A MASTERPIECE!

You can read a review about my Masterpiece Chai Tea Here. Here is another review on the same blog -- same blog, different reviewer!

Now available in my Artfire Studio and my Etsy Shop. I will also be adding it to my 1000Markets Market very soon... so watch for it there too!

Super Fast & Easy Won Ton Soup

2009-10-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

I just made a quick and easy -- and absolutely delicious! -- Won Ton Soup that I'd like to tell you about!

I LOVE Asian cuisine, and I have a special fondness for the soups. In particular, I love Won Ton Soup (and of course, Hot and Sour! Yum!) I don't usually have very good luck with processed soups when it comes to Won Ton Soup, except for the absolutely yummy CP Shrimp Won Ton Soup that you can find in some grocery stores in the frozen section. And when I can't find CP's soup, I must either go without, visit a Chinese restaurant, or make my own.

So, when I want Won Ton Soup... here is how I make it:

Ingredients

1 quart of chicken broth (I actually used some turkey stock that I had in the freezer. Whenever I bake a turkey, I generally boil the bones for soup, and keep it frozen. However, you could also use the cube quart containers of broth in the supermarket for this recipe, I have used both chicken broth and vegetable broth in this recipe with excellent results)
1 medium sized carrot, sliced thin
1 stalk of celery, sliced thin
A small amount of chopped onion (I usually chop up an onion, store it in the fridge in an airtight container. I keep it on hand for condiments or for times when I only need a small amount of onion, like this)
3 cloves of garlic (you can adjust this amount to your own taste, I like garlic!)
1 tbs. chopped Ginger (I used dried, chopped ginger, but you could also slice up some fresh)
Trader Joes Frozen Mini Won Tons (I have also found mini won tons at Zupans and they work just as well. I like the mini ones because they take only 2 minutes in hot broth to cook, and they are just the perfect size for soup)

Heat broth to a simmer, and add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and ginger. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until celery and carrot have a nice texture to them. I usually like the celery and carrot to have just a small amount of texture, and not to be limp... this makes it taste more like fresh, homemade soup... which... this is. Only easier!

Turn the heat up to Medium High and add 12 - 15 mini won tons. Allow them to cook in the hot liquid for 2 minutes. Won tons should appear somewhat "translucsent" -- this is how you know they are heated through.

Serve. I usually top it with a few drops of seasame oil or chili oil.

YUM!

This all takes just about 20 minutes from start to finish... and it's well worth the effort if you love won ton soup as much as I do.

~Anne

Congratulations to Ruthie!

2009-10-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings:

Well, I reached 100 fans (well, I'm at 102 at the time of this post) and I held the drawing. Ruthie from Rose Works Jewelry is the lucky winner of the Chatsford Teapot and Tin of Tea!

And... while we're on the subject of Ruthie at Rose Works Jewelry... check this out! Isn't it gorgeous!

Love it!

~Anne

Become A Fan and Win a Prize!

2009-09-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

For those of you who are on Facebook, you've no doubt discovered the fan pages that are all over the Facebook network. I recently created a fan page for LiberTEAS... and I'd like you to become my fan!

So, I'd like to make you an offer that I hope you can't refuse! If you become a fan of LiberTEAS on Facebook, you might win a beautiful Chatsford Teapot!

The above photo is of the actual teapot you could win simply by becoming a fan of LiberTEAS on facebook. But that's not all! You'll also win a full-sized tin of tea (your choice of flavor) to accompany the teapot.

This is a large, 6-cup teapot, in beautiful, dark moss green. The teapot comes complete with a nylon tea infuser basket.

Total value of this prize is $48.95 (including shipping of the package).

This contest will run from now until I've reached my 100th fan. At that time, I'll close off the contest to further entries.

If you are already a fan, you need to do nothing more... you've already received a free entry to this contest. However, if you'd like additional entries (for a better chance of winning!) you can:

Subscribe to my newsletter. You can subscribe by filling out the form on this blog (to the right)
Become a follower of my blog.
Twitter about this contest and include a link to this blog entry.
Plurk about this contest and include a link to this blog entry.
Blog about this contest and include a link to this blog entry.
Place an order (this will earn you 2 entries!)

Any of these things will earn you a free additional entry to the contest (except placing an order, which won't be free, but will earn you 2 additional entries instead of just 1). However, to get the additional entry, you need to add a comment to this blog post and tell me what you did to earn the entry, so that I can properly administer the entry.

Be sure to include a link to your blog if you're blogging about the contest, and if you are twittering or plurking about the contest, please become one of my followers on either application (I am LiberTEAS on both Plurk and Twitter) so that I can check out your posts.

This contest is only running until I reach 100 fans (and at the time of this post, I have 76 fans, so hopefully that won't take long!) ... so please hurry and submit your entries! Please note for international fans: I can only ship to countries where the customs allows gifts of teas to be received via mail.

Thanks for reading along... and entering my contest!

~Anne

One Tin Left!

2009-08-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

OK, here's the deal: I have only 1 tin left of my Momoko Melon tea! This is/was a limited edition flavored Formosa Oolong tea.

My Momoko Melon Oolong tea was one of my very best sellers, but I had to discontinue the flavor because the flavoring that I used to flavor this tea was discontinued by my vendor, so I had no other option! I am still looking for a viable substitute for this flavoring, but, I haven't yet found one. So, until I do find one (if I'm lucky enough to find one!) I have to discontinue this flavor... AND THIS TIN REPRESENTS THE VERY LAST I HAVE AVAILABLE!

So... if you want it, you better hurry to my Artfire Tea Shop and grab it before someone else does!

That is all for now!

~Anne

FALL IS COMING!

2009-08-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I am kicking off my Fall is Coming sale in my Artfire store this weekend! For the time being, I am offering this sale only in my Artfire store, however, if you would prefer to purchase from my Etsy Store or my 1000Markets store, please simply contact me through the store of your choice and I'll post a special listing for you.

Here's the scoop:

Chocolate Rose Romance

All teas sold in tins (full-sized only) is 25% off the regular price! The prices are already marked down in my Artfire store, so all you need to do is place your order to take advantage of this sale.

This sale is limited to stock on hand only, and only on tea sold in tins (I'm running low on my refill bags!), and sale prices are good through August 31, 2009... so time is ticking and products are flying off the shelves... so better place your order NOW! Just visit my Artfire store, and take advantage of my excitement for my favorite time of year -- AUTUMN!

Potpourri Tea

Please keep in mind that I do relist products after their sold, so if you visit my store and don't see what you're looking for, don't dispair! I probably DO have the tea in stock, I just haven't had a chance to relist yet! So, just contact me through my Artfire store if you don't see what you're looking for, and if I have it in stock, I'll relist it for you!

It's Time for Tea!!!

Tohono Chul Park

2009-08-12T12:08:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

This past weekend, I took a road trip with my oldest daughter to visit Tucson, Arizona. The main purpose for this trip was so that she could visit with her boyfriend, who is in the Army and stationed in Arizona.

I was worried that this would mean that I was going to be spending my entire weekend cooped up in the hotel room while they were off shopping and swimming, but, fortunately, I came across a Tucson based magazine that was called "Art Scene" and featured the local museums, galleries and other art happenings throughout the Tucson area.

It was in that magazine that I found an advertisement for Tohono Chul Park. The ad said "Where Nature, Art, & Culture Connect!" and reading further, I saw that they featured natural Arizona settings, gardens, art museums, and even a Tea House! Somehow, I felt as though this place was built just for me!

The garden was immense and beautiful. Scrolling pathways lead you through every area within the park, and as I walked through, I saw hummingbirds flitting from blossom to blossom. Roadrunners ran amid the cactus plants, and I could hear the gentle coos of mourning doves. Lizards would scurry across the paths as I strolled along through the winding paths. It was truly a rewarding experience with nature.

As beautiful as these gardens were, I must say that museums located on opposite sides of the gardens offered a welcome respite from the heat of the blazing Tucson sun. They were indoors -- and air conditioned!

One of these museums was rather small, as it was connected to classrooms and was assembled as an artifact museum, offering educational information about the native wildlife and history of Arizona. Surrounding this museum, called the "Desert Discovery Education Center" was the Desert Living Courtyard, and featured several stunning designed gardens.

The second museum, the "exhibit house" is attached to a gift shop where you can purchase many art pieces created by local artists, including some rather stunning examples of polymer clay works! When I first looked upon these pieces, I didn't think that they were polymer clay, they were so intricately detailed, I thought surely they must be hand painted wood carvings!

The exhibit house was showing two different exhibits when I visited, one featured the artwork of local Jr. High School and High School students, while the other was called "Re-Visions" and featured altered art, or more appropriately, re-purposed art.

I was really quite impressed with the Re-Visions exhibit especially, because this is the kind of art that not only I create, but truly inspires and excites me.

Remington Rand
An Artpiece created using Rust as a Medium
by artist Don Baker
photo from the Tohono Chul Park website

The artists featured in this exhibit created exceptional works of art using items that most people would consider junk or trash. It was truly inspiring to see ordinary objects turned into extraordinary artwork, it was amazing to experience the visions (or Re-Visions) of these artists. I felt that I walked away from this exhibit a different person, and a changed artist. Even though I do consider myself an altered artist, for the past few months, I've found myself in somewhat of a lull, and have not been able to create. The inspiration found at Tohono Chul Park has revitalized my muse, and I feel truly INSPIRED!

Now, I must admit that one of the things that I was really looking forward to at Tohono Chul Park was afternoon tea in their tea house! And, I certainly was not disappointed by my visit.

I chose their grapefruit green tea, and it was really delicious. The grapefruit was delightfully pungent, and perfectly complimented by the natural sweet flavors in the green tea. In fact, I loved this flavor so much that I may just have to create my own grapefruit green tea for my tea shop collection!

The delicious array of sandwiches, scones, and sweets that they offered for afternoon tea were quite satisfying as well. My favorite was the salmon sandwich -- a nicely spiced cream cheese spread onto bread, topped with a thin slice of smoked salmon. It was an unusual tea sandwich, but one that I really enjoyed.

Of course, my stay at Tohono Chul Park would not have been complete without some shopping in their quaint gift shops. I found some delightful tea choices (although, I sadly did not find the green tea that they offered in the tea house), as well as some other interesting gifts for my daughters (and myself!)

If you are visiting Tucson, please do yourself a favor and stop in at the Tohono Chul Park. You won't be disappointed!

~Anne

My latest teacup acquisition...

2009-07-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so perhaps not the most exciting stuff to all of you out there, but, I recently went shopping at the local thrift store and was absolutely THRILLED to find this teacup!

What made it so exciting for me is not only the price (a steal at just $5.99) but also that it not only is a beautifully shaped teacup, but it's design is PAISLEY!

Beautiful, isn't it? I just love it when I find lovely bargains such as this -- the teacup is in perfect condition! -- and when it's something that touches upon two of my passions, in this case, teacups and paisley... it makes it all the better!

I love it!

For those of you who have not been keeping up with the latest posts on the Tea Review Blog, you should be! I'm an active reviewer on there -- I don't review my own teas! -- however, some of the reviewers have been reviewing my teas... and here are some of those reviews:

Green Apple Tea

Meadow Nocturne

Momoko Melon

Sweet Caramel O'Mine

Check out these awesome reviews... it always brings a smile to my face to know that my teas are pleasing other people out there!

~Anne

Green Apple Tea now available!

2009-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am so glad to have my Green Apple Tea back in my collection! It truly is one of my personal favorites - I love the crisp apple flavor, and it will be absolutely perfect for iced tea brewing!
I was inspired to create this tea because I have always loved Aspen soda (do you remember it?) I loved it so much that even now, when I go grocery shopping I check the soda aisle very carefully for Aspen soda, hoping that it will somehow magically appear again!

I am not beginning to suggest that this green tea tastes anything like Aspen, but it has one of the characteristics that made Aspen soda so memorable for me: a crisp, clean apple flavor that seems to sparkle! The sparkle in the Aspen soda probably came a bit from the carbonation of the soda, and while the green tea doesn't taste carbonated (or even at all like soda), it has a certain crisp, sparkling flavor that I find irresistible.

How to brew Green Apple Tea:

As with all green teas, it is important to note that water temperature is a KEY factor in brewing success. If your water is too hot, you are likely to scorch the delicate green tea leaves and this will leave the tea with a bitter, almost "burnt" taste. It is better to have the water "not hot enough" than to have it too hot. (Note: If the water is "not hot enough" you should allow the tea to brew for a slightly longer period of time)

The water temperature should not exceed 180 degrees F. Not all of us have thermometers on our tea kettles (I don't!) so I generally just pull the kettle when small bubbles form at the bottom of the kettle and begin to start jumping about -- not quite boiling, but generating a good amount of steam.

Use 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea for each cup you'd like to make. I recommend that you allow your leaves to brew "loose" because this is the best way to get the most flavor from your loose leaf tea... so put them directly into your teapot, and allow them to brew without an infuser. If you absolutely MUST have an infuser, use a very large one, one that is at least three times larger than the amount of dry tea that you place in it to allow for tea leaf expansion. Or use a T-Sac (I do carry these, if you would like a box, you can order one by emailing me: anneliberteas@yahoo.com), and use a larger size than the tea that you're going to place into the T-Sac.

Allow your tea to steep for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for the first infusion. Because I use a very high quality tea in my blends, you can always get at least 2 infusions out of my teas, sometimes more! For the second infusion, you should add at least 30 seconds to 1 minute of additional brew time.

I recommend using a small amount of sweetener (my favorite is agave nectar) to bring out the most in the flavors of any flavored tea!

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Wow! It's been a month!

2009-05-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last blog post!

Time sure does fly... and I haven't even been having fun! Unfortunately, I've had a few stressful situations in my life lately, and so I haven't been able to focus on other things the way I would like.

However, I do have some great news! My Green Apple tea will be available soon! Please watch for the announcement.

My Green Apple tea tastes just like a fresh, juicy apple. The flavor is very crisp, and the flavor sparkles! I just love this tea, and it will be a perfect tea for iced tea! Refreshing and delicious!

Thanks to everyone for your continued support of me, I can't tell you how much I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

~Anne

Another Feature... woo hoo!

2009-04-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I've been featured on another blog, this time, you can find my interview on Kristen Andrew's blog: La Dolce Vita!

As some of you might recall, I interviewed Kristen on my EccentricPastiche blog a little while ago.

Kristen is a very talented artist, and I feel so honored that she chose to make me a featured reader of her blog! Thank you Kristen!

Now... here's a chance for you, my readers, to get a 15% discount off your next order of TEA! Simply visit Kristen's blog, read my interview, and leave a comment. Then, with your next order of tea, I'll give you a 15% discount off your entire order (excluding shipping).

To take advantage of this special offer, you need to email me at the time you place your order and tell me that you have left a comment on Kristen's blog. If you have already processed payment, I will refund the 15% discount immediately, or, if you haven't yet processed payment, I will send you an adjusted invoice.

It's TEA time!

~Anne

Featured on Cafe Handmade as a Mommaprenuer!

2009-04-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Going to keep this brief... just wanted to share a little news with you... I was selected to be featured as the Mommaprenuer on Cafe Handmade! You can check out my interview by clicking here.

Have a tea-riffic day!

~Anne

Spring is Here!

2009-04-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, Spring has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest! I wasn't sure it was going to arrive, because even though March 20th came and went, we were still experiencing a lot of wet, a lot of cold, some frost, and even some mention of snow in the forecasts (although, I don't think we actually got any snow after March 20th). So even though, technically, it was Spring... it didn't feel like Spring.

But it's actually becoming warm, daffodils and tulips are blooming, and it's finally starting to look like Spring! I even mowed the lawn this evening -- for the first time this year!

With the coming of Spring comes the inevitable allergy season, at least for me! My allergies typically start in late Winter (as things start to turn green and bloom), and last through early Fall. I am fortunate that I have plenty of my Allergi-TEA on hand, which really does help with the symptoms... especially the early morning symptoms! And it tastes great too!

Another thing that I've found that really does help is locally-harvested, raw honey. I use this in my tea whenever I can find it! Unfortunately, it is rather spendy. I've heard from other people that they used the local honey for a year or two, and it eliminated their allergies. I haven't been so lucky, perhaps because I haven't been buying it on a regular basis.

So, happy Spring everyone!

~Anne

WoW!

2009-04-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

OK... I'm not one who enjoys bringing politics into my tea journal, but I did want to save this photo, courtesy of Yahoo! News and Reuters...

And I wanted to say this: My reason for calling my business "LiberTEAS" is not a patriotic one. The full name on my business license is "Life, LiberTEAS and the Pursuit of Happiness" and I chose this name because for me, Tea is Happiness. To be able to express myself artistically with my tea is truly a freedom... it is truly my idea of LiberTEA! Hense, the name. It was more an expression of my artistic nature than it was a patriotic declaration... not that I'm not patriotic, I just prefer that my art and tea remain separate from my politics and patriotism!

~Anne

April is National Food Month!

2009-04-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

As a member of Etsy's Edible Arts Team (EEAT), I thought I'd give a quick mention of the sale that is currently going on amongst most of the Edible Arts Team members... 20% off the entire purchase (excluding shipping charges)!

Check out Double Dipped Sweet's blog for more details of this special sale!

Be sure to check with the store owner before you order, to make sure they are participating in this sale!

It's a great time to get good eats (not to mention TEA) at a sweet price!

~Anne

Meadow Nocturne!

2009-04-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hurray! My relaxation herbal tea (tisane!) is finally ready!

This tisane is actually many months in the making ... I spent a good amount of time trying different recipes... until I finally found one that tastes great, smells amazing, and looks as beautiful as it tastes. The result of the many many months of work and waiting is

MEADOW NOCTURNE

Available at all three of my online shops: Etsy, Artfire and Made it Myself!

This tea is delicious, with a hint of sweetness, and the perfect choice at the end of a long, hard day. It's a great way to encourage a sense of relaxation so that you can get a good night's sleep.

Try some today!

To Brew my Meadow Nocturne:

Water Temperature should be just under boiling (195 degrees F). Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of tisane for each cup (6 - 8 ounces) you plan on brewing and place directly into your teapot, or use an infuser or T-Sac. Carefully pour the hot water into your teapot and allow the tisane to steep for 5 minutes.

Strain the tea, and add a little sweetener if desired. Enjoy hot. Take a moment to enjoy the aroma as the tea has aromatic herbs that will also help relax you.

Delicious!

~Anne

Entrecard...

2009-04-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

First off, my apologies to anyone who visits both of my blogs... as this post is going to be similar to my previous post on my art journal.

Now, I'd like to take a moment to apologize to any entrecard user who signed up for ad space on my blog and did not receive it. I had to remove the widget. Unfortunately, I visited my blog this evening and was horrified to see that an ad that I did not approve (Nor would have approved of) was on my blog. Entrecard had assured us that this would not happen, and that we would have the power to determine what ads would appear on our blogs. Unfortunately, my experience this evening shows me that entrecard did not hold to this pledge, so I was left with no choice but to remove the widget from my blog.

I really appreciated the additional exposure entrecard offered, however, I'm not willing to sacrifice the integrity of my blog for that exposure. It's just not worth it to me.

So, if you are one of the people who was left short because of this impromptu removal of the widget, my sincerest of apologies. I hope that you can understand my motivation for removing the widget.

Thank you.
~Anne

Garlic Soup... it's good for what ails you!

2009-04-04T23:27:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

Over the past few days, I've been stricken by a cold/virus of some sort. At first, I thought that it was just my allergies in overdrive, but, when my Allergi-TEA wasn't working it's normal magic, I realized that it must be something a bit more than just allergies. Now, Allergi-TEA will help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with a cold/virus, it's not going to knock it out because of the viral nature of the cold. Or something like that. It certainly is still quite nice when I have a cold, keeping my throat from getting too irritated.

But, when I do have a cold, it's time to bring out the heavy artillary. I always reach for pineapple juice when I have a cold or flu, because there is an enzyme in pineapple that helps break up proteins (another reason why pineapple is THE BEST topping for a pizza) and... well, not trying to be gross or anything, but proteins = mucus when you have a cold/virus/flu. Pineapple is extremely effective in breaking up the mucus... plus it's cheaper and tastier (and better for you!) than OTC mucus medications.

Anyways... On to my secret weapon when I have a cold! It's actually a new recipe I stumbled upon... well, I didn't actually stumble upon it aka http://www.stumbleupon.com (and hey, if you're a member of stumbleupon.com... please feel free to stumble my blog, and, if you'd like, you can add me as a friend: Liberteas on Stumble Upon) but... more accurately, it's a recipe that I went in search of, after recalling an article I had read many years ago about a restaurant in New York City that sold only soup, and one of their best selling days was the day that they featured a cream of garlic soup. Thinking that I must try that some day, I deposited that thought somewhere in the back of my brain... until one day this past week I thought I'd look it up, and I found a recipe that I thought sounded delicious... so I tried it.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com however, after reading many of the comments about how thin the soup ended up, I decided to alter it a bit... so this is the recipe as I made it:

Garlic Soup

2 heads of Garlic (full bulbs)
3 tsp olive oil
1 carton College Inn Culinary Broth - White Wine and Herb
(Note: It's not often when I suggest one particular brand of an ingredient, however, I found this broth recently at my local grocery store, and since it contains not only chicken broth, but also white wine... not to mention the herbs, I chose this to make my garlic soup, rather than buying chicken broth and white wine. If you choose to go with another broth, you should adjust the amount and add a little white wine to the mix)
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of half & half
1 large russet potato, cut into small cubes (I washed the potato and left the peel on, but you could peel it if you want)
salt & pepper to taste

In the bowl of your food processor, process the garlic until it forms a thick paste, be sure to stop while processing once or twice to scrape the sides of the processor bowl to ensure even processing. In a large saucepan over low heat, heat the olive oil and then cook the garlic paste until it some of it begins to turn brown. You must stir the garlic constantly, or it will stick, and do not turn the heat up too high as garlic goes from delicious to burned (yuck) very quickly. This is the most tedious part of the recipe, it takes some time and some diligence, but, you will be rewarded.

Once the garlic begins to turn golden brown, add the carton of broth, and stir, stir, stir. Bring to a boil, and then drop the heat down to a simmer and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Combine the milk and cream together in a bowl, and temper the mixture with a couple of ladles of soup. Then, stir in the potatoes and the milk mixture to the soup. Bring the heat back up to a simmer, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the potato chunks. Serve.

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This creates a very thin soup, even with the adjustments I made to the liquids. But... it's gonna knock your cold/virus out. Serve it with some good, crusty bread, and it's a very good meal for someone who's sick.

The next day (today), I decided to heat the leftovers back up. The soup was a little thicker after a night chilling and then reheating... however, I decided that since I was feeling a bit better, I wanted something a little heartier... so I decided to heat it up and add a couple more potatoes (2 medium size russets) to the soup. I brought the soup to a simmer, added the potatoes (cut to a small dice) and simmered it for another 30 minutes... The result was a very thick soup, or... the makings of a very thin, garlic-y mashed potato, heavy on the garlic! I also added a little more half and half, about a cup more. When I reheat again, I will probably add a little more half and half just to make it more bisque-like, and less mashed potato like... LOL!

Anyways... the soup is very delicious... and like the title says, it's good for what ails you! Knocked that cold right out of my head and while I do have just a little bit of chest congestion left, that will be gone (thanks to the pineapple juice) in a day or two.

~Anne

Momoko Melon Oolong!

2009-03-29T17:39:00.001-07:00

It's back ... but only for a LIMITED TIME! That's right... unfortunately, I've made my last batch (at least for a while) of Momoko Melon Tea! So it's only available while it's in stock... and when it's gone, it's gone for good!

This one is a summer-time FAVE... because it is just amazing served as an iced beverage! So refreshing -- thirst-quenching -- GOOD!

How to brew Oolong Tea:

Here's the way I brew Oolong tea...

Measure 1 teaspoon of loose leaf Momoko Melon Oolong tea for each cup (6 - 8 ounces) of tea desired. Place loose tea directly into warmed teapot. Oolong teas expand a LOT when they brew, so really, the best way to brew the tea is loose, directly in the teapot. Using an infuser or a T-Sac would really be an injustice to an Oolong!

Bring cool, freshly drawn & filtered water to about 165 degrees F and pour gently over tea leaves. Allow the tea to steep for 3 - 6 minutes, depending upon your personal preference. I usually let Oolong steep for about 3 1/2 minutes for the first infusion, and add 1 minute for each subsequent infusion.

Strain your tea, and enjoy. Momoko Melon Oolong is delicious without the addition of sweeteners, however, a drizzle of Agave Nectar will bring out some of the more subtle melon flavors, as well as the natural peach-like flavors of the tea.

This is one of my TOP 3 iced tea choices in the summer.

Here's how I make my Momoko Melon Iced Tea:

I have a 1 gallon iced tea pitcher, and I use a 4 cup teapot to brew my tea, using 6 teaspoons of tea in my teapot, and filling it full with 165 degree F water for each infusion.

Brew the first infusion at 3 1/2 minutes. Strain this tea into your iced tea pitcher, and if you like your tea sweetened, go ahead and add the sweetener now, and stir, this will ensure that your sweetener will dissolve completely in the hot tea. (note: each subsequent infusion uses the same tea leaves!)

Brew the second infusion at 4 1/2 minutes, and strain into the iced tea pitcher.

Brew the third infusion at 5 1/2 minutes, and strain into the iced tea pitcher.

Then I fill the iced tea pitcher the rest of the way full with room temperature, freshly drawn, filtered water, and stir. Perfect iced tea!

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My Momoko Melon tea is available only at my Artfire Tea Shop... and only available while supplies last!!! Get some today!

~Anne

Earl Grey Creme!

2009-03-28T13:27:00.001-07:00

Yay! It's finally back in my tea cupboard!

I've really missed my Earl Grey Creme. Such a lovely flavor. I have always really liked the flavor of most Earl Grey teas that are available out there, however, sometimes the bergamot is just a bit too edgy... sort of like sipping a man's cologne! The vanilla and creme flavor of my blend softens that edge just enough without sacrificing that classic bergamot flavor that I love! It's perfect!

I have listed it in all of my shops: My Etsy Store, My Artfire Tea Shop, and my Made It Myself Store, and have included refill options in the etsy and artfire stores.

How to Brew Earl Grey Creme tea:

Filter freshly drawn, cool water, and bring to a gentle boil (212 degrees F). Place 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea for each cup you would like to brew directly into your teapot (or you can use a T-Sac or an infuser if you wish, just make sure there is enough room in either one for proper expansion of your tea leaves), and gently pour 6 - 8 ounces (for each up you wish to brew) of boiling water over the tea leaves. Allow to steep for 2 - 4 minutes. I allow it to steep for 2 1/2 minutes for this particular blend.

Remove the tea leaves by filtering through a strainer, or removing the T-Sac or Infuser.

Enjoy! As with all flavored teas, a little sweetener will bring out the more subtle flavors of this tea.

Note: as with all of my brewing tips, please keep in mind that these are suggestions only, based upon my extensive sampling and testing of each blend, but also limited to my own palate and preferences. You might prefer a stronger tea (in which case, you should add a little more tea, but don't brew longer, as this will result in a more bitter tasting tea, but not necessarily a stronger tea), or you might prefer a weaker tea (use less tea), or you might want your tea to have just a little more edge (in which case, you might want to extend the brewing time just a little, but be careful).

~Anne

Meyer Lemon Bars

2009-03-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I've become quite enchanted by Meyer Lemons lately, they're less sour than a regular lemon, and have a unique flavor that I have fallen in love with! They are wonderful when sliced thin and added to tea, and even more delightful when used in recipes such as this one... and then served with tea!

This recipe is a recipe that came from joyofbaking.com originally, and was posted to my tea group as a recipe to try... and am I glad I did. Of course, I substituted Meyer Lemons in the recipe so I altered the recipe slightly for the change up in lemons, as well as some improvements that I felt the recipe needed. Before trying this recipe, the only lemon bars I had made were from a mix, and let me tell you, if you liked the bars from the mix, you're going to LOVE making them from scratch! So much better! No contest! Even if you don't like the bars from the mix... try them from scratch, you won't be disappointed! Yummy!!!

Meyer Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 square (or similar) pan with non-stick spray. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter until fluffy, and then add the sugar, creaming the two together until very light and fluffy. Add flour and salt, and mix until the dough comes together.

Press dough into square pan, working up the edges a little.

Bake about 20 minutes, until edges start to become golden brown. Remove crust from oven, and allow to cool slightly while you work on the filling.

Filling: (note: wash lemons, and remove zest before juicing the lemons. Only remove the zest, not the white pith)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt
Zest & Juice from 4 Meyer Lemons
2 tbsp unbleached, all purpose flour

In a clean bowl of your mixer, beat together the sugar and the eggs until light and the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt and the zest and juice from the lemons, and mix until blended. (Note: the zest from the lemons tends to cling to the beaters, so, be sure to clean them off well with a rubber spatula). Fold in the flour.

Pour filling over the slightly cooled crust, and put into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the center is set. I usually turn the oven off after the 20 minutes, and allow the pan to sit in the oven for another 5 minutes to ensure a set custard.

Remove the bars from the oven, and allow to cool.

Sprinkle cooled bars with a little confectioners sugar or with a little extra lemon zest, if desired.

Cut into bars, and serve. The crust is a bit crumbly, so be careful getting that first bar out!

Hope you'll try this recipe... let me know how yours turn out! I've made this recipe twice now, and my family devours them! Make them an extra special treat by serving them with some of your favorite tea!

~Anne

Coming soon!

2009-03-18T01:16:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Next week, one of my best sellers will be back... Earl Grey Creme! This is probably one of my most requested flavors -- and I've missed it too! So watch for the announcement. If you've not yet signed up for my newsletter... please do so, as I will announce there FIRST when the tea is available for sale.

This tea DOES move pretty quickly when I have it in stock, so get yours while the getting is good!

And speaking of my newsletter... there are other benefits to being a subscriber to my newsletter, not only are you kept up to date on my tea blends and when they're available, but I also offer specials not available anywhere else... And, in just a few days, I'll be announcing a special contest -- and to enter, you need only be a subscriber to my newsletter!

You can sign up over here >>>>> on the side of my blog! Just enter your email address and your name, and you're all set!

~Anne

Agave Nectar

2009-03-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

When it comes to sweetening your tea, there are many options available today, from sugar cubes to honey, brown sugar to maple syrup, artificial sweeteners to stevia. One sweetener that has only recently come into my personal radar is Agave Nectar, a sweetener that is derived from the Agave plants.

Photo from Wild Organics Website

This has become my favorite sweetener for my tea. It is a little sweeter than honey, so I don't need quite as much, and not quite as sticky (or slow to drizzle!) so I can use it quickly, and without all the mess that often accompanies honey. There are several different varieties of Agave Nectar available: light, amber, dark, and raw. I prefer the raw when I can find it, and when I can't I prefer the amber. The darker amber nectar has a very subtle caramel flavor to it, which I find quite a delightful addition to my tea. I have also used the light nectar, and the flavor is more neutral.

Also new to the market are flavored Agave Nectars, including Amaretto (yum!), vanilla, cappuccino, Irish cream and hazelnut flavors. I haven't yet tried these flavored Agave Nectars but, I may just have to check my local Whole Foods market the next time I stop in for my weekly supply of carrots...

Until recently, I could only find Agave Nectar at my specialty markets (such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes) but during last week's grocery excursion, I was happy to find Agave Nectar available at my local you-bag-it-yourself-and-save grocery store -- in both light and amber varieties! Now I won't have to make a special trip to the specialty markets just for Agave Nectar (and the aforementioned carrots). Of course, I'll still have to make a trip for the carrots, since the discount grocery store doesn't carry my favorite organic, with the greens still attached carrots.

You'll find the Agave Nectar in the same aisle you'd find honey... so check out your local market for Agave Nectar the next time you're shopping and try a drizzle of it in your tea! It's the perfect vegan alternative to honey, and has a lower glycemic index than white sugar, is allergen free, and it doesn't crystalize quickly the way honey does! It's the perfect alternative sweetener!

~Anne

Amy's Soup

2009-03-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I love soup. There are few things that are more comforting than a nice, piping hot bowl of soup on a chilly day... with the exception of a cup of tea, of course! As a fan of soup, however, I must admit that most of the canned soups available in the grocery store are sadly lacking in flavor. Limp, colorless vegetables swimming in a sea of bland broth.

So, to get my soup fix, I am either waiting in line at my local Sweet Tomatoes (a favorite restaurant) or I'm getting out my crock pot and making my own. However, there are a few ready-made soup exceptions that have a permanent placement in either my freezer (more on those at a later time) or my pantry shelf. One such exception comes from Amy's Kitchen.

Photo from Amy's Kitchen Website

Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque! Wow! What a refreshing change from the ordinary canned tomato soup! The flavor is fresh and alive! It tastes like I went out to my garden and picked the tomatoes myself, and made the soup immediately thereafter! Tomatoes are quite possibly my favorite fruit (yeah, I'm one of those people who consider tomatoes a fruit), and there's nothing quite like a homegrown tomato, picked at the peak of ripeness. And this soup captures the joy of a homegrown tomato! As Carla from this past season's Top Chef would say: "You can really taste the love" in this soup. It's so good.

The price is a bit more than what you'd pay for the standard tomato soup issue from your canned soup aisle, but, trust me, if you love tomatoes, it's well worth the cost.

For the best selection of Amy's foods, you are probably going to need to visit your local Whole Foods or similar market. However, I did notice a small selection of Amy's soups in my local bag-it-yourself-and-save grocery store, and that selection did include this variety. Surprisingly, though, the price at Whole Foods was better than my usually-lower-prices-on-everything grocery store!

I'd love to hear your own comments about this soup...

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Last Day for my "Month End" Sale!

2009-03-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should have called it the Month End Plus 1 Sale?

Please Check here for details!

This great sale ends today! Check it out!

Spotlighting...

2009-02-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm hooked on Spotlighting! And just what is spotlighting? Spotlighting is a super-cool feature at the artisan website byhand.me that is similar to the Etsy Treasury feature, with a couple of significant exceptions: 1) You don't have to wait until the spotlights drops to 333 before you can score a spotlight -- how many times have you waited until 1 am in the morning to get in on the treasuries, only to miss it by like 4 seconds? and 2) You can use listings from sites other than Etsy, such as Artfire, 1000Markets, Made it Myself, and others!

Here's an example of a spotlight I recently created... featuring just some of the things I have on sale right now!

So as you can see, spotlighting can be an effective marketing tool! They're very addictive (and you don't have to create one just to promote yourself... you can create one based on a favorite color scheme, or a favorite theme... you are only limited by your imagination!)

Stop by byhand.me today, and join (registration is free!) in the fun!

~Anne

PS: don't forget my sale: 15% off all orders; 20% off all orders $20 or more; 30% off all orders $30 or more! Valid at all my stores, through March 1 at midnight!

A New Blend, A New "Job" & A New Sale!

2009-02-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, let me start out with the most exciting news of all, my herbal blend designed to enhance calm and relaxation is ready! I sampled it last night, and I really like it! I have tried other "night time" herbal teas, and I must say (not biased at all, mind you!) that I really think that this tea is better!

Some of the subscribers to my newsletter (if you're interested in subscribing, please enter your information into the subscription form in the left column of this blog) have volunteered to be my taste testers, their job will be to not only taste a sample of this new tea, but also to offer some ideas for a name for the blend! The subscriber who submits the winning name will receive a tin of the tea when it's ready (it won't be ready for release until late March).

Next on my list of exciting news ... I have been "moonlighting" as a tea reviewer on The Tea Review Blog! Now, I do not review my own teas here (as it might be considered biased), but I do enjoy other teas as well as my own... this past weekend, I managed to get three reviews submitted.

I'm enjoying this new position, hey, it gives me another excuse to drink tea (not that I need another excuse! LOL) and it also opens the door of opportunity for me to try something different, which expands my palate and my own ideas for what tea blend I might create next.

Finally, I want to announce my end of the month sale:

15% off all orders
Buy $20 or more, the discount is increased 5% (20% off the entire order)
Buy $30 or more, the discount is increased 10% (30% off the entire order)

This sale is valid at all of my stores: My Etsy Store, My Artfire Tea Shop, My Artfire Art Studio, and my Made it Myself Store.

OH... and I almost forgot... on ARTFIRE... no account necessary to purchase!

Paypal customers: Please process your order and process your payment. Upon receiving payment notification from Paypal, I will issue you a refund for your discount.

Prefer to mail a check or money order? No problem! Process your order, and then please wait for my confirmation email, I will calculate your discount, and email you with an adjusted total to reflect the discount.

Fine Print: Offer expires on March 1, 2009 at midnight (Pacific Time) and is limited to stock on hand. Discount applies to entire order before shipping charges are added, and is valid only on product, not on shipping charges.

Thanks for reading along, have a great week!
~Anne

Wow, it's Saturday already!

2009-02-21T14:46:00.001-08:00

My how time passes when you're having fun!

I have been busily listing items in my newest venue:

Made it Myself!

Yes, yet another store! I currently have 3 other shops: My Etsy Store, My Artfire Tea Shop, and my Artfire Art Studio. And I am considering adding at least one more shop to this list, besides the new one at Made it Myself.

You might ask why? why make all these stores, why not instead concentrate my efforts into just one venue?

Basically, I'm doing it for added exposure. Since I am a one-person operation, essentially breaking even with this venture for the time being, I can't really afford the investment for a decent advertisement package. So, while I do what I can, blog constantly, join forums and hype my products, the fact is that I don't have the money that a lot of the bigger guys out there have to bring attention to my product. It's a great product, and once you try it, I feel like the quality of the product speaks for itself, but, it's about getting the exposure, getting my name out there to get the attention first... so I open these other venues with the hope that someone might see me at one of the venues where they might not have seen me at another...

So... this weekend, I'd like to celebrate my new venue with a special offer!

Buy any 2 tins of tea from my Made it Myself Store, get a box of T-Sacs (size 2, 100 count) absolutely free! Hey, I won't even charge you additional shipping! ABSOLUTELY FREE! This is a $6.00 value (that's what I normally sell these boxes for) free of charge!

Now, if you, for some reason, can't find your favorite LiberTEAS flavor at my Made It Myself store, simply email me, and I'll get it listed for you. Or, you can shop at one of my other two tea sites - My Etsy Store ~or~ My Artfire Tea Shop and get the same deal. I won't hold it against you! But please, do take a moment to visit my Made it Myself Shop first!

To take advantage of this offer: simply place your order for the 2 tins (or more!) of tea, and process through paypal (or if you prefer, you can pay via check or money order). I will automatically include the T-Sacs with your order, so long as you've ordered 2 tins of tea!

Now, if you're a tea purist, you probably don't like T-Sacs and want nothing to do with them! Alright, I can appreciate that. I'm somewhat of a tea purist myself, although I have been known to use T-Sacs on occasion (especially when I'm brewing a Rooibos blend, as the needle-like leaves of Rooibos are very thin and often sift right through my tea strainer!)... so here's a special offer just for you!

Buy any 2 tins (or more) of tea, and get a $5.00 rebate on your total purchase.

To take advantage of this offer, you need to let me know that you'd prefer the rebate over the T-Sacs. So, please email me after you've placed your order and processed your payment (or if you're mailing your check or money order payment, please email me before doing so, so that I can give you an ammended total). I will refund $5.00 from your paypal payment as soon as I receive notification of the payment.

So, what are you waiting for? This offer is not going to last forever... in fact, it is only going to last through Monday, February 23rd, at midnight (Pacific Time). Visit my Tea Shop at Made It Myself right away and take advantage of this amazing offer!!!

~Anne

Lemon Cupcake Recipe (Contest Winner!)

2009-02-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Well, I've heard back from the contest winners (there were two!) and so I think it's safe to publish one of the two recipes -- I'll post the other one in a week or two.

Here is the recipe for Lemon Cupcakes, submitted by Christine from Ohio! I used Meyer Lemons for this recipe, mostly because they were available at Whole Foods when I shopped there, and they looked irresistibly beautiful!

Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup of butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
zest from 4 lemons
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from 2 lemons
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Drizzle:
Juice from remaining 2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray muffin tins and dust with flour. Alternatively, you can line the tins with cupcake liners, however, there is a step that follows baking that can leave your cupcake liners somewhat sticky. If you don't mind sticky cupcake liners, then use the liners instead of spraying and flour dusting.

Cream butter and sugar together at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Do not skimp on this step, it greatly affects the texture of the cupcakes.

Add eggs, one at a time, to creamed mixture, blending well before adding another egg. Add lemon zest, and blend well, taking time to scrape down the sides of the bowl of your mixer and the mixer blade. The zest accumulated on the blade for me when I made these, so do make sure that you scrape the blade to make sure that the zest gets well incorporated.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a different bowl, mix together the lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Gradually add 1/3 of the flour mixture, blend, and then half of the lemon juice mixture, blend. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, blend, the last of the lemon juice mixture, blend, and finish up with the last of the flour mixture. Mix for about 20 seconds on medium speed, making sure that batter is well blended but do not over mix.

Scoop batter evenly into muffin tins, filling each cup about 2/3 full. This makes about 24 cupcakes.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Now for the sticky part!

Juice the remaining 2 lemons (remember, you zested 4 lemons, but only juiced 2 of them), and pour into a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of sugar. Heat over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

Using a wooden skewer, poke several holes into the crown of the cupcake. You should drive the skewer through to almost the bottom of the cupcake, as you want the syrup to be absorbed throughout the cake.

Now, spoon the lemon juice syrup over the cupcake. I used a soup spoon for this, and used about a spoonful and a half for each cupcake. Allow the syrup to absorb into the cupcake.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, and then frost them.

Thank you Christine for your winning recipe! I love these cupcakes! So yummy!

A note about the syrup ... do not make the same mistake I made and drizzle the syrup over the paper lined cupcakes while they were still in the muffin tin. Instead, move them to a cooling rack and drizzle them there... use yesterday's newspaper underneath the cooling rack to catch the drippings to avoid a sticky mess!

Christine won a Chatsford teapot, along with a tin of her favorite tea! (and I might add, these cupcakes are the perfect accompaniment to tea!!!)

Thanks for reading along, I hope you too will enjoy this recipe!

~Anne

My Valentine's Weekend Special!

2009-02-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, here it is, Valentine's Day is here already! To celebrate, I'm having a special sale all weekend, through Sunday, February 15, at midnight (Pacific Time).

Receive 25% discount on all tea purchases that include either Chocolate Rose Romance tea ~or~ Breakfast in Bed tea!

This means you can purchase a tin of my Sweet Caramel o'Mine tea, and a tin of my Chocolate Rose Romance tea, and you qualify for the 25% discount on your entire order!

Or you can purchase any other combination of tea, and as long as you've included the Chocolate Rose Romance Tea, *OR* the Breakfast in Bed tea (or you can, of course, purchase both of them!) -- you'll receive the 25% discount!

Just visit my Artfire tea shop or my Etsy store, and place your order this weekend... and be sure to include either the Chocolate Rose Romance tea, or the Breakfast in Bed tea to receive a 25% discount off your entire order!

Discount offer is limited to stock on hand, and is good through Sunday, February 15, 2009, at midnight. Discount on product only, does not apply to shipping charges.

TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT:

Paypal customers: Just place your order, and process your payment as you normally would. When I've received notification of payment, I will process a 25% refund.

Check/Money Order customers: If you prefer to mail your payment, please wait for me to send you an invoice with your adjusted total, then mail your payment within 5 days.

Thank you, everyone, for helping to make my Artfire tea shop a success!

~Anne

A Tea Story...

2009-02-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Over the past 7 years as I've been blending and flavoring teas, I've created tea flavors that I have wanted. It all started with my Chocolate tea, now called Chocolate Rose Romance. I wanted a chocolate tea that was similar to the chocolate tea I used to purchase from my favorite little antique store in old town Orange, California, an antique store that went out of business, and they took their delightfully flavored chocolate tea with them.

So, I visited all the tea shops I could find in the area, and some of them had chocolate teas, but, none of these chocolate flavors were quite as decadent as my fond memories of the Chocolate tea from that little antique store.

This is how I became inspired to try my hand at flavoring and blending my own teas. My first attempts were very hit and miss... mostly... miss! I did some research, and I did a lot of experimentation. And there was even a time that I gave up and threw in the towel on the whole endeavor, certain I wasn't going to ever achieve that flavor for which I longed.

Then, about 7 years ago, I decided to try again, and I came up with a blend that may not be exactly what I used to obtain from my favorite antique dealer, but, it was certainly close, and quite possibly, better! Since that time, I've made various improvements on my original recipe, and I must say that now, it indeed IS better.

None of my other flavors have undergone as many attempts and transformations as my Chocolate tea.

I am often asked which tea is my favorite, and I usually list my newest tea, or the most recently blended tea... but in truth, my all time favorite is indeed my Chocolate Rose Romance. The flavor is rich, sumptuous... it is everything I want it to be and more. It's a nice chocolate indulgence with little fat (I say "little" because I do add a splash of half & half to this tea, so there is a small amount of fat), and little calories (sometimes I add Agave Nectar, sometimes, I add honey, and sometimes I add Stevia to this tea, depending on what I have handy!)

My Chocolate Rose Romance is a blend of black teas, Chocolate bits, Cacao Nibs, Vanilla, Apple, Rooibos, Almonds, and just a sprinkling of Rose Petals. The rose petals are not added as much for flavor as they are for visual appeal. (Note, if you like rose flavored tea, try my Breakfast in Bed tea!!!)

Is there a tea flavor you'd like to try? Is there a combination that you think would make a winning tea flavor? Please, feel free to drop a comment on this blog, and let me know what flavor you'd like. I'll try creating a flavor to your specifications, and if the flavor is a hit, and I decide to begin offering it in my shop, I'll send you the first tin of it... FREE!

~Anne

Weekend Special! $5.00 Instant* Rebate!

2009-02-06T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, the weekend is here already! And it's tax season, so I thought I'd offer a REBATE!

This weekend, beginning Friday, February 6, and ending Sunday, February 8 at midnight, you can receive a $5.00 INSTANT* REBATE on your purchase of 2 or more tins of tea!

This offer is good at either my Artfire Tea Shop or my Etsy store.

Offer is limited to stock on hand, no rainchecks, and is valid on all orders placed before midnight on Sunday, February 8. To receive your rebate via paypal, simply place your order, and process your payment. Once I have received payment, I will refund $5.00 via paypal. If you prefer to mail your payment, simply email me after you've finished processing your order, and I will email you with a corrected total, less the $5.00 rebate.

*You will receive your rebate as soon as I have received notification of your payment via email, so it may not be "instantaneous", but, it will be prompt.

Also, I do not have all of my teas posted to my shops yet, so, if there is something that you want, but don't see in either shop, please email me and I'll let you know if it's available.

It's Tea Time!!!

A New Online Playground for Artists!

2009-02-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

This is a reposting (or a cut/paste) from my art blog. Just in case there are those of you who read this blog, but not my art blog... or the other way around... for those of you who read both blogs... well, read it twice?

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I am writing today to share with you some information about a whole new website that has been created for artists.

It's called ByHand.Me and you can access it with this url: http://www.byhand.me

It has been designed to be a social community to help promote handmade wares. It's a place for the artists who sell their wares on places like Etsy or Artfire. It's also a place where artists can find support, and learn more about how to better promote yourself as an artist. At ByHand.Me, you'll find:

An Artisan Directory - for artists with a business. You can add your business, along with where you sell online, and how you can be contacted. A great way to help build your business online!
Forums - a message board where members can post about handmade wares, ask for advice, promote your business, or just socialize!
Member Blogs - Each member gets their own blog. Also, and this is really cool... your blog entry can be on the front page of the site! Kind of like flashing, only you probably won't get arrested for it. woo hoo!
Social Networking - the social networking feature allows you to connect with other artisans.
Chat - A place to communicate in real time with other members. It's also a great place to facilitate your own procratination issues. If you're an artist, you probably know what I'm talking about.
Private Messaging - A safe way to talk in private. Maybe play a game of telephone with other members. Remember that game?
RSS Feeds - OK... so I don't know what RSS feeds are. But maybe you do... If you do, well, you can do that here. If you don't, well, then, you can continue in your blissful ignorance of them here. Or maybe, you can get into a private message or chat with Adam (the creator) and he can tell you what it's all about. Because artists support each other like that.
More! - just the way it sounds... more... not less. And more is more.

And it's all free! That's the best price. Unless you could find someone to pay you to join a site, and that, honestly, might feel a bit weird... sort of like paying someone to be your friend, or giving the bully on the playground your lunch money so they don't beat you up after school.

You can learn more by visiting Rebecca's Soap Deli News Blog.

Join today, and then find me on there and add me to your connections ... my user name is Liberteas... you know... like my tea shop? Speaking of which, it's really nice to brew a cup of tea before you sit back and socialize at ByHand.Me. It's sort of like having tea with friends... only you don't have to get dressed up and wear a hat. Unless you want to.

So, that's all for now. Hope to see you at ByHand.Me soon!

These are too cool!

2009-01-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I want to share a few items that I found on Artfire with you. I know that I usually do my hotfire lists on my Art Blog, but because these items were tea related, I thought I'd share them here...

These first three items come from BudandLucyskid Studio... all of their stuff is really fabulous... but they have a few CHOICE tea items that I have fallen completely in love with!

This Exotic Romance Teapot is beautiful and amazingly detailed! The seller describes it as...

Lacework medallions of hearts are on a field of orchid pink. The accent color of a mysterious violet glaze covers the handle, spot, foot and lid. Wonderfully romantic flowers and leaves spill from the handle and spout.

Four coats of color glaze are applied, then two coats of diamond gloss glaze. The lace work is dimensional glaze applied not unlike cake icing.

Wouldn't this be perfect for serving tea on Valentine's Day? Of course, you would need to serve Chocolate Rose Romance tea to make it complete!

The second item I'd like to share with you from Buda ndLucysKid Studio is a bit more whimsical and fun...

Here it is! The perfect teapot for tea with the girls!

The Sassy Purse Teapot is described by the sellers as...

Sassy in pink and black! This purse shaped teapot has lace lacework accented with small pink handmade flowers. At the base of the handle at at the spout you will find pink roses and buds, accented with other handmade flowers and leaves.

Four coats of color glaze are applied, then two coats of diamond gloss glaze. The lace work is dimensional glaze applied not unlike cake icing.

Both of these teapots are food safe; BudandLucysKid Studio recommends hand washing and handling with care as the flower details are fragile.

What lovely additions to any teapot collection!

BudandLucysKid Studio also has many other cute, whimsical, and beautiful offerings, from teapots, to keepsake boxes, decorative plates... visit them soon!

And while you're at Artfire... don't forget to stop by my Tea Shop and pick up some tea!

~Anne

The Time Has Come!

2009-01-29T00:08:00.000-08:00

To announce the winner of this contest!

To select the winner at random, I visited random.org, and put in the names of the entrants, and the lucky winner selected was:

Katina! She selected the "Behind Blue Eyes" photograph...

I will be contacting you via email to obtain your shipping information, which I will then forward on to Infivision ... who will then mail you your photograph. CONGRATULATIONS!

I will be posting a new contest soon... so keep a watchful eye out!

Thanks to all who entered in this contest!
~Anne

January is Hot Tea Month!

2009-01-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know I'm a bit late to be celebrating Hot Tea Month... ha!

The truth is that I've been really busy trying to get the photos up in my shop (still not finished with it!) and getting other things done, that I've not had much time to give Hot Tea Month much thought, I mean, for me, every day is Hot Tea Day! (although in the warmer summer months I drink much less of it and drink mostly iced tea)

Anyways... to "celebrate" Hot Tea Month -- for the rest of January, you can Buy 1 tin of my loose leaf tea, and get the second tin (or refill bag) of equal or lesser value at half price! NO limit... if you choose to buy 2 tins of tea, you may bet 2 tins or refill bags at half price. If you buy 3 tins of tea... well, you know... There is, of course, some fine print that goes along with this offer, which will appear on the bottom of this post...

Now, time is limited on this offer, as the end of the month is just around the corner!

You can shop at either my Artfire Tea Shop, or my Etsy Art Store.

~*~

Currently, I have my Sweet Caramel O'Mine back in stock, and it seems to be flying off the shelves! I've had a lot of orders for it, fortunately, I did make a large batch, so I have enough (I hope) to accomodate everyone. (this one is currently only available at my Artfire Tea Shop)

Also newly available in my Artfire store: Sublime Sunset. For those of you who have been shopping with me for a couple of years now, this is NOT a new tea (tisane!), it just has a new name. Some of you may remember my Red Velvet tea... however, I started to see "Red Velvet" teas/tisanes pop up everywhere, so I wanted to find a new name... and I asked my daughter to name it, and she calls it Sublime Sunset... it's a delicious blend of sweet pears and juicy blood oranges, with apple, rose hips, hibiscus and roses. It's very delicious -- yes, sublime! And it's naturally caffeine free too!

I've also just brought back my Allergi-TEA, as the allergy season is approaching (or already in full force for some of us!!!) Yes, there is snow on the ground, and yet, I'm beginning to suffer the effects of my seasonal allergies... let me ask you something, how can it be "seasonal" allergies when it spans through 3 seasons???

UGH!

Anyway, my Allergi-TEA is a nice alternative to the drowsy effects that come from the over the counter medications. It tastes great, relieves the symptoms, and I don't have that "fuzzy headed" feeling in the morning like I do from the other stuff!

I have most of my other teas up in my Artfire Tea Shop... and have been working to get the final items available for purchase.

Also available are my T-Sacs.... however, I can't list them in my Artfire studio because they're mass produced... so if you want T-Sacs... just let me know and I'll take get you taken care of!

~Anne

Fine Print: offer limited to stock on hand. Valid through January 31, and offer ends at midnight on January 31. To take advantage of this offer, you may purchase from either my Artfire Tea Shop or my Etsy Shop. Place your order, and then, either process your payment through paypal, and leave a message in the paypal payment "note to seller" field, stating that January is Hot Tea Month, and when I receive notification of the payment from paypal, I will refund your discount to you via paypal. Alternatively, you may email me after placing your order but before processing payment, and I will send you your final total, and you may mail me your check or money order. Discount will apply to the item of lesser value, and primary (full price) purchase must be a tin of tea to qualify for the discount on the second item.

Reposting: Enter my Contest - Time is Limited!!!

2009-01-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Contest Announcement!

Win your favorite 8 x 10 Photographic Print from Infivision 's Artfire Studio!

Here's just a sampling of what you can choose from...

I know, gorgeous, right?

And then there's this...

and this...

A - MAy- ZinG!

And this is just a small sampling of the 8 x 10 prints he has available. This is a really great opportunity to decorate your home with some fabulous art... He's got mad skills when it comes to the camera!

So, you're probably wondering, OK I so want one of these prints! How do I win?

It's really easy to enter:

1. Visit Infivision's Artfire Studio. Look through all of his amazing artwork. You'll probably drool a little bit. That's ok. It's normal.

2. Now, here's the hard part: Decide on the 8 x 10 Print you'd like to win. I know, I know... how do you choose just one? But, yeah, you have to choose one. I don't know... if it were me, I'd probably choose "Splat" -- that last one I posted above... it would go nicely with my existing artwork. Or... I don't know, I might choose "She Loves Me" -- the first one I posted above, because it would work well with my kitchen decor. I know... like I said, it's hard to choose just one...

3. Once you've decided which one you'd like, come back here to my blog (you've got it bookmarked, right?) and leave a comment on this post. In that comment, you should mention which of the prints is your favorite (in other words, which print you'd choose should you be selected as the winner).

4. On Wednesday, January 28, I'll select the winner. I'll do this some random way, like, maybe I'll put everyone's name in a hat (wait, I don't have a hat)... OK, I'll put everyone's name in a teapot, and then I'll have my daughter pick a name from the teapot. Or, maybe I'll go to random.org and have it randomly selected that way. I'll do it in a way that's fair.

5. I'll contact the winner via email, and get your (well, assuming that you're the winner) shipping information, which I'll then forward to Infivision, who will send you package off to you. And then... here's the really cool part... sometime thereafter, you'll receive a package with your favorite print! I know, right? I told you it'd be the cool part.

So... what are you waiting for? Go visit Infivision's Artfire Studio! And then, after that, if you want to go buy some tea from me, I won't be upset or anything...

~Anne

I've been tagged! And ENTER a Contest!!!

2009-01-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

Oh... dear... yeah... ok so you're going to understand my distress when you see my photo.

I've been tagged by Rosemary from Rosemary's Sampler and this particular tag is called a "6th picture Meme" tag.

For those of you who do not know what a 6th picture meme is... basically, you go to your picture file, and select the 6th folder. From the 6th folder, you are to select the 6th picture in the folder... that is the photo for the tag, and you're to write a bit about the story behind the photo to complete the tag.

However, since the 6th photo in the 6th folder of my Picture file happens to be art related, I've decided to switch this tag over to my Art Blog... so if you want to see the photo that has me distressed... and read the story behind it... you'll have to visit: My Art Blog!

IN THE MEANTIME... click here to enter this contest

That is all!

~Anne

Caramel Tea & Don't Forget the Contest!!!

2009-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

If you are a subscriber to my Newsletter, you should already know that my Caramel tea is finally finished and ready to purchase in my Artfire Tea Shop! For the rest of you, here's the official announcement... my Caramel Tea is READY!

This is one of my best sellers, and it doesn't stay around for long... so it's best to get yours now, while the getting is good!

And speaking of my newsletter, you can subscribe to my newsletter by filling out the small form to the right. I don't create newsletters often, I do try to do one at least every month... sometimes I manage it, other times not...

Anyways!!!

CONTEST!

Don't forget about the contest I'm hosting, courtesy of Infivision's Artfire Studio ... This contest closes on Wednesday, January 28, at midnight. Hurry and enter... it's really easy! To learn more, scroll down to my next post, and read all about it!

That's all for now!

~Anne

Contest! Win a Free Print!

2009-01-20T18:37:00.001-08:00

My favorite cookies

2009-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

When I was young, my best friend, Paula, introduced me to her favorite cookies, and they quickly became my favorite too. They were Chocolate Chip Meringue cookies: slightly crisp, airy, light, and delicious!

I still love these cookies, and now that I have a new stand mixer, I can make them easily. Here's the basic recipe:

Meringue Cookies

3 Large Egg Whites (don't use the pasturized egg whites in the carton)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 c superfine sugar (or Baker's Sugar)
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment (easy cleanup!).

In the bowl of your stand mixer, with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until it begins to look foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat on medium speed until you reach the soft peak stage. Add the sugar gradually, and continue to beat until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat until sugar is completely dissolved. (you can test this by rubbing a small amount of the mixture in between your fingers, if it feels gritty, it isn't dissolved completely yet)

Now, I drop the meringue onto the parchment lined cookie sheets in mounds using two spoons. You can use this method, or you can put it in a pastry bag and pipe it into little peaks if you want to make them fancy. They don't need a lot of room in between cookies because they don't rise, but you do need enough room to allow proper air circulation.

Bake the meringues for about 1 1/2, and then turn off the oven. Leave the cookies in the warm oven to cool (I usually leave them in there overnight, but, 2 or 3 hours will be enough time). This allows the meringues to dry out and crisp up.

You're probably wondering what happened to the chocolate chips... well, one thing that I've discovered is that you can put all sorts of flavors into these cookies, and they'll turn out great.

At Christmastime I'll add crushed candy canes and mini chocolate chips after I've beaten in the vanilla extract and I'll put these out for Santa.
Instead of Vanilla Extract, I'll add Orange Extract and add mini chocolate chips. These make a delightful treat with tea!
Chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips, added after the vanilla extract step makes for a great fat-free alternative to the classic chocolate chip cookie.
Try sprinkling on some almond slivers before baking.

These are just a few ideas.

What makes these so great is that they're fat free... so you can indulge a little bit without feeling too guilty about it!

A great Tea Time Treat!

~Anne

How To Brew Chai Tea

2009-01-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone:

This is a question that I'm asked rather frequently, even though I provide brewing instructions that are printed on the labels of my teas. There is so much "out there" about how to brew Chai tea properly, that it has caused a great deal of confusion.

So let me say this right up front, the way I brew chai tea is NOT the traditional way that Chai tea is brewed. Traditionally, you would brew your chai tea leaves and spices in a pan of simmering milk (or a blend of half milk, half water) and allow your tea leaves and spices to steep in the milk. After allowing to steep for several minutes, the mixture is strained, and then honey is added and it's served, sometimes with steamed milk. The Chai tea concentrates that are available commercially and that are used in coffeehouses to make Chai lattes uses a variation of this method, usually including the sweetener, to make their product.

The first few cups of Chai that I made in my own home were made using this method, and I have to say that after I had made those first few, I was reluctant to make more, because it makes an incredible mess! First of all, I don't like to heat milk, it is a messy endeavor at best, and I only do it when I really want a cup of rich hot cocoa (yes, I do drink beverages other than tea! Just not as often). I made the mistake of once attempting to heat milk in my electric tea kettle, and let me just say -- don't try this at home. Not a good plan.

So, when I decided that I really wanted a Chai tea blend in my collection, I first began sampling the other chai blends that were available out there, I mean, let's face it, every tea company out there has a chai tea these days, don't they? So, I thought to myself, there was no need to reinvent the wheel if I could find a chai that I like, why not add that to my collection.

The next thing on my agenda was to determine what I wanted out of a Chai tea. I wanted a Chai that was robust with spices. I wanted something that rivaled the best coffeehouses chai lattes without the complication of having to steam milk. But most of all, I wanted simplicity in the brewing process. None of this brewing in milk nonsense. I wanted something that I could easily steep in boiling water for a few minutes, add a bit of honey to, and then add milk or cream to (my preference is half & half), and have a cup of rich, satisfying chai.

Unfortunately, none of the teas that I was sampling from my suppliers fit that bill. Most of the teas stood up well to the water brewing process, however, when I added the milk or cream to the tea, much of the flavor became masqued rather than enhanced by this addition, which was the opposite of what I was looking for. The addition of milk should always enhance a tea, never detract from the flavor.

So I set out to create my own blend, and the results of months (and months, and months!) of flavoring, blending, and sampling, and then trying again, and again... is my Masterpiece Chai. This is a tea that tastes really great when served hot, with just a drizzle of honey. It also tastes remarkable when you add a splash of half and half. It's not the same thing as the coffee house chai latte, but I prefer my chai over those, because mine is not overly sweetened with corn syrup and the like. And I know what I've put into my chai... just tea: High Grown Ceylon and Assam; and Marsala Spice, a touch of vanilla, and honeybush (this adds just a bit of natural sweetness to the blend without ever overtaking any of the bold spice).

So, whether it is proper or not, here is how I brew my cup of Chai:

Start with fresh, cold water from the tap. I filter mine with one of those countertop filter pitchers. Bottled water should never be used to brew tea, as full flavor of tea will never be obtained using bottled water.
Bring the water to a boil. I use an electric tea kettle for this. It's fast, and a lot more convenient than the stovetop models, however, if a stovetop model is what you have, it will work just fine. Water should be brought to a gentle boil, do not overboil the water, though, as it will brew a flat tasting tea.
Warm your teapot. You can do this by adding some boiling water to the teapot, swill the water around until you can feel the warmth on the outside of the pot. This is an important step if you wish to keep your tea warm, as the chill of the pot can rob the tea of it's heat rather quickly.
Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of Masterpiece Chai tea for every cup of tea you are brewing. Usually, you would use just a teaspoon of tea for each cup, however, since there is an abundance of spice (and bulky spice, at that!) in my Chai tea, you will want to manipulate the amount that you use to make sure you're getting full flavor.
Now, when it comes to brewing loose leaf tea, there are those who use infusers, and those who do not. I usually do use an infuser, because I've found that it's a) easier to clean up; and b) it's easier to re-use the leaves for a second brewing. If you choose not to use an infuser, that's fine, just place the loose leaf tea directly into your warmed teapot. If you do choose to use an infuser, be sure that the infuser you choose offers ample room for your tea leaves to expand. Most tea leaves will expand to three times their dry volume. If they aren't given enough room to expand, then you will lose flavor. I use a chatsford teapot, and I've found that the nylon infuser that is provided with the teapot works well in allowing enough room for the tea leaves to expand. (and yes, I've tried it both ways -- with and without the infuser -- and have found no discernable difference in flavor) Just make sure that you have enough water to fill the teapot, thereby allowing the water to come to the top of the infuser and filter through the leaves adequately, and don't forget to add enough loose leaf tea for this amount of water... if you're using a 4 cup teapot, for example, you'll need 6 teaspoons of Masterpiece Chai tea.
Gently pour the boiling water over the tea leaves, and steep for 4 minutes. This is the time I use. You might want to play around with the time until you find your perfect time. Everyone's palate is different!
Remove the tea leaves, and serve. I add a good size drizzle of honey (it would probably equal about a teaspoon and a half if I were to measure how much I use). Alternatively, I have used Agave Nectar in my chai tea with pleasant results, but I find that the honey adds a certain authenticity to the chai. Add a splash of half & half (again, if I were to measure how much I use, it would probably equal about a teaspoon, perhaps a teaspoon and a half), and stir until the honey has been dispersed throughout the tea.

What you are left with is a very pleasing cup of chai tea. I find it very comforting and warming on the cold winter mornings that have become commonplace over the past month here in the great Pacific Northwest. The spice is satisfying and warm. The tea is robust. It's delicious!

~Anne

An Interview with me...

2009-01-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

Rebecca at Soap Deli News recently conducted an interview with me, and today it has been published on her blog. Thank you Rebecca for the opportunity to talk to your blog readers, what an honor! Click here if you'd like to read the interview.

Also, if you read more on the Soap Deli News, you'll find other interesting interviews with other artisans, as well as some cool tutorials. A great blog... one worth reading regularly!

On to other tea news... As the weather grows colder... what's in your teacup? I've been drinking a lot of my Chocolate Rose Romance tea lately, because it is a great comfort tea, and is a great tea to sip on these bitterly cold days!

Another favorite tea during cold weather is my Masterpiece Chai. The spice of the tea warms you up, and the delightful flavor lifts you up! Yum!!!

Well, two posts from me in one day... that doesn't happen often!

Enjoy!
~Anne

Time for Tea!

2009-01-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone!

Seldom am I up this early... well, I have to get up earlier than this to get my youngest daughter off to school, but, then after I get her on the bus, I usually head back to bed. I'm a night owl, I've always been that way, and it would seem that since the artist in me has re-emerged over the past several years, that the night owl in me has taken full force. Bedtime before midnight or one am just seems impossible for me.

However, today is a bit of an extraordinary day for me and my household as my mother in law will be arriving in just a few short hours. So, I'm up... sipping tea, and trying to get my eyelids to open and my eyes to focus.

This morning, I find myself sampling Darjeeling. I have wanted to add a Darjeeling to my tea collection for some time, however, there are so many excellent Darjeelings out there, and let's face it, also some not so excellent ones as well... so I want to choose just the right one... and I still haven't found what I'm looking for

On to other interesting tidbits... I have been featured in an Artfire Artist's blog... so I'd like to share with you! LibertyDoll has a lovely blog in which she features some of her favorite Artfire items. I may just have to do a post or two soon where I feature some of my favorite Artfire items as well, there are many marvelous items to choose from!

If you haven't yet checked out Artfire, I suggest you do so... right away! It's a great website... and really, why buy commercial items when you can buy handcrafted, the quality is so much better when you buy directly from the artisan rather than buying from an assembly line in some factory! Head on over to Artfire, and see what all the fuss is about!

OK... so that's enough from me this morning, I need to finish up my tea, and get the bedroom in order for my MIL! Have a splendid day!

~Anne

I've been Tumblr'd!

2009-01-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

This is one of the coolest blogs I've seen in a long time. It's a blog created by another Artfire artist, and it basically provides a picture of random items that can be purchased from Artfire. The blog is called the Tumblr. Check it out!

And, if you want a new view of different random items from Artfire, just click on the "Random" button on the upper right hand side of the page. You'll get a whole new set of random items.

And... if you really like what you see, all you need to do is click on the picture, and you'll be taken directly to that item's listing on Artfire so that you can buy it... or perhaps browse through the other items that artist has to offer!

How awesome is that?

Please take a moment to check out the Tumblr. You may just have found a new favorite blog spot!

~Anne

Weekend Sale at Artfire!

2009-01-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, many of the merchants at Artfire are conducting a weekend sale, so I thought I'd join in...

Now through Sunday, January 11th at midnight, receive a FREE box of T-Sacs (100 count, size 2, just right for a cup of tea!) with every 2 tins of tea purchased. On my website, I sold the T-Sacs for $6.00, and if you go and look online, I think you'll probably find that this size is sold for a little more in most places. They are disposable and unbleached, and work perfectly for loose leaf tea.

To receive your free T-Sacs (I won't even charge additional shipping for your T-Sacs, they're absolutely free!), just place an order at my artfire store for 2 or more tins of tea. This offer is limited to stock on hand, so please hurry for your *free* T-Sacs!

~Anne

A new place...

2009-01-05T23:03:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?

First of all, I want to update you all on the cupcake contest... we have selected a winner! Before I announce the winner and reveal the recipe here, I want to first get in touch with the winner to let her know... so please be patient until I hear back from her.

Thank you to everyone who submitted recipes!

Second, I have found a new "home" for LiberTEAS! Some of you may have noticed that when you type in www dot liber-teas dot com that you are lead to my etsy store (and for a few more hours, you will continue to be, until the changes update in the server's system), but, I have found a new place to host my teas.

Artfire!

I will still keep a few teas at etsy for the time being, until I see how well I do at Artfire. I wanted a store that could be accessed by my brand name LiberTEAS... rather than use my EccentricPastiche store on etsy, which was intended to be the store where you could buy my artwork and 'zines.

The artfire store will be dedicated only to my teas.

MORE TEA NEWS: I know that some of you have been eagerly awaiting the return of my caramel tea. Well, the wait is nearly over, as the tea is nearly finished with it's blending time. (It does take a little bit of time for the flavors to mingle amongst the tea leaves and create the perfect brewed tea) I expect to have my Caramel tea at my artfire store by the end of this month!

Also... I don't have all my teas posted in either store, there are still a few favorites that are not listed... including Chocolate Rose Romance and Breakfast Blend. These haven't been "shelved" -- so to speak -- I just haven't been able to get photos taken of them so that I could list them properly. However, if you're craving one of my classic flavors... just email me and I'll be happy to set you up!

~Anne

Cupcake Recipe Contest!

2008-11-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I have never been much of a baker. My grandmother was an amazing baker, her pies were so amazing that I've pretty much given up even trying to make pies because they never turn out the way gramma used to bake. And, for the most part, unless I'm really in the mood, or it's the holiday season, I don't really enjoy baking cookies, I find it tremendously tedious.

I used to enjoy making cakes, but, somewhere along the way, I fell out of love with it, perhaps because I could never make them look nearly as lovely as I would like to... I have never felt at ease with a pastry bag in my hands, fumbling nervously with trying to make a simple rosette.

But, I love cupcakes! Even though I still do not feel at ease with the pastry bag, I can use it to pipe a simple spiral of frosting onto the top of a cupcake and make it look nice. Of course, they aren't so fancy that you'd want to put them on the cover of Martha Stewart's magazine or anything, but, they're still attractive enough to entice someone to want to eat one!

Besides, what a great treat to enjoy with a cup of tea?

(Photo Credit: Courtney, from HeyLadyCards. You can purchase her beautiful Cupcake Bath Bombs here.)

A few months ago, I purchased The Cupcake Deck by Elinor Klivans. I've tried a few recipes in the deck, and I've been fairly pleased with the outcome, however, I found the cupcakes to be a bit "lighter" than I wanted them to be. Sure, the light texture does have it's positive aspects, but, I found them to be a bit "too light" in texture to support the creaminess of my buttercream frosting...

Which brings me to the subject of frosting... it took me quite a while to perfect my recipe for buttercream frosting. I wanted something delicious, smooth, creamy, but not too sweet... I still suffer from nightmarish memories of buttercream frostings that was sickeningly sweet, slathered onto a store-bought birthday cake, purchased as an afterthought when my birthday had been forgotten. And the canned frostings... should stay in the can! yuck!

So, after many, many attempts with different buttercream frostings, I learned that it's not only the recipe but the way you process the frosting that is important when making buttercream.

(Photo Credit: Maureen, from ARoseWithoutAThorn. You can purchase these lovely faux cupcakes here.)

So... I'm happy with my buttercream, and I don't want to change that recipe, so now what I need is a cupcake that can stand on it's own with my frosting and not taste like a fluffy cloud of air sitting under my delightful buttercream.

And, since I'm not much of a baker, I am not sure exactly how I would go about adjusting a recipe to create such a masterpiece of a cupcake...

And, well, I have tried mixes. And I DO like cake baked from a mix. However, I prefer to know what I'm putting in to the foods I eat, and I'd really like to find just the right "from scratch" recipe.

So, I'm turning to you, my dear readers, to help me in my endeavor to find the perfect cupcake recipe (or recipes!) -- And the winner of this contest will win a tea time gift from me, complete with a brand new chatsford teapot and 6 tea sampler tins, filled with your choice of teas from my collection.

To enter:

1. Get your recipe! The recipe can be any flavor -- vanilla, chocolate... or anything in between... Just please make sure that the ingredients are easily obtainable. And, since I am a tea fan, it's better if you don't have coffee as one of the ingredients. However, if you have a recipe that uses tea as one of the ingredients... you get extra bonus points!

2. Email it to me by December 10. (Click on the link to get to my email address)

I will be making these recipes and they will be tested by a panel of experts that I assembled myself (my two daughters and myself). The recipe that we like the best will win the tea time gift!

(Photo credit: Roz from RozArt. You can purchase this, or another of her lovely paintings, here.)

Now, there may be more than 1 winner! For example, if we happen to like a vanilla recipe and a chocolate recipe equally... then, I'll award two tea time gifts!

SPECIAL BONUS POINTS: Special bonus points will be awarded for cupcake recipes possessing one of the following qualities:

1. Tea in the recipe. This pretty much speaks for itself. However, one qualifying point, no INSTANT tea... that stuff is just really gross.

2. Butter Pecan recipe. I LOVE the Betty Crocker Butter Pecan cake mix. I add ripe, mashed banana to this recipe and make amazing banana cupcakes that my oldest daughter adores.

OK... so that's it. I don't know when the official winner(s) of this contest will be announced, because it really depends upon how many entries we receive... because, we can't bake all the cupcakes at once, because I'm sure that if I did that, my adoration of cupcakes would quickly fade into... something else.

But, I will keep you updated!!!

So, please... send in your recipes! I look forward to trying your best!

~Anne

What have you been up to?

2008-10-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I've been incredibly busy. Yeah, I know, I say that a lot! It seems like I've been averaging about a journal entry per month, and really, it doesn't seem like it's been that few for me, it seems like I only just charted my last entry a week ago! Time has a way of slipping past you when you're busy doing... whatever it is that I've been doing!

I'm still doing quite a bit of unpacking... well, actually, that's not completely true... I guess it's more accurate to say that I've still quite a bit to do... but I've not spent a lot of time doing it. *sigh* I do need to get busy on it though, in the coming months, it's going to be entirely too cold to be out in the garage doing much of anything, and I can't hardly justify purchasing a space heater for the garage if one can hardly navigate amongst the rubble! So, it's time to get busy.

We also want to plant our fall bulbs for spring blooming! Now that we actually have a yard -- it will be so nice to be able to have some beauty to admire in the garden. It will also be a great opportunity for me to spend some time with my youngest, who wants to help plant her favorite flowers - tulips.

In the midst of all this contemplation of what I should be doing... I have actually been working on tea too... I am still working out the kinks with my Caramel tea. I think I may have found the right combination, but I must wait... I think that's the hardest part of the art of tea flavoring and blending, is the waiting after I've flavored or blended a tea, to see if the flavors are harmonious. It's very important to allow those flavors to mingle and marry... what tastes good now may not be good in three weeks. So, it's an art that requires a great deal of patience.

And I've been sampling too... I'm currently looking for the right Darjeeling and I've also been sampling Oolongs as well. I have been very fond of my Formosa Choicest, however, my supplier has granted me a nice supply of Oolongs to sample and I might just find another I favor. We shall see.

So, that's what I've been up to.

~Anne

What's in your cup today?

2008-09-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, Everyone!

Well, it looks as though we'll be enjoying some warm weather for the next week or so, or so the weatherman tells us. I'm not sure if I'm pleased or not with that forecast, as I would love to be enjoying the cooler fall weather that I look forward to every year. I love to be able to cozy up to a hot cup of tea. Sure, I love my iced tea, and I've been enjoying quite a bit of iced tea this summer, but, there's nothing quite as satisfying to me as a cup of hot tea.

However, every morning, I do get myself a pot of hot tea... this morning, I enjoyed a pot of my yerba mate blend, Almond Mocha Mate. As I've mentioned before, I can't drink my favorite mocha drinks anymore, because my stomach just can't handle it.

That's why I do love this Mate blend. The Roasted Yerba Mate is somewhat reminiscent of coffee, and the addition of chocolate and almond flavoring brings it to life, and it tastes so much like my favorite mocha drink I used to order every morning... but without the ill after effects.

~Anne

Tea Treat Review!

2008-09-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, I guess it's no secret that I love my tea, and sometimes it's nice to have a little something to go with my tea. Whenever I'm in a tea shop, I eventually check out the tea time treats they offer, and I usually pick something new to try. You never know when you just might stumble upon a favorite!

Recently, I visited a tea bar in Portland, and I found "Choclatea" bars from the chocolate chefs at smilechocolatiers.com. They blend fine chocolate with finely ground tea to create a unique kind of candy bar. They're a bit pricy ($5.95 for a bar!) but, as I was conducting important research, I felt that I should bite the bullet and fork out the 6 bucks for a bar. The tea bar featured several different flavors, but the one that appealed to me most was the Wild Raspberry Tea Milk Chocolate Bar.

Of course, I had to select just the right tea to sip along with my chocolate. Today, I decided to brew my Masterpiece Chai.

The chocolate is very smooth, and the raspberry tea flavor is subtle at first. Then you notice the tangy wild raspberry flavor dancing upon your palette. Very nice, indeed. And while the bar may seem a bit costly, the flavor is very rich, so you don't feel so bad about sharing the bar with a friend or two while sipping tea together. (Or maybe saving a bit for yourself for later!)

As I mentioned, Choclatea bars come in several different flavors. I'm now eager to try a couple of the other intriguing offerings, such as Pomegranate White Tea Very Dark Chocolate, and Coconut Greet Tea Dark Chocolate. And while white chocolate is not my favorite, I might even be enticed to try the Pistachio White Tea White Chocolate. Just for experimentation purposes, you understand!

So, if you happen across Choclatea Bars, I highly recommend picking up a bar for your next sweet tooth craving! If you like tea and you like chocolate... well, you're just going to LOVE these chocolate bars!

~Anne

I'm Back!

2008-08-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Well, as some of you probably already know, I've been in the process of moving... I'm not quite finished yet, still have a lot of unpacking and organizing to do (primarily in my garage aka the art studio!) but we are in the new house, out of the old place... it's just a matter of getting everything settled and finding a place for everything. It's a lot of work, and it's a big pain to have to move, but despite that, I'm glad we did, we really have needed a larger space for a long time now. The new house is so nice, and it's just perfect for us.

On to some new tea news!

Momoko Melon: IT'S BACK IN STOCK! This is one of my all time summer teas, it tastes amazing on ice! (It's also delicious served hot) So refreshing!

Sweet Caramel O'Mine: It's coming back! But only for a limited time! Here's the story: my supplier of flavorings discontinued it's caramel flavoring, however, they did have one bottle left of it, and because I had been bugging them they sent it to me. (Squeaky wheel gets the grease?) Anyway... I have one bottle of my special caramel flavoring left, so once it's gone, I don't know if I'll be able to get more!

So, what I'm trying to say, is keep an eye out, in the next couple of weeks, my first batch will be ready... so be sure to get some while you can! This is absolutely my very best seller... so it will sell out fast!

Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend: I have only a small amount of this left. I don't think I will be blending another batch for St. Patrick's day for 2009, so grab what's left while you can! (Oh, and it's clearance priced too!)

My Etsy Store: I haven't loaded any teas up there recently, as some of you may have noticed... well, that's because, as I said before, I've been moving... and the move has taken me from doing the things I need to get done! There are some teas there now... and within the next month, I plan to start uploading more teas... Once I get all my teas loaded to my etsy store, I will have my website automatically forward traffic to the etsy store... so when you head on over to my store sometime in the distant future, you'll be redirected to my etsy store. This change is very much for the better, it will help me streamline everything, and keep better track of my inventory.

That's about all from me for now... I need to make a newsletter soon!

~Anne

I've been tagged!

2008-06-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

My good friend (and co-moderator of the Brunch-Scones-Tea yahoo group), Valerie of Tea & Trinkets, has tagged me!

Tag Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player tags 4 people and posts their names, and goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.

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So here goes!

Ten Years Ago ... my gramma and grampa moved away from Southern California (where I also lived) to Chester, Illinois, the small town where the two of them grew up, met, and married. It was a very emotional time for me. I was a single parent, and was quite content to be single, having no desire to get involved with someone and have my heart broken yet again. Little did I know that two years later I'd meet a man who'd change my mind! I was still in college, attending as a "non-traditional" student.

Five Things on Today's To-Do List: (ok, since today is nearly finished... it's 7 pm! I'm going to discuss the things that WERE on my list, and may have already been completed!)

1. Take my daughter to dance class (done!)
2. Go to tea at our local tea house before we move away (done!)
3. Pack till I drop!
4. After I drop, pick myself up and pack some more!
5. Contact someone to pick up our old dryer.

Snacks I enjoy: Chocolates, Cupcakes, and Carrots. Yes... carrots. I actually crave them, and if I go a day without at least one, I'm left feeling unsatisfied.

Things I would do if I was a millionaire: I'd invest some of the money so that I wouldn't have to worry about finances any more... then, I'd travel to places I'd like to go, such as Paris and Rome. I'd definitely go to Disneyland -- and even stay at the apartment in the park! I'd also buy a comfortable home... and I might even let my husband quit his job!

Places I have lived: I was born in Southern California, and lived a good part of my life there. I also lived in Nevada and Washington.

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I was tagged by my friend Valerie of http://www.teaandtrinkets.com

I am going to tag some of my art friends...

Gail at http://runmoremiles.blogspot.com/
Cheryl at http://luv2stamp.blogspot.com/
Tamara at http://magicmolecules.blogspot.com/
Liisa at http://room206-liisamannery.blogspot.com/

OK... so that's about it! Tag! You're It!!!

~Anne

Website Changes

2008-06-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I am in the process of changing my website over to be redirected to my etsy store. Currently, I have 2 teas available in my etsy store, my Potpourri Tea, and my new Breakfast in Bed Tea... both in tins. I will be hopefully adding the rest of my teas later this week. By the time I'm finished, you'll be able to buy your favorite LiberTEAS tea in reusable tins or in the refill bags.

Potpourri Tea

Breakfast in Bed Tea

In the meantime, if you experience any problems with the website and would like to place an order of a tea that is not yet available on etsy, please email me and I'll be happy to take your order via email.

Thanks to everyone for your support! I appreciate it!

~Anne

New Teas!

2008-05-14T17:43:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Well, for a couple of months now, I've been telling you about my two new teas that I've added to my collection... and now, they're both finally available for sale!

The first tea is Green Apple Tea. I really love this tea, and it's delicious served both hot and iced! When I was younger, I remember a soda called "Aspen" -- it was an apple flavored soda, crisp and refreshing. I don't drink a lot of soda (usually only when I'm out to eat, as I usually do not care for the teas served at restaurants), but, if this soda was still available, I'd drink it. It was uncommonly delicious, and unlike anything that's out on the market today.

While my tea is quite obviously not a soda pop, the light, crisp flavor of green apples reminds me a lot of that flavor I miss so much from my childhood. It's also 100% organic! An absolute MUST try tea!

The second tea is Breakfast in Bed Tea, so named because it's a tea you want to linger over, just like a delightful, relaxing breakfast served to you in bed. It has a luxurious flavor and an amazing fragrance. Delicate Rose scented tea, with a creamy vanilla flavor and a subtle touch of cinnamon! This tea was inspired by a good friend and fellow tea lover.

~Anne

I'm the Mad Hatter!

2008-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

What Alice in Wonderland Character Are You?

You are The Mad Hatter

One thing is for sure- you're as mad as a hatter. You have an obsession with time and if tea time were to ever cease, you would probably be even more confused.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

But then, the result of this quiz should come as no surprise!

Just a quick update...

Green Apple Tea will be arriving later this week... please watch this blog for updates, or better yet, you can click here to subscribe to my newsletter!

Also... my new Rose/Vanilla/Cinnamon tea flavor will be ready for sale soon! This flavor is OH SO YUMMY!

~Anne

Spring is in the Air!

2008-04-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

And... whoa... can my sinuses and eyes feel it! UGH! This is absolutely my least favorite time of year. I know a lot of people love Spring -- as the world re-awakens after it's cold winter's rest... the vibrant colors of the daffodils and crocus begin to bloom and the beauty of the cherry blossoms delight... I love these things too, don't get me wrong. As an artist, how could one not just love the bustling colors of spring?

But, as an allergy sufferer, I detest the coming of Spring! The itchy, watery eyes, the coughing, sneezing and the runny nose! The stuffy sinuses that constantly drain yet never seem to be clear! The effects of the over-the-counter options are so undesirable too. Of course, yes, the products WORK to clear up the symptoms, but, they leave behind side effects of their own -- one leaving me feeling so groggy that I can't function, and the other leaving me so dry that I can drink a gallon of water and not begin to quench the desert that my tongue and throat becomes.

Fortunately, I do have Allergi-TEA! It works wonders! I love that after I've consumed a cup (or, in my case, mug!) my symptoms begin to disappear. During this time of year, I drink at least 1 pot of Allergi-TEA each day... my one big problem is that I NEED that pot first thing in the morning... and that's the hardest time for me... my sinuses have made my head feel like it's a bowling ball set upon my shoulders -- it feels so heavy and clumsy that I just don't feel like making tea! ha!

Ah well, I do hope that this season passes by as quickly as it seems the Fall (my favorite season!) did last year... it seems like I hardly had time to enjoy the brilliant colors of Autumn before the leaves fell and winter took hold! Although, I must admit, I do love winter too. Especially here in the Pacific Northwest, where the skies are multiple shades of gray and the bare branches of the trees are dancing among the dark clouds... it's so breathtaking.

And... of course, it is so comforting to curl up with that hot mug of tea!!!

Happy sipping!
~Anne

A New Rose Tea Blend!

2008-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

a good friend of mine offered a new flavor idea to try... so I did. She wanted a rose tea with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon. As I'm not particularly fond of most rose teas -- I find them to be too floral for my taste -- I wasn't too positive about the outcome, but I still decided to give it a try.

Well, I'm happy to say that the flavor combination definitely works! The rose is prominent, but, not overpowering. The vanilla softens the sharp rose flavor, and the cinnamon is a subtle undertone. The fragrance of this tea is outstanding, and the flavor is divine! A very delightful tea.

Since my friend suggested the flavor, I'm going to wait until she tries it and names it, before I go ahead and start blending it in large quantities. But, I'm excited about this new flavor!

I am also expecting to have my new green apple flavor available soon, as well as the Sikkim tea! I hope that you enjoy these teas as much as I do! These will be delightful additions to my collection for the coming of spring! Both should make delightful teas to serve hot on those crisp spring mornings, and iced on those warmer spring afternoons!

Now, for a bit of bad news... I've decided to scrap the warm cookie flavor. I just can't seem to get the right balance of flavors that I have envisioned. I am still working on my winter wonderland flavor... and hopefully that will be ready for next winter!

Well, that's all for now.
~Anne

Tea Excitement!

2008-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, I have some exciting news to share...

A few weeks ago, I received a sample from one of my vendors, and I tried it a few days ago. It's amazing! Usually, when I try a new flavor from one of my vendors, I experiment a little bit with it, try to see how I might improve upon it, see if I can "alter" the flavor a bit -- jazz it up, and make it uniquely "mine."

But not this time. This is one of only a handful of times that I've sampled a tea and have found it to be PERFECT just the way it is. The first time I experienced this sensation was when I first sampled Formosa Oolong - Choicest... it just tasted remarkable! Of course, since then, I've experimented a little with it, and found that the natural peach-like flavor of the Oolong pairs well with summer melon flavors, and hence, my Momoko Melon Oolong was born!

Most of the time though, I'll try something, and look for ways to improve upon it... and in doing so I'll create a blend of tea that is uniquely my own. I think that this is what differentiates me from many other tea vendors... I mean, if I'm selling all "stock" teas, and nothing uniquely my own, what's the point? Most tea vendors have their own retail business as well as wholesale, so why try to compete with that?

This is how my unique tea blends, such as Liberteas Breakfast Blend and Masterpiece Chai came to be. I'm very proud of these blends, as well as my other unique blends, because they're truly unique, my own recipes, and something that nobody else can duplicate.

However, every once in a while, a tea comes in to my radar... like my Formosa Oolong, that I just fall in love with and I must add to my collection! Green Apple is just such a tea! This is a flavored green tea blend... 100% organic, that is absolutely amazing! This tea will come available in my store sometime in March -- just in time for St. Patrick's day, I should think!

In addition, I will be adding my Creamy Irish Breakfast blend back to my collection -- it's nearly ready to be added to my shelves! Watch for it in another week or two!

I am so excited about these two teas -- one, making it's annual, seasonal return, and the other, making it's grand debut to my collection!

~Anne

January 31, 2008

2008-01-31T16:47:00.001-08:00

Good afternoon, and I hope that this new year has been treating everyone quite well!

It's been a while since I've updated my blog on my tea happenings, so I thought it was high time I did so!

What I've been blending:

I have a new batch of my Almond Mocha Mate that will be ready to roll in about a week. I'm looking forward to this batch, because I've missed my mocha flavored fix! As much as I do adore tea, sometimes, I want something with the edge and bite that coffee can deliver, but, unfortunately, coffee and coffee products (like mochas) just do not agree with me! My Almond Mocha Mate is the perfect answer! I get all the flavor and enjoyment that I miss from my favorite mocha flavor from the local coffeehouse, but none of the disagreeable ill-after-effects. I can have my cake and eat it too!

My Red Velvet Tisane should be ready around February 11. This blend combines the flavors of pear and blood oranges to create a sweet, invigorating beverage! I just love it!

Do you suffer from seasonal allergy symptoms, but hate to take the OTC medications that leave you feeling groggy and just... out of it? I developed my Allergi-TEA for people like me, who wanted something to help alleviate those symptoms but didn't leave me feeling half asleep all day! My newest batch will be in stock in about a week.

Other happenings: I have 2 chatsford teapots (6 cup size) available! I will be posting them to the website soon...

That's about it!
~Anne

Be good to your tea kettle...

2007-12-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

And with a little luck, it will reward you.

Don't ever attempt to heat milk in your electric tea kettle. (Don't ask me how I know this, just rest assured, I know...)

*sigh*

I'm finally getting myself caught up after the artisan fair from last weekend. Preparing for this and my tea for soap trade with Rebecca pretty much wiped my inventory out of teas... so I had to do a bit more blending!

My Earl Grey Creme IS back, and on sale!

My Starry Night is BACK too!

~Anne

The Return of T-Sacs and Earl Grey!

2007-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Autumn, everyone! To be truthful, it's beginning to feel a bit more like Winter than Autumn here in the Pacific Northwest... we've been experiencing some rather chilly weather indeed! Most of the leaves have fallen, although there are a few trees till holding on to their lovely Autumn display for a bit longer... and they're still quite breathtaking!

I do love the "nude" winter look of most trees too, I must admit. I do love to see the line, the curve, the movement of the branches... it's very inspiring to me artistically.

I recently got more T-Sacs in stock! I know that one or two customers were asking about them, I'm going to have to review my archived emails to see who so that I can notify you!

Earl Grey Creme tea will be back in stock within 10 days too!

On a more downbeat note, I've had to take the 3 mini-tin samplers off the website for the time being... Not only will I be offering my sampler tins along side my full size tins at the Artisan's Fair in December, but I am also sending a large quantity of full sampler tins to Rebecca of Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen to offer at her own similar type craft fair. We traded equal amounts of tea to soap... so I'll be selling some of her delicious smelling soaps, and she'll be selling some of my delicious teas! It's a very wonderful arrangement, one I'm very excited about!

But not to worry, sampler fans, I will have the 3 tin sampler back up after the holiday season, if not before! I just need as many tins as I can get my hands on at this point!

Special Requests? Office Gift Giving? I am doing a couple of special requests from customers who want to give their co-workers the gift of tea this Holiday season. I put together little samplers -- like the samples you get with every order -- in a little package, and it makes a wonderful little gift. Pair it with a tea mug from the dollar store and you have a great gift that will remind them of you throughout the year!

Interested? Just email me at anneliberteas@yahoo.com and I'll work with you to put together something that will knock their socks off!

The Winter Wonderland tea may be put on haitus for the time being, as I mentioned before. I just can't get the flavor I was hoping for with it... so I'm going to need to work on the recipes a bit more. I did, however, get some pleasing ideas for an Autumn Harvest tea... which with a bit more tweaking of the recipe, I may just have a seasonal offering for Autumn next year!

So, that's all for now. Thanks for reading along! For those of you who catch my newsletter, I'll be posting one within the next day or so with some intriguing offers!

~Anne

Well........

2007-11-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

After testing the first batches of my Winter Wonderland blend, I am not completely happy with either outcomes... so, sadly these will probably not be ready in time for the tea of the month for December, but possibly it will be ready for January's tea...

It's a bit of a disappointment, really, because I had hoped to have the blend ready for the Homecoming Celebration in December, as I will be hosting a table at the artisan's fair. But, oh well, I suppose I will just have to be content to serve the Breakfast Blend and the Candy Shoppe at my table...

I will also be featuring soaps from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen at my table. I received the box of soaps in the mail yesterday, and let me tell you, if you haven't been to Rebecca's website yet, you should make your way there NOW and try some of her delicious smelling soaps. I strongly recommend the Spiced Cider Soap -- this one reminds me of those cold, wintery nights when I was a kid, and gramma would make a hot, steamy cup of apple cider. Yummy!

I also recommend the Spiced Cranberry Soap & the Peppermint Cocoa Soap. Both of these smell oh soooooo good too! I don't think I could select just one favorite!

In addition, I will have some lovely teapot cozies to sell, and some altered domino ornaments that I've been making. Let's hope we have a successful trip to the artisan's fair!

~Anne

it's been a while!

2007-11-08T07:30:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm sorry about that... I have neglected my tea journal once again!

I've been working on several new blends... well, one of them is not so new... It's one that I had been working on for a while a year or so ago, but, I shelved it as I wasn't getting quite the flavor I was looking for... so I thought I'd try again.

That flavor is what I will probably call "fresh cookies" or "warm cookies" ~ a tribute, so to speak, to my gramma... or more specifically, my gramma's kitchen. There are few flavors and scents more comforting than the smell of cookies baking in the oven... nothing transports me back to being a young girl, helping my gramma in the kitchen, than the fragrance of cookies, freshly baked! This blend will probably not be done until around February, because, I have another tea priority at the moment, and that is...

My Winter Wonderland blend. I have a couple of different recipes "brewing" as we speak, and in about a week, I will be sampling them both and seeing which I like best (well, I'm hopeful that I will like at least one!) and it will be my special wintery flavor that I blend only one time a year. I wanted something that was very reminiscent of those flavors that remind one of the holiday season -- cinnamon spice, orange, vanilla, and possibly cranberry. We shall see how the recipes work out... more on that when it's ready for production!

Anyways, so that's what I've been up to. I need to get busy now... and get my daughter off to school! Thanks for reading along!

~Anne

What's new at Liber-TEAS?

2007-08-02T12:58:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone: It's been a while since I've posted an update here, and there have been some changes!

First, my Masterpiece Chai is back in stock! And NOBODY is happier about that than I! I have missed my delightfully spicy Chai tea! I love chai lattes! And it's been quite enjoyable served iced as well as hot!

Second, I finally am offering my tea of the month club memberships once again! I'm so glad that I can offer these again, they've been very popular, and even while I wasn't offering them, I kept my existing memberships active... and have developed quite a following with it!

Speaking of tea of the month, my tea of the month for August is La Vert Pear! My batch of La Vert Pear isn't yet ready for shipment, but you can pre-order it now. It will be ready for shipping just after August 20th! Yum! This is one of my very favorite teas to serve as an iced tea. The flavor profile is absolutely refreshing and stimulating for those hot, lazy days of summer!

Well, that's all for now, thanks for checking in on me!

~Anne

Iced Tea Time!

2007-07-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying a lot of iced tea lately. I still love my hot tea, of course, but, when it gets warmer in the afternoon, the iced tea sure is refreshing! I've been playing a lot with the flavors of my iced teas... in other words, I've been more bold in what I'm willing to try iced! Before, I wouldn't have dared to use my chai teas or my breakfast blends in my iced teas, but, I'm getting more daring!

It kind of happened by 'chance' -- I had made a pot of breakfast blend for my morning hot tea. And I only drank one cup from my 2 cup pot (well, actually, it's a 4 cup pot, but I use larger MUGS for my hot tea most of the time, and my large mug can accomodate the same amount of tea as my smaller tea cups), and rather than wasting my now cold, brewed tea, since I was making a new batch of iced tea, I decided to just add that tea in to my tea pitcher.

And... since I had only brewed those tea leaves once, I decided to go ahead and brew them a second time, and add that freshly brewed tea to the tea pitcher too. Then, I brewed up some fresh strawberry tea (which is now sold out ... sorry!), and filled the same tea pitcher with the strawberry tea. The resulting iced tea was just amazing! The strawberry flavors mingled with the light vanilla flavors from the breakfast blend... lending it a sort of strawberry and cream flavor! So delightful and refreshing!

Since that particular batch was so successful, the next batch I tried was my Masterpiece Chai (I'm blending a new batch and I needed to sample it to make sure I was on the right track!) ... and wow! I love the spicy flavor to the iced tea. I was unsure of this at first, because I LOVE chai, but, my love had been just for the hot tea, blended with milk. But ohhh... the spice in the chai when it's chilled without the milk is very nice too!

So many yummy flavors -- only 2 iced tea pitchers! haha!

~Anne

June 22, 2007

2007-06-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Just a really quick update to let you know what teas are available (and, I guess, more to the point, which ones aren't!)

Red Velvet: (June's tea of the month) I sold out of this delicious tisane this morning, not sure when I'll be restocking it!

Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend: I have one more package of this left! If this is one that you've been wanting, better get yours NOW! I won't be restocking this one until late next February.

Momoko Melon Oolong: This one is IN now, and ready for shipment. It's the PERFECT tea for this hot weather! It's so deliciously refreshing when served over ice! YUM!

Cherry Almond: This is one is so luxuriously smooth and delightful. Only 1 package left!

Formosa Oolong~Choicest: Is still on special... but not for long! I put this on temporary 'clearance' to help clear out some over-stock... and then it will go back to it's regular price.

So that's all of this update for now. Enjoy!

~Anne

June 19, 2007

2007-06-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since my last post, but now that I've decided to dedicate this blog to my tea blending activities and create a new one for my art, I'm only posting in this one when there are events concerning tea!

And tea blending can take a lot longer than artwork!

But... it's well worth the wait! Case and point: My Momoko Melon Oolong Tea is HERE and ready for shipment now! This is one of my very favorites served iced... and it's rare when I can say this, but, I actually prefer it iced! Most teas are enjoyable served iced, but few are EVEN MORE refreshingly delicious served iced than served hot. My Momoko Melon Oolong is an exception... smooth Oolong flavor blended with the sweetness of summertime melons! So good!

In the Blender:

I'm currently working on my Masterpiece Chai. I expect that it will be ready by mid-July.

Tea of the Month:

June's tea of the month is Red Velvet Tisane! This is a favorite of mine served iced too! Nice and fruity! It's a blend of Pear & Blood Orange ~ sweet and juicy ~ and naturally caffeine free!

July's tea of the month will be my Momoko Melon Oolong.

Other Specials:

I'm having a Clearance Special right now -- 30% off the regular price of the following teas:

Cherry Almond Tea ~ Smooth, Luxurious, and just the right touch of sweetness make this a tea that's difficult to resist! but you better hurry, at the time of writing this, I only have 1 order left!

Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend ~ Creamy Caramel Vanilla Flavor blended with the traditionally bold flavor of Irish Breakfast. It's so good! Hurry -- just 1 left!

Formosa Oolong - Choicest ~ This is the PERFECT Oolong! I have plenty of this available, but only a few packages on sale!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading along!

~Anne

Saturday, April 28

2007-04-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I can't believe over a month has passed since my last entry!

Here are some updates on what I've been up to in my world of tea:

Red Velvet: My Red Velvet Tisane is back in stock! I apologize for the delay on this one, I was out of one of my ingredients, and it was on back order from my supplier. This is one of my favorite tisanes to enjoy as an iced beverage, so it's perfect with the warm weather that's approaching!

Potpourri: My Potpourri Green tea is also back in stock! This is an amazing tea -- the flavor is just so delightful! Roses, Jasmine, Laurel & Lemon Myrtle are blended with Gunpowder Green tea. These unique flavors blend together so unexpectedly well! The second pot (reusing the leaves) is even more delicious than the first!

I've sold out of a few teas too:

Sweet Caramel O'Mine: Sadly, I don't know if I will be able to restock this one. The company that carried a component of my blend has discontinued it, so I will need to do some additional research to recreate it. With any luck I will have it back in stock by September or October, just in time for a comforting cup of hot tea!

Masterpiece Chai: This one I will not restock until closer to early fall.

Anyway, that's all my updates for now! I hope you are having a tea-lightful day!

~Anne

Creamy Irish Breakfast back in stock!

2007-03-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well, my stock of Creamy Irish Breakfast is now replenished! I have enough to get me through St. Patrick's Day... at least, I think I do! This will be the last batch that I blend this year though, so you better hurry to get your supply before it sells out!

Now for some bad news... a spammer got ahold of my email address and sent out a mass mailing... I only know this because I got a TON of "undeliverable" emails and spam filter type emails. I hope that this won't last for long... but if you've emailed me recently or sent me a comment, and I've not responded, please PLEASE please resend it. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I did try to filter through the THOUSANDS of spamish emails to find any comments, order or other things pertaining to the business that I could.

It was not pretty!

Anyway... enough of that!

Tea of the Month club members can expect to see their teas arrive sometime this week, the last of the packages will be heading out today and tomorrow.

Some things to look forward to:

March's tea of the month is, not surprisingly, Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend! This is a bold, delightfully creamy and delicious tea... don't miss it, I blend it only one time a year... and this is it! Once this supply is gone, it's gone for another year!

April's tea of the month will be my all new Allergi-TEA! I suffer from terrible allergy symptoms every spring... so I created this new blend with an herbal specialist, and came up with a tisane that tastes great and works WONDERS with allergy symptoms! No more OTC medications that keep me in a state of suspended grogginess!

Well, that's about all of my updates for now... please check back often and see what's happening in my little tea shop!

Almost caught up with orders!

2007-02-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm almost all caught up with orders, so if you are waiting on an order, it should arrive by next week, the end of the week, at the very latest.

For my tea of the month customers, I'm sorry, but I did sell out of the Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend, but fear not! I've blended more, and I will have your teas shipped out to you before St. Patrick's Day so that you can celebrate your St. Patty's Day Breakfast in grand style! This will be my last batch of the Creamy Irish Breakfast blend for this year, so if you haven't ordered yours yet, be sure to get it while it's in stock, after this next batch is gone... it's gone for another year!

I've also had a lot of positive feedback regarding the Jasmine Knots! The flavor is just phenomenal! It's been the tea that I've been pouring from my tea pot for several days now, I just can't get enough!

So, that's about it for now. Expect to see the next newsletter right on target, released on the first of March! Have a great afternoon!

~Anne

February 15, 2007

2007-02-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

WOW! I've already nearly sold out of the Creamy Irish Breakfast tea! I can't believe how quickly it's sold! Well, gosh, since it's WAYYY before St. Patty's Day, I guess I'm going to have to blend up another batch! One more batch ~ and THAT will be it for the year!

Anyways... I've got several orders to fill, so I better get busy! :)

~Anne

A Whole New Domain ... and Blog!

2007-02-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Earlier this week, I secured the domain for www.eccentricpastiche.com. I hope to eventually start a basic website where I can talk about 'zines & my art... and sell my 'zines & art. But for now, it's just a forwarding URL which will redirect you to my tea website.

To go along with the new domain, I thought that I would secure the blogspot too. So now, the task at hand is to refocus this blog to make it a tea journal -- less about my art and more about my tea... and the new blog will be about my artistic & 'zine-istic endeavors.

So... let's start talking about tea!

Tomorrow, my creamy Irish Breakfast will be ready to roll!

I missed this tea! It's so good!

I will also soon have Jasmine Knots in stock. I am still considering how I might package these... right now I'm thinking I'll just sell them in 1 ounce portions in my small sampler tins. But, that may change!

Anyway, more updates to come!

February 6, 2007

2007-02-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone:

Yep, well, I'm behind on everything right now! I've not worked on a new newsletter (sorry!)... and I really need to. I guess I'll work on that right after I'm finished posting this journal entry. I do have a few tea updates, but first a few words about what I've been up to... in case anyone's interested.

My postage scale died late last week. This makes it very difficult to send out packages, since I need it to be able to actually prepare my packages for mailing. Oh sure, I suppose I could just take them down to the post office the old fashioned way, but, that really leaves much to be desired from my business end of things, since I then loose the ability to track the packages with simplicity. :( So being the stubborn being that I am, I must have another scale.

Fortunately, I do have another scale.... it's just buried amongst my art supply rubble in my studio (aka the garage). So... that's what I've been up to since Friday... I've been working on organizing my studio space so that I can actually move about in there... also, it's a very necessary thing since we're getting a new dryer in next week and we'll need to wheel it in to the garage... which would be absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to do in it's current state.

Anyways, I should be finished with the art supply portion of the garage by Friday, and then the rest of the garage will be finished by Sunday, so that on Monday we can do the dryer thing.

Now... on to the tea time updates!

I'm currently 'sold out' of my T-Sacs, as some of you probably have noticed. I will be getting them back in next week, probably on Wednesday. Sorry for the delay on those, but since I have a minimum order for the supplier on those, I couldn't order them until I needed other things from them and had room to store those other things.

I will also have my storage tins back in stock at the same time.

IN THE BLENDER:

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I've been blending my Creamy Irish Breakfast Blend. This tea will be available for sale in LIMITED quantities beginning February 19th. I only make one batch of this tea every year, and it goes FAST... so if you're wanting it... you better get it while it's here! Once it's gone, it's gone for a whole year!

I've also finally reached a decision about a Jasmine Green tea. I absolutely adore jasmine green teas, especially the pearl type teas. About a year and a half ago, I discovered a fabulous jasmine green tea that was 'knotted' rather than rolled into tiny balls. The jasmine flavor of this knotted tea is far more pronounced than that of the jasmine pearls. Unfortunately, the tea is also quite a bit more costly than the pearls, which are also costly, so that was definitely something I had to take into consideration when making this decision. So... I've decided to carry the Knotty Jasmine tea to see how it sells... if it sells well, I will make it part of my permanent tea line. I will have the Jasmine Knots available for sale late next week, so watch for them!

also... just a little bulletin for my Tea of the Month Club members... I'll be sending you a freebie gifty of the jasmine knots... it's my belated holiday gift to you! :) I was on back order from my supplier for these knotty little knots!

Anyway, that's all for now... thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Sunday, January 28, 2007

2007-01-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I don't have much of an update... but I did want to add a link to the charms swap since with my chosen template I don't have a links section on my blog page. Please visit the charms swap blog for more delightful eye candy!!! The charms that are being submitted are really incredible!

This past week, I also completed a fatbook page for Vickie from B-Muse. As some of you might be aware, she suffered from a brain aneurysm earlier this year. Her Bmuse yahoo! group hosted a special fat book as a get well gift for Vickie. The first picture is the front of the page, the second, the back.

The most recent news is that Vickie is home now and is getting stronger and stronger by the day. I hope that she enjoys her fatbook... and my wish for her is that she recovers from this stronger and more vibrant than she was before (although for those of you who know her, you know she's already an amazing woman!)

So that's all for now... Thanks for checking in and reading along!

~Anne

January 23, 2007 10:41 pm

2007-01-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Wow! Did it snow! We don't usually get snow up here... rain... sure, but rarely does it snow. I would say we average maybe one snow per year, and usually it's a light snow that remains a day or two at the most. My kids were out of school all week last week, except for Friday, which was a late start day, because of the snow.

The change in the weather also affected me, leaving me with a cold/flu that just hasn't been much fun to contend with. I think I'm on the mend now though, and able to do a lot more than I was just a couple of days ago.

Which leads me to explain the tardiness in some of the tea of the month packages. I was working on preparation of the tea of the month packages just before the snowstorm hit this way. After that, I wasn't able to trek down to the post office. So, my apologies for the delays, please be assured that your packages WILL be mailed later this week.

On to art related news... I have been working on charm-making as of late. Here are a couple pictures of my first set, which I finished several weeks ago, but only just got around to getting them scanned. I only scanned 3 of the 22 that I made, scanning 22 individual charms just didn't seem like fun to me........

These were all done on guitar picks. I had traded for a bunch of guitar picks about a year and a half ago, but never got around to trying my hand at altering them... so I decided to use them as the base for my charms. The flowers are cut out of German paper scrap, and then I used a gloss lacquer to coat it, and then sealed it with acrylic sealant. Here are a couple more......

As you've probably noticed this one's a bit different. Most of the charms look like this second one, with a flower in the background and a butterfly as the main image, with the word "fly". Only two of them did I make with just a rose.

I'm really happy with the way these turned out. It's funny, when I first started doing these, I thought that they wouldn't be 'enough' with just the rose, that they needed the butterfly and word to complete the collage look... but now that they're all finished, I think I actually prefer the simplicity of the rose picks.

Anyway, so now that they've been 'airing' out for a couple of weeks, I think they're ready to head on out to the swap hostess. I am so looking forward to seeing the rest of the charms sent in from this swap!

So that's all for now!

~Anne

Happy New Year!

2007-01-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

How's the new year's resolutions going so far? For me, not so great... but better than most years, I suppose. My #1 resolution is to journal more often (written journal as opposed to blogger journal). While I have been keeping the journal... I've not been keeping it daily, which I'd like to do... but I guess it's probably not too realistic for me... I just don't have the attention span, I guess.

Anyway... here are some photos of what inspired me to begin journaling more... I've altered 3 journal covers -- all three for swaps, and I want to use the books! Here's two of them that I altered...

This first one is an Asian inspired collage... the top is the front, the bottom, the back. I didn't scan the inner covers (which I also altered) because I didn't want to possibly break the binding of the books in the scanner...

I used a pond leaf handmade paper as the base cover... I liked how the pond leaf impressions sort of look like fans, adding to the overall Asain theme.

For the second journal cover, I used a kit that I got from Altered Pages. I don't think she sells these particular kits anymore... but I just loved the colors and the gypsy theme of the collage sheets in the kit, and thought they worked well with the composition book cover.

The colors of the papers included in the kit were so bold and beautiful. I painted a base coat onto the covers using a latex paint I found at my local hardware store, and then added the papers which I tore to give some interest. I added the images & gel medium. On top of the images, I used crackle glaze -- I really liked the effect this created. Then I painted a strip of muslin to cover the spine and used copper tape around the edges. I found an old earring that I used on the end of a piece of ribbon (the ribbon came with the kit) and tied the earring on to it like a bead.

I really enjoyed working on the comp books... Next year, I'll have to secure a bunch of these, alter them and give them out as gifts.

Anyway, that's all for now... thanks for reading along!

~Anne

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, another holiday! The years seem to come and go so quickly, it doesn't seem that it's been a whole year since we've had to pack and move, since my hubby was in the hospital. Last year this time was a difficult time for us, to be sure! I'm very glad that we aren't experiencing the same hardships we did last year!

One thing I've learned over the past year, actually, I think I've learned it just recently, is that I need to quit spreading myself so thin. I need to not try to do too much at once. This seems to shut the muse down faster than anything else... I never feel so uncreative as when I have too much that I'm committed to get done. I need to really pace myself better. I guess this is a resolution for the new year perhaps?

I end up committing to more than I can accomplish, and then I let everyone down because the muse then shuts down... and it's as if I can hear her laughing at me! She's a cruel cruel muse, to be sure.

The calendar auction went off well! It got up to 61 dollars! I was shocked and so very pleased that we did so well for Robin's cause! The lady who won the auction seems so very happy with her calendar as well. The yahoo group also seems so happy about the calendars... as I said, I couldn't be happier with them! They are simply gorgeous! I'm gushing again!

So, for the next week, I'm going to try to play CATCH UP and get a few things done that I've needed to get done! I'm nearly there, really. It's just that things are so spread out that I feel like I'm wallowing in chaos. Which is kind of weird because I usually thrive in chaos... but, not lately... it's like there is a big part of me that is just saying HEY... you need to get yourself organized a bit. Until you do you just can't create.

*sigh* -- that muse of mine.

December 12, 2006

2006-12-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

It's been kind of a dreary beginning to the week... we've had a lot of very cold, very wet weather, and so I've not had a lot of energy to focus on the things I need to get done! Hopefully that will change soon!

Anyway, this is just a short update, I wanted to post the link to Robin's ebay auctions. Here is where you can find many GORGEOUS pieces of art that have been donated for Robin's cause. You can learn more by visiting the link and clicking on the 'me' page.

I hope to get the extra 2007 EccentricPastiche calendar up for auction there soon as well, so if you're interested in that, please visit the auction site often and look for it!

~Anne

December 7, 2006

2006-12-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! How is the holiday season treating you?

I've been really busy. Mat & I went out shopping during black friday. ACK! so did everyone else in Southern Washington, and they all went to the store we went to! Every year, after we shop during black friday, we say "we're not doing that again next year!" but when black friday rolls around the following year, we're looking at the ads and plotting our shopping strategy!

We did get some pretty nice deals for our daughters though, and I also got a new toaster oven for my polymer clay for just 15 bucks! So, it was worth the trip!

As I said, I've been busy. I've had my yahoo group swaps to swap out -- we've altered ornaments again this year! Plus I've done a few other outside swaps.

THE CALENDARS ARE FINISHED! Woo hoo! The finished product is SO COOL! 8.5 x 11 calendars, printed in full color. Each month features a unique piece of art from a different artist! S0 I've been busy shipping those out too! I'm nearly finished though!

And it looks like we might have one left over! If so, we may be auctioning it. More details to come.

Some Tea Updates:

My all-new-recipe Chocolate Rose Romance will be on the tea cupboard shelf next week! This is the same great tea you all love, but, I've added even more rich, decadent chocolate flavor! I'll post a link to it as soon as I have it ready to sell!

I will also have my special Allergi-TEA! It's not really a tea, as it has no tea leaves in the blend. It's a very special blend of herbs that have been proven (on humans!) to help alleviate the symptoms of allergies. (In other words, it alleviates MY allergy symptoms!) Every spring my allergies begin acting up, around the end of February, and continue throughout the spring and summer. They lighten up a bit during the winter months, but then start again during the early spring.

I don't know about you, but my allergies make me absolutely miserable! I've been working on this recipe for some time, trying to get just the right balance of herbs that also tasted good... and I think I've finally achieved it!

Monday, November 27 -- 8:38 am

2006-11-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I'm not much of a morning person...

Last entry, I posted one of my recent cab cards, I have a few more today...

The above altered cab card I call "garden" -- I wasn't sure exactly what direction I was going to take this one, I was mostly just playing with the root/branch stamp I recently obtained, and then I found some great ephemera -- catalog pages from an farming catalog! So, from that, the whole garden thing started to evolve.

This one I call 'king of paisley' -- I LOVE paisley... I love how the colors blended with the joint compound. I don't usually use such bold coloration on my altered cab cards, but I felt like the image was strong enough to handle the colors. I had fun with this one.

This cab card I call 'secrets'. I really like this one a lot.

This morning, I go to office depot to pick up the calendars! yay!

Well, that's all for now, I'll post a few more pictures in my next entry.

Nearly a month since my last post!

2006-11-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can hardly believe that a month has passed since my last post! Time really has flown by these past few weeks!

Can you believe it's already time to be decorating for the holiday? I'm almost in a state of shock of how quickly it's here again. This year, my tree will be even better than last year, having hosted yet another series of altered holiday ornament swaps this year, we will have a tree filled with artistic ornies... no frosty colored bulbs! woot!

Well, so I have a few updates... first, my tea of the month club members can expect to see their teas arriving this next week. The tea of the month for November is Orange Grove. I felt it was an appropriate tea to enjoy this time of year, when the oranges are ripe and ready to enjoy!

December is quickly approaching, so I thought I'd clue you in to the December tea... for my tea of the month customers, the tea of the month will be 'customer's choice!' -- so they'll get to choose thier favorite tea. What that means for those of you who aren't a tea of the month customer, during the month of December, you can simply key in the code "teamonth" (no quotation marks, no spaces) in the coupon field and receive a 10% discount off your entire tea order.

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Now, how about some artsy updates? I've been pretty busy artistically, because I do have a lot of different projects on the fire at the moment. First, the calendar pages are all in now, and Monday afternoon, I'll be dropping the pages off at the printers! By Friday, I'll have the calendars in, and begin preparing them for shipment! I can hardly wait to see the finished project!

For those of you who might be scratching your head wondering what the heck I'm talking about... I hosted a calendar project this year, where various members of my yahoo group signed up to create the calendar art for a given month. Each sent me their page, and so our unique calendars will feature art each month from a very talented artist! I'm very excited!

You can see my my page for March in the last blog update (October 21).

Other projects that have kept me busy: My ornament swap. I'm in all 4 groups, making 4 sets of 6 ornaments: 1 set is 'something glass' -- where I have altered ordinary glass bulbs, using paints, embossing powder, mirror chips and resin. The result is pretty cool. I'll snap a pic of them before I mail them out, and post it here soon.

1 set is "something polymer clay", another set is "ATCs" and the final set is "found object". I'm particularly thrilled with the found object ornies, I used the hot beverage sleeve from my local coffee house that's right next to the post office. A few days last month it was really cold on the walk up to the post office, so I decided to stop in and enjoy a chai before heading back home. While the chai is not as good as my own Masterpiece Chai, it's still quite good and it was hot, so it did the job of warming me up after being in the cold, wet weather.

Anyway, using these hot beverage sleeves, I cut them in half, and then fashioned a tussy mussy cone. Then I painted the cone gold, being careful not to distort the existing image on the sleeves. (the sleeves have a coffee cup pattern -- which I prefer to think of as a teacup pattern! -- on them), then I outlined the cup pattern with glaze pens to make the image pop. Adding eyelets to loop a ribbon for hanging, and then I filled the tiny cones with burgundy and green flowers... it's really very nice, almost vintage looking, like something you might see on a victorian tree! Anyway, I'll be sure to snap a picture of them also before I ship them out.

In addition to the ornament swaps, I also host a monthly freestyle ATC swap, which I just finished swapping out. WHEW! As I said, I've been busy! Not to mention the 2 charm swaps that are upcoming, as well as fat book pages that I need to get busy on!

Want a pictorial update? Alrighty. I've also signed up recently for an altered cab card swap. It's a 4/3 swap, and here are the first 1 of the 4 cards...

For this first card, while I was altering it, I kept noticing this man's eyes, as they were very dominate in the photograph. I kept hearing that song "Behind Blue Eyes" and so I gave the man blue eyes and went from there.

Well... that's all for the moment... I need to go get busy! Thanks for reading along!

~Anne

Tea Journal

Time to Say Goodbye!

My Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Going Out Of Business Sale - part 2!

Going Out Of Business Sale!

Sweet Caramel O'Mine - and other news!

Chocolate Rose Romance - It's Almost Gone!

Dave's Killer Bread

It's Been A Great Ride!

Cupcake Jones

One Delicious Blog!

Pumpkin Muffin Mix from Stonewall Kitchens

Yay! Back in Stock!

News from LiberTEAS

A New Etsy Shop!

Thanksgiving ... and all that SHOPPING!

Mind Body Spirit Marketplace

November's Sale!

FREE SHIPPING offer!

It's Baaa-aaack! Masterpiece Chai!

Super Fast & Easy Won Ton Soup

Congratulations to Ruthie!

Become A Fan and Win a Prize!

One Tin Left!

FALL IS COMING!

Tohono Chul Park

My latest teacup acquisition...

Green Apple Tea now available!

Wow! It's been a month!

Another Feature... woo hoo!

Featured on Cafe Handmade as a Mommaprenuer!

Spring is Here!

WoW!

April is National Food Month!

Meadow Nocturne!

Entrecard...

Garlic Soup... it's good for what ails you!

Momoko Melon Oolong!

Earl Grey Creme!

Meyer Lemon Bars

Coming soon!

Agave Nectar

Amy's Soup

Last Day for my "Month End" Sale!

Spotlighting...

A New Blend, A New "Job" & A New Sale!

Wow, it's Saturday already!

Lemon Cupcake Recipe (Contest Winner!)

My Valentine's Weekend Special!

A Tea Story...

Weekend Special! $5.00 Instant* Rebate!

A New Online Playground for Artists!

These are too cool!

The Time Has Come!

January is Hot Tea Month!

Reposting: Enter my Contest - Time is Limited!!!

I've been tagged! *And ENTER a Contest!!!*

Caramel Tea & Don't Forget the Contest!!!

Contest! Win a Free Print!

My favorite cookies

How To Brew Chai Tea

An Interview with me...

Time for Tea!

I've been Tumblr'd!

Weekend Sale at Artfire!

A new place...

Cupcake Recipe Contest!

What have you been up to?

What's in your cup today?

Tea Treat Review!

I'm Back!

I've been tagged!

Website Changes

New Teas!

I'm the Mad Hatter!

Spring is in the Air!

A New Rose Tea Blend!

Tea Excitement!

January 31, 2008

Be good to your tea kettle...

I've been tagged! And ENTER a Contest!!!