Lotsa love on Teacup Tuesday

Well, not much more I can add except ... what would go well with that wonderful cup of tea? How about a nice slice of pumpkin bread (with walnuts).  What would you like with your nice cuppa tea?

Teacup Tuesday: 9-26-17

Happy Teacup Tuesday. Love this Stafforshire bone china cup that was part of a grocery store giveaway years ago. I've got four of these, plus matching plates and a sugar and creamer, plus I've got several set aside for future giveaways.

What's your cup today?

Teacup Tuesday: Narcissus

Happy Teacup Tuesday. This is one of my collection of cups. It's called Narcissus, by Bell China, but I like it because of the tulips. But you know, I don't think I've ever used it to drink from. Must remedy that--maybe today.

What tea are you drinking today?

Raise your pinky and join the Cozy Chicks for afternoon tea!

The Cozy Chicks spent the summer working on a treat for our readers ....

The Cozy Chicks realized that tea was such a perfect complement to cozy mysteries that we decided to write a book about it. Not only does Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks have delicious recipes, but it also includes themed tea menus, fascinating articles, fun facts, curious quotes, and helpful hints on how to host the most memorable tea parties ever! And for an extra treat, a few of us have included excerpts of our work as well! Read, cook, drink tea, savor, and most of all enjoy!

Trade Paperback  |  Kindle US  |  Kindle Worldwide

Kobo  |  Nook  |  iBooks  | Smashworks

A couple of letters makes a big different

To make a good pot of tea, you're supposed to scald the pot with hot water first, then make tea.  Not only do I scald the pot, I also scold it. ("Oh, you naughty teapot!")  Which do you think is more traumatic for the teapot?

P.S. Teacup Tuesdays will soon return!

Related articles

Teacup Tuesday: How do you take your tea?

Teacup Tuesday: Just Drink it!

Teacup Tuesday: Cups, dresses, tea and so much more!

As you know, I am crazy mad for bone china teacups -- so much so that I "rescue" them and try to find new, loving homes for them. That's what Teacup Tuesday is all about.  I regift what was probably a gift from someone else and the happy cycle continues. The cups are once-again admired, appreciated, and hopefully used and enjoyed.

But here's a problem I've run into more than once ... people enter my contests and don't always give me complete information.  Several weeks ago, Sharon S. won the bone china mug.  YAY!



However, Sharon never signed up for my newsletter so I don't have any information on her, just her email address from when she entered the contest. I've contacted her via email twice, and left messages on Facebook for her to no avail. Sharon's loss will be someone else's gain, and that someone else is Cindy H. from Council Bluffs, IA.

Meanwhile, this weeks winner of the free sample of Boneyard tea (doesn't that sound mysterious?) from Latteda.com is Toni N. from Carol Stream, Il.

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I've had a lot of fun with my character Pixie Poe in the Booktown Mysteries.  As it happens, there's a scene in Book Clubbed (that will be debut in July) where Angelica holds a tea party at Haven't Got a Clue ... and Pixie and Mr. Everett can only stand there and watch the festivities with mouths watering. If you've read the latest Booktown Books, you know that Pixie only dresses in vintage clothes. If she went to a tea party, she'd wear something stunning like this dress.


Which leads me to this week's discussion topic:  What would you wear to afternoon tea? 

To enter, you need to answer the question and supply your SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS. (When you enter the contest, you agree to be added to my mailing list (if you aren't already there).  Send your entry to Lorna @ LornaBarrett.com (close up those spaces).

By the way, I'd love to hear from past winners.  Are you enjoying your cups?  Did you enjoy your Boneyard tea?  Email me and share your stories on Teacup Tuesday!
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Be sure to drop by next week when my good friend Mary Jane Maffini (who also writes with her daughter as Victoria Abbott) joins us to tell us about her teacup collection!  We'll announce the winner of the floral teacup on April 15th (since it's tax day, it may make someone's day!).

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Teacup Tuesday!

Teacup Tuesday: Where and who with a cup of tea

Teacup Tuesday: Fond Memories of Teatime

Teacup Tuesday ... all those lovely teas!

Once again it's Teacup Tuesday. We had a lot of "engagment" last week in the form of contest entries, recipes and opinions.  But first ... a teacup!



Thursday is the first day of spring, and other years we've had evidence of it before the actual day.  Usually in the form of daffodil points poking out of the crumbly earth.  NOT THIS YEAR. The days are getting shorter, but so far not much warmer.  There are geese honking overhead, but they're locals and flying low, not the flocks high in the sky in the regular V form.



I sometimes think spring WILL NEVER COME.

But, I digress.

I was rather amazed at how many people reported the vast array of teas they've tried and loved.  Me, I'm pretty much an orange pekoe girl. I used to like Barry's raspberry cream tea, but they went out of business and I only have TWO bags left, which I've been saving.

Debbie K. from Houston, TX said:  "My very favorite tea is one called Almond Sunset. I think it was a Celestial Seasonings tea. I'm down to three teabags of it and can't find anywhere in Houston or online that sells it now so I've been saving them. Their website called it a "dessert tea."

Guess I'm not the only one hoarding a precious few teabags. I don't know if it's still available, but it's listed online here, Debbie.

Cara D. from Daphne, AL said:  "My favorite tea is a green tea with mint!  I love this soothing tea and it is even better with honey from my own hives!"

That sounds yummy! And I'm in awe of anyone brave enough to face a hive full of bees.

Lynn H. from Rollinsville, CO said:  "Without a doubt – Lapsang Souchong. I hated it the first time I tasted it, but, like a fine Scotch, it grows on you. I love its smoky astringency; it’s perfect first thing in the morning or last thing at night."

Ronna Lord from Potomic, MD said:  "My favorite tea is Jasmine Pearls.  First reason for liking it is that it has a lovely floral aroma and flavor. It reminds me or oriental Thai restaurants which have some of my favorite foods.  The second reason is that I love to see those pearls open up into flowers when the hot water reaches them.  And I must confess that my grandchildren are impressed with those pearls to flowers, too."

Jenni Oglesby from Louisville, KY said, "My favorite tea is currently Te Mole by the Louisville Tea Company. It's a black tea with cacoa bits and chili flakes/bits. It was a perfect tea for this miserable winter we've been having.

My favorite tea experience was years ago at the now closed Elmwood Inn in historic Perryville, Kentucky. The drive to Perryville is very pretty, and the visit stands out as one of my favorite days of all time. The service was perfect; the food and teas were exquisite and the presentation quite lovely. I'm so glad to have made it there before they closed. They still have a website selling their tea blends and I believe their cookbooks. I've had the pleasure of hearing Bruce Richardson speak 2-3 times. He's very interesting -- well-traveled and I love to hear his stories."
Kaye K. from Portland, OR said:  "I love Market Spice tea that was made for and sold at Seattle’s Pike Street Market.  Now you can find it other places, but that’s the original."

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And the winners are!

Sharon S. won the bone china mug and said, "My daughter recently gave me a 24 oz teapot decorated with cherry blossoms. She also included a package of Londonderry loose tea. I love it.  Since we can't always drink tea together, I think of her when I am brewing the tea. It is a black tea and has a relaxing, floral fragrance. When I am drinking it, I can taste a hint of the strawberry and lemon. I have only tried it hot, since she gave it to me over winter, but I think I would like it iced too."

Debbie C. won the teabag holder and said:  "An old standby that I love is Earl Grey with bergamot.  I love the aroma of it and while I wait for my water to heat up, I stand there sniffing the teabag.  How sad am I?  I love the strong flavor of it too. I also have a new favorite which tastes like dessert to me is Licorice Spice.  It has a natural sweetness and tastes absolutely nothing like black licorice. All of my tea is hot.  For some reason, I detest iced tea.  I like it plain with no sugar, no dairy products of any kind in it. Yes, I'm a teaholic.  At this moment, I have 16 different flavors in my house."

And the winner of the free sample of tea from Latteda.com is Mickey S. from Louisville, KY who said:  "I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite tea blend, but I suppose White Jasmine would be it. It's hard to find and can be pricey, but it has a lovely aroma served hot, and a cool refreshing taste with a bit of bite when served cold. Green Jasmine is almost as good and a lot easier to find, so that tends to be what I drink at work."

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Next Week's Contest ...

... we'll be giving away a darling little tea-for-one pot and matching teabag holder, another teabag holder, plus the free tea sample from Betsy Bean at Latteda.com!
And we'll talk about the virtues of loose tea verses tea bags.  Do you prefer an infuser (a tea ball) or to use teabags.
To enter the contest, send your preference and perhaps a story about why you like your tea made a certain way to contest @ Lornabarrett.com (close up those spaces).  If you're not already on my mailing list and you sent your mailing address, I'll send you an envelope of my bookmarks.

Come back tomorrow for talk about The Booktown Mysteries!

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Teacup Tuesday: Fond Memories of Teatime

Teacup Tuesday! Just a part of my collection

It seems like I have a bunch of different "reader' audiences.  Not everyone reads all my books.  Not everyone reads my blog posts.  Not everyone sees my Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter posts.  That's a lot of people to juggle.

Something fun I do on my Lorraine Facebook Author Page is share pictures of teacups.  I have a fascination with English tea and the beautiful china that goes with it.  So I thought for a while I'd share some pictures of my teacup collection.  (Don't get bored, guys--afternoon tea is full of wonderful goodies.)



Unfortunately, I no longer have the first teacup from my collection, which my mother gave to me.  The cleaning lady broke it and my heart.  But this is one of the cups from a set that my grandmother gave me (when I was much too young to appreciate it).  I think it's gorgeous. Sadly, not many of the cups survived the trip from England to the US and I have far more plates and saucers than cups.  Since they're all hand-painted (and slightly different), there's no way to replace those broken cups.  I have seen duplicates of the cup the cleaning lady broke -- however not since she broke it (a year ago). If I ever see it again, I'll certainly buy it for sentimental reasons.



I am such a sucker for brown transferware; I have loads of pieces of it (all mismatched, all unique, all beautiful).  I admired this cup in an antique shop and my mother bought it for me.  Isn't it lovely?



This is my oldest teacup celebrating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It was a Christmas gift from Mr. L.  We'd seen it in an antique shop in Centralia, Washington. I think I stared at the price tag as much as the cup. It was too rich for my blood.  Unbeknownst to me, upon our return home, Mr. L called the shop and bought the cup. It was the favorite gift that Christmas!

These are just a few of the cups in my collection.

I must admit, I am also a teacup hoarder.  I buy them at yard sales to make sure they are loved, and then I find them new homes.  Would there be interest in a teacup giveaway?

Let's talk about it!

Meanwhile, let's make Teacup Tuesday a regular post for a while and see what comes of it.  Maybe I could share some tea recipes, too.  Would you like that?  Let me know.

Summer Tea Party: Stories and winners

My friends Leann Sweeney, Jennifer Stanley (also known as Ellery Adams) and I recently held a contest for our readers.  The prizes?  Two lovely teacups and/or five tea bag holders.

Tea parties and pretty bone china tea cups have a special place in our hearts.  For me, just gazing at the pretty patterns, and the delicate cups (in many shapes and sizes) takes me to a more peaceful, beautiful place. A place where you can enjoy your surroundings, and partake of a lovely custom of taking tea.

I collect teacups, and have a collection of about 30 or so.  (I posted all of them on my Facebook author page earlier this year.  Go have a look--but you'll have to scroll back through several months worth of posts.) I'm lucky enough to have inherited a lovely tea set from my grandmother, and my mother gave me her Royal Albert Silver Maple tea set.  I love them both, but must admit I'm afraid to use my grandmother's cups and saucers.  So few of the cups survived.

Leann talked about her collection:  "As a child of an alcoholic mother, I sought beauty in my life anywhere I could find it. We lived in England when I was a toddler and my parents collected bone china, Wedgwood, Dresden and Hummels while we were there. They also bought a lovely small display case. Once we were back in the states, my sister arrived in the world. As we both grew, we would spend hours staring at those small pieces of china. We loved what they represented--a lovely party, a time where people were polite and civil and smiled over a cup of tea. We longed for peace in our lives even as children.

"Those beautiful tea cups and figurines took on special significance because we couldn't touch them, just as we couldn't touch my mother's heart and make her well. But we could wish. Today, we own them all and display them proudly. Part of my new home is designed with a built-in display case, as well as cabinets with glass fronts so we can continue to honor these lovely remembrances."
We wanted to share the rembrances from some of our readers.

Our first prize winner for the Floral cup is Karen K. from Rochester, NH.  Karen told us:  As a child I had a great-aunt that had a tea cup collection, and I remember the beautiful but dainty cups and saucers with great fondness.  This contest would be just the thing to start a collection of my own.

The winner of the Roses cup is:  Vicky H. from Garden Grove, CA.  Vicki said:  "My favorite tea cup is one that has 'sister' (written) on it. They are part of a set (the other has brother on it.)  They belonged to my father's step-dad and when my grandmother passed away. The brother one went  to my brother and the sister one went to my sister. When she passed away a few years ago at 47, I got it, so it not only reminds me of my grandmother and step-grandfather, but of my sister."

Our red or white tea bag holders go to the following readers, who also shared a tea-time memory:

Gloria W. from Boeme, TX:  "I have a cup and saucer from my grandmother’s china.  She was an avid gardener and always had the most beautiful flowers."

Lynn Marie S. from Goshen, CT:  "My children love me to make loose leaf tea so we can do tea leaf readings like Harry Potter!"

Katherine C. from Oxon Hill, MD:  "I remember my 'Elegant Aunt,' who always served afternoon tea in a similar pattern to Floral.  I was four so it was milky tea, but I was allowed to drink from that beautiful cup."

Mary C. from Blaine, MN:  "Shortly after I graduated from college (1973) my mother gave me a teapot that was decorated with a floral pattern.  The teapot was stoneware, from a local gift shop, and nothing specia,but I liked the floral decoration because it had several different types of flowers in addition to the standard rose."

Marguerite G. of Meeker, OK:  "I have a set of children's china tea cups that my great grandmother gave to me.  I can remember many happy hours sharing "cups of tea" with her and my grandmother!"

Those getting an assortment of our bookmarks are:

Mari R., Maple Grove, MN
Adrienne J., West Babylon, NY
Toni M., Claudville, VA
Terri A., Michigan City, IN
Renae D., Worthington, MN
Jane S., Chicago, IL
Mary I., River Vale, NJ
Gwen B., Katy, TX
Heather H., Spotsylvania, VA
Jennifer W., Glenolden, PA
Brooke B., Neffs, OH
Beth M., Chicago Park, CA
Michele H., Bethany Beach, DE
Debbie C., Casselberry, FL
Tonja M., Orrville, OH
Suzanne H., Mobile, AL
Congratulations and thank you to all who entered our summer tea party contest!

I shouldn't have, but did anyway ...

Last week, Mr. L and I went to beautiful Niagara on the Lake to visit the even lovlier Prince of Wales Hotel for afternoon tea.



IT WAS WONDERFUL!

One of the things I like best, besides the charming ambiance, the delicious food, the nice strong cups of tea, is the china.  I wondered what it was, turned my saucer over, but didn't see any marking.  : (

So there I was last night, flipping through the latest issue of Teatime Magazine and there it was--featured in a story.  Oh boy, you never saw someone flip to the products page so fast in your life.  It said they had obtained the china from Replacements Ltd.

Hey! Over the years I've bought a bunch of china from Replacements Ltd. Of course, I didn't like the price they quoted so I went online to see if I could do better. Damn. It was the same price. Still, I went ahead and ordered ONE cup and saucer.  I love the pattern so much I had to have it so that I can drink my tea from it and think about those lovely afternoons at the Prince of Wales.

What do you think?

Taking a Day Off

Tuesday I took the day off.  Believe me, after the summer I've had, I needed a day off.

Mr. L and I drove across the border to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a lovely little town on the Niagara River.  While my fictional village of Stoneham, NH doesn't look much like NOTL, I wish it did. (And I'm coaxing it, I'm coaxing it.)  By the way, if you click on the pictures, you should see bigger versions of them.


Our first stop, the Prince of Wales Hotel for afternoon tea.


The tea room was gorgeous.  We could have sat at the outer edge to watch the people on the sidewalk go past, but chose instead to sit "inside" and enjoy the lovely tea room itself.



The tea came out first.  Isn't this lovely china?



And next came the most delicious and fattening food . . .


After lunch, we walked around the town and just took in the lovely homes and other sights.


I think Mr. Horsey would have preferred to be standing in a meadow in the shade instead of pulling tourists on a hot day.


All in all, it was the perfect day.

Have you had a perfect day lately?
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