Tea time

Perhaps it was my upbringing in Victoria, B.C. (which prides itself on being the most British place in North America), or memories of drinking tea with my cousin as a youngster at my Gramma's (she was Scottish), but I love tea and all-things tea related.

Don't get me wrong, nothing beats a good cup of coffee (esp. in the morning), but tea is the romantic, soothing counter to coffee's bold urban-chic personality.

(photos by TimelessStyleDesign, of the store window at Fortnum & Mason in London, UK and the Orangerie at Kensington Place)




With that out of the way, the purpose of this post isn't really to sing the praises of these beverages...it's to talk about tea cups and their many uses...
I have a collection of unmatched turquoise tea cups which I have on display.





I also have some mis-matched tea cups/saucers in my garden (used as garden ornaments/bird feeders)... this one is in my front garden:



This past Christmas I used tea cups as Christmas ornaments (as all our ornaments were in a storage pod off-site due to our home renovations). This idea was taken from the photo (apologies to the photographer as I failed to label the source when I saved the photo).

Other ideas:

Tea cup as candle holder (Martha Stewart)
Tea cup for flowers (unknown)
Tea cup for jewelry organization

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How are you using your tea cups in unusual ways?

Finishing Touches

Thought I would share a couple of finishing details from our guest bedroom, including a close-up of both sides of the luggage tag I referred to in my last post. I love the side with the beaver which reads "Canadian Pacific Steamships Tourist". Unfortunately, the handwritten details recorded on the label have faded away (i.e., I can no longer read the tourist's name and destination), but it does say that the tag is "Printed in England". I'd love to know the age -- I'm guess-timating 1950s (anyone have any better idea??).



The little sign on the bedside table provides a big boost to my B and B theme.










The wire shoes hint at a guest in residence (perhaps my travelling tourist from the 1950s)...