You Are Such a Tea(s)

Tea and Cakes from Essentially England

Admittedly, I have become a tea snob over the years (also a chocolate snob and a coffee snob for that matter, but those are posts for different days). I found once I got a taste for fresh loose leaf teas, the bagged stuff just wasn't cutting it (especially when it has been sitting around too long - tea does go "bad", 6 months tops and that is when it is in a sealed tin. A TV character once quipped drinking tea made from bags at the best of times was like "drinking paper-flavoured water" anyway, and I dare say he was right).  As a snob, choosing the right tea is quite important as well - I spent quite a bit of time in a tea shop yesterday having the harried staff waft tea odors at me, and it is surprising just how violent of a reaction one can have to the wrong tea - what your nose, of course, doesn't like, you certainly won't. I eventually settled on something that was close to what I sought in their brochure (I don't think companies should be allowed to tease me with exotic descriptive names like  "snow geisha tea" and then not stock it, don't they know WHO I am? Sheesh...), that being an evening tea with floral (rosebuds) undertone and a slight sweetness overall. It had a rather exotic name as well, so I was placated for the time being.

Tea, beyond the more visceral delights (and occasional horrors),  is an elegant social event as well - there is no rushing to the end with a proper cuppa. It is meant to be brewed with careful attention to water temperature, freshness of the leaves, presentation, etc., and if you don't have a beautiful cup and at least a nice selection of delicate lacy-froo-froo cookies, you just aren't doing it right. I did mention I am a snob, right? 

Cutest EVER cookies in a tea cup

 
Beautiful cups...this brings me to our project of the day. Tea cups make a wonderful backdrop for a small scene - generally 1/144 scale or 1/4 inch scale is the most common treatment, although you can do just about any scale, depending on how you organize your thoughts and supplies. Old  and inexpensive tea cups are in abundance at second hand stores and the like, so you needn't rob grandma's china cabinet  and muck up her wedding china that had  the special hand painted periwinkles on and make your cousin - who thought SHE was going to get them in the will - livid with anger and never speak to you again. 

A quick synopsis of the process can be found at the about.com's  website, but also some interesting things are to be found on this teacup roombox page. The designer  on the about.com site used floral oasis, we built our stages up from a Joanne Swanson design using a paper template. In the end, it doesn't matter how you get there, what matters is that you have a flat surface to work with - in essence, you are building a stage so you can set the scene. 

Rosemary's Christmas scene

 Above is Rosemary's take on the teacup - what fun, a winter wonderland! Note that it is encased in the frame that I have neglected to finish low these many months now. 

Closer shot of Rosemary's Christmas Cup

 
A slightly different angle on the Christmas Tea. That little gingerbread house sitting there looking all very luscious in the background was  something she once taught us in a workshop . 

Barb's Teacup

This kind of reminded me of where I grew up, which was actually  a small alpine-esque village. I remember houses like that being common around town, and big yards with towering pines. If you close your eyes, you can smell the fresh mountain air....ahhh! 

 

 

 

Barb's second Teacup

 
 You see what I mean about scales not being a limiting factor - the darling little fairy was from a dollar store find. I love the little dwarves, aren't they precious? Look closely, you will see amongst the details, little butterflies hovering over this idyllic field.
 

Tea by the Sea by Kimi

Here is my teacup. We left the mountains, and travelled down to the ocean for this one. The trees are in fact modified grape stems. The little house came from a show, cost a whole dollar, and actually was a small souvenir from San Francisco. I built this little house on a cliff. I also built an ocean, which is a little hard to see but I used "Triple Thick" (tm) varnish to make water with a little depth.

Too Keyute, right? This is just a smattering of ideas - some I have come across on the internet include this little beach scene (the water is actually little glass beads)....

Beach Holiday Teacup from Google Image

This little cutey involving Alice on a picnic....

Alice Teacup from Google Image

Something to commemorate a special occasion...

Wedding on Google Images

or something to just show you how the day has been going...

Wash day on Google Images

Or something whimsical...

Teacup roombox on Google Image

...and the list goes on. 

Hopefully you have seen the future in your tea leaves at the bottom of the cup, and are duly inspired. Good inspirations, and talk to again soon!