Tea With Friends

The puzzle winner is …

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 1 May 2026 07:32:00 -0400

Frances L.! I've got an email headed your way. Congratulations, and I hope you enjoy putting this puzzle together!

Some fun mail from Harney & Sons

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 1 May 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I miss catalogs. It used to be so fun to receive catalogs like the Lillian Vernon catalog (all those personalized goodies!) and the Victorian Trading Company catalog. I know that most companies have gone all-in on the online sales, but a happy little catalog in the mailbox always gets my attention, so I was delighted when this lovely publication from Harney & Sons showed up the other day.

It's part magazine, part catalog, and the combination is such a nice one. Here, for instance, I enjoyed reading about Mike Harney's travels to Africa, where the rooibos plant is grown.

And this page tells about "The Storied Legacy of British Teas." I'm keeping this publication, and plan to order soon, so they definitely hit a target customer with me! Did any of you receive this publication?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

The other night, I was enjoying an evening walk through the neighborhood when I noticed that some white blossoms kept appearing along the side of the road. When I stepped in for a closer look, I couldn't help noticing how pretty the blossoms were, and I suspected they were blossoms on blackberry vines.

When I got home and looked it up on Google Lens, sure enough, these were future blackberries, and I thought they were so pretty. I was also reminded to check the blackberry vines that are growing in my backyard, because I would love to make a blackberry cobbler or blackberry muffins this summer. I guess blackberries were on the brain, because when I saw this Bigelow Blackberry Citrus Herbal Tea at Publix, I wanted to try it.

And I’m so glad I did! It’s such a pleasant blend of both the blackberry and citrus flavors, and while I’ve been enjoying it hot, I suspect it would be good as an iced tea as well. I also like to plop berry- and citrus-flavored tea bags in my water bottle to give a little zip to the water as well. Have any of you tried this Blackberry Citrus tea? Or any other blackberry teas?

Giveaway: A Mackenzie-Childs Blooming Kettle Puzzle!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

While shopping at a HomeGoods store on Saturday, I came across this darling Mackenzie-Childs teakettle puzzle. Isn’t it great? I loved it so much that when I saw a second one, I decided it would make a great giveaway item!

Lately, I’ve purchased several puzzles that I intend to use as artwork, and maybe one of you would enjoy this puzzle as well. I mean, what tea lover wouldn’t enjoy some teatime art!

So if you’d like to win this puzzle, just leave an “Enter me” comment to this post, here or on Facebook, making sure I have a way to contact you if you’re the winner, and you’ll be entered to win. Deadline is Friday, May 1, at 7 a.m. EST. US only, please. Good luck!

The Summer 2026 Issue of Flea Market Décor Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

One of my favorite summer magazines has just appeared on newsstands, the summer issue of Flea Market Décor. I always love the vintage-garden vibe of this issue, and I was particularly delighted to see the funky old lamp on the cover, the one sitting atop the large pink table topper. You see, when I was growing up, my mom and dad had one of these oh-so-seventies lamps in their bedroom. Little droplets of oil ran down thin strands of some sort of filament, and I imagine it was the most elegant thing ever to hit our little country road in rural Buchanan, Georgia. As I studied the photo, I recalled that this memorable lamp hung over a corner of a bedroom that featured a king-sized bed with leopard-print bedclothes juxtaposed against walls papered in a swirly gold pattern with red-velvet flocking. I am not making this up. What in the name of Liberace do you suppose my Southern Baptist mother was thinking? But I digress.

Aside from the trips down memory lane that vintage articles always seem to launch, I enjoyed gleaning a few new tea-ish ideas from this issue. In almost every antique store I visit, I come across old glasses from various states across the land. Wouldn't it be fun to collect them as tea glasses?

And check out this mid-mod kitchen backsplash with a vintage tea advertisement hanging on it!

Another of my favorite sightings in this issue was a set of day-of-the-week tea towels. When did we stop using those? My guess is, when we gals hit the workforce and no longer had time to even consider daily décor in the kitchen. (And did you notice the charming typo? Or maybe I should say "stitch-o"?) This was quite a fun issue to pore over, and if you're looking for some fun weekend reading, here you go!

A fun new matcha drink

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

So how do we feel about matcha, friends? I don’t think I’ve written about matcha in a while, and it’s a variety of tea that usually has to grow on me. But then I saw this Strawberry Shortcake Matcha at a local coffee shop, Leaf and Bean, and had to give it a try. I had skipped lunch, so I decided to order this tea and a blueberry scone, which of course were more than filling!

I rarely order an iced tea or coffee drink in a coffee shop, but I wanted to try this one, an iced matcha sweetened with white chocolate and topped with strawberry cold foam. I enjoyed experiencing the different layers of the drink as I sipped, and this was a fun departure from my usual coffee shop order, a London Fog. Have any of you tried a "mixed" matcha drink like this one?

A visit to Botanic in Opelika

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On Friday, I took a much-needed "mental health day," as I call it, to go thrifting in Opelika, Alabama, with my friend Liz. I found a wonderful vintage mirror I'd been looking for, and she found a vintage stool that was right up her alley, and when we finished, we headed to a place I'd been wanting to visit, Botanic. And there we are at the entrance to the greenhouse!

Botanic, which is owned by the woman who started Chicken Salad Chick, features several restaurants, a garden center, a lovely market shop, and more. When we stopped for lunch, we both ordered the Greek style crepe with grilled chicken (served in a cone-style stand), and it was delicious. I forgot to get a picture, but the hot jasmine tea I ordered was tasty as well!

As we ate, we both admired the plate wall nearby. These plate walls are all the rage in decorating magazines, and both Liz and I like them.

Speaking of decorating, Liz is also an interior decorator, and while we walked through the garden center, she mentioned that she thought this colorful lantana was the kind being sought by a client of hers. She asked if I would mind transporting a few plants, and of course I did not.

They have wagons available for transporting plants, and a worker there kindly let Liz fill up the car to see how many it would hold. We ended up going home with 10 hanging baskets of lantana in my back seat!

Oh, and there were even beautiful swans in the lake there, although I forgot to go back and get a picture of them! So if you're in the Opelika area (or within driving distance) and want a nice new "ladies who lunch" spot where you can also enjoy a good cup of tea, check out Botanic!

A different kind of tea book

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

This is rather random for a Friday blog post, but my book-loving friend Liz spotted this unusual "tea set" at the Powell Library here in Newnan, and she snapped a photo and sent it to me. Is this not the coolest thing? And that's it. That's the post!

Sipping some springtime

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

When I went antiquing with a girlfriend back in February, I came across a vintage teacup for just six dollars that I thought would be perfect for springtime decorating. It sat on a shelf throughout Easter, but it dawned on me that I needed to actually drink out of this teacup too.

I think the yellow and purple colors as well as the green trim make this such a charming Easter/spring teacup, and the handle is interesting in that it's not a solid color, more like that sponge ware finish that was all the rage back in the eighties. (I checked photos of other pieces online, and they have this same finish on the handle.)

And it's by Royal Albert, which is always a plus. I consider this teacup six dollars well-spent!

A Garden Party Baby Shower!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On Friday night, some friends and I traveled to Macon for the CeCe Winans concert, which was as wonderful as I knew it would be, and then I was up bright and early Saturday morning to make cucumber sandwiches for my niece Amelia's baby shower! She and Korbin are having a girl, and little Ruby Jane (named in honor of my paternal grandmother, Ruby, as well as Aunt Jane) will be here in July. We love the two precious little boys in our family, but we are all very excited about the arrival of this little girl!

My sister decided to stage the garden party in the gazebo at my dad's, and she had a lovely (and tasty!) strawberry cake set up there, as well as cute cake pops made by one of Amelia's friends.

I loved how girly everything looked!

The tea station had both hot and cold teas. Rhonda pulled in some of my mom's Old Country Roses china, and it was so pretty on the tables. Mother would be thrilled!

We had mini pasta salads, a fruit tray …

Cucumber sandwiches, pimiento cheese sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, a veggie tray, and chicken salad and crackers.

My niece Madison decorated, and I loved these teapot banners that were waving in the breeze. It was a gorgeous morning, not too hot and not too cool, and we all enjoyed sitting in the outdoors as Amelia opened gifts.

Of course she received lots of cute outfits, and all the pink and ruffled things are right up my alley.

Our friend Sharon made the cutest baby diaper wreath I've ever seen. So much detail!

And this crocheted baby afghan? That was my gift!

I loved having tea parties with Amelia and her sisters Madison and Cari when they were little girls, and I am beyond excited about hosting tea parties for the next generation!

On pins and needles

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Okay, fellow seamstresses. Do you know what this is? If not, you'll be on pins and needles until you find out, right?

Well, it's a vintage needle book, and I found it at an antique store a few weeks ago for just $6 and decided it needed to come home with me. Later, I saw a giant framed piece where someone had arranged their collection of vintage needle books behind glass. Clever idea, but I like to actually use my needle books.

And this one was marked "Made and Printed in West Germany," which tells me it dates from 1949 to 1990, and I'm betting it was from the fifties or sixties. Do any of you collect needle books?

Easter surprises in the mail

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 8 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Are you ever astonished at the sheer number of tea vendors we have today? I am. And I was reminded of this when a new-to-me name in tea showed up in my mailbox last week: “Kittea.” My friend Nancy sent me a thoughtful Easter gift, and it included this Kittea Raspberry Oolong Tea, which very much reminded me of juicy raspberries.

Also included was this nice thick Alice in Wonderland bookmark, a leather-like design I’d not seen before.

I love the back too! Amidst all the political flyers that have already started clogging up my mailbox, this was a delightful and delicious package to find in the mail!

Wrap-up of this year's Easter tea wares

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 6 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Before I move on from Easter, I realized I never shared my Easter table setting this year.

I had been so excited about using these Primuline teacups and bread plates that matched some dinner plates my late mother gave me. The matching dishes were a gift from a lovely woman named Rebecca, who read of my quest for them while she was looking up these dishes on the internet and gifted me with these pieces, which I had been stalking for years but never found. So thrilled that I can now set a full table with the dishes from my mom—all thanks to a kind woman I’ve never met in person!

I still love this T. J. Maxx bunny I found a few years ago and continue to use it on my table.

The tiered server with a bunny on top was a surprise from my friend Margie this year. Isn’t it adorable?

And Margie also gave me the pretty green teapot napkin rings, which I used with napkins my late mother made for me from the Welbeck chintz fabric that was once sold at Joann.

Finally, I was so happy to be able to use the jonquil silver plate pieces I found at a thrift store last fall. These are perfect for Easter and springtime decorating. I hope you all had a happy Easter, as I did, and now I’m preparing to turn to roses for my décor for the rest of April and May!

Wishing you a joyous Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 3 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this Good Friday, I wanted to share a favorite vintage teatime postcard and wish you all a truly joyous Easter!

An Easter shelfie

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Now that I have young friends who pop by once a week or so, I'm really enjoying pulling out the decorations for each new season, which are on display in my small dining room. I haven't bought a lot of new things this Easter, but I did do a good job (I think!) of remembering where I stored everything from previous years. Some pieces can stay out in the garage after Easter, but others need to be stored inside, so I'm trying to do a better job of remembering what's where. This is the Easter shelfie for 2026, and I think I like it!

The only purchase this Easter was this little tin sign (because … teacup).

I am still just in love with the $1 vintage Avon bunny figurines that I bought when visiting yard sales with my sister on a rainy day last summer.

And then came the matching Avon figurine, a gift from my friend Margie, a piece I treasure not only because it features teatime but also because it belonged to her late mother, who, like me, was once an Avon lady!

I have three chintz teapots and used them all in the display since nothing says "springtime" quite like chintz.

And of course I will always love my vintage Easter postcards. I'm so looking forward to celebrating Easter this weekend!

Everything's coming up roses!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

So I was at a HomeSense store this week to look for pink rose accessories to use on a coffee table that is temporarily located in front of my new pink sofa. My husband had an old glass coffee table he used in his “man cave,” and it was sitting out in the garage, awaiting its transfer to a local thrift store for donation. But then I decided I would clean it up and drag it inside just to get an idea of whether I really want a coffee table there. And I decided that yes, I do! I thought I wanted a white wooden coffee table, but I really like the airiness and transparency of the glass, so this will be staying until I find the (bargain!) vintage coffee table I now desire. I found one on Facebook Marketplace that was being advertised by an antique store not too far away. Alas, that gold bamboo-and-glass coffee table is $425, and I believe I can do better than that!

Meanwhile … accessories. That was the name of the game. I found a vase with pink silk roses that was just perfect, and then I innocently wandered down the dish aisle and spotted THIS! I’d never seen a handpainted cup and saucer quite like this before. A mug, yes, but a teacup and saucer, no. It was just $9.99, and I had rewards points that actually made it free.

The sticker says to hand wash it, so I will.

So technically, this wasn’t a new teacup but simply new living room décor!

A puzzling picture

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I blame my friend Heather for this purchase. She brought a lovely sewing-themed puzzle to the craft retreat over the weekend, and although I couldn't find that exact one on Amazon, I did find a pastel sewing-themed puzzle titled "Sewing Moments" that will look great in my craft room upstairs.

What sealed the deal was this sweet little detail!

The puzzle and matching poster arrived Monday evening, and when I opened the bag, I was surprised by two things: 1) The pieces seem rather thin (although the packaging calls them "thick") and 2) they're very glossy and sturdy. So we'll see how this works up!

This is also the first time I've had a puzzle with letters on the back to help guide the assembly. I am terribly slow at putting puzzles together, so if this lettering helps, I may have yet another hobby to enjoy on the evenings I'm watching (or at least "listening to") TV. Are any of you puzzle fans? If so, what's your best tip for assembling puzzles?

Elderberry Apple Cinnamon Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I got back last night from my latest craft retreat at Lake Hartwell with friends, and when we were on our way to dinner one night and my friend Heather offered to run us by a local shop we all enjoy, I was delighted to find this new-to-me Elderberry Apple Cinnamon Tea from Everything Elderberry!

Even the loose tea looked yummy.

I was curious whether the cinnamon would overpower the elderberry and apple flavors, but it definitely did not. I was delighted with the fruity and sweet taste, accented by only the merest hint of cinnamon. This one was a fun discovery, and it's lovely to have a new cinnamon tea that actually tastes like spring!

Don't read this post too quickly!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Okay, it is very important that you pause before scrolling past this first photo today. This is obviously a book, right? What's your guess? A journal? A book about teacup history? Well, you would be wrong.

It's the Tangerine Tea Time Daily Devotional Bible, and when I spotted it in a store the other day, I was just stunned that I did not know there was a Bible with teacups on it! I'm not just trying to score Sunday school points when I say that the Bible is my favorite book of all time, and as I understand things, it's also the only book that will last forever. God's word has gotten me through the toughest points in my life, and my morning time in the word with a (single!) cup of coffee is my favorite, calmest part of the day. (I've found an easy, do-able reading plan that lets me read through the whole Bible in a year, so if that appeals to you, visit Blueletterbible.org and look down the right-hand side to see the different reading plans. I like the one that gives you some of the Old Testament and some of the New Testament each day.)

There are so many "pretty" Bibles out there these days, and I have to remind myself that the cover doesn't matter if the words themselves don't make a difference in my life. I even pondered (briefly!) whether it was appropriate to have a Bible that doesn't exactly look like "the Holy Bible." I finally decided this might be a nice extra Bible to have at home, mainly because I want to have a traditional Bible (with the chapters in order) when I'm reading at church or at Bible study. Still, this was quite an unexpected find!

Inspiration at the antique malls

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I really need to delete old photos off my phone more frequently. If I did, perhaps I would have remembered sooner that I wanted to share some fun finds at one of the antique malls I visited in Monroe last month! This light fixture had just been brought in and wasn’t yet for sale, but the nice lady behind the counter said I was welcome to snap a photo.

I’ve seen similar teacup light fixtures in tearooms, on Pinterest, and elsewhere, but I’d never seen one with vintage leaves and ribbons incorporated. I love that! Now I’m going to have to check out the light fixtures in thrift stores and see if I can make one myself.

And at another mall, I didn’t buy anything, but I absolutely loved this table. Isn’t it fun?

Ready for St. Patrick's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

The corned beef and cabbage is ready to go in the slow cooker, and with a little encouragement from tea friend Margie, I managed to pull together a few appropriate tea wares to celebrate St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

This old thrifted plate struck me as "too green" when I bought it for $3 a while back, but it had roses on it, and the price was right. Now, I'm glad I got it!

And what says "cottage style" more than a cottage teapot?

My St. Patrick's Day teacup is this Lefton teacup, a gift from a fellow tea blogger many years ago.

Will you be celebrating St. Patrick's Day in your food or decor tomorrow?

A little mystery and a big teacup

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I came away with more questions than answers after I found this lovely oversized teacup at an antique mall in Anniston this week.

I'm intrigued that this oversized cup still exists, as it's obviously very old. It measures about 6-1/2 inches wide, 3-1/2 inches tall, and is 5 inches in diameter. The teacup and saucer next to it is a standard size, not a demitasse cup and saucer. The cup at right is unmarked, and I'm wondering if perhaps this was once a breakfast cup since those cups were much larger than today's standard-size teacups. I've also read that not all teacups came with matching saucers, as some tea drinkers preferred to use sterling or silver-plated saucers of their own. Still, I'm betting this one once had a saucer that just didn't survive. (If it does exist, wouldn't it be fun to come across it one day?)

Even the shabby chic look of this cup is just charming. If only teacups could tell us their stories!

A cute new tea-shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

The other day, a friend was returning a book she had borrowed and handed it to me in a Walmart bag along with "a little something" she'd come across that she thought I needed. As soon as I spotted a T-shirt with features of a teacup and teapot, I thought, "Yes, I do!"

It's a Bridgerton T-shirt, and while I've never watched the show, I've learned that I need to be alert to Bridgerton-style items in stores. I've seen lots of wares featuring the show's name, and this design is so cute.

Here's what the whole shirt looks like: "Pardon me while I sip this tea." And the tag on it said it cost just $7.98! I looked online and it appears the shirt is still available at Walmart, so if you, too, need a new "tea" shirt, you may want to be on the lookout for this one.

Signs of spring

noreply@blogger.com (Angela McRae) — Mon, 9 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0400

I was late putting away my Valentine's decorations this year, and only this weekend did I have the time to slowly make the transition to my spring décor. I started with a pretty pastel tablecloth I found at an antique mall in Monroe last month, along with blue tea-and-toast sets, a cube-shaped pale-green teapot (a long-ago Goodwill find), some mint and viola plants from Walmart, and a favorite green teacup and saucer.

The bunnies seem slightly out of place in March, but if I'm going to use them this year, they already have less than a month until Easter, so I've started adding a few. Boy, I miss having a tea trolley to decorate each month, and I'm watching one on Amazon but waiting a bit to see if it ever goes on sale. So meanwhile, I decorate any surface in the living room that is available! This one is an old melodian, or portable organ, that belonged to my husband's great-great-something Presbyterian grandfather (if I have the story straight).

I love those pretty old-fashioned baskets, and the white ones are some of my favorites. This one holds Easter eggs right now, but come May or June, I hope some of my roses can go there.

And I have to mention that my greatest addition to the living room (possibly ever) is this rosy pink skirted sofa I bought for $100 on Facebook Marketplace last weekend! The seller I bought it from had found it on the last day of an estate sale, stored in someone's basement and apparently never used, so it is in absolutely mint condition. I'm donating my old sofa and love seat to some newlyweds I know, so once they pick them up (they're in the middle of the room right now), I can play around with a new grouping in my living room and hopefully create a few new spots to display tea wares!