Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Monday 26 January 2015

Tea Time Tuesday's 5th Anniversary Party


Tea is a time in which we were perfectly contented with ourselves and one another. ~ Charles Dickens

Hello everyone and welcome to Tea Time Tuesday's 5th Anniversary Party! I am delighted you could join me today!



It is on this date five years ago that I started my tea party and I sometimes find it hard to believe that we have been partying for five years. Some of you beautiful ladies have been with me from the very beginning and I want to especially thank you for your encouragement and support. You know who you are!

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~ Unknown

During that time, I have met so many of you lovely tea friends and I treasure the friendships we have made. I have learned so much from all of you and I look forward to meeting with you every week over a cup of tea to share the things we love; like teacups and teapots. Who knows, perhaps we will still be meeting once a week for tea five years from now.

Please have a seat and join me as I share with you my favourite tea things.

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." ~ Henry James

With x-number of teapots and x-number of teacups, it was difficult to choose just one of each. As a matter of fact, my favourite "tea" pot isn't a teapot at all, it's a coffee pot. But I will share with you my favourite teapots too.



You knew I couldn't do a favourite things tea without sharing one piece of Rose Chintz, am I right? It is my signature pattern after all.

Who can resist this pretty pattern of full-bloomed roses, rose buds, and pale blue forget-me-nots on a creamy white background!  


It is charming, feminine, and just makes me happy to look at it. It is a pattern which seems to give a romantic nod to by-gone days when manners were still in fashion.

This vintage Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz coffee pot once belonged to my Auntie P and it holds so many lovely memories that I just had to share it with you. 



Whenever we visited Auntie she would always set a big tray with this coffee pot filled with coffee and a plate of sandwiches. I look at this pretty coffee pot and I think of her and remember so many wonderful visits. 

Many of you who have been following my parties for any length of time also know, the pattern Rose Chintz reminds me of my childhood and our visits to my auntie's home in New Brunswick. For as long as I can remember, she always set her table with this pretty china and now the majority of it is here in my home for she has kindly passed it on to me.

This "tea'' pot happens to be one of my favourites. Royal Albert makes an elegant teapot and this Old Country Roses is no exception. A pure white background is adorned with gorgeous red, deep pink, and golden yellow roses. I love how the blooms cascade down the front of the pot as well as on the spout.



It holds about six to eight cups of tea and perfect for company. It was a birthday present from my family.


This Royal Albert Lavender Rose is also a favourite and holds about six cups of tea. I had started this pretty pattern for my mother when I first got married and when she down-sized she gave it all to me. I love the dainty pink roses with hints of lavender in the roses and leaves. 



My favourite teacup was a tough one to choose because I have several favourites. However, if a teacup can entice you to dream then all the better. Indeed, this darling Royal Albert Summer teacup does just that. 



It is made in the Gainsborough shape with a pretty handle and footed base. With its whisper pink trim and thatch-roofed cottage, it whisks me away to an English countryside. You probably cannot make them out but there is a young girl and a few geese in the yard.


This is the back of the cup. The saucer is deep and bowl-shaped so if one happens to spill their tea the saucer will catch it easily. 

This teacup is England at its charming best!

Oh to live in an English cottage with a gaggle of geese outside your door and a flock of yearlings in your meadow. ~ Unknown

These other two are favourites as well and I have brought them out for your pleasure. They are both Aynsley and both beautiful in their own way.

This one is especially elegant with its corset shape and rich turquoise colour adorned with a gold leaf design inside the cup. I love how the sunlight shines through it.



This sweet pattern is also an Aynsley and it is called Rosedale. It is an embossed crocus shape sprinkled with pink roses. 
I am always attracted to a cottagey look it seems. The handle has a wonderful flat thumb rest. It's a lovely footed teacup which is thought to be one of the patterns that Princess Diana chose when she married the Prince of Wales.


The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose. ~ George Gissing




Please help yourself to egg salad sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, and pound cake sandwiched with chocolate. 


I baked cinnamon rolls for my hubby and we will also enjoy some today with our tea.



Happiness is sharing tea with a friend.



These Cinnamon Rolls are so easy to make. Simply make up your favourite tea biscuit recipe making sure to sift your dry ingredients. 
Roll out into a rectangle and spread butter evenly all over the rectangle right to the edges. Sprinkle about a cup of brown sugar mixed with cinnamon all over the buttered rectangle. Roll up and cut into one half inch slices and place each one into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 450 degrees for about ten to eleven minutes. Delicious! If you wish you may drizzle icing over them.


Tea is a hug in a cup. ~ Patrick Jane of The Mentalist



Believe it or not, next week we will be into the month of February and Valentines Day is on the horizon. I will be hosting a Valentines Day Tea the week of February 9th and I do hope you will plan for that too.

Thank you for visiting today. I always enjoy your company and I cannot wait to see your favourite tea wares! It may be a teapot, coffee pot, chocolate pot, teacup or coffee mug. Please link up below and I will come visit you. 



I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 19 January 2015

A Ray of Sunshine for Tea Time


Life is like a teacup
       to be filled to the brim
and enjoyed with friends. ~ 
Unknown


Hello sweet friends and welcome to Tea Time Tuesday! 



It is the nineteenth of January and we are in the middle of winter. This sweet lacy birdie bids you to come in and make yourself at home.



Some days are bright and cheery while other days are drab and dreary. 

It is a bright sunny day here on the Island but later today rain will move in accompanied by very high winds.



Some perky yellow tulips set the scene for our tea table in front of the window.  

I have brought out a buttery yellow teacup. It is accompanied by another cheerful teacup; a cup for you and a cup for me.



This one is Royal Albert in the Gainsborough shape called  Shaftesbury from the Festival collection. The bouquet of wildflowers is on both the front and back of the teacup as well as inside the cup and on the saucer. 



I love the little leaf design on the handle too.


Not only does this teacup bring a ray of sunshine but I am also breathing a sigh of relief...

On Christmas Day my mother started to come down with a bug of some sort. Vomiting followed for a week after which she went into a coma like state. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and finally regained consciousness a day later. 
All manner of tests were run on her but nothing showed up. The doctors were baffled. 
My mother acted like she had taken a stroke but there was no evidence of one. Her doctor told me that she would probably have to be placed into palliative care. Her speech was slurred and it was a couple of days before she could talk plainly. After a week, she had recovered so well that they sent her back to her Home. All they could come up with was that it was an infection which mimicked a stroke. It was a scary ordeal and my mother doesn't remember a thing.

She's happy to be back in her Home and I'm happy that all is well! I have seen prayers answered; thank you Lord!

My next teacup is an Aynsley. It is a beautiful shade of pink with golden leaves forming a wreath around the inside of the cup and on the saucer.


Beneath the teacup is my beautiful RA Serena plate which Bernideen sent me a while ago. I love how the colours go so well with both teacups!



A simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter. ~ Mary Lou Heiss



So, here I sit enjoying my tea and I'm counting my blessings. I know we all have things we can be thankful for today.




Happiness is sharing tea with a friend.




Next week I will be celebrating five years of Tea Time Tuesday parties and I am asking you all to share your most favourite teacup or teapot. Tell us why you love it so much. You may use this tea party button for your post if you wish.



Have a happy day everyone and I look forward to your share this week.



I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
Tea Cup Tuesday
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 12 January 2015

A January Green Tea


I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou 

Hello and welcome to Tea Time everyone and a warm welcome to all my new followers! I hope you will always enjoy your visits to Rose Chintz Cottage. I know I love having you stop by.

We are almost into the middle of January already and I am longing for springtime. 

However, there is something beautiful about the wintertime too, as long as it behaves itself and doesn't dump too much snow and ice on us like last year.


I have most of my Christmas put away now and I have just kept out the odd piece to enjoy just a little longer. If you read my post yesterday then you know that I still have my mantel decorated with greenery, lights, candles, and my sweet little birdies. 



I also have my cute pillow out on the sofa that I found for half price before Christmas. 



It is reversible and soon I will flip it to the checked side for the winter months and switch out the green pillows for red. 



The checked pillow coordinates with my kitchen-dining decor. 

For our tea today I have brought out my green transferware and set it out on the little green cabinet in the dining area. 



These pieces are Staffordshire, England and have a wonderful old-fashioned appeal. 



Who says you can't have a little whimsy just because Christmas is over? 

These adorable children building a snowman usually spend their time on the kitchen windowsill but today they are joining us for tea.



They are dressed as in days of yore and go well with the transferware which also evokes a sense of yesteryear. 



I am using this cute little "tea" pot with a raised floral motif and a touch of green on the bottom. This is the perfect size for two cups of tea.



Where there is tea there is friendship and serenity. 

Wintertime is the perfect time for heavy puddings and comfort food. So today I am having warm date pudding with whipped cream. Would you like some?



The bowl is Johnson Bros. and the pattern is The Road Home

I also have home made tea biscuits if you would prefer to have one of those. 



Biscuits right out of the oven are so good especially this time of year. I love marmalade on toast and tea biscuits. How about you?

A cup of tea with a bowl of pudding or a biscuit is so satisfying and afterwards, my stationary bike awaits me!



Happiness is sharing tea with a friend.

On January 26, I will be celebrating Tea Time Tuesday's 5th Anniversary Party. Can you believe we have been partying for five years?
I thought for this year's party I would have you share your absolute favourite teacup or teapot. I want to hear all about why you love it so much.

Make every day a Masterpiece! Don't think about the things you have to do. Think about the things you get to do. ~ Unknown

I hope you have enjoyed spending a few minutes with me today. I always love having you stop by and if you have something tea related, I would really like to see it.

Any tea wares collection, tea time recipes, a trip to a Tea Shop, or a tablescape; all are welcome here at Tea Time.

People who live the most fulfilling lives are the ones who are always rejoicing at what they have. ~ Richard Carlson 

Have a beautiful day, dear friends.



I am joining the following parties as well~

 A Return to Loveliness
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Sunday 11 January 2015

Thoughts On A Sunday Morning

Hello friends ~ I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

For Christmas my son sent me a couple of glass blown birds with glitter on them. 



He knows how much I love the little birdies, especially gold finches and cardinals, so when he saw these he sent them to me because he loves me.



They are beautiful!



"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" ~ Matthew 6:26

I usually leave my mantel decorated for a little while after the holidays and having these sweet little birdies are a lovely reminder of not only my son's love for me but also that of my heavenly Father.



And He loves you too! Have a beautiful day everyone.


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 5 January 2015

First Tea Time of 2015



The birth of a New Year is a time of reflection, bringing with it an opportunity for change....for developing a greater appreciation of what is most important in life.~ Victoria magazine


Happy New Year and welcome dear friends to my first Tea Time of 2015! A time I like to share some tea and conversation as well as bring a little joy and friendship into your day. 

A brand new year always leaves me feeling a bit soppy and thankful for the blessings that come my way. I love having you visit Rose Chintz Cottage and I want you to know that you all bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face. 

My New Year always begins with a visit from my oldest and dearest friends. We get together to celebrate my birthday and have a nice visit. Keith and I used to hang out together in High School and then he met and married his wife, Heather, a wonderful artist who likes to paint sheep into her paintings. The tourists just gobble them up!
I am so tickled with the gift she gave me but I will save that for another day.  

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” ~ Bill Watterson

The tea table is set with some blue and white china and my beautiful white birthday roses. I adore white roses and pale pink as well. With a dozen roses, I get two bouquets.



I found my little china birdies that had been missing for several years. One day last week, I found them accidentally so I just had to show them off. The wee birds were made in Vancouver and I knew they would be in perfect company with a blue and white tea setting.



My mother had given me these wee birdies many years ago and aren't they adorable?

The smallest birdie is less than two inches. The other one is about two inches.





The teacup below is Johnson Bros. Blue Willow



The teapot is also Blue Willow made by Churchill.



For tea, we enjoyed my fruit cake, both dark and light, mincemeat tarts and sugar plum cookies. 



Tea! Bless ordinary everyday afternoon tea!” ~ Agatha Christie



My tea is one my hubby gifted me with for Christmas and it is absolutely delicious! 

It actually tastes like Christmastime and I'm enjoying it in an Enoch Wedgwood teacup. 



David's Organic Cinnamon Rooibos Chai is a rich and spicy tea of organic rooibos, apple, and cinnamon with natural cinnamon flavouring. Mmm!


A cozy little nosh....

What better way to begin the New Year than with loved ones, good friends, and a lovely cup of tea! Thanks for the smiles everyone!


''A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that they can get along without it, and none is so poor but that they can be made rich by it....Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as one who has no more to give.'' ~ Author unknown

A smile is the best facelift.



I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi