Welcoming Pot of Tea

Welcoming Pot of Tea, originally uploaded by confections.

I've been sifting through my archive of photos lately and turning some of them into pencil sketches with an application available at dumpr.net. Not all of them convert well; a few do. It's all a matter of experimentation.

Some of the more successful conversions are the images of tea cups and tea pots. The better to entice me to the tea table....

Rainy Day (and NaNoWriMo) Comforts

Rainy Day Comforts, originally uploaded by confections.

It was a gloomy, misty day in San Diego yesterday, and I enjoyed a spot of tea in my "Cup of Knowledge" tea cup. The milk is served in a modern reproduction Russel Wright creamer found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, and my handmade tea cozy keeps my Paris tea toasty warm in my favorite everyday tea pot.

Taking a tea break like this daily is helping me meet my writing goals in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm running low on my favorite Apricot tea and will have to retrieve some from Tea-upon-Chatsworth when they open again on Wednesday. Cheers, fellow NaNoWriMo folks!

Collectibles Collage

Collectibles Collage, originally uploaded by confections.

I am a collector of many things. I have Gemini at my midheaven, so I am known for my collections. I can't help it. I was born with this lovely affliction. Among the things I collect are books, tea pots, tea cups, sugars and creamers (really, all manner of tea accoutrement are fair game), Belleek, yarn, fabric, fiber, beads, baskets, buttons, sewing patterns, snails (they are my husband's and my totem animal), percussion instruments, jewelry, rubber stamps, stationery, scrapbooking items, photographs--whew! Many of the tools I collect pertain to my fiberarts--looms, spinning wheel, yarn skeiner, spindles, niddy-noddies, umbrella swifts. I'm sure there are a few more, but I'll stop the litany there. Collecting--it's what life's about!

The basket pictured below is one that I made at a workshop nearly four years ago. That was an addictive class. I may enroll in a basket-making class this fall to add to my ever-growing collection of Peterboro and other baskets. The class runs for six weeks at a time and you make a new basket each week. Sounds like a Gemini midheaven's dream-come-true!