Valentine's Day | 2017

Hello Everyone,

It's once again Valentines Day! A day that rolls around once a year which allows us to celebrate the love of our life.  Although rooted in a tainted past of religion and martyred saints, it transformed in the 14th century through popularity to represent romantic love.  In the 18th century England, it became an occasion where lovers exchange gifts as a romantic symbol.  Today it has become as commercial as the next holiday, but you cannot escape the fun opportunity to shower your true loves with candy and flowers.  We chose to celebrate with chocolate cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, and wonderful fresh flowers.  I hope and pray this Valentine's Day that you get to celebrate with your true love and it finds you well!

God Bless,

Trina

Sapphire Jubilee

Hello all!

This week the Queen of England and the Commonwealth is celebrating the longest reign of a living monarch in her country. They are celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 65 years of reign with the sapphire jubilee. We thought we would honor this momentous festivity in our way by having a spot of tea.

The reason I found this occasion worth noting and celebrating is because I admire the Queen so dearly. Upon a closer study of her you will find commitment and duty at its finest. She is extremely disciplined and well poised. Inheriting a job you can never retire from would be a daunting task, but not for Her Majesty the Queen. With a smile and a wave she proudly represents the head of Her people's land, and land abroad, of a legacy so refined it would make anyone take notice.

We selected some light sandwiches, various fruit, cakes, and sweets for our celebration. Placing in fresh flowers, books, and magazines added an opportunity for celebratory conversation in the Queen's honor. We also added in blue accent color to represent the sapphire achievement. Finally, we chose some cinnamon tea from The Greenbrier to add to the charm. Our tea was quite lovely and we had a jolly good time. Here is to a wonderful 65 years of reigning to the Queen, with more wonderful years to come!

God Bless and God save the Queen,
Trina

Birthday Magic | 25th Birthday Picnic

Hello Friends!

So it has been a hot minute since we have posted anything thanks to all the summer festivities that have been going on. The most recent summer festivity, my 25th birthday!! As you may remember last year I celebrated with a Lobster Bake. This year I wanted a more laid back picnic themed family dinner, and here is the result!

PICNIC VIBE

I 100% knew that I wanted to eat on the ground, but also knew I didn't want my food in my lap. We remedied this situation by boosting a large wooden pallet up with 4 concrete blocks. Since pallets have big gaps between the wood, we set another thin flat surface on top so our drinks, etc. wouldn't fall through. To cover it up we used sheets that were floral, pastel, and light. I didn't want any heavy colors weighing down the party atmosphere, so white based sheets were a must.

If a birthday picnic was a recipe, a tree would be the secret ingredient. I know this might seem silly, but a tree is integral to creating shade, hanging things on, and just all around looking cute in the background.

EXTRA PADDING NEVER HURTS

For seating we used outdoor cushions, but normal pillows would have worked fine too. We used these ones because we have outdoor furniture they go on and were easily accessible. I also added a couple throw pillows, simply for décor purposes.

BIRTHDAY ATTIRE

For my birthday outfit I wore a long dress from Rue 21 to match the vibe of the dinner. I also made a floral crown with fresh flowers (p.s. Kroger's fresh flowers are sooooo much nicer than Walmart's fresh flowers). I used green wire, green floral tape, and pink and gold ribbon from Pat Catan's to make the floral crown. I premade it and kept it in the fridge until it was time to wear it. The crown surprised me and stayed looking fresh for TWO DAYS afterwards!! How crazy was that!?

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

For dinner I wanted my favorite food: shrimp, asparagus, pasta, and sweet potatoes (fun fact: sweet potatoes are my favorite food... like EVER!!). I also wanted pink lemonade because I feel like its cousin, yellow lemonade, gets used a lot more and I feel sorry for pink lemonade. Yes, I understand that it's irrational for me to feel sorry for something that's inanimate, but tell my feelings that.

Okay, so cake. I wanted TONS of candles. Little candles, big candles, sparklers. The photo above where Rem and I are making O's with our mouths is the moment when a sparkler caught fire literally took our breath away. It was simply stunning!

LIGHTING 

The star of the show was definitely the lighting. When the sun finally sank past the horizon, the fairy lights had their moment to create magic. Literally, it was magical. I bought 4 battery operated paper lanterns to hang from the tree. They created a soft ambient lighting that complimented the Thomas Edison fairy lights. I bought 2 strands of the Thomas Edison fairy lights from Kroger (ON SALE for $10 each #BargainShopper). We also had torches in buckets of gravel to string everything together. The torches were filled with bug repellent and were a must to keep the bugs away.

FINALE

To finish off the night, we set up the outdoor theater and watch A Royal Night Out on the side of the house. All in all the picnic dinner theater night was a huge success! I loved every minute of it and cannot wait to recreate another similar summer night!

Any questions? Comment them below!

Tilly

Mothers Day | 2016

Hello Everyone,

Although our Mothers are near and dear to our hearts everyday, we have a special day set aside every year in May to celebrate them.  As the long winters end and the smell of spring is in the air, we join together to honor the greatest women in our lives.  Mothers deserve so much for are their hard work, dedication, and grace they show to the ones they love.  For this reason we set up a few sweet items that any Mom would like to have for breakfast to let her know that she is truley favored and highly blessed on this special day.  One of the most iconic ways to tell someone they are special are with fresh flowers! Fresh flowers are inexpensive and vastly accessible during this time of year. In addition to flowers, we set up some strawberry pancakes, cupcakes, and muffins.  Garnished everything with fresh strawberrys and a few extra added touches.  Last but not least we added in a little spot of tea.  Tea will make any place setting feel distinguished and special.  This is a wonderful opportunity to find out your Mother's favorite tea and suprise her with it on Mothers Day.  We pray blessings on all dedicated Mothers and hope this inspires you and all Mothers out their on their wonderful day.

 

God Bless,

 

Trina Belle

Easter Sunday 2016

Hello Friends!

Hope everyone is having a joyous Easter Sunday thus far! We have attended Sunday School and are patiently waiting for the Sunday feast to finish cooking. The mix of aromas drifting from the kitchen are tantalizing to say the least. What is finished is our dessert table, which we are also patiently waiting for, or should I say, practicing patience for.

 

 

 

On the table we have fresh flowers signifying the bloom of spring. We also have the traditional Easter Bunnies and eggs to complement the arrangement. But one of the most important details hangs above our table and draws the least amount of attention to itself; a thorn of crowns. It was on this day many years ago that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rose from the grave. It is this crown that we use in our home to represent the hope and renewal He gifted to us by sacrificing His life for ours. On this day I hope you and your family also remember the reason we celebrate Easter Sunday. Oh and don't worry, we have more cupcakes hidden on reserve ;) 





 

I also put together this Easter basket cake to tie in the holiday theme further into our dessert. The cake was simply made; two 8 x 8 cakes stacked on top each other with chocolate icing, malt Easter eggs for topping, and Kit Kat bars positioned around the perimeter. SUPER easy and SUPER festive.

Hope you enjoyed our post and hope everyone's Easter Sunday is filled with hope and love.

Happy Easter,

Tilly

Poinsettia | A Brief History

Hello Friends!

This week we will be putting a post up everyday until Christmas. Today I thought we'd kick off the week's holiday posts with a history of poinsettias. Poinsettias are traditionally used around Christmas time and are known for their red and green color. Poinsettias were brought to the United States in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett (which is from whom their name derives from), and were brought to Mexico from Egypt! In Mexico they are known as Flor de Noche Buena, which translates to Christmas Eve Flower. Poinsettia were not associated with Christmas until the 16th century when the legend of a young girl too poor to present a present for the celebration of Jesus' birthday placed weeds in front of the church alter, as instructed by an angel. The weeds sprouted to resemble the poinsettia we know today. The star-shaped leaf pattern of the poinsettia is also said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, further tying it in to Christmas traditions.

A couple lesser known facts about the poinsettia includes that the poinsettia is toxic. Although the poinsettia's toxin is only mild, if the toxins get inside an eye cavity the eye will temporarily go blind. Another fact is that the poinsettias are different colors throughout the seasonal year.

Happy Holidays,

Tilly

Psalm 46:10 | Be Still And Know That I Am God

Hello Everyone

On my way home travelling a few months ago I made the usual stop to eat at Cracker Barrel. Instead of patiently waiting on my food to arrive, I slipped out and thought I could occupy my time better by shopping. I love shopping to find the perfect treasure to bring home with me as a reminder of my time away. That’s when I found this beautiful linen embroidered with the scripture of Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God". It was the last one they had and I knew that it would be perfect to use not only for a perfect tea napkin, but to provide inspiration.  

In this fast paced life that is constantly filled with distractions, disappointments, and mindless chatter, it is next to impossible to be still. Because of this it is so easy for the world to rob the peace and joy and break down the communication between ourselves and God. As our souls yearn for God, this busyness yields a disconnect in our spirit, and an internal war ensues within us. As our minds begin to race with life our focus begins to shift from knowing God is in control to wondering why we must endure suffering. God becomes a distant glimpse while we become engulfed in the present reality of our problems. Instead of being tuned into what God has for us, this distance ensues a narcissistic cycle of constant discontentment and self-pity.

It is imperative in this secular world that we simply stop and take time to be still and meditate on what God’s design and plan is for our life. Knowing God in a deep intuitive way allows us to detach ourselves from our circumstance and rest upon who he is. Understanding that in the difficult times in our lives he is strengthening our inner man that we may endure the hardships of life and like Job say’s, “Though he may slay me I will rest in him”.

It is one of my life long struggles to drown out life and simply be still and know God for who he is. So, as my tea linen inspires me to work upon my deficiency and grow stronger in the faith, I pray this post inspires you to do the same.

God Bless, 

Trina Belle

Decorating | Tea Pots and Tea Cups

Hello friends,

My mother and I have accrued multiple tea pots and tea cups through vintage shopping. I have been asked more than once what we do with it all. The answer is simple: we decorate with them!

A recently purchased of mine has been this tea cup (Rose Bouquet made in England by the Johnson Bros.) antique shopping for a mere $8. I decided to place in on top a couple books stacked on my nightstand. The other items on my nightstand are quite taller than the tea cup, so providing it with some elevation, helps to balance out the arrangement.

On a little round table in my room, I have placed a gold and white tea pot (made in Japan, no company stamp) with some other items in the same color scheme. There are two candles, one if front of the teapot and one top of a couple books. There are also two plants, one real in the glass case and one artificial flower in a glass jar. Keeping a color theme on a table is a great way to bring the pieces together and really make them look like they belong on the table.

Since I use my vanity daily I don't want a lot placed on it because it would get in my way. Here I simply have a pitcher I picked up for $12 antique shopping. In the pitcher I have my Maid of Honor bouquet I carried on my best friend's wedding day. This just helps to bring some extra color into my room in a unique way.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I incorporate my antique tea finds into my bedroom décor. Please send me pictures of how you decorate with tea things! Also comment below which of the three decorating looks was your favorite.

Hope you have a great day!

Tilly