Teacup Rubber Stamp Winner is....

I almost didn't post today because for two days I have been cleaning like a woman possessed.

Yes, hard to believe, but it makes perfect sense.

I have to be possessed in order to clean!

(and of course I am drinking tea as I compose this post!)
Sunday I opened up the house to let in the beautiful spring breeze and in the process exposed my poor winter housekeeping.

Dust bunnies were blown from their formerly secure hiding places,

the fresh air coming in exposed the less than pleasant smells inside

AND

the balmy breeze made me want to shed some layers.

Or in this case "piles".

Piles of winter coats, bags of hand me down clothes intended for a neighbor's child, stacks of VHS tapes, mountains of miscellaneous books, magazines, catalogs, kids' school work (saved), etc., etc.

All were dispatched to where they were intended or into the trash.

And that was just the dining room!

I still have more cleaning to do!

Duh!

Today is trash day so it seems fitting that my rubber stamp drawing was done in an empty waste basket.

Congrats Amy!

Go tell her how envious you are that she won.

Because you know she would enjoy it.

:)

And I haven't forgotten my promise to report on my curried chicken salad lunch with friends.

Stay tuned.

And you may have to tolerate my ramblings about spring cleaning a little longer. I am only just scratching the surface of my studio. I started today when I tumbled over the stacks of stuff on my floor to get to my computer chair. It's inexcusable.

Maybe I need to start my own blog feature... Take Out the Trash Thursday (Why Wait 'Til Saturday to Clean?!)

Have you been possessed lately?

Oh, by the way, if you want to visit other Tea on Tuesday bloggers, go see our hostess Kimmie.

The Latest Buzz

The Queen Bees are at it again with another swap.

Carole gave the suggestion that we make kits of similair items to send to each of us.

Believe it or not, this is our biggest challenge yet since some of us sent very unusual items to alter (smashed and toasted kipper tin, an embroidery hoop with some fabric but no hints or instructions...)

I started with Margaret's lot since I am most comfortable with paper. She sent us each a different "bloke" and a BINGO card of some sort for our base.

I created "Handsom Dan" (named so for obvious reasons!) who wears a ridiculously large tie tack (spinner).
And because I was messing around with the layout while I was working at the Post Office (shhhh, don't tell the post mistress), I gave Dan a postmark halo as a souvenir (although he is no saint!)

This is just a peek. You will have to watch Margaret's blog for the whole reveal.

Three kits to go...

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You can find the Queen Bee blogs on my sidebar.

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OH! And please stop by my previous post for a giveaway, if you haven't already!

Tea, Curry and a Teacup Giveaway

I have "city" friends coming over for lunch tomorrow so as I sip my usual black tea with a little milk, I am also snacking on raisins and hunting for a curried chicken salad recipe. I found one quickly at Kraft Foods. The inspiration was a forgotten spice jar of curry that I found in my cabinet. I can't tell you how old it is (which means "too old") but it still tasted fine. Some raw veggies and home baked bread on the side and we will be set for hours of visiting and noshing.

Now for the Giveaway portion of this tea post...

This is the "teacup" I am sending away to one lucky person who leaves a comment between now and next Monday night.

I have been slowly listing my humungous rubber stamp collection for sale in my etsy shop, but this one I would like to gift to a tea drinker, or someone who just likes teacups (they hold gin just as well!)

Most of my stamps are used, but this one happens to be brand new (I had another teacup stamp that was my favorite to use).

I will announce the winner next Tuesday.

For more Tea on Tuesday posts, see Kimmie's blog.

Ah, Spring!

This is not a stock photo I pulled out of my stash from this winter. I took it this morning! We had freezing rain, plus a couple inches of snow fall over night. And it is currently (as I write) snowing more. We could have a couple more inches fall by this evening. So much for a warm up and thaw during the day!

It does look pretty though, so I cannot complain too hard.

The weird thing is hearing song birds twitter right through all of this.

(I heard them singing while I was out taking these pictures!)
They are ignoring this slight set back (Snow? What snow?!)

and continuing their courtships.

It will be warmer this week (genuine spring weather!) and nests will need to be built!

So while you may find lush photos of crocuses and tulips bursting into bloom on other blogs,
all you will find here is dormant hostas (and weeds!)

Perhaps I should have planted some bulbs. :)

In any event, spring has not quite sprung in my little part of Missouri.

But anything can happen in a week.

Found in a Book

Yes, I am still tearing apart books.

For most of them, it's an improvement.

For some, their covers were coming off anyway.

I just helped the process along.

Case in point.

A 140 year old copy of "Elements of Analytical Geometry".

The covers fell off in my hands without much tugging,

but the spine is permanent.

I would have to chisel it off and it's not worth the damage.

The pages inside have the most beautiful coloring so

I may part the book out.

Or not.

Look what I found inside.

Century old vegetation.

I can't part with it now!

It would be like sellng King Tut's tomb.

Another book has priceless verse.

"The Mastery of Words (Book One)"

is full of little gems.

They need to be cross stitched on samplers or

recreated as an altered book page.

Another pearl for you, from the same book-

The is the way the morning dawns:

Rosy tints on flowers and trees,

Winds that wake the birds and bees,

Dewdrops on the fields and lawns.

Isn't that too precious?

From a spelling book written for kids in grades 1-5.

It's a keeper!

You won't find this book in my etsy shop,

but you might find other things you can't live without.

Afternoon Tea at the Corder P.O.

No teacup photo today.

I am working at the Post Office this week and am using my personal collection of "stock photos".

I am drinking tea though.

Earl Grey.

In a thermal cup.

Which means it is scalding hot for the first 10 minutes, then tepid (blaaach!) and finally cold.

If I were Postmaster, I would have a hot plate and water kettle in the back room, but I am just the "PMR" (Post Master Replacement) which is also an achronym for "temporary help".

The current Post "Mistress" does not even drink coffee so that appliance sits in the back room covered in dust.

I won't touch it, no matter how desperate I am for coffee in the morning.

But I go home for lunch (one block away) and come back equipped with my afternoon survival beverage.

It is a cold, rainy day today (not snowy as in my stock photo).

I love rainy days at the P.O.

The swish of traffic on the wet street outside, the ticking clock and the occasional patron who comes in for postage and a bit of gossip.

I live in a small town.

The pace is slow.

And I know more about some patrons than I care to know.

They mistaken me for a bartender and tell me their problems.

:)

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For more Tea on Tuesday posts, visit Kimmie's blog.

Disintegrated Ornaments Revealed

If you read my blog two months ago, you saw these shining Christmas ball ornaments and learned that I was putting them outside to weather in the, um, er, weather. They were free after Christmas ornaments from my local thrift store, so I had absolutely nothing to lose with the experiment.

And, in fact, I have gained everything, by doing nothing.

Two heavy snowfalls, rain, wind and temperature extremes did all of the work.

This is my kind of project!

Now, I have some lovely rust...

Pitting and flaking...



Mottled textures...

And general decay.

Aren't they GORGEOUS?!

The trick is to place them into a container that has drainage (so they don't soak in standing water) and shelter from the wind (so they don't get buffeted around and break).

A basket would be good.

Mine were on a soft bed of dead grass in a large, stoneware crock with no bottom, in front of a friend's antiques shop.

Then you pray for harsh weather and forget about your project for about two months.

Mine were off-site, but even my friend Liz forgot to look in on the ornaments.

Now she swears she is buying every box of old Shiny Brites to do this herself.

I think that means her crock is booked for next winter...

I don't know what I will do with my shabby sparklers, but it just might be something as simple as heaping them into a bowl for display

OR

decorating an unconventional tree.

Can you say, "Junk-le bells?"