Brewed Awakening, Vermilion- iced salted carmel iced chai latte as well as a strawberry refresher with green tea

You know I love me some Brewed Awakening when in Vermilion.

https://www.brewedawakeningvermilion.com/

I have been surprised how many times I have been to Vermilion in the last year...so many times that I had a free drink coming to me, lol!

I came in for lunch with some friends and then we walked around the town.  I showed her a boutique I liked and she had never been too.  Then she showed me a popcorn shop I had never been too.  It was a nice afternoon.  The shops around town are really cute and fun.

They have a great chicken salad salad that I really enjoy. I then have my two teas.  One was a strawberry refresher with green tea, the other was a iced salted carmel chai latte (this was my free one).

This is my free drink.  The iced salted carmel chai latte.  The chai is on the sweeter side, but it has great flavors.  I even enjoyed having the sweet carmel in it- I usually prefer my chai teas on the spicy side.

Both drinks were worth the 5 tea cups.  Great flavors, unique blends, and a good deal for the money.  I enjoy the staff- they are friendly.

Lots of options for drinks and food. 

My friend and I back at the beach.  We love Beulah Beach!!

Garden Tea Party

I have always wanted to have a garden party.  My parents do one every few years and I think that they are so pretty and have such a romantic feel to them.

So, I worked on my yard for about 4 months and I finally got weeds pulled and garden beds edged and I was ready for a garden tea party.

 

Well the Saturday I had it planned for, it rained and was terrible.  So, the rain day was the next day Sunday.  And it ended up being a very nice beautiful day.

I decorated the card tables with candles and flowers from my garden. Very simple and nothing too elaborate, but it looked pretty.

 

The food table, I put a table runner down the middle with a mesh runner on top of it.  Again, simple but did the job.

I had lemon bread and blueberry scones.  Then I had a 3 tier of chocolate cookies and other British treats. (I ended up not making the scones and I bought them from a grocery store. But, if I were to make them, one of the easiest ways is this mix, Sticky Fingers, from World Market.  They are $6.99 for Gluten free and $5.99 for the regular flour ones.  They are great.  https://www.worldmarket.com/p/sticky-fingers-raspberry-scone-mix-342208.html )

 I also had lemon short bread, lemon cookies, raspberry jam cookies, and macarons. I had lemon butter wafers, and lastly I had creme Brulé crackers.  If you have never tried the Gourmet seasoned crackers, you need too!  

All you need is Saltines, olive oil and the mix, put in a zip lock bag and shack.  They are fantastic.  I got my pack of seasoning in Medina for $4.95 and it made two sleeves of crackers. 

I could not find that brand on line, but I found something similar,

https://squeakstore.com/products/carmies-cracker-mix-multiple-flavors

Also Walmart carries a brand too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/June-Street-Market-Saltine-Cracker-Gourmet-Seasoning-3-Pack-Variety/132945428?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101034980

These Lemon Flower Cookies from Trader Joe's were INCREDIBLE!!

I made Passion Iced Tea (Hibiscus), Unsweetened Mint Tea, and Purple Palmer (Butterfly Pea Tea)

I also set up a photo booth area.  Some of the guests seem to have fun with this addition.

It was a nice afternoon to just sit and chat.

                                      

Making a teacup bird feeder

In blue is my inspiration piece...a teacup bird feeder. The purple one is my take on it.

I looked around for candle chandeliers and I just could not find any.  All the chandeliers I found were electric.  They did not have the flat base and I would have to do some maneuvering and cut off of "candle" part of the lamp.

So, I found this candle chandelier on Amazon.  It was a nice size for the area that I wanted to put it. It came black and I painted it purple.

I was given a free arbor and I wanted to hang the chandelier in the middle. So, I began setting up the arbor and testing to be sure the chandelier would work.

I look old teacups and saucers and glued them on to the chandelier. 

I am not sure I tipped the cups correctly.  I think the handles should have been up in the air.  We will see it may just gather water and become a bord bath and not a bird feeder.  This is fine too, I really don't want to get into buying bird seed...hahahaha.

This turned out about the way I wanted.  I wanted it to be low enough people could see the teacups.  Yet, doing that people can't walk under it, but I think I am okay with that.  Next year I will plant some climbing flowers on the arbor.