Tea inspired gift bag idea

I went on a ladies retreat in March in Tennessee.  I only knew 2 of the gals when we left Ohio, but I ended up making lots of friends by the end of the weekend.

We rented a big house on the lake- talked about Jesus, worshiped, ate, talked, laughed and relaxed

Our "speaker" was David Paul Tripp- I highly recommend him as a good leader and speaker.  Looking to be inspired in your daily walk with God, check him out!!

https://www.paultripp.com/about

In doing this retreat we were all supposed to bring something to share with the other 16 ladies on the trip.  That way we would all go away with a great goodie bag.

Well, I wanted my item to be tea related, of course.  So, I spent some time on line and decided to give a bag with loose tea and a steeper in it...then I saw these adorable little bowls that the steeper could sit in so that you did not get tea all over the place between cups of tea...so, I bought those too.

If you ever have a need to give a little something to a group of people, let me recommend this idea.  It was not too pricey, I think less than $3 a person, but I sis already have the Tea Forte tea packets.

Look at all the fun bags ready to be handed out.....

People were super creative with what they gave. 

Teavana White Jasmine Silver Leaf

This is an older tea, from Teavana.   I know it is older so I added more tea than normal, like 2x times more than normal.

I added almost 6 tsp of tea to the steeper when I made it.  Be careful when making white tea, you don't want to have your water get too hot or you will damage the leaves and it don't taste good.  No one likes bruised tea leaves.

When I make tea in the French press, I put the tea above the press so that I can lift the press when the tea is done steeping, that way I don't over steep it.  Or I put the loose leaf tea a tea bag to steep.

This tea was okay.  I am not sure if it was because it was older or if since it was a white tea it just was not as flavorful as I hopped it would be.   It was not bad, just would have liked more jasmine notes. 

 

T- Bubbles, Ginger Coconut Bubble Tea with blueberry bubbles

I had off on my birthday and was having fun getting a massage and checking out tea shops.  I then discovered this new place. 

T- Bubbles is in Uniontown Ohio- right near Green.

https://www.t-bubbles.com/

They have all kinds of great choices of bubble tea and smoothies.  They also have Vietnamese Espresso.  

Want to try Japanese Milk Tea, Coconut Milk Tea, Buckwheat  Tea, Black Tea, Green Tea, Rose Tea, and so many more options.  And that is just the start...you then need your flavors and your boba (bubbles).

I tried ginger coconut milk tea with Blueberry bubbles....it was super fun and very good.

I thought the ginger and the coconut played nicely together.  I got notes of both.  The ginger might have been slightly more flavor forward but it was fine.  The blueberries were a nice sweet surprise to offset the slightly peppery taste of the ginger.

The staff was really helpful, especially since I had never been there before and I wasn't sure what I was doing, lol.  The store was also very clean.  

The store was busy, which I love to see.  I love people out supporting local businesses.  If I am ever in the area again, I will stop.  This was a fun find.  

Bird and Blend Elderflower and Pressco

I love winter!!! I love the cold brisk temperature. The layer of white snow that blankets everything, it is just breath taking.

And on a cold day what is great to drink...tea!!  But, to be honest I love tea on a hot day, cold day, or any day for that matter.

One of my top five favorite tea companies is Bird and Blend from England.  I usually splurge and buy their tea when they have one of their free international shipping days.  Their teas are so flavorful and amazing!!!

Chinese oolong tea, elderflower, lemon verbena, apple pieces, orange peel, lemon peel, hibiscus, rosehip.

 https://birdandblendtea.com/uk_en/elderflower-prosecco.html

When I make tea in the french press, I put the tea above the press so that I can lift the press when the tea is done steeping, that way I don't over steep it.  Or I put the loose leaf tea a tea bag to steep.

This is a really good tea.  It is flowery, but I like hints of floral in my tea.  I do get more citrus then floral, which I really love.  I think this is a great tea.  This doesn't have the oolong notes that I usually find in an oolong tea, but it is still really good.  I would recommend it.

Slate Tea Tasting Trays

I call this the slate challenge!  And my dad rocked it!!!

I bought this house at auction almost 15 years ago.  In 2011 I had a new roof put on.  I have layers of shingles over slate.

I asked the roofers to save me some slate.  I new at some point I wanted to do something fun with some of the slate.  So, the slate has been sitting in my craft attic.

I love have tea tastings in my house.  I asked my dad if he could make me some tea tasting trays.  I knew if I would not want to have food on the slate, unless I sealed it.  And, I did not want to seal them, I wanted to be able to write with chalk on them.

My dad did not disappoint!!  He made me these great trays.  The slate is just sitting in the trays, so if the slate breaks I can put another piece in them (since all the slate is the same size).

I love these!  They are unique and fun.  The one longer tray is slate that is not from my roof- but slate that my grandma had gotten to paint on.

To think these slates are over 100 years old.  I just love the character of each one.

Aren't these great?  Perfect for serving a variety of teas.

These trays are perfect for putting 4 cups on to taste!

Dad even added handles on these trays.

I hate the feel of chalk on my hands, so I found these liquid chalk pens.  The best part is I don't have to touch the chalk!

  I can put the name of the tea under the cup or if I want to do a blind tasting, I can put numbers or letters under the cups.

I can write on these slate pieces and wipe it all off and start again.  I can not wait to do a tasting!

I love these and they were basically free!!!  Reuse and Recycle.

Tea painting

I am starting a new paint by numbers.  These are so much fun to paint.  I have this place that sells these painting for around $6.99 each with a small shipping fee.

This has been a super fun hobby I picked up last year. I love to paint while listening to books on tape.

https://paintingbynumberfactory.com/products/diy-painting-by-numbers-afternoon-coffee?_pos=2&_psq=coffee&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 Below is the goal of what I hope my painting turns out to be.

This is my latest paint by numbers...

I getting closer to finishing my tea set with macaroons painting.

I finished!!  I really like this one.

Can you see what I took out of the original painting???  It was the coffee beans on the table.  I wanted it to look more like a tea set than coffee.

I hung it in the kitchen to enjoy.

These are the 3 that I have finished...

These 2 below are my next pieces....