Greetings! ...from Kimberly Shaw

Fall Give Away

Happy 1st day of Autumn Everyone! Tis the Season to give thanks for the trees changing colors, bulb planting, good friends, warm tea, home made soup, cozy blankets, a fire in the fire place, spectacular sunsets, and hot cocoa.

I thought I'd celebrate this momentous change in seasons with a little Give Away! Here are 12 of my Fall inspired Teacup Greeting Cards for you to warm the hearts of those you send them to and an assortment of 15 delicious Harney & Sons teas to enjoy as the nights get cooler.

To enter just leave a comment by midnight Sunday October 4th California time letting us know what you like best about Autumn.

I am thankful for YOU!

Tea an' Tiques Tea Shop

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills is the quaintest tree-lined town of Murphys, appropriately called "Queen of the Sierra." 

 

In the middle of town is the adorable Tea an' Tiques shop, and of course I had to go in. Want a peek inside?

As soon as I stepped in, Darcy, the owner graciously invited me to help myself to cup of tea at her tea tasting counter, with a charming cottage garden just a few steps away to relax in and enjoy a cup of tea.

Back inside are beautiful teacups and teapots, tea, scone mixes and goodies for planning a perfect tea party. She also carries lovely antiques, framed art, books, gifts and collectibles.

 

 

 

It was really fun seeing my cards there, too, since I don't get many opportunities to see them displayed in stores. Oh yea, want to see what I went home with?

 

This White Jasmine Sparkling Tea is incredibly delicious!!!  I also found a matching spoon to the Franz butterfly teacup my aunt surprised me with.

Fig Leaf Tea

I made my first Pot of Fig Leaf Tea just last night after delivering Figs to my neighbor. When you have a Fig tree, the next best thing is a neighbor who love figs.  Anyway, Janet also asked if she could have some leaves to make tea. TEA?  Really? I had no idea. She said tea is usually made from dried leaves, but fresh tastes better.  Once back home I Googled it. It's true, the leaves can be used to make tea. Let me show you...

First wash and finely chop one large Fig Leaf. For a single cup use one heaping teaspoon.

 

I put the chopped leaf directly in the post and added the boiling water.

Then I waited, letting it steep about 8 minutes.

The aroma smelled like Fig blossoms, if Fig trees had blossoms, which surprisingly they don't. The taste of the tea is fresh and clean with a slight nutty background, and a little like green tea without any bitterness or earthy flavor. I left the leaves in the bottom of the Pot and now 30 minutes later I poured a second cup and it hasn't become bitter, still fresh and clean tasting only a bit cooler. In my first cup I added honey which was delicious, but wanting to try it unsweetened I like it better plain.

Curious about the health benefits? According the world's healthiest foods the leaves of the Fig Tree  have anti-diabetic properties reducing the amount of insulin needed by diabetics who require insulin injections. I've discovered that drinking 3-4 cups a day helps against bronchitis and asthma. Bathing in it stimulates circulation and takes away discoloration of bruises, but be careful not to go out into the sun after applying to the skin because the psoralens in the fig leaf will cause serious sun burn. Psoralen is used to treat psoriasis and eczema.

I've had 5 cups of Fig Leaf Tea so far with no ill effects. It's delicious with a very pretty golden color! I would serve it at a Tea Party.

I made my first Pot of Fig Leaf Tea just last night after delivering Figs to my neighbor. When you have a Fig tree, the next best thing is a neighbor who love figs.  Anyway, Janet also asked if she could have some leaves to make tea. TEA?  Really? I had no idea. She said tea is usually made from dried leaves, but fresh tastes better.  Once back home I Googled it. It's true, the leaves can be used to make tea. Let me show you...

First wash and finely chop one large Fig Leaf. For a single cup use one heaping teaspoon.

 

I put the chopped leaf directly in the post and added the boiling water.

Then I waited, letting it steep about 8 minutes.

The aroma smelled like Fig blossoms, if Fig trees had blossoms, which surprisingly they don't. The taste of the tea is fresh and clean with a slight nutty background, and a little like green tea without any bitterness or earthy flavor. I left the leaves in the bottom of the Pot and now 30 minutes later I poured a second cup and it hasn't become bitter, still fresh and clean tasting only a bit cooler. In my first cup I added honey which was delicious, but wanting to try it unsweetened I like it better plain.

Curious about the health benefits? According the world's healthiest foods the leaves of the Fig Tree  have anti-diabetic properties reducing the amount of insulin needed by diabetics who require insulin injections. I've discovered that drinking 3-4 cups a day helps against bronchitis and asthma. Bathing in it stimulates circulation and takes away discoloration of bruises, but be careful not to go out into the sun after applying to the skin because the psoralens in the fig leaf will cause serious sun burn. Psoralen is used to treat psoriasis and eczema.

I've had 5 cups of Fig Leaf Tea so far with no ill effects. It's delicious with a very pretty golden color! I would serve it at a Tea Party.

Tea Give-Away

Look at all this yummy Celestial Seasonings Teas!!! And don't you just LOVE all the pretty artwork and cleaver quotes on their teabags?  If you are ever in Boulder, Colorado visit Celestial Seasonings on Sleepytime Drive (adorable street name, right?). 

I am so honored Celestial Seasonings uses my cards to put their beautiful and delicious teas in.  We receive a shipment of their teas with a list of the cards they want. We assemble them together for their Gift Shop.  Cool, huh? They just informed us they are designing new packaging for these teas and offered to let us keep what we had.  Well, since we have plenty,  it seemed a good idea to share our blessing with a NEW Give-Away.

Celestial Seasonings offers FREE tours every day (except major holidays), Monday–Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; and Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. of their tea production plant,  the extensive display of original artwork in their gallery, and you'll enjoy free samples of all their tea flavors.  Sounds like a road trip!!!  After your tour, you are invite to visit their Gift Shop and Cafe', where you’ll find every flavor of Celestial Seasonings products as well some of my Teacup Greeting Cards with their delicious teas in them. 

All you have to do is:
1. Leave me a comment, maybe share your favorite Celestial Seasonings Tea, if you have one.
2. Jump up and down three times and hope you'll win.
3. Hug the first person you see and tell them about this Give-Away.
4. And have a Tea Party if you are the winner.

Actually, all you need to you is leave a nice comment BY MIDNIGHT JULY 6th, I'm just playing with you.

The teas being Given Away are, 6 teabags each of English Breakfast, Lemon Myrtle Green, Earl Grey, Raspberry Zinger, English Toffee, Red Zinger, Black Cherry Berry, and Sweet Clementine Chamomile. That's 48 teabags in all!  Sound like the beginnings of a Tea Party!

I'LL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER JULY 7TH

OH MY! I GOT A BIT BEHIND...THE WINNER WILL BE ANOUNCED ON WEDNESDAY THE 8TH

Tropical White Tea

Today is a prefect pre-Summer Coastal California day. The windows are all open with a light breeze filling the house with the fragrance of the rose garden.  My choice for a mid afternoon cup of refreshment is Harrisons & Crosfield's Tropical White tea.  It's just as described, "Fresh and clean with an alluring fruity flavour." 

I selected Harrisons & Crosfield's Tropical White tea to go in my "Birthday Greetings" Teacup Greeting card.  Whoever receives this card for their birthday will definitely enjoy the added treat of this fine tea. 

"Take a Bloging Friend To Work" Day

OK, so I know there is no such day as "Take a Blogging Friend To Work" day, but since my children have participated in "Take Your Daughter/Son to Work" day, I thought I'd invite you, my blogging buddies, to join me at work.  Welcome, let me tell you what's going on...

Georgia has let me know we have an order for 45 "Oceanside" Teacup Greeting cards to make for a special event. "No Problem," I said, "45 cards won't take that long to make."  She clarified by explaining  we need 45 sets.            "45 SETS!"  A set is a pack of 6.   I'm not sure I even know what 45 sets looks like. We began multiplying... 45x6=270. 270! WOW! I better get busy. Here's what I need to do...

First I need to make tea. I'm having English Breakfast with honey and milk, what can I get for you?  Next I grab 2 big stacks of cards, a box and an extra bag of teabags, and envelopes. Then I lay out  teabags upside down. I'll start with 72 teabags and add a bit of double-stick tape to the back of each one to hold them in place in the card.

Once all the teabags are taped, I'll assemble them by hand into each card & stack the cards in piles of 6.

Then I'll cross stack them so they're level, add 6 envelopes,

and bag them in custom sized gusseted bags.
 
12 sets down & 33 more to go, so I'll continue to set out more teabags, tape each, assemble, stack and bag while I sip my tea.


On to round 3, & I noticed not only is my box of tea empty, but my cup of tea is also empty.
 
So, if you'll excuse me, I'll boil water for more tea.
Are you ready for another cup yet?

We don't get orders like this very often, and I'm happy you stopped by for a visit.  Let me know if you have any questions about what we do or how the Greeting Card business operates. 

Thanks for visiting!!!

Steepster.com for Tea Lovers

I just got word from Jennifer at Tea=Bliss of a new site called Steepster.com. Just like Twitter except for tea lovers! Wow, just up my alley!  It's filled with info about teas people have tried and what they like about them!!! I'm planning on discovering more great teas from this site! If you have yummy teas you'd love to tell us about, please join and let us know.  Your hospitalitea would be appreciated!!  Just go to http://www.steepster.com

One of my ultimate favorite teas is this rich Royal Imperial Gold from Harrisons & Crosfield.  For me it's perfectly scrumptious with milk and honey, and  a shortbread cookie or two.  After a third cookie and a second cup of this robust tea, well, I'm ready for just about anything. Now I know loose tea reigns supreme, (and H&C offers this tea loose) but because I use a lot of teabags in my Teacup Greeting cards, I sample each one first to make sure it's delicious, and this Imperial is king of on my list. Of course only it's ahead of a very very close race with all the other wonderful teas I offer in my cards, depending on what I'm craving. 

Anyway, check out Steepster.com to see what others are brewing in their cup!!!

Set To A Tea

Delicate pink rose Teacups, petite Tea Spoons, a sweet Heart tea infuser, luscious Raspberry tea all on a vintage lace table clothe... Well, I can't think of a better way to relax this Mother's Day!  But I cant forget the kids, the husband, and the dog (which my hubby got on Mother's Day).  Without them I wouldn't have a reason to celebrate.  Hurray!!! Mother's Day will be here soon!

Wouldn't this demitasse trio be a perfect grouping on a Mother's Day breakfast tray?  These small spoons and service pieces are hard to find.  If you've been looking for these too, your search is over, I've made them available in my Store.

Tea House

Isn't this Tea House Tea Infuser adorable? I've always loved this little infuser which reminds me of having tea with friends around my kitchen table.  This petite Jam Spoon is also perfect for stirring milk and honey in delicate teacups, not to chunky, with a charming antique teapot on the end.  For a special treat I love serving Harrisons & Crosfields delectable Forest Berries tea with it's fragrant aroma and gorgeous deep pink color. The flavor comes alive when slightly sweetened.  If these are 'Your cup of tea' or you'd like to give them as gifts I've made them available in my Store.

The original watercolor painting in the background is reproduced on my Mom Teacup Greeting card and matching Things To Do After I Have Tea Notepad, both come with a yummy teabag attached.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I don't have a pot of gold at the end of my rainbow,

but I'm always happy to serve you a pot of tea at my table. Today it's Harrisons & Crosfield's Irish Breakfast tea delicious sweetened with milk.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY TO YA'!

Merry Christmas

From my home to yours, wishing all my blogging pals a Very Merry Christmas!!!  Tonight if you had a chance to visit, the smell of pumpkin spiced bread would greet you at the door. I'd invite you in and start a pot of Harney & Sons Holiday Tea.
 

Tempting Mango Tea

Harrisons & Crosfield's Mango tea is wonderfully tempting anytime of the year, delicious hot or iced.  Available in my store packed in an attractive acrylic box appropriate for gift giving or setting on a tea table.

Luscious Raspberry Tea

Harrisons & Crosfield's new Raspberry Tea is truly Luscious!!  A black tea flavored with natural raspberry makes a deliciously bold tea, even without sweeteners.

A pack of 10 teabags in an acrylic box, suitable for gift-giving, is available in my store.

Edmund Loves Tea

Like most Brits, Edmund loves his tea. This morning he woke up with a cup of Harrisons & Crosfield's hearty Scottish Breakfast, a full bodied black tea with a rich "malty" flavor, delicious with milk and honey. This afternoon he had a cup of fruity Mango, black tea naturally flavoured, delicious plain.

Tea. We have a Ton

The Kimberly Shaw Graphics has the best smelling warehouse on the block, filled with the fragrances of Apricot, Black Current, Cinnamon Spice, Earl Grey, Jasmine, Mango, Passion Fruit, Peppermint, Green, Breakfast and Afternoon teas. An added benefit is being able to enjoy all these yummy teas while we work.