FALL - A PROMISE AND SOME BLUEBERRY SOUP

Fall - A Promise 

And Some Blueberry Soup

Blueberry Soup

Keep reading for more photos and the recipe. 

Here in South Texas it is now what we affectionately (or maybe not so affectionately) call "The Dog Days of Summer".  This is the time of year when it is hotter than hot and for now at least very dry.  These are the days that are the hardest for me to handle.  Heat is not very kind to fibromyalgia and increases (at least for me) our pain levels.

Yet, with this time of the year comes a promise, a promise of things to come.  This being that Fall is on the way soon (we hope) and with it all the things that make Fall wonderful.  The pumpkins all dressed in colors of orange, the spices cinnamon and nutmeg, sweet and delicious apples and the list goes on.  Also, for our family this year, Fall holds a very special promise.  For it is in the Fall that my Eric will return home from where he has been deployed and our family will once again be back together.  

It has been a very long and hard year apart.  I try not to complain or moan and groan, for this is the life we choose and we graciously and honorably accept that this is part of our life.  We live it everyday and we take what comes to us and we make the best of it.  That is not to say that it is not a struggle to live a military life, for it is certainly that and so much more.  However, I am very proud of each and everyone of us and for all those who have chosen to live a military life and to love a soldier. 

In the meantime, my days are filled with my girls and we make the best of our situation.  This week we finished some costumes for the Anime Convention here in San Antonio.  My oldest daughter will be an interpretation of Grell as the Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland.  My youngest will be Pikachu from The Pokemon series. 

Here is Tiffany in her costume made by me. I made the ears, scarf, bow tie, vest, leggings and tail.  I do not as of yet have a picture of June's costume, as she hates taking photos and I just finished her costume today.  So maybe my next post will include a photo of her Pikachu costume. 

We also made a few new recipes and one of them was a very delicious Blueberry Soup.  The recipe is very simple to follow and it turned out beautiful.  

Here is what you will need:

4 Cups of Blueberries

1/2 Sugar

1 Cup of Orange Juice

1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice 

A Tiny Pinch of Cinnamon (if desired, I like it better without the cinnamon)

and 

1 Pint of Half and Half

Combine all ingredients except the half and half in a pot and place on the stove on Medium Heat. 

Stir continually until it comes to a boil.

Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Once cooled process your mixture until it is a liquid. 

Then add the pint of half and half and place in container or dishes of your choice and refrigerate. 

I used whip cream for garnish but you can also use mint or any edible flower, or whatever you fancy. 

It is a delightful and fresh dessert for these dog days of summer. 

I used my custard dishes from my Arcoroc France Pink Swirl Rosaline Collection of glass wear.  Hope you will give this recipe a try....

This week I also found a beautiful crown necklace for a steal. I love jewelry and I love to add things to my jewelry collection when I can.  This beautiful crown came with the original jewelry box and the gift box with bow. It is made in Italy and the jeweler was Fred Meyer Jewelers. 

Also this week I got two very beautiful patterns from Hobby Lobby.  Their Simplicity patterns were on sale for 99 cents!!

So I got two dress patterns from their Project Runway Collection.  Maybe soon there will be a new dress to show off!!!!!!  

Also, from Hobby Lobby, a beautiful bird jar that I filled with Epsom Salts. 

I just love this beautiful jar...

With the change in the seasons will come the gift of togetherness that my heart has so longed for all year...

and I will be happy and complete once again...

Till next we meet

Gentle Hugs,

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

And may I give a BIG WELCOME and THANK YOU 
to my new followers!
I am delighted to have you with me here at 
Tea Cottage Pretties!

VINTAGE HANDBAGS ON PARADE

Vintage 
Handbags On Parade

I love vintage handbags and especially those from the 1960's, they remind me of my childhood and the lovely ladies I knew as a child.  My mother and my grandmother carried the most beautiful bags.  Draped over their arms and sometimes with matching shoes and a beautiful dress, they seemed so glamorous and beautiful to me.  Memories of shopping DOWNTOWN, the window displays, beautiful packages and bags filled with lovely items, come to mind whenever I see a vintage handbag. 

Vintage handbags also call to mind such lovelies as Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.  They bring to my mind, images of ladies when they actually dressed and behaved like ladies. When we would dress up to go church, go shopping and even to run errands.  Gloved hands delicately carrying and opening their handbags to grab their hankies or their lipstick to freshen up their lovely faces.  

Whenever I happen upon a vintage handbag that is in excellent condition and of course for the right price, I am hard pressed not to make it mine.  I am particularly fond of the Smartaire Miss America handbags and I own 3 of them, pink, red and off white (see the pink and red in photo below).  I also have a similar styled bag in white and light blue (also below).  The white bag is a Tempra bag and the blue bag is unmarked.  

Another of my favorites and one of my newest bags is an unmarked silver pearlized handbag in mint condition. 

Light Blue Unmarked Handbag

Light Pink Smartaire Miss America Handbag

One of my favorite vintage handbags is my pink Smartaire Miss America.  You have seen this handbag in one of my previous blog post.  

Me with my pink Miss America bag. 

Click here to LIKE my outfit on ModCloth!

Red Vintage Smartaire Miss America Handbag

Vintage White Tempra Handbag

Vintage Silver Handbag Unmarked

Here is another grouping of vintage handbags. 

Vintage Light Blue Handbag

Vintage Bright Pink Handbag

Vintage Navy Blue Handbag

And finally Vintage Gold Handbags

Vintage Gold Lame Handbag

I will be adding more vintage handbags to this post as time goes on.  I will place a link to this post in my sidebar so you can find it easily.  I want to have all my vintage bags in one place for future references.  I will also post photos of new handbags on future post and provide a link there as well. 

Added August 20, 2013

Pink Pearlized and Textured Kelly Style Handbag

Small Vintage Navy Blue Handbag
with Coin Purse Attached Inside. 

Vintage Bone Colored Handbag.

I just love these vintage beauties for they remind me of yesteryear and all the lovely ladies I have been blessed to know in my life. 

Here's to each and every one of them,

Willow Batton

Shelby Batton

Lucille Batton

Peggy Batton

Katherine Batton

Leola Batton

Barbara Batton

and all the lovely ladies  

with your pretty hats and handbags,

 I remember you as well.....

Till next time,

Beverly 

Tea Cottage Pretties

A RIBBON BROOCH, TWO LACE SKIRTS AND A MATCHING PURSE!

A Ribbon Brooch, Two Lace Skirts And
 A Matching Purse!

I started out resting this week and somehow ended up doing way more than I had planned on doing.  I had started reading Sense and Sensibility and ended up crafting instead.  I finished up Tiffany's Cosplay costume for the up coming San Japan Anime Convention.  I also made a ribbon brooch, two lace skirts and a matching lace purse.   

Ribbon Brooch...

I wanted to make a brooch out of some really pretty  flowers I found at Hobby Lobby.  I first made a base for them and arranged them the way I wanted them.  I added glass pearls to the tiny flowers and glued them (using E 6000) on to the backing and gave them a pin back.  I also added a small metal crown, white ribbon binding bow and a white rose button.  Here is my brooch....

 Here is my brooch on my lace jacket. 

Two Lace Skirts...

A while back I had shared a fabric find here on my blog, it was some lace fabric that I found for  $1.00 a yard.  I was so excited about it and I wanted to make skirts for myself and Tiffany.  Well this week I finally got around to it and they turned out lovely. I made simple elastic waited skirts with bow sashes.  

This is the fabric....

And here are the skirts...

This photo from an angle shows the details. 

To make the skirt I simply cut fabric at the length I wanted it to be plus seam allowances.  Then I cut enough to go around my waist 2 and 1/2 times.  I made the skirt and inserted elastic into the waist line.  I made a sash to go with it and tied it in a bow. I used slips that we already owned to go underneath the skirts and did not have to make a lining... 

Genius...

Matching Purse...

Did you notice the purse in the pictures with the skirt?

I made a matching purse to go with the skirts!

I couldn't get a really good photo of it but here it is....

Vintage Jewelry Find!

I added a vintage brooch to my jewelry collection this week.  It is a sapphire and pearl brooch in 14K gold.  I so love vintage jewelry and when I find something at a good price I just can't resist it. 

Here it is on one of my Limoges butter pat. 

 And here it is on a lace flower. 

What started out as a slow week ended 

with much creativity and fun!

This is my June Bug, she actually let me 

take some pictures of her this past week. 

Isn't she a cutie pie?

Hope everyone had a lovely week! 

See you next time, 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSES

Stopping To Smell The Roses

After the tea party we were a little worn out here at Tea Cottage Pretties, so we decided to take it easy.  I felt it was time to relax and stop and smell the roses....

Each day we decided to just go with the flow and do whatever we felt like doing and that is exactly what we did.  We had tea in the afternoons, watched our shows and just did a lot of relaxing.  We go swimming several times a week now and this week was no exception.  We have so much fun together at the pool and the girls are becoming quite the little swimmers.  

We have been trying to learn to crochet a little because I have always wanted to know how to make those pretty little flowers I see others making.  I watched some You Tube videos and I have managed to make a couple little flowers.  They are by no means perfect but for someone who has never crocheted, I think they are a good start.  Here are my little pink flowers. 

Also this past week I ordered a complete set of books by Jane Austen and I have to share them with everyone.  These are so pretty and fit in so well with my decor.  I did not buy them for that reason but none the less they are so lovely.  

This is the box that the set comes in and it is so beautiful with silhouettes of a chandelier, tea table with chairs, horse and carriage and quotes from her books.  It is a very nice embossed box and oh so lovely to display.  

Each book is beautifully bound and embossed with images of roses, banners and scroll work and a ribbon bookmark inside. 

I also got a new lovely dress this week that my Eric bought for me.  It is a vintage styled dress from Mod Cloth called "All The Worlds A Birdcage".  This dress is so over the top pretty and I so enjoy wearing it and the compliments I get when I wear it aren't bad either. I wore it with a blue sweater, blue chunky rose bracelet (also from Mod Cloth), my vintage blue handbag and the cutest blue Madeline Stuart bow sandals. 

Click here to 
See me on ModCloth...

When I wore my new dress I was thinking that I need a blue pearl necklace to wear with it and I did not have one.  How in the world did I not have a blue pearl necklace, blue is my favorite color after all?  So while out, I stopped by my local Hobby Lobby and they had glass pearl beads on sale for 50% off, yay me!!!!  So I bought 3 strands that matched my dress and I made myself a necklace and bracelet to wear with my new dress.  

I wanted them to be simple and to compliment my dress but not distract from it (there is a lot of details to this dress).  So I simply used stretchy wire and made each piece and then I added a very pretty vintage seam ribbon bow to them.  They slip right on with ease and are the perfect compliment to my new dress and of course other things, that I so needed a blue pearl set to go with them. 

When I go to Hobby Lobby I always look through the jewelry making section and I usually find something unique, that I must add to my collection.  One of my favorite things is brooches and this is a very inexpensive way to pick up something special.  This week I found the sweetest little bird brooch.  Take a look at this and it can be a brooch or a necklace (there is a bail on the back of it as well as a pin).  

So I took it easy this week and just relaxed and had some fun.  The girls and I had a great week of swimming, relaxing and a bit of crafting.  I think we might go out to the movies this weekend...

See ya soon,

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

Stop and smell the roses....