Ann-Margaret's SpecialTea Shoppe

Something Special is going on in the Shoppe...

April is a special month for me because it is the one year ANNIVERSARY of my online shoppe!  Yea!  So much planning went into the design of my shoppe, and I am always adding new things and doing little updates here and there.  In honor of this celebration, you may enjoy 10% off all orders placed during the month of April.  All the details can be found on my "Welcome" page, or you may just simply add the coupon code (happy1) (that is the word "happy" without the quotes and the number one) on the checkout page after you have enjoyed shopping.  It's a great time to get busy shopping for Mother's Day...it's just around the corner! Be sure to save the "Welcome" page and check back often, as I am adding a new product to the shoppe each day during the month of April.  This "sassy teatime pendant" is one of my favorites! 

Here are a couple of things I have recently added...these are from my new "signature jewelry line:  Ann~Margaret's Whim~si~cal~i~Teas"!  I have so many more to add and lots of cute necklaces to choose from, too.  These make great gifts for any age, as I am creating many different collections within my signature line...even something for sweet little girls!  We girls do love getting all dolled up...at every age!  Find this "Summer Paisley with a Dash O' Pink" pendant here.

You may find this sweet necklace here.  These days I love anything and everything CUPCAKE!!

Stitches-for-Tea

This is another posting (a little late) for the Gracious Hospital-i-Tea Blog-a-thon.  This is what La Tea Dah's details were for the week of April 6th~April 12th:

Share ideas and pictures that involve stitching for the tea table.  Any kind of stitches count:  sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, tatting, quilting, etc.  The work can be yours or of someone else, but should be homemade rather than done by factory machines.  Ideas are napkins, tea cozies, table linens, and other creations made with tea themes.

Even though I am late with my posting I just had to share this beautiful teatime quilt I received as a gift from my great aunt.  She loves to quilt and does such a pretty job with each of her creations.  I was tealighted to say the least when I received this pretty design.  There are so many ways to enjoy such a pretty piece...hang it on the wall, enjoy it on the table...turn it so the corners point to the end of the table so the design really shows off, or simply drape it over a chair.  I was amazed at all of the pretty materials she used for her design...such pretty colors and patterns that all came together to create such a unique piece.

Better Late than Never!

Sometimes I come across things that I make a mental note of telling myself that yes, I will go back and participate in that later.  Problem is things come up, my "to do" list grows, and well, I may not ever get around to that particular thing.  Then, there are those things that I come across, and I actually find a spot for them on the "to do" list!  And, yes, it may take several days of moving it over til the next day, but eventually, I will get around to it.  So, when I saw that La Tea Dah was hosting the Gracious Hospital-i-Tea Blogathon I knew I had to join in on the fun!  La Tea Dah, thank you for inspiring me to take a little time to enjoy everything about teatime!  Although it is part of my business, I do sometimes get busy with things and fail to really enjoy some of the things that are dear to me that are all about TEA!  So, I am a bit behind in joining in on the fun, but I will be adding some other "late" entries for some of the weeks that I missed, too.  So, as they say..."better late than never"!  This posting is in honor of  "Week 3:  Decor-a-Tea" (March 30th~April 5th).    Here are La Tea Dah's details for the "Decor-a-Tea" post:

"Decor-a-Tea"

Share ideas and pictures that incorporate tea and/or tea themes into home decor.  Displays, art, prints, fabrics, and collections all count in this category.  Do you use teapots and teacups as a part of your home decor?  If so, describe how.

Visit Gracious Hospitality to join in on the teatime fun!

I have always loved teapots and all things tea related so our home has always had tea related goodies dotted here and there.  And, somehow over the years, my sweet hubby has come to love them, too...oops, I guess that should be...has learned to live with them!  We southern girls do like a little bit o' "stuff", you know!  I tried out a maid in Kuwait ONCE (yes, my friends could not believe that while living in a place where I could have a maid that I did not want one...sounds crazy, I know!)...anyway, as she was leaving that day she said "Oh, madam, you have so much to dust...I would not want to dust all this!"  Needless to say that was her first and last day...you just don't mess with a Southern Girl and her "stuff"!  So, onto a little bit about some of my "tea stuff" that I enjoy.  As I look around at some of my favorite things I decided to pick out a few to share with you...some things I have had for a long time, other treats have been gifts, and then, some have been those "must have" items that I have found when out shopping.  So, grab a cuppa tea, and enjoy strolling along with me as I show you some of my favorite teatime decorations in our home!

This cute decoration is one of my favorite things!  I used to have her in the tea room so when I moved back from Kuwait I knew she was definitely something I wanted to pick up in Alabama as we headed to Virginia.  So, I made sure she was securely nestled in the front seat for the journey to Virginia...couldn't risk something happening to this sweet girl!  I think this piece is just the epitome of teatime for a little girl...I know there were many times when I had my baby dolls and teddy bears joining me for tea!  I have this piece in my kitchen where I can enjoy it every day!

Another favorite...this cute teapot inspiration board!  I love keeping some of my favorite pictures and quotes on this tealightful board!  Again, it's in my kitchen so I can enjoy it all the time!

This picture just happened to be the perfect colors for our kitchen area so of course, I had to make a purchase the day I came across it!

I love pictures dotted around our home...each time you pass one by you get to relive that memory for a moment!

This is actually one of my favorite cup and saucer stands, but when I found these adorable little treats (they are actually candles) I decided they needed a tealightful spot to be displayed!  They smell so yummy, too!

Is it possible for me to have another FAVORITE??!!  Yes, indeed!...especially when it comes to these sweet little tea girls!  I absolutely love these...they have such sweet faces and just remind me of girlfriends having tea and savoring their friendship!

And, of course, would the powder room of a tea lady really be complete without a teapot lamp?!!  I love toile so I was tealighted when I found this pretty antiqued silver teapot lamp with the black and ivory toile shade.  Hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my teatime treasures! 

Sunny Saturday

Finally,  it is truly feeling like SPRING around here!  Better enjoy it while I can though, as they say we will be getting a little rain in the coming days, and the cooler temps will be back.  I won't complain though because the feel of 80 degrees was rather warm yesterday so I know once the "tealightful" spring days are gone....well, it shall be rather hot! 

Starting this blog was something I had contemplated for some time, then, I finally created it (kept it private for a bit while I continued to tweak this and that), and then, I realized that in the beginning my goal was for this little spot to be a place where I could share a little about me, what all I am up to (and into!), and show you new things going on in my shoppe.  So, it is not supposed to be PERFECT...it is supposed to be a spot where I can sit down and chat with you (so, what have I been waiting for??!!)...a place where I can feel at ease to share those times when I am simply having a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda moment and decide to tell you about my day, tell you about something interesting or inspiring I saw or experienced,  share something funny with you, or even share a little bit of the REAL moments when things may not be going just as I want them to...and, maybe through my SHARING and your comments (yes, I would love to hear from you!)...maybe the JOURNEY will be even more fun and rewarding!  So, here's a little something to brighten your day...a few shots from a stroll throughout our subdivision a few weeks ago.  I DO love tulips!  Enjoy!