Alice in Bloomland

Last month, I visited the "Alice in Bloomland" exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

 

  

Let's go down the rabbit hole together!

  

 

Curiouser and curiouser

 

 

  

 

 

 "If you knew Time as well as I do," said the Hatter, "you wouldn't talk about wasting it..."

 

 

Chess or Croquet?

 

 

Card Soldiers

Painting the roses red

 

Queen of Hearts' Court

 

 

 

 Flamingos and Cards

 

 

The White Rabbit's Cottage surrounded by gorgeous orchids.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

 

 

 

 

 

It's always tea time here! 

Spring decor at HomeSense and Michael's

We're still covered in snow here, but the stores are filled with early spring vibes.

 

 

Floral and fruit-themed teawares at HomeSense (aka HomeGoods in the U.S.).

 

 

There were also some cute bunnies at HomeSense.

 

 

Michael's also had this sweet bunny in a pink teacup...

 

 

...as well as charming tea-themed spring decor!

 

 

The adorable ceramic bunny in a floral teacup came home with me!

 

 

February tea empties

 

What I have already restocked:
1) DavidsTea's Pistachio Matcha
2) Dessert by Deb's Strawberry Oat Milk herbal tea
3) Dessert by Deb's Triple Berry Maple French Toast black tea
4) Geek+Tea's As You Wish black tea

What I may repurchase in the future:
1) Celestial Seasonings' Country Peach herbal tea
2) Celestial Seasonings' Raspberry Zinger herbal tea
3) Steve's Tea's Vanilla Honeybush

Five Things in February

 We made it to the last week of February!

 

 

1. Winter really hit us hard this month. Back-to-back winter storms buried us in almost 60 cm (23 inches) of snow--the biggest snowfall that we've seen in years. I drank Murchie's Snowflake black tea in between all the shovelling!

 

 

2. Valentine cards and sweets from work and tea friends.

3. I found this sweet velvet plush blanket at HomeSense (aka HomeGoods in the U.S.). I was sold as soon as I spotted the cute teacups and teabags!

 

 

4. A virtual tea to celebrate a friend's birthday: Chocolate Truffle Cake and Caramel Custard Flan Rooibos (Dessert by Deb)

5. My parents gave me this adorable purple pin. I will strive to "Hold Onto Positivitea" during these tumultuous times. 

I Heart Handmade Mugs

For Valentine's Day, my parents gave me a pair of charming pottery mugs that were handmade by Studio C Ceramics.

 

 

The first mug has a teabag inside with a cute tag hanging on the outside.

  

 

The second mug features a teabag with a rose on it.

 

 

 

The first tea that I enjoyed in the mug was Plum Deluxe's Decaf Toasted Marshmallow latte.

Thank you, Kitty, for sharing this delicious decaf black tea blend with me!

Rose Teas for Valentine's Week

 Everything's coming up roses for Valentine's Week!

 

I found this stunning rose teacup from a church rummage sale a few years ago.

 

This vintage bone china teacup was made in England by Collingwood.

 

Rose Tea #1: M21 Luxury Rose black tea tasted delicious in this beautiful teacup.

Thank you, Brenda from It's a Beautiful Life, for sharing this lovely rose tea blend with me!

 

Rose Tea #2: Cupid's Breakfast black tea by DavidsTea

 

 

Rose Tea #3: Vanilla Cinnamon  Rose Sugar Shortbread black and rooibos tea by Dessert by Deb

 

Rose Tea #4: Sakura Milk Panna Cotta oolong, green, and rooibos tea by Dessert by Deb

 

 

Rose Tea #5: As You Wish black tea by Geek+Tea

 

 

Rose Tea #6: Cactus Rose green tea by DavidsTea

 

 

Rose Tea #7: Rose London Fog latte by Blume 

 

Happy Valentine's Week! 

Cu-teas Plushies

I'm too old for stuffed toys, but when I saw these adorable tea-themed plushies at Dollarama for only $5CAD each, I just had to have them!

Teapot Plushie: Tea-Amo

"Ti Amo" is "I Love You" in Italian.

Teacup Plushie #1: I love you a latte

Teacup Plushie #2: You mocha me happy

Yes, I know mocha is a coffee beverage, but I love the purple colour.

Teacup Plushies #3 & 4: You're my sweet-tea

January tea empties

What I have already restocked:
1) Celestial Seasonings' Candy Cane Lane decaf green tea
2) Stash's Christmas in Paris herbal tea

What I may repurchase in the future:
1) DavidsTea's English Toffee pu-erh

 

 

Afternoon Tea at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Last weekend, I had afternoon tea at the Turner Pavilion Tea House in the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a co-birthday celebration with a friend who was also born in January.

 

I love the shabby chic decor!

Since the Tea House was busy, I couldn't take photos of the other decor.

 

This was my first time having afternoon tea at the quaint Tea House.

 

 

Top Tier - Sweets: Seasonal Tart, Madeleine, French Macaron

 

 

Middle Tier: Scones served with whipped honey butter, strawberry jam, and lemon cream (not pictured)

Bottom Tier - Sandwiches: Smoked Salmon, Ham & Brie, Coronation Chicken, Cucumber 

I enjoyed the scrumptious food with Sloane Tea's Celebration Medley, an apple-orange spiced rooibos blend.

I had a wonderful time and would love to return in the summer when the rose garden surrounding the Turner Pavilion Tea House is in bloom!

Birthday Cake Teas

As a January birthday girl, I've been sipping cake-themed teas this month.

 

Dessert by Deb Cake Teas

 

Top Row: Peach Crumble Cake black tea; Lavender Peach Pound Cake green tea

 

Row #2: Thai Banana Cake black tea; Banana Pineapple Hummingbird Cake black tea/rooibos

 

Row #3: Earl's Rose Cardamom Tea Cake black tea; Vanilla Caramel Spice Snack Cake black tea

 

Bottom Row: Hojicha Pineapple Upside Down Cake roasted green tea; Blueberry Lavender Angel Food Cake black tea

 

 

 

Top Row: Gingerbread Pear Cake green tea (Clearview Tea Co.); Lemon Pound Cake oolong (DavidsTea)

 

Middle Row: Hazelnut Buttercream Cake Pol black tea (Totalitea); Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake black tea (Tea at the White House)

 

Bottom Row: Strawberry and Vanilla Cake Afternoon Tea black tea (Buckingham Palace);Birthday Cake rooibos (DavidsTea)