Dolly Thursday~A Friend's Birthday

Today is Dolly Thursday on my Tasha Tudor group. I wanted to wish my friend Christine Crocker, one of our members, a Happy Birthday. She is the maker of this wonderful doll. I named her Ladye Lydia Rose and I have featured her on my blog in the past. She is just a charming doll and one of my most cherished dolls.

Christine lives in Madras, Oregon and I have had the pleasure of meeting with her a few times. She is charming. She has a great love for dolls from this time period.

I do love her tiny feet and dainty shoes. Christine picked the colors for me as she lives in my tea room.

I wanted to bring Ladye Lydia Rose out of the tea room to have her picture taken with some Valentine decorations. It is the season!

Happy Birthday dear Christine. Thank you for making my most wonderful doll. 

Tasha Tudor Day and Tea Time Thursday # 47

Happy Tasha Tudor Day to all my Tashettes and Tasha friends! Her fans have chosen to celebrate her life and her work on this her birthday~August 28th. I love that it is also Tea Time Thursday so I have the perfect way to have some fun. I usually treat my Jimmy to a special tea on this day, however, he is away flyfishing. I also had my sweet little Otto over night, so I really couldn't do anything big this year.
Last year we were in Montana and LaVonne has a tea for me on her porch on the farm. It was just magical and I wish we could have been together again this year. Ok, back to this year....

The Tasha Tudor family published this and as you can see, Tasha would have been 99 years old today. Next year is the big 100th year of her birth. Yes, we should plan something very special.

Here is my little tea I had for myself with Miss Annabelle. She brought a few tiny friends and her tea cart too. It just turned out to be a raspberry tea. I love raspberries.

I found a lovely herbal tea at my local Russian store. They have the most wonderful selection of different teas. Don't you love the pink color of this tea by Greenfield? It has a delicate berry flavor.

Fresh raspberries...yum! A wonderful taste of summer and a most welcome addition at tea.

A lovely raspberry scone, a raspberry mini cheesecake and a little lemon cake...just because.

On my first trip back to Vermont in 2007, I made a scrapbook of my trip so I would always remember the events and the friends that I made. It was really fun today to look back at that trip. It was the first time LaVonne and I met in person! What a delightful friendship that has become so very special.

I took a lot of time putting this book together. I even printed all the text. I am so glad I took the time to do this. It really was fun too.

I also was able to buy a darling photo album at the Rookery with a Tasha Tudor print on the front. I wish they still carried this item.

So I want to make another scrapbook to remember my trip this May. I finally ordered all my photos off my camera and purchased albums. I had hoped to work on it today, but I had my sweet little grandson over night last night and I didn't have enough time to start the project today. But, I have all the things i need now, so one day soon, I will start work on my new scrapbook and photo album.

I had another treat today when I had my tea. Our Take Peace group had a summer exchange to celebrate Tasha. Our moderator Suzanne drew names and we sent a little gift to the person to arrive by today. A good Tasha friend Nancy and I were gift partners. Nancy lives in West Virginia and we have know each other via the internet for years. I love my goodies and thank you so much Nancy! She does such nice embroidery work. The little purple item is a darling purple bird made from a gourd. It's just charming. The soap smells heavenly. Annabelle even got a chicken! I loved her note too~a keeper.

I can't let this Tasha Tudor Day slip away without mentioning this spring time addition of Doll News that actually arrived when I was back in Vermont. It is just wonderful and most of it is all about Annabelle and Tasha Tudor's dolls. It is a must have for your Tasha collection.

The magazine also featured a lovely article on Christine Crocker who is an Oregon doll maker, artist, who lives in Madras OR. She is also a member of our Tasha Group.

What a delight to see my doll featured in the magazine...Ladye Lydia Rose. She was a gift from my husband.

Lady Lydia Rose lives in my tea room. She does miss all her friends who live with Christine, so she wanted to send a message to them today.

I hope you found a way to celebrate Tasha Tudor Day with JOY! 

Teacup #64 and Cupcakes

It seems that I have been on the receiving end of many sweet and kind gifts this year! After Christine Crocker made my wonderful doll, she sent me this thank you! It's a very beautiful-and pink-teacup that has been in their family. She knows I love teacups and she wanted me to have it and enjoy it with my teatime friends. I just love the gold trim and the lovely flowers in the center. It is my wish that Christine will be able to come to tea in my tearoom someday.

The cup is marked Stanley Bone China Made in England. I will cherish it always and I will think of Christine every time I have a cuppa.

I've been helping Jim get ready for his Expo Antique and Collectable show this weekend, so I was just unwinding on the computer this evening. I came across the most yummy and delightful cupcakes from
A bakery called the Bakery Parlour in England. Wouldn't these be stunning at your next tea?

This is my very favorite one...love it, love it, love it!! You can match your cupcake to your dishes.

The bakery is owned by Zoe Clark. I looked on Amazon and she has several books out. I'm thinking fo purchasing the cup cake one!

Thanks to Miss Spenser for hosting our Teacup Thursday. Can't wait to see what others are sharing today! Hope you are enjoying summer. I know we have some new members that I haven't met yet.

The Journey of Ladye Lydia Rose....

Last December for St Nicholas Day, my dear husband Jim, gave me the gift of a commissioned handmade doll by Christine Crocker of Deerfield Farmhouse. I was thrilled beyond belief and so the journey of my doll began. Christine is a master doll maker and a member of our Tasha Tudor group who also lives in Oregon. She sent me a sweet letter telling me about the doll and asked me a few questions about what type of her little ladyes I might wish to own. I only had a few wishes and really left the creating up to her.

Christine sent me a little sneak peek and let me know that she was almost done with my doll and the little ladye would be traveling to Troutdale via the Post Office this week. I knew from the pictures that I was absolutely going to love this dolly. The box arrived on Wednesday!

Christine sent me a link to some names that might be appropriate for my doll and I finally decided on her name before I opened the box~LADY LYDIA ROSE. Roses are blooming now in Oregon and it's Rose Festival time, so I thought Rose would be a perfect middle name for her. I liked the way Ladye Lydia just flowed. I came home to find a bouquet of beautiful roses and this note from Jim...♡

So, it was time to let the little ladye out of her traveling box...she was so lovingly and carefully packed! Can you believe all this packing came out of that box?

This is how she was all wrapped up! Christine had tucked in some roses too...I was so happy when I saw them thinking that she didn't know that Ladye Lydia Rose would appreciate the roses!

Of course, a sweet and tender letter from Ladye Christine that will be kept forever with my doll.

Here I am carefully unwrapping the package and admiring my gift....

So, are you ready to see this long awaited special little ladye all the way from Madras, Oregon?

Introducing Lady Lydia Rose......

She has the most gentle face and the cutest little feet. Don't you just love her hat? Her dress is made from very special old fabrics and lace with great attention to detail. I did ask Christine to add a little pocket for a pair of miniature scissors, as she has to be quite a skilled little seamstress to live in the tea room with all the other dolls.

I am so honored to have this doll. Christine Crocker is an unbelievable artist who puts so much love and joy into her creations. I will love and cherish Ladye Lydia Rose forever and hope to pass her on to someone very special someday. Thank you dear friend for such a treasure! How can I ever thank my dear husband for this gift of a lifetime? Thank you dear Jim. My heart and love belong to you....

A Simple Life

My summer copy of A SIMPLE LIFE magazine arrived recently. It's such a delightful and well done magazine that I so enjoy. I really am torn between the primitive style and the Victorian era...I appreciate and love so many things from each time period. I'm glad I have my tearoom so I can just go crazy with Victorian treasures! This issue has a great article by one of my Tasha Tudor friends, Amy Lesser, done with Tasha Tudor's daughter Bethany Tudor. Interesting story about starling birds. I
have to admit that even after reading the article, I still don't like starlings!

Fun and yummy recipes are included~

Another Tasha Tudor friend from our group is Christine Crocker. She is a wonderful writer who adds great stories to the magazine too. Christine is an amazing doll maker. She is making me one of her little ladyes thanks to my husband! She sent sent me a pictures of my new doll, my I don't want to share her yet. I will say that that I am thrilled with her creation for me and can't wait to get my hands on the new doll! Christine is so sweet and so talented!

I was looking for some rustic looking candles and found some on Etsy. I ordered them from Kentucky Prims and when I got my wonderful candles, Angela had added a darling little prim fabric sunflower! It will make a great pinkeep.

It rained here today and spoiled our chance to break a record for the longest sequence of dry days in May! I was hoping to do some planting, instead we went to a few sales. I found the most wonderful
primitive doll hutch! It's adorable! My dear husband dickered and bought it for me....thanks Jim! After we bought it, the seller told us he had gotten it from Herself's. Jim and I just looked at each other and couldn't believe it. We had just had a conversation about Herself's the other morning. It was a wonderful antique shoppe at Lincoln City OR that we always went to when we made a trip to the coast. She was so sweet and gave the girls something every time we went it. It's odd to think that maybe I looked at this years ago. She's been out of business for years and the seller told us he had had it for sometime.
Here it is before I added a few kitchen treasures.

Last January, I found some very cute tin kitchen items and I couldn't wait to add them to my little hutch! I had a little ironstone teapot and I just had to add it to the goodies.

Another fun Sunday and the beginning of another busy week. We'll be off to Maupin later this week.