Welcome Spring...Virtual Tea Party 2009

Happy Spring!

this past Saturday, March 21, i was able to participate in my sis, Mary Ann's,
~Vintage Tea Room's Virtual Tea Party 2009 ~

i was baking + cooking up a storm early that morning but alas...

please forgive me...as my Spring Tea Party is a wee-bit late...

if i were to wake up in the City of Love...this is what i'd imagine my Paris Spring Breakfast to look+taste like (of course, i'd like to add more like pan de chocolat, croissants, Ladurée baked goodies like their famous macaroons)...

but first i'd have to get a much bigger table...hee-hee...

i don't have too much of a tea cup collection like some of you or my sis, Mary Ann, but my other sis, Bobbie of Bee Line Sweets Co. (website coming soon) + i went shopping and she found a pair of gorgeous cake plates+cake knives (see below pic)

i mean, how pretty is that?! and the price was just right for a mere $2.99...

wow..wish there was a set with tea cups/saucers and the works...now i'll be on the HUNT for this type of pattern...reminds me of Rachel Ashwell...i just love the robin's egg blue, pink + sage colours and the design is really quite pretty!

i just gathered what i had...

added a few flowers to each teacup to keep it sweet + baked my lil' heart out

by the way, i found this adorable white-washed set of table+2 chairs on my last antiquing adventure with my sis, Mary Ann...at a HUGE antique mall up North called ANGELICA's. it's a drop-leaf old farmtable and the chairs have nice spindle+arch design...sorta reminds me of scandanavian furniture...the best part of this is the price...only $72 bucks for the set...wow...i was floored and i bought it for my lil' munchkins' library/study table but when my lil' ones aren't using it...

i like to use if for my lil' photo shoots...lil' tea parties...you know what i mean?!

i made mini banana cakes, blueberry muffins, eggrolls, crabcakes, cinnamon streusal cake and mini waffle fluffernutter and nutella sandwiches all served with chamomile tea, strawberries, blueberries, mints + chocolates...mmm

my mom + pop came over a little later and took half of this cake...the cinnamony aroma drowned out the eggroll/crabcake smell (whew!) and just filled the house with warm cinnamon+carmel scent and everyone was in heaven!

eggrolls are quite messy to cook but the crunchy taste makes up for it and they are absolutely delectable-esp. with Chinatown's sweet+sour sauce...mmmm...the crabcakes were just ok...got it from Sam's Club...bet if it were homemade, it would have been a bit more tastier and crunchier!

i made the eiffel tower and altered cake box last year for Jaime Compton's Marie Antoinette Cake Box Swap...wow...how time flies...

i just though it would go perfectly with my Paris Spring Breakfast theme...

the waffle sandwiches were scrumptious! (i made fluffernutter and nutella waffle heart sandwiches) the lil' ones loved them too! i think my fav would have to be the fluffernutter ones...

(remember when your mom or grandma would make 'fluffernutter' sandwiches???)
yummo!

it's fluffy marshmellow spread+creamy (or crunchy, your choice) peanut butter on bread...but this time, i made heart mini waffles...it simply melts in your mouth!

shioban adored this cinnamon streusal cake...

she loves that carmely, cinnamony taste...and so do i

aren't peonies just the prettiest lil' flowers?

crunchy eggrolls and crabcakes...something different for a Parisian Springtime Breakfast, huh?

they also love mini banana cakes

yummy fluffernutter + nutella mini heart waffle sandwiches...perfect

for lil' hands...

chamomile tea was the choice of the day...

perfect to welcome SPRING!

pretty flowers always perk up things, don't they?

it was truly a sweet teatime and we all enjoyed it...

sending lovely thank you wishes to my sis, Mary Ann, for hosting such a sweet

Springtime Virtual Tea Party...

to see who else is welcoming Spring with delicious teatime, go and check out the
Vintage Tea Room over at flickr and grap a cuppa tea and dream on...
merci beaucoup!

bonne nuit

xoxo jo ;)

Autumn Swap continuation...

from my last post (Masquarade 10/31/08) and (Autumn in Paris 11/01/08) i couldn't download some pics of this awesome swap i'm participating in...finally, here are those pics i promised for Sofia Barao's Autumn Swap:

my partner has such a powerful mind...every thought means something and for the past few weeks i truly have been reading their on-line journal with passion...every post is like a very good novel, you just can't stop reading it. there's so much i've already learned because of the wisdom that soule has put out into the world. i wanted to send so many things...to comfort, to give a sense of peacefulness...just to enjoy the simple things in life...so here goes, i surely hope this kind spirit will enjoy these lil' treasures as much as i loved finding them for this inspirational soule...
this amazing person loves chocolate, tea and has magnificent tastes in novels.

reading is one of this individual's favourite pastime...

hmmm....this book was oozing with magnificence...wish i could've snagged a copy for myself...hmmm...

i saw this sweet pattern and felt such a warmth about it...i'm hoping this kindred spirit will be able to use it...

these are somethings my partner absolutely enjoys...

brrrr...it's getting a bit nippy out there, hoping my partner can use this to pour a cuppa yumminess...

mmmmmm...one favourite flavour...

who wouldn't love to take a huge bite out of this?!
so perfect with a cup of tea...

can you guess what's in the upper righthand corner...mmmm

hoping my lil' box of sunshine will brighten your day...connecting with you through Sofia's Autumn Swap surely brought more wisdom+sweetness into my life-merci!...thank you, Sofia, for hosting such a creative and unique swap... for more gorgeous pics of sweet Autumn Swap presents...go here!

looking so forward to see what surprises await in my mailbox this week...until next time...

bonne nuit...

xoxo jo ;)