There’s just something about that cup of tea

Classic Christmas Tea SamplerHoliday entertaining.  In my mind flashes a beautiful spread in a vast open home, sparkling with glitz, glitter, and glam. The holidays are so magical…this time of  year when we can don an apron, turn on that Nat King Cole CD, and escape to yesteryear.  We love the beauty of the meal crafted to perfection, gorgeous decor, and of course those perfect hand-picked gifts.

Along with the entertainment side there is another side to the holiday party.  It’s really the most important side – yet with all the busy-busyness it’s easy to miss it or not be as prepared for this other side.  The heart of holiday entertaining – no one means to skip it…yet it can happen to all of us…The heart of the party is hospitality.  Hospitality isn’t the outer beauty – the pinterest-y decor, recipes and gifts.  The heart-filled hospitality is that inner beauty of the party.  Without a hospitality heart during the holiday entertaining well then – it’s really just a plain old party.  The heart is when you genuinely care about the people coming into your home.  Sometimes it is hard to keep life simple enough so we don’t miss the opportunities to show genuine hospitality.  Keeping it fun.  Genuine. Real.  This makes me think of one of my most favorite annual ‘holiday parties’.   This party takes place by happenstance every year.  The spontaneous moment in December when I am sure I don’t have time to fit one more thing in…when my neighbor drops by to ask a quick question about her dog or asks to borrow an ingredient for dinner.  I beg her to stay, brew a pot of tea and pull out a few of my nicer cups.  We catch up on life, Christmas, our kids, and rants on our busy schedules.  That pot of tea is what we gathered around and it became my sweet offering to my dear neighbor.

Adding in a pot of tea to any holiday gathering can be just that sweet offering of hospitality.  And the great part about that is it really is just that simple and yet it makes our guests feel warm and welcomed.  A hot pot of tea nestled in a snugly tea cozy and some pretty mugs or teacups simply says I want you here and thank you for coming!

So, here are the basic elements to adding a festive…warm and welcoming Tea Bar to your Holiday Party:

  1. Teapot or Mugs
  2. Brewing Basket or Fillable Tea Bags
  3. Selection of Premium Loose Leaf Tea – try our Classic Christmas Tea Sampler
  4. Perfect Cup of Teaspoon (or pre-fill the Fillable Tea bags)
  5. Filtered water
  6. Hot pot to heat your water in.  A good carafe that maintains temperature will do in a pinch!
  7.  A tea tidy or two to hold used tea bags or brewing basket

Locate your Tea Bar in a place of interest in your home.  Lay out the bar on a tray and use a cake stand or cute basket to hold your tea selections.  Use little signs to show the different types of tea.  Print off our How to Brew directions or make your own.  We have over 80+ premium selections and we would love to help you create the perfect Tea Bar for your event!

So as your making your Holiday Entertaining plans… round it out with some genuine Hospitality.  And if you get a chance to brew a pot of tea for a friendly pop-in that is even better!

 

By |2015-12-01T12:56:30-06:00November 30th, 2015|Brewing Tea 101, Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|Comments Off on There’s just something about that cup of tea

Decorating with Larry

Larry and Brenda decoratingPeople comment to our family how amazing it is we work together.  The truth is sometimes we get too busy and have cranky days.  Throw in the ever changing moods of 3 teenagers and extended family can get a little too close for comfort. 🙂 So, one of the things we are most thankful for in November is a family friend named Larry.  Once again we review our Thankful-Giving month – first we remember our loved ones around us, our hometown Liberty, and this satisfying cup of tea.  Then Larry is close to the top on all our lists as a reason to be thankful!

An important member of the Teashop Family except Larry isn’t pouring tea, shipping tea, or packaging tea.  Every November he comes to spend two weeks with us to work with Brenda preparing the 1913 home for Christmas Tea Parties and Tours.  Along with a beautiful talent for decorating, Larry enjoys gardening, and was even written up in the October issue of the The Kansas City Gardener! Be sure to check out the article “In the Garden with Larry Harmon”.

Larry keeps Us Calm as we Decorate On.  Truly a cherished friend and a true blessing!  We share lunch and tea every day “we get to have Larry over”.  Enjoying two pots of Larry’s favorite teas.    Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Red Velvet Rooibos.

So, today at lunch as the last cup of Red Velvet was drank Brenda and Larry went back  to Christmas decorating.  While Sarah and I continued working on stock orders for Christmas and creating Christmas Gift Baskets and  Personalized Tea Bag Gift Tins for Liberty’s Hometown Holidays on November 28!

In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Hometown Holidays is a brand new event sponsored by Historic Downtown Liberty, Liberty Parks and Rec and over 24 local downtown merchants.  Along with just enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon and evening down on the square this is a totally free event with many fun opportunities for the whole family.  We hope to see you at Hometown Holidays and we thank you for Shopping Small on Small Business Saturday, November 28.

Hometown Holidays Shop SmallHometown Holidays is a free event and includes:

  • November 28
  • Passport Giveway – a total of 6 drawings for $80 worth of gift cards each from downtown businesses.  Grab your passport on the Liberty Square corner and come to Anna Marie’s to get your passport stamped!
  • 2-4pm Santa at the Corbin Theatre, bring your own camera!
  • 2-4pm Horse Drawn Wagon Rides
  • S’mores & Refreshments
  • Crafts for Kids at Blanc Palette and Morning Day Cafe (hosted by the Orange Easel)
  • Small Business Saturday Shopping and Passport Drawing

Live music and entertainment to include:
2:30 – 3:30pm: 5 Star Jazz Band
3:30 – 4pm:  Stars of Tomorrow
4 – 5pm:  Liberty Community Chorus 5 – 6 p.m.: Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

In closing.  We are thankful for our Hometown Liberty.  Thankful for the other hard working merchants and HDLI staff helping put on such a great event!

 

 

By |2015-11-19T16:34:37-06:00November 17th, 2015|Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|2 Comments

Thankful-Living.

Halloween at the Shop

Woody, Tinkerbell, Snow White, & Frodo posing in Christmas Wonderland!

Family traditions.  Looking back through the years as the teashop family kiddos grew up we find ourselves reminiscing.  From those babies sleeping in bassinets at  Anna Marie’s Gift Shop to now serving tea and directing cars as teenagers and young adults.  We think about how family roots are built around shared experiences in life.  So, what makes a professional decorator’s family – turned retail gift shop owner – turned rock star healthy tea lady…share?  Well…one of them is celebrating Thanksgiving all month long!

We haven’t always had the time to stop and savor Thanksgiving.   Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been sort of a mash up for our family.  October 31, 1995, we handed out candy to trick-or-treaters.  Not tucked inside our homes but standing inside our gift shop just off the Historic Downtown Liberty Square.  Why?  Because we were decorating for the Christmas Open House which fell the day after Halloween!  As those cute Halloween kids rang our gift shop doorbell our family was stringing Christmas lights and fluffing pinecone garlands with Christmas music in the background. The look on those kids faces were priceless.  When are own kids were old enough to trick-or-treat we headed back to the gift shop – back to the Historic Downtown Square.   Our kids Halloween photos were always taken inside of a Christmas Wonder Land.  Unique and special.  Our family tradition.

Hillcrest Hope Volunteer DaysThis year the Teashop Family kicked off November by heading down the hill to Hillcrest Hope Thrift Store.  We got to clean, sort, and merchandise – just like we used to with our gift shop. But, now we do the same thing in this huge amazing store with a community purpose to help families.  We appreciate Ryan and all the workers at Hillcrest Hope.  Someday when we retire a couple of us might just be the next weekly merchandisers at Hillcrest Hope!   Thankful-living.  And thankful-giving.  We always try to sit down and share a pot of tea, too.  This day it was  Green Apple Green Tea in our teapot.  A fragrant green tea that tastes and smells just like green apples!   Just the right amount autumn-pick-me- up.
Halloween at the Gift Shop

Fast forward to today.  Last August, Wren drove herself home from school bringing a home decor item bought with her own money.  A scary Halloweent witch.  She hung it right up. Right up in August.  Wren turned to me and said “I really don’t know why… but it just feels like it is time for Halloween.”   Halloween decor came out end of August.  Christmas came out end of October.  This is how a family rolls (even the kids!) in the life of a retail gift shop.  This time of the year Mimi’s house is decorated all different ways.  The first floor is Halloween turning over to Thanksgiving and the second floor is turning into Christmas and the third floor is an amazing hot mess of all holidays combined!  What once was a 1913 ballroom is now a dance floor for the art of holiday decorating!

And now we celebrate The Beauty of Thanksgiving…a precious time – not about stuff or things to buy but about the simple art of thankful-living.  Living each day – and giving thanks.  We get to celebrate Thanksgiving all month long at the Teashop and Inn.  Join us for our Thanksgiving Tea and celebrate your own month of Thank-ful living!

 

 

By |2015-11-05T15:40:28-06:00October 31st, 2015|Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|Comments Off on Thankful-Living.

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