Fun little writing nook!

Wouldn't this be a fun little desk where you could just sit down and write a note?
I think I'd be inspired to write just by having all these pretty things surrounding me!
This is a little nook created for my client who collects Staffordshire and antique needlepoint prints....as well as lots of of goodies!
I hope to give you a tour of the rest of the room later!

A Time for Prayer

The world has been glued to the news programs since Tuesday's devastating earthquake in Haiti.
It makes all the things that I enjoy in such comfort and all the little things that I worry about seem so insignificant!
What can I say except to say what others have said.....we all must pray
and give. In the midst of watching in disbelief and fighting tears as I hear the stories.....
I pray for these people who have little or nothing even in the best of times! 
And yet...the news reports say that shortly after the quake the people were in the streets singing songs and praises....even in the midst of destruction!
Two of my nephews worked as reporters in Haiti just a few years ago and they
loved living among the wonderful people there. My sister just sent
me a picture of the nice cottage where they had lived while working there and it
is now just a pile of rubble. Fortunately, their friend, who moved in there after they left, survived the earthquake and got out of the house safe and sound! 
I pray that the fortitude, faith and perseverance that the people of Haiti have  
had to develop in order to survive even before this event, will now be the  
strength that will get them through this unimaginable tragedy.

In the meantime....we watch, give and pray.....

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you a very merry Christmas. I leave you with a sweet blessing that I
saw this summer while visiting in Ireland. This old sign was in an authentic, restored
thatched roof cottage and I think it's message is beautiful!



Christmas Blessings!~The Sweet Tea Cottage

Byers Choice Carolers

Now that we are entering the Christmas season, I thought I'd show you the
precious Byer's Choice displays that I snapped the last time my friend Becky and I attended Atlanta market.
Their showroom was so cute and magical! I couldn't believe how many characters they had!
Enjoy! Maybe it will put you in the mood to decorate for Christmas if you haven't started yet!
Blessings~ The Sweet Tea Cottage




Don't you want to just go and visit "Byer town" for a day? The folks there look so
friendly and they certainly know how to create a cozy Christmas feel in their little village!!

(Not to mention it looks like they have some great cooks and bakers around town!)
Oh! Why do I always have to make it about the food?
Why couldn't I just be content with "the cozy Christmas feel"? :)


I think the way they cut the white felt to look wavy like snow is cute on the table don't you?
I'm not a "snow village" or any kind of "set up a Christmas Village" type of gal....
for one thing...I don't have the room and for another......it's just not my "thing"....
It'd take me six months to set up these wonderful, elaborate villages that some people set up....(and during that time no laundry or cooking would get done :)!)
for another thing...I'd much rather just go look at and admire someone else's weeks of hard work...
but for anyone who does snow villages or has a collection of these adorable Byers characters and houses.....I think the "snow" felt topper is really a great idea!

The "Greening" Continues!

Yes...the tree is up....you'll notice it has to be kind of tucked behind

the sofa because of space issues. Isn't a major deal to figure out where
to place the tree? It is always a challenge but it always works out and
once those lights are twinkling who really cares if things are a bit crowded?

This arrangement on our coffee table was a gift I received several
years ago from a sweet friend, who is a very talented floral designer.
I added some fresh greenery and berries and one would never know that it isn't totally fresh arrangement.

OK...not to brag...but this arrangement below is the one I am most proud of!
A few weeks ago, Mr. Sweettea was out in the back yard pulling down this vine that was wrapped around one of our giant cedar trees.
He proudly showed me the vine he was yanking out of the tree when I suddenly screamed!
I realized it was a vine of bittersweet! I LOVE bittersweet! I pay good money for dried bittersweet vine!
In fact, I had my brother buy some for me last year at the craft fair and 
he was shocked at how expensive a dried up old vine was!(What is it about these guys that they don't appreciate fine things like bittersweet?)
Last year, after I was through with the vines, I threw them out in my back yard and I guess a bird or the wind carried some of the berries up under one of our cedar trees
where it proceeded to grow into a lovely vine. Mr Sweettea wasn't too happy that his "vine destuction" project was called to an abrupt halt and his new instructions were to carefully retrieve it for me.
But I convinced him that we were growing a "high dollar crop" and that if he didn't pull it up by the roots we would have a bumper crop of bittersweet in a few years!!
Below in the vase is the first bunch of our soon to be bumper crop of bittersweet!!


"I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I
in him, He will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

John 15:5 NIV

The Hanging of the Greens

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING POST!
Besides being A.D.D., I am seriously "tech" challenged!! The mere fact that my blog is up and running is a minor miracle! The fact that some photographs are also included is another miracle! The fact that some of these pictures below vary in size from huge to mini are beyond my tech reasoning! Believe me when I tell you that I am not the sort of housekeeper that would deliberately enlarge a picture to such a degree that you can probably see the dust bunnies on and under the furniture! I have worked and worked to correct the situation until I convinced myself there is no such thing as "blogger's jail" and I would just live with it! I hope you will too! (Besides, it might make you very happy to find dust bunnies all around my house!) Someday, when I am a world famous blogger :)....and have "peeps" to do all my postings, ect. :), and actually own a camera that costs more than $99! :) ..... I will look back at these early blogs and laugh at them! For now....I will humbly ask you to pretend that these are all very high tech, expertly obtained pictures!! :) Now...on to business!

Oh how I love the Christmas season! Of course...it always seems to be here before I am prepared! The Hanging of the Greens had to begin immediately after Thanksgiving since I am hosting a little gathering of a girl's supper club that I'm in. We generally meet around each other's birthdays and have great fun talking, eating and mostly laughing!  It's a laid back group...which always makes it so much fun....we can wear what we want, cook what we want and say what we want! Anyway...I knew if I hosted it in early December we would be motivated to at least begin our Christmas decorating. I say "we" because Mr. Sweettea loves plays a large roll in the Hanging of the Greens... the all important task of getting all the boxes down and hanging the outdoor wreaths. Here's a peek of things so far.....

There's nothing like a little fresh pine, magnolia and cedar arranged thrown into a cachepot to say Merry Christmas as you enter the front door!

More fresh greens in a little cherub vase

Another cherub hung over a boxwood wreath that hangs over a mirror. I hung the wreath (a gift from my sweet friend SuSu) last Christmas and just couldn't ever bear to take it down! It is now a permanent fixture but I will remove the cherub after Christmas, though I really love her! You can tell that I really have "issues" with paring down my clutter....which is a BIG no no in the design world these days!! In the design world, now is the time for just a very few large, fabulous things on a table....clean and pared down! And I really love the look. So, clutter is "OUT" but my own home hasn't received the "design memo" quite yet!

Even the bunnies hold Christmas greens....


This bunny holds two vases and a candle on top! He is a multi tasking bunny!
I love and use him too much to only put him out in the spring. Besides, if I put
him away, I would probably not find him again for five years! I wish this picture
showed the pretty brown "log" candle on top before it burned down to a brown
and beige puddle! (Use your imagination!) Anyway...I really love to have tiny vases
around to hold greenery and flowers. It gives the same feel as having a large vase
of fresh flowers and greenery without all the time and expense.



More tomorrow...I'm tired! :)
Happy decorating to you and yours!~The Sweet Tea Cottage

God Bless America

Please remember to pray for the troops, families and community of Fort Hood.
Also, pray for our brave men and women serving our country all over the world.