Tea, Tea, Tea - Craft Cafe Does a Second Round of Tea Blending

 Vanilla Chai, Goji Berry Green, Peppermint Licorice, Blueberry Bang Rooibos, Red Espresso Rooibos, Cougar Tea (a custom Banff blend that pays homage to the animal, or maybe...), Sadie's Chamomint, Jasmin Dragon Tears, Jasmin Matcha, Izu Gyokuro Matcha, a beautiful new locally made mug, an awesome sleek tea cup from Japan... I had been saving up for this latest Craft Cafe and my family is now completely set for winter. Sheena & I once again partnered with Susanne & Siona from the Banff Tea Company, to bring our participants an evening of tea blending. The Banff Tea Company is locally owned, carries over 180 teas, and they always give 25% of their profits to charity!

Even though the weather outside was frightful, it was warm at Wild Flour Bakery, our usual home for Craft Cafe. We were booked to the maximum, only lost a couple to the nasty roads, and my cousin, Maxine, from Ottawa, was even able to join in during her visit. Our evening began with some tea education and tasting. From there, we walked over to the Tea Co, where everyone was able to blend their own flavour of tea to take home. Before leaving we were able to shop for ourselves and for holiday gifts thanks to Susanne offering 25% off anything in the store. I went a little overboard, but I LOVE tea. I recently traded, without even trying, my one large cup of dark roast swiss water decaf with brown sugar, for a morning cup of chai or an earl grey blend. I was like a kid in a candy store...

Thank you to the Banff Tea Co and to everyone who came out to blend tea, especially those who had to drive from afar. The winning tea blends of the night, worth mentioning for the titles alone, were Mint Country and Iron Maiden Tea. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement for the next Craft Cafe.

Do you have a favourite kind of tea? I would love to know what it is. Please leave a comment...

Tea Cup Gardens - The Best Craft Cafe Yet!

Last night, Sheena & I had 26 lovely and creative women join us for Craft Cafe! That is a record. We have had close to 20 before, but this was just amazing! 21 people preregistered, something we have been having trouble getting people to do. I am not sure if it is because the weather is getting colder or if it is because the back to school fall rush is over, but I hope it was because of the craft. I have a tea cup fetish, and I love to come up with ways to use them for things other than just drinking tea, partially because I want to collect more of them. When my friends held a blessingway days before I had my second daughter, I made them all soy tea cup candles, you can see the tutorial here. She is 2 1/2 now, and I haven't done much with my tea cups since. I was in the mood, so with Craft Cafe in mind, I designed what I like to call a little tea cup garden. As a master gardener, in what seems like a previous life, I have done my fair share of using non traditional containers as plant pots. From crockery to work boots to tea cups, I have used them all as planters. The thing that was different about my tea cup planter this time is that I incorporated my current obsession of collaging spoons. When I make a wall hanging out of a spoon, I usually use a large real silver spoon. For this project, I wanted to continue with the theme of recycling vintage elements, and to put to use all the vintage souvenir spoons that I find at the thrift store. In some cases I like the spoons as is, but for the most part they beg to be reworked. Their little size, make them the perfect tea spoons to fit with the theme. I decided to make a sort of garden marker, which didn't need to be a literal marker that contained the name of the jade plant, but instead to contain a sentiment, in this case, Grow. I love to use text in my work, and I love it more when it contains double meaning. So, I designed my little demo, put it up on the net, invited our loyal crafters, and they turned out in droves. More than one of them said they came because the craft is "so unique". Yippee!

Below you will see what was made. While the weather was wet and blustery outside, we were warm and dry in the Wild Flour, planting our jade plants, while chatting with friends. Tables of kids, tables of moms and daughters, table of girlfriends, created their little gardens, which were little works of art. One girl used sand on top of her soil and built a little sand castle! The same girl lined her saucer ring with buttons and collaged her spoon with a great pattern, pulling the whole thing together. Other women covered their saucer with little circles cut from collage sheets, vintage flower fairies being the favourite. Which brings me to the side note, I made some of these with my daughters the other day, as mini fairy gardens. We are still working on our spoons, and I will post about it later. For now, check out what everyone came up with, with very similar, and simple materials. Then, go make one for yourself, and a few more as gifts....

The Next Craft Cafe - Vintage Tea Cup Gardens - November 11th

The next Craft Cafe will feature a lesson in gardening, but please, don't worry if you don't have a green thumb! These cute little tea cup gardens could not be easier to plant or to maintain. With the holidays coming up you may be inspired to make a whole group of them to give away as gifts. What a great way to use vintage tea cups and souvenir spoons!

When: Friday, November 11th from 7 - 9 PM

Where: Wild Flour Cafe in Banff (201B 211 Bear Street in the Bison Courtyard)

Cost: For $25 you will receive the vintage tea cup and saucer of your choice, stones, soil, a jade plant, and a souvenir spoon to collage into a garden marker.

Kids 6 and over are welcome to come with their parents and are given a $5 discount.

Bring a friend who has never attended Craft Cafe and you will both received $5 off the NEXT Craft Cafe you attend. You will receive a coupon that can be presented at any future Craft Cafe.

Please sign up and PAY at the Wild Flour prior to the class. If you can't make it to Wild Flour, please contact Tiffany and she can send you a Paypal invoice. Space is limited and in order to have enough supplies we appreciate your advanced registration.

Questions?
Contacts:
Sheena sheenz6@hotmail.com
Tiffany oldesage@hotmail.com
 

Another Awesome Craft Cafe - Wet Felting

 A selection of Cindy's felted zipper pulls & beads

Craft Cafe has been going strong since March. We have had workshops in everything from chocolate making to tea blending to mail art to glass tile pendant making. One of the things that Sheena & I love about Craft Cafe is that we can involve many different people from the community in our endeavour to inspire people to be creative. From the support of Peter and Brooke, at the Wild Flour Cafe, who open their venue to us, to the use of a local designer and printer for our posters, to inviting local business owners and artists to lead workshops, Craft Cafe is meant to be a community collaboration. Last night, we were pleased to welcome Cindy Gibson, a good friend of mine, who is as a felt maker, knitter, writer, and mosaic artist. About 2 years ago, Cindy came to my home and gave me a private lesson in turning wool roving into felted beads. She makes larger beads and turns them into zipper pulls. With winter coming, and with people thinking about holiday gifts, I thought this would be a great workshop for Craft Cafe. We had a nice turn out of 9 participants, who played with the gorgeous colours of roving, and learned from Cindy. They squished and rolled their roving into beautiful balls of felt, added some lovely yarn, and wore them home proudly. My favourite things about Craft Cafe is watching people, some of whom have not been creative in a long time, leave with a finished project that they love. Stay tuned for the next Craft Cafe, to be announced soon....

Cindy showing everyone how to get started in felting... 

Wool roving in luscious colours...

 

Brooke, Sheena, & I up to our usual silly antics...

 

Wool roving from Custom Woolen Mills in Carstairs, Alberta

 

Some of our younger ladies rolling their beads...

 

My beads...

 

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

 

We hope to see you at the next Craft Cafe!!

Reminder: The Next Craft Cafe, Wet Felting, Is THIS Sunday

I am up to my eyeballs in beautiful wool roving from Custom Woolen Mills in Carstairs. If you are interested in learning how to wet felt beads and zipper pulls, please come and join at at Craft Cafe, this Sunday, October 16th, from 7 - 9 PM, at Wild Flour Cafe in Banff. For all the details, and photos of the projects, please see this post
.