Good-bye the little red teacup

After a few business name shenanigans my blog is now called The Blushing Teacup. I have brought all the blogs over from the little red teacup, and it all looks the same, just with a slightly changed name. Sounds much better don't you think?

So to start a fresh I have put a few pics up of my lovely Gran's jewelery, which i inherited a few months ago. As I don't wear a lot of it, but it is very dear to me, I thought why not make it into art. So I have been playing around with my camera and taken a few pics to share.

How is this related to tea? Well it is my Gran's teacup that features in The Blushing Teacups logo.

Fit for Royal-tea

I was given this box of tea for a Secret Santa last Christmas while holidaying in Italy. I absolutely love the box it came in and although the original tea is long gone, I still have it to keep my latest brews in.

It was a Fortnum & Mason tea by the name of Royal Blend. The tea was first created in the summer of 1902, for King Edward VII and has been popular ever since. It has a smooth, almost honey-like flavour.  It is made from low-grown Flowery Pekoe from Ceylon which gives an uplifting note to the maltier Assam. A very traditional cup of tea that can be drunk any time of the day. Best served with milk.

The tiny teacups also in the photo are one of my many op shop finds years ago in the The Salvation Army, Hastings, NZ.

Treat you and your bath to tea for two

Source: weheartit.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Herbal bath bags (or bath tea bags) make a delicious bath that can be beneficial to your skin, ease stress and help soothe aches and pains.

To begin:
Make a drawstring bag out of cheesecloth, organza or muslin big enough to hold 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of of herbal mixture. Tie them tightly shut with ribbon or thin rope so the loose herbs will escape into your bath. The bags can be emptied, rinsed out and washed to be refilled and reused again and again.

Tea Recipes (makes about 4-6 baths):
Create the base by mixing:
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Then to personalise your bath tea bag by adding 1/2 cup of dried herbs.

The most commonly used herbs for tea baths are lavender (relaxing), rosemary (improves memory), chamomile (relaxing, helps you sleep, good for anxiety or depression), sage (stimulant and antiseptic), mint (energising) and bay leaves (relieve muscle aches and improve stimulation). Oatmeal can be added to, this is good for softening the skin and relieving itching.

Preparing the Bath:
You can either hang the bags on the tap, making sure the the hot water is running through the tea bag and when its full let the bag float in the bath with you. Or boil a litre of water, place in a glass bowl and put your herbal bath tea bag in the water. Cover and let it infuse for at least 20mins. Pour the infused water into your bath along with the tea bag.

ENJOY xx

Welcome to The Blushing Teacup

My first blog!! And what better way to celebrate than with my favourite necklace in the world. The Tea Cup & Saucer pendant by Stephen Einhorn, London. Glorious.