Tea with edible flowers Part 2

Welcome!

All kaleidoscopes by inkspired and KaleidoCam


I do love tea parties, and tea cups
and all that goes with it.

I think of tea cups as a little piece of art
and history that I can own, and enjoy.

Let’s have some more tea party flower fun!

I am excited to try out some edible flower recipes now!

Flavored ice cubes, Let’s Mingle blog, Pinterest 

I was surprised to learn there are so many
flowers that you can eat.
Do pay attention and do a little research.

Clara Jane/Baking-Ginger, Pinterest

There are some flowers that you can only eat certain parts.
Sometimes only 1 part is edible,
and the other parts can make you quite sick.

Then there are those flowers that eating 1 or more parts
can actually lead to death.

You can never be too careful, or informed.
Not sure about a flower part?
Don’t eat it until you have checked it out.

Isn’t the internet a marvelous thing?

Adamant Kitchen, Pinterest 

Adamant Kitchen, via Pinterest


The photo above shows full bloom dandelions,
but actually you want to pick the flower heads when
they are still fairly tightly curled and low to the ground.
Once the bloom becomes full it will have a bitter taste.

But hey, the photo looks pretty!
Here is another pretty photo using dandelions.
I want to try this recipe out too!

Rural Housewife, blog, via Pinterest

Polly put the kettle on!

‘Sing Mother Goose’ illustrated by
Marjorie Torrey, 1945’

A coral peony

I think this peony jelly is just beautiful.
What a great gift idea for those hard to buy for friends.
Your homemade peony jelly is sure to be unique!

PureWOW, posted on Pinterest

Here is another flower jelly, using sunflowers-

The Nerdy Farm Wife, posted on Pinterest


Follow the link and you should find the exact recipes
for all the photos I am posting.
If you have trouble finding one,
simply use your search engine to type in the recipe name.

Septemberwildflower.tumblr.com{

Here are a few ideas on how to set 

a beautiful tea table.

You need to show off all your wonderful

food and flowers you made.

I will address the tea table in a later blog!

While the china does not ‘match’, it works because it is all
in the same color groups, and strength of color.
Pastel with pastel
Blue, pink and white


Remember 
your food items are part of the decorations also.
Take a little time to make them extra pretty.

The Enchanted Cove, posted on Pinterest

I apologize for being so slow in putting
out more blogs.
I look for a teapot photo, go off on a bunny trail
and end up looking at Civil War era
photographs that have been colorized realistically...
🙄

‘Til next time,
inkspired

Christmas with Betsy McCall

kev tiaj tus

'peace' in the Hmong language, spoken in China, Laos and Vietnam

artist unknown

uniprayerforum.wordpress.com

Let's have a Betsy McCall paper doll Christmas blog!

First, the all important letter to Santa -

Dec., 1952

Next, she gets to help her Mom decorate the Christmas tree -

Dec., 1954

Betsy tries to wait up for Santa Christmas Eve -

Dec., 1953

and now it is Christmas morning! -

Dec., 1951

Through the years, Betsy went through several transformations;

as styles and fashions changed, so did her artists.

Here is Betsy, with her cousin Linda -

Dec., 1958

Betsy needs to write some thank you notes 

for the wonderful presents she received -

can you help her?

Dec., 1959

It's time to visit Grandma!

Dec., 1960

and now it's time to visit Great-Grandma!

Dec., 1965

Let's help Betsy bake some cookies!

Dec., 1971

Betsy learns there is more to Christmas than receiving gifts -

Dec., 1984

Here are some fun holiday activities you can do with Betsy -

Dec., 1986

Dec., 1994

I hope you have had fun with Betsy McCall!

I wish she was still with us....

Did you know that all the cute clothes that Betsy and her family and friends wear are actual McCall's patterns?

Dec., 1992

Dec., 1964

Dec., 1955

Looking back through her paper doll pages is like a walk through fashion history, and a note on society's expectations!

(I love the leopard print undies on the 1955 cousin Sandy, 

and the matching mom and daughter outfits!!)

Jan., 1961

Jan., 1971

Have a merry McCall's Holiday season!

'til next time,

inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com

and on pinterest:  kkloberdans

Bats in my Belfry

EEEEEeeeeeeeekkk!!!!

bat headband hairpiece, Martha Stewart

I think I have bats in my belfry!!!

downloadable bat and crystal ball lady

www.RhondasOriginals.etsy.com

MISSING:

One Weird Thing

Please don't bring it back!

Victorian lady in bat skirt dictionary page print

www.reimaginationprints.etsy.com

vintage Boris the Bat book

www.LaVintageByMissPJ55.etsy.com

Bats are so cool!!!

lithograph by Henry J. Johnson, c.1880

www.WeVintageArtfulShop.etsy.com

how to cut bat wings

www.coolest-holiday-parties.com

They are mammals, which means they have little baby bats!

A baby bat is called a 'pup'!!

www.halloweencostumes.com

A group of bats is called a 'colony'.

www.sheknows.com

mini chocolate bats

www.factorydirectcraft.com

The Little bat screamed out in fright

"turn on the dark...

I'm afraid of the light!"

- Shel Silverstein

portrait of H.P.Lovecraft in bat necklace

www.sandrandan.etsy.com

Fangs for the memories

and nightmares!

The Count, Sesame Street

Halloween is always a wonderful time to re-connect with

The Count

What a wonderful thing!!!

eh, eh, eh!!!

I count ONE bat!

I count TWO bats!

Eh, eh, eh!!!

TWO bats!

Conan O'Brien broadcast, 6/27/2013

www.teamcoco.com

How many of us learned counting with The Count?!

I still sing his song in my head....

'Batty, Batty, Bat, Bat, Bat...!'

That's One Bat....eh, eh, eh....

Kermit and The Count, Sesame Street

Two bats...eh, eh, eh...

The Count, with his voice Jerry Nelson

www.lehighvalleylive.com

"On Hallowe'en the thing you must do

Is pretend that nothing can frighten you

And if somethin' scares you and you want to run

Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun."

- Author Unknown

www.arwendesigns.etsy.com

'Backward, turn backward,

O Time, in your flight

make me a child again

just for to-night!'

 - Elizabeth Akers Allen

downloadable pdf

www.RhondasOriginals.etsy.com

www.purecostumes.com

There about 1,240 bat species!!

That's about 20% of all classified mammal species

worldwide!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat

No, don't ask me what an

'unclassified mammal species' is!

vampire bunny bat necklace

www.sandrandan.etsy.com

notecards

www.StudioStrayer.etsy.com

Contrary to popular horror movies

and common myths,

there are only 3 species that live on blood.

They make up about 30% of all bats.

www.oldish.etsy.com

How-to series by Dover Publications

The majority of the bat  population?

They eat insects.

Flying insects like mosquitoes

and ground insects!

www.reimatinationprints.etsy.com

bat pattern, Benny the Benevolent Bat

www.tisbest.wordpress.com

In fact, a bat eats

every night

several hundred insects in just a few hours!!

vintage bat brooch

www.sanibelsands.etsy.com

There's this really cool size HUMONGOUS bat colony

under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, USA.

That's their summer home.

There are an estimated

1,500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats living there.

Yep.

I typed the right amount of zeroes in!

www.BAYMOONSTUDIO.etsy.com

Every night they eat

about

10,000 - 30,000 POUNDS 

of insects.

wow.

I'm sorry, I don't know where this bead pattern came from.

cone bat treats

www.thehometeacher.org

"Have a fang-tastic night!"

http://www.craftsayings.com/index.php/projects/holidays/halloween/324-halloween-sayings

So, does everyone think bats are creepy

and scary

and get caught in your hair?

Nope!!!

www.karenswhimsy.com

In fact in many countries bats are symbols of good things!

In Tonga,

the bat is sacred, and is often considered a physical manifestation of a soul. But in a good way!

They are protected by Royal Decree!

Foxbats and Old World Bats thrive in the wild there.

Tongan bats in Casuarina trees

www.babasiga.blogspot.com

www.fivedaughtersvintage.etsy.com

In Chinese culture the bat is a symbol of

longevity, and happiness.

www.lhchinesepaintings.com

In Poland, bats are considered lucky!

original Ashley Fisher bat skeleton papercutting

Texas

and Oklahoma

both have the Mexican free-tailed bat as their Official State Bat!

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat

www.bbc.co.uk

The state of Virginia's Official State Bat is

the Virginia big-eared bat.

Virginia big-eared bat

www.atoztheusa.blogspot.com

I think he's kinda' cute!!

bar chocolate bar party favors by Elizabeth La Bau

www.candy.about.com

'The best the good world has to give,

The best that ever has been,

I wish for you dear little friends

On merry Halloween.'

 - vintage verse

www.imgur.com

Blood donors needed.

See the Count....

maze courtesy of Dover Publications

Bats all, folks!

www.theminorityreport.co

I love that moving tribute to the creator of The Count.

Have a batty day of bat-filled fun!!

'til next time,

inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com

and on pinterest:  kkloberdans

coloring page by Michele McDonough

www.brighthub.com