We've moved!!!!

Remember on the last post that I said the Ivy Leaf Tea Parlour had a new owner? Well, I have spoken with her, and she would like me to continue blogging for the new tea shop, The Baron's Tea House. So......... I have moved to a new blog. Click here to visit! Stop by and add us to your followers page so you can keep up with the weekly trivia questions and a chance to win a free sample tea each week!

See you there!
Lori

Updated information

Hi everyone! I'm still alive and well! I wanted to update you all on some changes that have happened this year. First of all, thank you for those of you who visit and take my trivia quizzes. You always make my day when you visit.

What has changed is the Ivy Leaf Tea Parlor is no longer owned by Elaine, nor is it called The Ivy Leaf any longer. It is still a tea shop though and is named The Baron House Tea Parlor. I have not had the pleasure of meeting the new owner yet, but I am looking forward to it very soon. With end of the year homeschooling well under way, I've hardly had the time for my own business, Ellenay Designs. But, this is what I've decided for now. I'm going to start blogging here as a tea enthusiast. I will report great teas to try, delicious recipes, places I visit that are noteworthy etc. I will still do my trivias and give aways for those of you still interested in participating. As a matter of fact, here's your next trivia question:

What taste is used to characterize the finest Darjeelings?

The winner will receive a sample size of my favorite loose tea. To enter, just comment below with your answer. If there are more than one correct answers, the winner is chosen through a random number system. The winner closest to that number wins.

To all the Moms out there, I wish for you a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day. These roses are especially for you!

Warm Hugs,

Lori

p.s. to take a look at my jewelry, please visit : ellenaydesigns.com or my blog: ellenaydesigns.blogspot.com. thanks!

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome to 2009 from the Ivy Leaf Tea Parlor! As I sit here sipping my Coconut Dream tea-(delish!!) I was reminiscing about my year with regards to tea. This was my first year blogging for the Ivy Leaf. I started in May, and it has been such a fun, rewarding pleasure for me. I absolutely adore tea and all the aspects of it. I have learned soo much and I hope to learn a lot more. Secondly, I love the ladies at the Ivy Leaf-Elaine and Robin. They are the best! My Teasday excursions there are the highlights of my week. We have such sweet fellowship together in the kitchen sipping tea and tasting Robin's baked goods. We have had times of sadness, like when I was so worried about my sister who was sick. Elaine and Robin held my hands and we prayed for her together. She is now on the road to recovery and I know times like those helped her. There are happy times too where we laugh and just enjoy the day. The Ivy Leaf is the special place I take my girlfriends, mom and sisters for any occasion, or just to show them a wonderful time and have "girl-time". It holds a special place in my heart because it's the place both my sisters and I went to have one last tea before they moved away. The Ivy Leaf is a unique place that once you discover it's charm, it never leaves you. You look for reasons to visit again.

Another highlight in my year was getting to go the the Jane Austen Regency Tearoom in Bath, England. My husband ordered us a pot of the Jane Austen blend. He thought it only fitting. It was perfect and I loved every minute there.

It was a special year and I look forward to posting all about tea and the Ivy Leaf. The Teasday trivia has been a lot of fun. So, here's the very last Teasday trivia question of 2008!

What vitamin in tea actually is known to make people less sensitive to noise and clamor?

The Chinese say: "He who drinks tea forgets the noise and unrest of daily life."

It's always with a little sadness but a sense of renewed purpose that I watch one year slip into a new one. I think about the things I didn't accomplish that I wanted to and I always without fail write out my resolutions for the new year. Maybe the time for the things we wanted to do, but didn't, will come exactly when they were supposed to.

I wish for you all a happy, joyful and most of all, blessed New Year!

Warm hugs~

Lori

III John 2

Happy Thanksgiving from the Ivy Leaf

Cagle Creations~ new at the Ivy Leaf

Tea strainer~19.99

I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful Thanksgiving week. I am so looking forward to a few days with family and just being thankful for all our blessings. We, as a country, are so blessed. We have so many things that we complain about, but if we stop and think a moment, we will realize it could be so much worse. For every complaint, we could think of five praises. So, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

New at the Ivy Leaf is my absolute favorite candles! She has 41 scents and they are all wonderful. They are all soy, dye-free and last for hours upon hours. They are all hand-poured by Deanna of Cagle Creations. She has many Christmas and holiday scents. One that I love is, Wassail. It smells exactly like the Wassail my sister used to make every year.

Last week, we did not have a winner, so I am keeping this trivia question up until somebody takes a stab at it.

I want to thank each and every one of you that takes the time to stop by the blog and answer the trivia question each week. I know it's a busy time for everyone with the holidays right now, so stop by when you have a minute to relax and take a little breather from the hurried season. We'll be here waiting for you with a cup of tea and soothing music.

I'm leaving you with some beautiful Christmas scenery and gift ideas from the Ivy Leaf to enjoy....

With warm thanks,

Lori

I feel it in the air-Christmas is coming...

Christmas is already here at the Ivy Leaf Tea Parlor! It is so beautiful. I love this time of year. It absolutely brings out the child in all of us, doesn't it? What could be better than a plate of cookies by the fire, looking at a beautifully decorated home sipping your favorite spice tea. Just thinking about it makes me excited and looking forward to doing just that. I am so excited to decorate this year that I may break with our family tradition of putting the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and do it earlier. Every year I try to think up something sentimental to do for gifts. I have a lot of books so I could browse those for ideas. Anybody do something special like that they'd like to share? My sister blew us all away one year by having quilt tops our grandmother never finished made into quilts for all of us. She did them herself and included a photo of our grandmother on a beautiful tag included with it. I love things like that.

Our Teasday question last week was about a Zhong. The answer is: It is used to denote a covered cup, this word has now come to mean a mug, with or without saucer, with a lid.

For next week's trivia question: Besides caffeine, there are two other principal chemical ingredients in tea. What are they?

The winner of last week's trivia by random drawing is Hanri from Laundry basket case! Thanks so much for playing!

I can't wait to try all the Christmas teas and spice teas for the holidays. I will give you my top picks in the next couple of weeks.

Have a wonderful week!

Hugs~

Lori

Teasday Morning

I was so wrapped up with the election last night that I forgot Teasday! I apologize.

I wanted to let you know that my jewelry will be at the St.Simon's Episcopal Church craft show in Ft.Walton Beach, Fl. this Friday and Sat. from 9-5 on Fri. and 9-3 on Sat. We will have on display a beautiful article about the Ivy Leaf Tea Parlour as well as my custom tea themed jewelry that you will be able to purchase at the Ivy Leaf also. If you do come to the show, and you mention this blog or the Ivy Leaf, you will get 10% off your entire purchase! You can also pre-order custom tea themed jewelry. If you missed the last post, my tea themed bracelet was featured in this month's Romantic Homes magazine! (It's on page 27.)

I was at the Ivy Leaf yesterday and was so amazed at all the beautiful Christmas decorations! It's gorgeous!! You have to stop by and take a look if you get the chance. I will be blogging about it next week since I forgot my camera yesterday. I will show it all to you then. Especially for those of you who are too far to visit in person, I know you will be inspired. It put me in the Christmas spirit already!

We have a little announcement about our etsy shop. We do not technically fit the requirements of etsy because it is for handmade items. Unfortunately, we will have to remove it. We will however, be finding out how we can best offer our delicious teas and tea themed products to you from this blog. I know several of you have wanted to purchase teas from here, and we can still do that. Just know that within a week or so, we will have to remove most items the way they are now from the etsy shop.

Our Teasday trivia was answered so well by Becky!! Thank you! You are our Teasday winner! You are a lucky girl to have a Vixing teapot! Please email me your address and I will get your free sample tea to you. On that note, some of you that have won in the past have not gotten your addresses to me. If you know you were a winner and never received your tea, please email me at: ivyleaf@cox.net. I will get it right out to you! Thanks!

For next week's trivia question: What is a Zhong?

I wish for you all a wonderfully blessed week.

Lori

Exciting Teasday News!

Blue willow song bracelet

I bought a new teacup today at the Green Apple antique store in Crestview. I love it! I thought I'd share it with you as my show-n-tell item for today.

Flavor I had today-so delicious!


This is a very exciting week for me because I am officially in my first magazine! As many of you know, I am actually a jewelry designer who is obsessed with tea. My jewelry blog is listed on the left, Ellenay Designs. I made some tea themed jewelry for an online shop friend awhile ago and it was chosen for the December Romantic Homes magazine hitting stands this week! I'm thrilled! For those of you who subscribe, it's on page 27. It's called "Blue willow song." They showed only the reverse side and not the blue willow teapots and cups on the other side. Either way, it's there! You can go to my blog here to see the picture that will be in the article.

If you live locally (Crestview, Florida) you can purchase these pieces in the tearoom at The Ivy Leaf very soon! Ask Elaine or Robin if you would like to pre-order them now.

On to Teasday! We have a winner.. it is Karen! Thanks so much for playing. We've missed you. So sorry you haven't been feeling well. A brown betty is the traditional brown teapot from clay native to England which has particularly good warming capabilities, usually glazed on the outside and unglazed inside, although modern ones are glazed on the inside as well. Look for the A mark on the bottom of the pot.

For next week's trivia question: What is a Yixing Teapot and why is it special?


Have a wonderful week!
Lori