Saturday, July 13, 2013

Cottage Tea

In the late afternoon sun, a girl sat in the slanting light, sipping tea as her eyes devoured the words of a brand new book.
The tale, set in the woodland countryside, enchanted and entranced her. She sipped and read, sipped and read. And once or twice; she closed her eyes for just a moment.


Third time, they say, is a charm and the girl opened her eyes and before her; the tiny cottage adorning her reading table had come to life!


Nestled amidst mossy ground and towering toadstools, the quaint cottage lay. Warm glow coming from inside.
The girl's feet led her towards the partially opened door, her mind lost in wonder.


Closer, closer she crept and before she knew it, she was inside.
But as her foot touched cottage floor, the mysterious cottage went dark!


The girl tiptoed through the darkness towards a single window.
And as she grew closer, candles sputtered to life!



'Whooo Whoooo is that tiptoeing through our house,
Towards my nest,
Quiet as a mouse?'




The timid girl knew not how to reply, she'd never heard an owl speak!
She's only ever seen them fly!

A tiny voice peeped up from behind,
"Leave her be, Aveline! Its nearly time for tea!"



"Tea! Tea!" Many tiny voices chimed,
With a snort and a neigh the girl heard a voice say,
'I do hope you'll stay for tea time!'



The girl sipped her tea as she spoke with the revelers.
So many faces and names, she could barely remember them all!


There was Mousey Hood and his band of Merry Mice constantly squabbling with the Sheriff of Rattingham!


There was the White Rabbit who, the Horse with No Name whispered to the girl, is terrible at keeping time!


There was the Romantic Mister Rhythm who sang a song to his lady love, the dancing girl.


... as scorned love Lancelot rode his steed, Wounded Pride, away from the mushy affair.

Mister Dumpty, who couldn't keep his balance,
And a Winged Pig named simply 'Dream'.



And the girl, in that afternoon, grew to know and love them all.
Even grumpy old owl, Aveline, who guarded her glittering egg.



But alas, even the most fun parties cannot last forever.
Time marches on, whether we wish it to or not.


And once more, as the girl sat in the soft candle light, she felt herself blinking slowly.

Once...


Twice...


...Thrice.


And back in the afternoon light was the girl with her cup of tea, her book and her tiny cottage.
Time it seems, is a trickier thing than thought as well,
for the girl had not been a girl in a very long time.
A woman grown was she,
Yet creatures unbelievable had invited her to tea.
For while she was grown, a girl she was at heart.

She still believes in Magic and Wishes and Dreams...

Do you?



Thank you for visiting me and my troupe of tea craving critters! I hope you enjoyed our tale of magic, wonder and of course, tea!

And a very special thank you to Mad, Magical Hostess Vanessa for hosting us all on the wondrous weekend adventure! This is her 6th tea party, my 4th, and it is one of the things I look most forward to in the summer.

To visit her as well as other party guests, please click the image below and you'll be whisked to her blog A Fanciful Twist!



Crafty Credits for those Curious!
(Always give credit, where credit is due!)

The wee cottage that was the inspiration for this entire story (no lie, the beginning of the tale is fairly accurate as to how I got the idea and motivation to work on this year's party!) was made by crafty faery & mess maker Knickertwist! You can visit here here

The beautiful nest with its sparkly, glittery egg was crafted by the fabulously talented Tricia Fountaine! You can visit her here.

The knitted owl was gifted to me a few years back in a craft swap, but sadly, I cannot remember from whom as it was a large group affair. :(

42 comments:

  1. Darling Danni: Bad Alice and I had a lovely time at your tea party. You have introduced us to some very interesting characters and we will remember our visit to your perfect Knickertwist cottage. Thanks so much for a super time. Oma n GK

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  2. Oh my gods! Is that a wee cottage in a thimble? I wanted it! And I want Romantic Mister Rhythm to come and sing me some tunes, I'll dance and dance until the Sun swallows the Moon and then the Moon does the same to the Sun.

    What a feast of colors and shapes, Danni. And the tea? Yum!

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  3. I can't help but picture this as a children's book! Lovely story!

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  4. What a cute and pretty tea party, I love all the sweet creatures!

    Thanks so much for having me, and happy Mad Tea Party!

    Please do come visit my 2 interwoven fairytale inspired stories-

    1. The White Queen as she prepares her Mad Tea Party for her eleven dancing sisters in:
    http://idlebakes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/a-mad-tea-party-for-twelve-dancing.html

    2. The dancing princesses dancing their way all over the land to reach her Mad Tea Party:
    http://kikiandthegypsy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-twelve-dancing-princesses-make.html

    I'm looking forward to serving you a home made rose macaron or two at my tea party!

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  5. Loved the Party! Thanks so much for the invite.
    Wende

    http://creativeartseatables.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/tea-party-madness/

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  6. The miniature cottage is stunning! And I love love the carousel horse tea pot!

    Fabulous party!

    Thank you for having me!

    Please do stop by my party as well, but beware the Jaberwock is lurking about!

    ~Shauna

    http://shaunahenryart.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-mad-tea-party.html

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  7. The cottage on a thimble is absolutely, positively, without question, the coolest magical cottage I have EVAAAAR seen! Wonderful party! I had a terrific time!

    Please stop by for tea!
    http://niffy.ca/mad-tea-party-2013/

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  8. This was simply adorable! I agree, it would make a terrific children's book if you were so inclined.

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  9. Yes, I still believe in magic, wishes, and dreams. I love your fabric toadstools and the carousel teapot server...so cute. :)

    Thanks for letting me share in your day. When you get a free moment, stop by my tea party.

    ~ Misha

    http://dawaioser.livejournal.com/832697.html

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  10. So so so wonderful! And I am in love with your carousel horse tea pot!!!

    Ever so lovely!

    Thank you so much for being a part of the Mad Tea Party ♥

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  11. Danni, I have had a delightful wondrous time at your tea party. Everything is perfectly perfect. I adore all your friendly critters and creatures. They were all charming, and most of them were polite!
    You have given me many smiles this day!! Thank you for the tea! Hugs from Robin.

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  12. I have enjoyed your wonderful tea party!

    http://daylily777-myenchantedhome.blogspot.com/2013/07/mad-tea-party-2013.html

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  13. Those precious owls, the flickering flames, squatty little toadstools...what an enchanted party, Danni. Mousey Hood is truly a heroic wee figure, and that darling winged pig makes me feel like anything is possible. Wishing you many blessings of Love, Light, and Muchness.

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  14. What a very wonderful tea party! I thoroughly enjoyed my visit!
    blessings
    ~*~

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  15. Love your carousel tea pot :) fun party
    Thank you for taking time to visit my party :)
    Xoxo Gina

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  16. Yes, I do believe in magic, wishes and dreams. Your party is so enchanting with all the characters! LOVE it!

    Happy Mad Tea Party Day!
    Please visit my party!
    xo,
    Ricki Jill
    http://ricki-treleaven.blogspot.com

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  17. A fabulous party once again Danni thank you so much :)
    Eeek is that really a carousel horse teapot !!
    I am so pleased you managed to pop by and visit with me earlier !!

    Mad Madam Mel xx

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  18. Ohhh what a nice Tea Party...i love all this little things...thanks for sharing.
    Have a nice day
    Kerstin from Germany

    http://cobblestone-prims.blogspot.de/2013/07/happy-un-birthday.html

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  19. A wonderful magical tale. Your tea party is full of beautiful treasure. That carousel horse tea pot is gorgeous.

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  20. I loved looking at all the little details and especially liked the stuffed owl. :) So very fun. thank you.

    My fairy party: http://thedesigningfairy.com/2013/07/13/mad-tea-party/

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  21. I enjoyed your tea party! You have a great many dear things in these photos. As it is your fourth party, I wonder if you start collecting things throughout the year.

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    1. You'd be oddly surprised to learn that I had all of these things on hand already! This year I limited myself to buying absolutely nothing at all, not even the teensiest, tinsiest of mice for the party - and used a few of the things I have in my varied collections. :-)

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  22. Lovely tea party! Such delightful characters and a wonderful story! Escpecially liked the part wher e Romantic Mister Rythym sang yo the dancing girl!
    Thanks for an enjoyable time!
    -Blanche

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  23. Lots of lovely images and a wonderful tea party.
    Many thanks
    Anthea
    http://yewtreeminiatures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  24. I am in love with the wee cottage!!! thank you for a lovely tea party!!
    lisa
    http://crochetcrowe.blogspot.com/2013/07/mad-tea-party-2013.html

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  25. What a fun post and cute little thimble cottage! Thank you for inviting me Danni! Now, I know you are busy busy...but stop on over and get my freebies and enter my giveaway! www.theplayoflightandshadow.com

    HUGS!!

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  26. So many pretty collectibles. I love those handmade mushrooms and the teapot is precious.

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  27. Mmm, lovely setting! The pretty stars, glittery ornaments and poisonous green tulle makes your window feel like an enchanted forest :)

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  28. Loved your post! Yours was my favorite last year and I think it might be my favorite again this year :) Adored all your characters. What fun you must have had creating the story. Well done!

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  29. You had me at hello! Loved, loved, loved the first photo and all the way down the post. What a charming little cottage that led to a very sweet story. Great job on the photos and capturing a delightful story. So good to meet you. Thank you so much for swinging by this morning and leaving a lovely comment about my late mum. She (a Wiccan) would have adored your post. She is definitely smiling on you and your creative, magical spirit as I am too. Brightest Summer Blessings to you and yours. {soul hugs} k

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  30. What a wonderful tea party! I think my favorite pictures are number 1 and number 4--they are so magical and I love the silhouette! Thanks so much for stopping by my tea party, your comment is so appreciated and treasured. :D Let the madness spread to all!

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  31. Thank you for taking me along on this magical, dreamy adventure. It was a lovely way to start this fresh Monday morning.

    xoxo
    Kim
    Gerushia's New World.

    P.S. I LOVE Humpty Dumpty

    P.P.S. I have a flying pig exactly like yours!

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  32. Love the little tea cup garden. Great Tea Party! Thank you for having me!

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  33. I adored your tea party! Loved the whimsy, the magic, and all the little creatures. :) Thank you for visiting my party as well. My Alice teapot was a one-of-a-kind hand painted creation from the indie artist and comic writer - Dame Darcy. :)

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  34. I love the candle picture! With the window, that is so magical!

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  35. Awesome! I enjoyed this party very much...feeling like the very tiny Alice being mesmerized by all the beautiful things. Love those hand sewn mushrooms.

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  36. I'm still working at visiting everyone's Mad Tea Parties!

    I do so love your tiny cottage!!! Thank you for all the lovely treats! And yes, I do believe in Magic and Wishes and Dreams!

    I hope you will come by and have tea with me at The Tearoom. The party is still going on here and I have a giveaway!
    http://gossamertearoom.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-secret-life-of-mad-hatter.html

    Wishing you a lovely day,
    Betty

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  37. A magical tea event for sure! I had a wonderful time and look forward to visiting with you again.

    While we could not set a table this year, I am sharing news of upcoming blog parties and events at my place. Please stop over.

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  38. Hi Danni,
    Thank you for having me over for such a magical tea party! I do hope you will get a chance to visit mine if you haven't already.
    Happy Madness and Muchness Week!
    Sylvia
    http://anaboocreationsbysylvia.blogspot.com/2013/07/welcome-to-our-fanciful-garden-tour-mad.html

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  39. So sweet! Absolutely delightful :-)

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  40. I know I am so late! I was off at Comic-Con all last week so I didn't have time to visit parties until now. I just love how magical yours is!

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