Holiday Craft Class and Afternoon Tea

Our annual Holiday Craft Class and Tea is a tradition that has been enjoyed by many of our guests over the years. Susanna is tasked with finding a fun and easy craft that can be completed in under an hour and can be created at the limited table space. This year's craft featured a wooden ornament, a blank slate to be painted as desired. Susanna offered a few suggestions, some guests googled for other ideas, and the painting session began. Many thanks to Terri & Adrienne for gifting Nancy the little grinch teapot that they painted.  

This sweet little snowman was designed and created by Carla. Carla has been attending teas here over the years, making teatime memories with her mother.  

And the Christmas Tree and Snowman were crafted by a mother and daughter duo that have attended the Holiday Craft Class and Afternoon Tea for at least 20 years. Tea orders are taken before the crafting begins. As the craft session is underway, the kitchen is a hustle preparing individual pots of tea. Once the crafting session is completed, all supplies are quickly removed from the tables, and each table is set with assorted Christmas teacups, napkins and silverware. When everyone is ready, the tea service begins. 

Up first, a Holiday Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Honeycrisp apples, craisins, sugared pecans, parmesan cheese and a honey vinaigrette.

When she's not pouring tea, Claudette helps to plate and serve the various courses. The scones included the Traditional English Cream Scone and a White Chocolate Apricot Scone served with Sweet Cream and Apricot Preserves alongside fresh pineapple and orange. 

Gail can be found taking tea orders, preparing tea, and serving all the courses. The sandwiches for the Holiday Tea included a Cranberry Pistachio Chicken Salad Triangle, warm Cheesy Pumpkin Tartlets, warm Ham & Swiss Cheese Cordon Bleu Crostini, Roast Beef & Water Chestnuts on Pumpernickel, and Cranberry Pecan Orange Marmalade on Raisin Bread.

Angelica has grown up in the tearoom and has stepped into whatever role she is asked to perform. The dessert course included Glazed Toffee Bonbons, a Chocolate Cup filled with Eggnog Cream and White Cake with a Spirited Topping.

Without the help of Claudette, Gail, Angelica, and Susanna, the tearoom would not function. Their cheerful presence is a blessing and their willingness to complete whatever task is most urgent is greatly appreciated. Many thanks to all of them!

Weft Weaving

Weft is a hidden destination in downtown Mechanicsburg that offers studio space and basic instructions for personal weaving sessions. The intimate studio holds eight Saori looms, imported from Japan. Owner, Nelly Smith has the looms already set up with the threads, so as soon as you step foot inside, you are invited to select your starting color/thread, and after a basic instruction, you are set loose to begin weaving. 

 In weaving, weft is the definition for the crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make cloth. There's a bit of coordination with working the pedals and weaving the threads back and forth, pulling the loom towards you, but not too tight. Once you have the basics, the design practically creates itself.

Susanna arranged for a private weaving session when family was visiting over the holidays. We all found a seat, a loom, and our initial color, and fell into the rhythm of the loom.

Multiple colors of thread and additional cloth pieces of varying textures were available throughout the studio. So many choices!

When you reached the point where you felt your project was complete, it was time to remove the weaving from the loom and tie off the strings. This took a little more patience, but it is what finishes the project. The antique iron helps to hold the piece in place as you fiddle with the final strings, making clusters of knots along the top and bottom edges.

No two pieces alike, but our instructor did say that similarities between family members and their project usually pop up, and in our case, we had many pieces that featured a range of purple hues.

We were all pleased with the results of our 'wabi-sabi' weaving session. 'Wabi-sabi' weaving is a freestyle weaving technique where there are no mistakes, only beauty resulting from the imperfections.

Happy May Day!

 Once the coveted gift of a secret admirer, May baskets seem to have gone out of style. Alas, we live in a harried time and a pretty basket of flowers found on our doorstep would indeed be a surprise. In a less stressful era, weaving tiny baskets and gathering mosses to line them were another sure sign of spring. Forget-me-knots, violets, primroses and pretty little wild flowers nestled in the moss were a sentimental offering. Excerpt from Mrs. Reppert's TwelveMonth Herbal, 1996, Remembrance Press

These sweet little May Day baskets filled with colorful fresh spring blossoms have adorned our door knobs over the years. Whether you use a hand crafted birch bark basket, or a cheerful wicker basket, the joy you share with a friend on May Day is certain to be memorable. May Day celebrations are held all around the world. One enchanting little tradition involves secretly putting a pretty bouquet of fresh spring flowers on your neighbor's doorknob. If they discover you doing this, they must give you a kiss! What a sweet little tradition! This lovely little nosegay includes smiling pansies, sweet lily-of-the-valley, a petite spring tulip, and lovage greens. This delicate little bouquet is in an embroidered hankie that has been folded and neatly pressed into a cone. A satin ribbon, with two bows is attached to the hankie in order to hang it on the door.

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day!

This clever hand crafted tea bag holder was a favor at the annual Penn Cumberland Garden Club Herb Tea held last month. The sweet perfectly formed paper cone filled with flowers looks like the ideal petite May Day basket for the fairy folk. The tradition of hanging a May Day basket has long passed us by, but we like to reminisce about the joy of finding a sweet basket, perhaps from a secret admirer, gaily swinging in the breeze on the doorknob on May Day. 

For more about the long history of May Day baskets, check out this article written by Linton Weeks in 2015 for the NPR History Department, A Forgotten Tradition: May Baskets. Here's a short excerpt: "A reporter in the Sterling, Ill., Gazette in 1871 explained the seasonal ritual this way: "A May-basket is — well, I hardly know how to describe it; but 'tis something to be hung on a door. Made of paper generally, it contains almost anything, by way of small presents you have in mind to put in it, together with your respects, best wishes — love, perhaps. It is hung after dark at the door of anybody the hanger fancies. — Which done, the said hanger knocks and scampers."

Happy May Day!

Annual Holiday Workshop & Afternoon Tea

There are certain annual traditions held in the tea room, and the Holiday Workshop and Afternoon Tea would be one of those special events that occurs in early December. This year our guests created a festive holiday gnome made using a pinecone (sprayed white on one side for the 'beard') with a felt hat and fuzzy nose. The 'demonstration' gnome has found his new home in one of the tea room Christmas trees. As guests arrive, tea orders are placed before beginning the craft. After the craft is complete, all supplies are whisked away, the tables are quickly set, tea cups are filled and the afternoon tea begins. 

The first course featured a Pear and Pecan Salad with white cheddar cheese, red onions, fresh pears, and sugared pecans all dressed with a Maple Dijon dressing

The sandwich array included an Apple, Cranberry, Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich on white bread, a Hot Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese Crostini topped with fresh parsley, a triangular Turkey, Provolone & Avocado Sandwich, Marinated Greek Veggie Medley in a Phyllo Cup, and Basil Pesto filled Puff Pastry Holly Leaves.

Scones for the day included our Traditional English Cream Scone and a triangular Cranberry Pecan Scone served with Sweet Cream and Raspberry Preserves alongside fresh fruit.

And the dessert medley concluded the day with creamy Pumpkin Mousse in a Chocolate Cup, Cranberry Bliss cake, and a White chocolate Peppermint Cookie. This joyful afternoon of crafting, friendship, tea, sweets and savories has become a holiday tradition for many. Afterwards, a quick stop next door at The Rosemary House offers some aroma therapy and the opportunity for some Christmas shopping, too.

 

Fairy House Village - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

A journey to Boothbay, ME included a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With over 300 acres of gardens and natural spaces; including a butterfly garden, the mammoth Guardians of the Seeds, a Children's Garden, and sculpture art throughout, it was an adventure to explore. 

As we walked through the various gardens in search of the trolls, we happened upon the Fairy House Village. This delightful fairy village is nestled upon a hilly expanse in the forest where children young and old can gather materials from the forest floor and create unique fairy dwellings. Birch bark, pinecones, stones and other treasures found are put together to create a welcoming habitat for the fairy folk. It's quite an amazing compilation of buildings, limited only by imagination. Tucked at the base of a tree, or standing alone, creativity abounds at this magical location. It is hard to capture the expanse of this fairy house village, but we're happy to share a few of the fairyland creations!

 There is no doubt that we walked among the fairies on this warm summer day in late July!

Celebrating National Herb Week

Our annual celebration for National Herb Week took place this past Thursday evening in the garden. Masked up, distanced (unless with your own pod), and outside in the open air, Susanna guided a tour of the gardens. Last year we hosted a video tour of the gardens, so it was particularly enjoyable to welcome a host of guests to the garden for an in person touching, tasting, smelling tour. Susanna led the group around the gardens, explaining certain herbs, sharing our favorites, pointing out the hops, the fig tree, our rosemary plants and more. Questions answered, info shared, and pleasant weather all made for an enjoyable evening.

The garden tour concluded with an assortment of herbal goodies to sample. Nancy prepared individually plated herbal treats that featured Parsley, the herb of the year. Guests enjoyed local salad greens topped with a creamy parsley dressing, a petite baking powder biscuit that included parsley and spring onion, a cracker topped with parsley butter, a lemon currant cookie, and a refreshing basil julep.

The evening concluded with the guests creating a Herbal Dip Blend of their own design. Susanna provided a variety of dried culinary herbs; parsley, garlic, dill,  basil, etc. to mix and blend in a small baggie. Once completed, guests are encouraged to prepare the basic dip recipe at home using their unique blend of herbs mixed with mayonnaise and sour cream to serve with veggies or chips. 

Happy National Herb Week 2021! Celebrating 'Parsley', Herb of the Year!