Just a little O.T.Tea

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 hansjones3 Comments

In addition to my excessive love of stationery and my constant drooling over anything interiors, I also love tea. I’m British…..I love tea…..how much more of a stereotype could I be but with so many fantastic varieties to choose from, I guess it’s hard to avoid.

One thing is for sure, I don’t drink coffee. I’ve certainly tried to like it, dabbling in lots of different varieties – decaf, iced, mochachocoloca etc but it’s just not quite the same as a good brew.

So, where to start? Well, how about my top tea favourites:

Yorkshire Tea – I love my tea to be strong and a little sweet. Yorkshire Tea brews well and is great both from a teapot or made straight in a mug. I have certainly tried other brands – PG Tips, Tetley etc but Yorkshire Tea just has that something which makes a consistently good cup of tea.

Twinings Lemon Trio – I recently started to enjoy a cup of hot water with lemon in the morning to try and start the day off right (although it doesn’t always work!) so when scouring the Supermarket shelves, I came across this little beauty from Twinings. Made with white hibiscus, lemon graa, lemon peel, natural lemon flavourings and verbena, it really is a lovely wake-up call. It doesn’t have an overpowering sourness to it making it a great all year round choice – add honey in the winter for that perfect cold cure.

Twinings Camomile and Spearmint – a friend of mine shared that a cup of camomile before bed really don’t help digestion. I’m not a huge fan of camomile on its own, so I choose to drink this option instead. Made with camomile, spearmint, blackberry leaves, lemongrass and linden, it’s certainly very calming and I do find I have a better nights sleep and wake up with a flatter stomach!

Twinings Chai Latte – oh my goodness – if you are a fan of a chai latte from Costa or Starbucks, you will love this. The tea leaves are soaked in chai syrup with gives it the sweetness of a coffee shop made drink. Top up with hot milk (preferably frothy) and this is the perfect pick me up.

English Tea Shop – Mr PB knows me so well and as a valentines gift, purchased me 16 varieties of The English Tea Shop tea. My favourites amongst this wide selection are the traditional peppermint (super tasty!) and lemongrass, ginger and citrus. Similar to the lemon trio, the added ginger gives it a boost as well as helping with digestion. The teas come in these cute little boxes making them handy for on-the-go.

Twinings Intensely Tropical – it’s been a beautiful summer so far in the UK, so I have been creating a tasty iced tea using this tropical find. Made with roeships, white hibiscus, natural lime, blood orange, lemon flavouring, apple pieces, and lemon peel, how much more of summer in a mug can you get! Simply make up a large jug using 2 tea bags and leave to cool or pop it in the fridge for an hour or so. Add ice to Mason Ball beaker and you have a delicious iced tea to sip under your parasol

Pukka Detox – last but not least, this is my must have tea if I have been a little naughty with food or drink over the weekend! It really cleanses and helps digestion. Made with aniseed, fennel seeds, cardamom pod, liquorice root, coriander and celery seed makes it taste delicious and is great at any time of year.

For my tea storage, I have 2 Emma Bridgewater tea caddy’s. I can imagine these growing old with me and getting that worn, vintage look over time. I also own this fab tea storage box from Homebase. Whilst you can fit many teabags in it, I love it sat on my tea shelf. I have a tea cupboard for all the boxes I can’t fit on the shelf which houses approximately 20 other types of teas! And the collection continues to grow!

So, what do I like to drink my tea in? My favourite mugs are 2 large Cath Kidston which makes a pretty big cup of tea – great for those grey days. I also own an Emma Bridgewater commemorating the birth of Prince George. I have the one for Princess Charlotte on a wish list! And finally, a super special mug from my best friends daughter – because everyone needs a Fairy Godmother in their life!

Whilst I tend to make most of tea straight in the mug, Mr PB recently bought my the most adorable glass tea pot which sits perfectly on my I heart tea tray for those days when I want to really enjoy my tea (and perhaps a couple of biscuits or a slice of cake!)

What is your favourite tea? I would love to hear of any brands you enjoy so I can have a try too.

x PB x

Emma Bridgewater Tead Caddy – http://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk/en/uk/black-toast-hatch-dome-caddy/invt/1blt010455

Homebase Tea Box – http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/tea-box-261079

Cath Kidston mugs – http://www.cathkidston.com/provence-rose/provence-rose-stanley-mug-1015152

Emma Bridgewater Princess Charlotte mug – http://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk/invt/1roy020002

Glass Teapot – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flowering-Discovery-Lotus-Glass-Teapot/dp/B000ZU3H5K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1439274786&sr=8-4&keywords=glass+teapots

Adding light to your life….

July 21, 2015July 20, 2015 hansjonesLeave a comment

In an earlier post, I shared that Mr PB had made a plea…..no more cushions. I believe a similar plea may come soon……no more candles!

I seem to have acquired, over the past few years, an eclectic array of candles, tealight holders, lanterns and more.

in all the rooms in our home, there will be a candle of some sort – whether that be decorative, scented or both. I just seem to get a lot of satisfaction purchasing candles. If it is a dull day outside (and there are plenty in the UK), I get so much pleasure lighting all our candles and snuggling down with a good book.

I also love styling a space with a unique collection of lanterns and tealight holders. This has grown since we visited South Africa.

During our stay at Lairds Lodge, Plettenburg Bay, the top of a chest of drawers was filled with a variety of candles – hurricane lamps, lanterns, tealights, candelabras and more. I was keen to try and reflect this look in our home and I am getting there….slowly.

Whilst on safari at Gorah Elephant Camp, Addo, candles were a necessity in the evening due to the permanent lack of electricity. Arriving back from a night time drive around the park, hundreds of hurricane lamps and lanterns would be lit and would emphasise the colonial warmth that the country exudes.

So, here is the collection….(so far!)

The 2 tall lanterns along with the rectangular lantern sit on a wide windowsill in our garden room. These were purchased from Debenhams and Matalan a few years ago. I am not sure these exact lanterns exist currently but I know that similar types will be available in most home accessory stores.

I love up-cycling, converting a item from its standard use. When preparing for a baby shower, I purchased these Mason Ball jars from the U.S to use as vases around the room. I now use them as tealight holders. Sitting alongside our lanterns and with the garden room having a blue and cream theme, they really add a pop of colour.

You will recognise the rose gold tealights from a previous post and to compliment these on the fireplace surround, I added the peach candle holders from Dunelm Mill and these delightful copper tealight holders from Culinary Concepts – a superb online shop offering both unique kitchen and home accessories. These were in a recent sale at £4.95 each. Although no longer available, Culinary Concepts do still have similar items on their website.

Finally, I own a fair amount of scented candles. You will have seen Jo Malone featuring as a regular guest in my photos. The Wild Fig & Cassis is such an intense smell and fills a room within a matter of minutes. That also means that it lasts for ages and given its price compared to other candles, that is a good thing!

I tend to purchase other scented candles from…..TK Maxx (surprise, surprise!). My local store has a great range and my recent favourite is the Thompson Ferrier candle in the scent Crushed Lavender – perfect for this time of year.

I have put links below of the items (or similar). Happy Shopping!

Do you have a favourite candle accessory or store that you purchase from? As always, I would love to hear your ideas. Please share below.

x PB x

Lanterns – http://www.debenhams.com/home/home-accessories/candles-holders/lanterns

Mason Ball jars – http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Heritage-Collection-Pint-Bands/dp/B00B80TJX0

Peach candle holders – http://www.dunelm.com/product/blush-pressed-glass-taper-candlestick-1000050003?cmCategoryId=34214

Copper tealight holder (not exact) http://www.culinaryconcepts.co.uk/medium-glasshouse-lantern-copper

Jo Malone candle – http://www.jomalone.co.uk/product/3560/9741/For-the-Home/Home-Candles/Wild-Fig-Cassis-Home-Candle#

Thompson Ferrier candle – http://thompsonferrier.com/default/catalogsearch/result/?q=crushed+lavender

Let’s style it up!

June 25, 2015June 22, 2015 hansjonesLeave a comment

If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you will know that in one of my first posts, I shared that as well as Stationery, I am also very keen on interior. Let’s not pretend that this is verging on interior design. I did sign up to complete an interior design course… I just haven’t quite got round to finishing the programme.

However, I find other ways of researching interior fashions. That is usually a visit to T K Maxx!

I did this recently. In fact, I browse regularly. You never know what you will find. They regularly change their stock so I try to visit once every couple of weeks. I also love that there isn’t 15 of the same thing so hopefully you are adding a little bit of uniqueness into your home.

And guess what?! The unique found me and I found a pineapple! How convenient.

That came home with my right away. It would look perfect on my shelving around the fireplace.

When I positioned it, it looked a little lonely. I haven’t yet tracked down a large silver button, but if you spot one, let me know! So, it needed something extra.

I wanted to create an easy style to the shelving. A selection of items that look like they belonged. Therefore, I added some Posh Graffiti. Every household should have (one or more) of their products. Such a simple concept but with great results and can be used in a variety of surroundings. The addition of the initials was perfect. I haven’t fixed them to the wall, they just lean in which can be precarious when cleaning but it adds to that relaxed “oh, I just chucked that up there” look.

Finally, I spotted these seriously gorgeous rose gold, dusky pink tea light holders. Along with a lovely pair of inexpensive clear peach candlesticks, these tea light holders add a blast of colour but with softness. When lit, the colour is really ornate and, like, most of my purchases, they were cheap! Around £5 each which I think is a great price for something that draws the eye.

What additions have you made to your home recently?

Where else do people shop, other than T K Maxx? I would love recommendations of where to find inexpensive gems.

Please leave a comment by clicking on the link above this post And don’t forget, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

x PB x

http://www.poshgraffiti.com/

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