A Very Bloggy Giveaway

Here it is - the stash of goodies I've been putting together to say thank you for donating to the Cancer Council via my Very Bloggy Morning Tea and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. A very big thanks to all the lovely, generous people who have offered prizes. Such a creative bunch of people!

One lucky person will win:

1) Two 100% linen tea towels designed and printed in Australia by ink & weave - 'Tea Freak' and 'Caffeine Fiend'. Use them to dry your best tea set or, better yet, frame them to hang on the wall. Valued at $24.90 each. You can see the other fantastic ink & weave designs at the shop and keep up to date via Facebook.

2) I was so excited to recently discover Maison Blanche Candles. These beautiful candles are handmade in Sydney by the very talented Kristy. She has offered up a tea-lovers package which includes a White Tea and Berries candle and a Green Tea and Lemongrass candle. Valued at $18 each. Visit her shop here, her blog here, or connect on Facebook.

3) When Christina Lowry recently released her Afternoon Tea beads collection, I snapped up a gorgeous necklace for myself. She very kindly offers this one-off 'Teacups and Doilies' necklace made from handmade beads and valued at $25. Connect with Christina via her shop, blog and Facebook.

4) A set of six tea-themed badges by Miss Badger's Buttons. Valued at $6. Be sure to check out Kate's other fun designs at her shop.

5) The gorgeous May of Seal Design Studio and Seal Typo has generously donated two 8x10 prints - this fantastic CS Lewis quote and a You Are My Cup of Tea poster. Valued at $14 each. Connect at Facebook here and here.

6) This beautiful Ruby Victoria Red Teapot linocut print would look lovely in your kitchen, or any room for that matter. Valued at $26. See the other beautiful prints available at the Ruby Victoria shop or connect via Facebook.

7) This limited edition (as in ONE only) original Typically Red tea cosy was designed and knit by moi as promised some time ago. It's made from 100% wool, finished with an ever so subtle pompom and a Craft Queen button, and fits your average biggish teapot. Tea-warming and heart-warming all at once! Value: priceless.

8) My good friend Nicole aka Craft Queen thinks you should be able to do a bit of shopping while you sip your tea. She's generously offered a $50 voucher to spend at her shop. Stock up on ribbons, buttons, papercraft supplies, washi tape - you name it! Keep up to date with the Craft Queen happenings on Facebook or the blog.

9) And finally, for the vintage lovers and collectors, this is an authentic Johnson set of four cups and saucers, gift packaged in the original (slightly damaged) box. I've seen similar sets for sale on eBay for $50.

And two runners-up will win a Bushell's tea caddy and an Australia's Biggest Morning Tea merchandise pack.

To be in the running, I won't compel you to donate to my Very Bloggy Morning Tea but you kind of know that's the idea. You can do so here or by clicking the little button over on the right. For your own peace of mind, know that any donations go directly to the Cancer Council of Australia, not via my place in any way. There is nothing in this for me other than that heartwarming feeling of having done something worthwhile with a bunch of good people.

Please leave me a comment on this post to say hi and answer this short question: What's your favourite hot beverage/sweet treat combo? Tea and scones, chocolate and churros, that kind of thing.

If you choose to remain an anonymous donor but would like the chance to win, please send me an email to typicallyred@yahoo.com so I know to include you. 

Australian residents only, I'm afraid. The generous prize donors are providing postage, so it's only fair we keep it local. (Singapore residents who are friends with my sister, if you win, she will hand deliver the goodies in June, won't you, Em?!) 

Total prize valued at well over $250. Winner announced here at 7pm Saturday 25th May.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support and kindness.

20/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013" via Che and Fidel.

Lola: Doing homework, she reads out the instructions - draw a rocket. "You know, Mum, it should say please."

Pearl: I walked in on an intense game of mummies and babies. She looked up in delight and said, "Oh, look, Stella, it's the REAL mummy." (I should be grateful I wasn't Grandma this time.)

Stella: She will often regale me with stories about when she was a baby "in the olden days."

Previous 52 portraits here.

I hope to see you all here this week - every day! several times a day! - for a Very Bloggy Morning Tea. I'll be back later today to share the giveaway prizes.

Anticipation

Things have been busy around here this week. I've been dusting off my teacups, colour-coding the teabags and trying to work out which outfit coordinates best with my new tea cosy. Oh, and there's been a little bit of baking going on as well.

I'm so looking forward to seeing you all here first thing Monday morning for the launch of A Very Bloggy Morning Tea 2013. I'll be inviting you in every day and getting you comfy. Then a lovely friend will pop over to share a story and a cuppa. And every afternoon I'll be back to hand over a recipe.

If you're enjoying morning tea at your place during the week, either on your own or with friends, I'd love to hear about it. Please let me know on Facebook or do that hashtag thingo that they talk about on Instagram so I can find you - #bloggymorningtea. Or you can always just leave a comment here with a link to your blog post.

Please tell all your friends. The more the merrier.

Can't wait to see you all. Now, where did I leave that cake stand...

A big thank you to everyone who has already made a generous donation. There's a button over there on the right that will take you to the fundraising page. All donations go directly to the Cancer Council.

Autumn + Toadstools

I've lit the fire every night in the past week. The hot water bottles are in action as well. These days are filled with blue skies and glorious sunshine, but it's no longer any competition for the chill. I think we're in for a good cold winter.

We spied mushrooms on the roadside this afternoon and wandered back to take a closer look. Fairy toadstools by the dozen!

Autumn in all its glory, my favourite season by far.

I've joined the Instagram bandwagon, though I'm still trying to figure it all out. I'm @typicallyred if anyone wants to find me (and so I can find you back). Thanks to Caitlin for suggesting we get a little hashtag going for next week's Very Bloggy Morning Tea. How do these things work? #bloggymorningtea?????

Mother's Day

Mother's Day, the bittersweet day. Words can't describe how much joy my three little monkeys bring me most days, but today especially. What fun we've had, baking together,  making pompoms and picnicking in the park, then an afternoon in the garden sorting out the leaves and the lawn. "The best mother's day ever," declared Stella over dinner. The best so far, my love.

(These are the first proper drawings my babies have made of me and for me. I'm loving how different I look in each. In reality, my legs certainly don't go up to my neck, nor is my head bigger and rounder than my torso. Bless.)

19/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013" via Che and Fidel.

Lola: Flicking through a bookshop catalogue, she declared, "I know someone who would love this book...and that someone is ME!"

Pearl: She lost her dummy a few weeks ago, then surprised me by falling asleep without it. Alas, she found it the next day. It went missing again this week, and again she fell asleep without a problem. This time, I found it and have ensured it remains firmly 'lost'. I think we're free at last!!!!

Stella: Her best friend at preschool is a boy called Hamish. "I love him," she tells me wistfully.

Previous 52 portraits here.

By the way, thank you for your lovely feedback about my funny little video. What nice people you are!!! 

A Pompom on a Pot

A couple of months ago I travelled up to Sydney to film a little interview about my involvement with the Biggest Morning Tea last year. I thought I'd finally share it here. Despite how self-consciousness I feel about it, it's a bloody good cause that deserves as much attention as it can get, even if it comes via a slightly frumpy, bespectacled person who uses the word 'hype' with a straight face, placing extra emphasis on the 'p'. Pah.

In the very least, it explains why I'm so passionate about this cause, and why I'm doing it all again in a couple of weeks. If you can't wait and simply must donate now, you can do so here.

(And they got me on film threatening to knit a tea cosy, so what could I do? One lucky person will win it and a whole bunch of other great stuff.)

Kitchen Days

In my kitchen these past couple of weeks: 

Chickpeas and chorizo, lemons from a friend's tree, a spatchcocked free-range chook marinating in marjoram and olive oil, the most perfect egg I ever did poach (laid the day before by a neighbourhood hen), creamy tagliatelle with smoked salmon and chives, and home-baked bread rolls awaiting sausages and sauce.

What's been cooking at your place?

18/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013" via Che and Fidel.

Lola: She's the only kindergartener in the school chess club.

Pearl: The circus has come to town. When we drove past the big top, Pearl gasped and cried, "Lola will NOT beLIEVE it."

Stella: She and Pearl have taken to calling me 'Grandma' during their games. I'm not sure I'm ready.

Previous 52 portraits here.

Dotty

What a lovely bunch you are! Thank you for your good and kind and considered comments on yesterday's post. Belinda's formula sounds just perfect - two days for taking care of the business/admin stuff, two days for creating and making, and a fifth day for seeking inspiration or "filling the well," aka Julia Cameron.

Last night I let myself go off piste for some play. Bumpy dots, or dotty bumps. Do you like them? They're not hats (yet) so I guess that's something!

I'm working away in the background on an exciting project. Those of you who were here this time last year may remember my Very Bloggy Morning Tea in aid of the Cancer Council. It was such fun, and such a success, and this year I'm going for it again, only bigger and better. There'll be guest bloggers, cuppas and sweet treats galore, and a fabulous giveaway that you won't want to miss. And guess what? You're ALL invited!!!! 

Stay tuned. If you're on Facebook, make sure you hit 'like' over here to stay updated.