Will it be YOU?

Just posted at Mirabella Morello:

Almost there....almost.....there.....!!!
Will you be my 100th Sale???
If so, there are surprises waiting for you!!

(Images in this collage by Cemerony, Valentine Grimm and Asunder Ephemera, all on Etsy.)

Introducing....

Velvet Revived, A Digital Department Store

...the newest shop on Etsy in The Gossamer Tearoom family!!!

I've have been very busy turning the piles of beautiful ephemera left to me by my mother, along with a collection of my own into a new line of very original digital collage sheets!


The first sheets are called

Wishes and Apple Blossoms,

Fresh and Delicious

&

Bunnies and Pink Blossoms!

Please keep checking back!

More new sheets coming soon!!

Just One More Tease...

Opening today....

....on the same street as The Gossamer Tearoom Shop and Mirabella Morello....


I'm hard at work to get the doors open today, so please keep checking back!

Thank you, Dear Friends!!

Next?

Some are a bit faded, so I touch them with just a taste of color to give them new life.

Some are torn on the edges, but this just gives them more character.

They have all been alive a long time and deserve to have a new appreciative audience.

Soon enough, you will see who I have been keeping company with lately...

And Now...

...the countdown to springtime begins...

A Valentine Tea...

Dearest Dear Friends of The Tearoom,

Welcome!

Today, it is only you and I having our special Valentine tea in front of the fire.




My mind returns again and again to the theme of today's party...
Fruit, beautiful, sun-ripened, sweet, luscious fruit...
The purples and reds of fruit juice,
the pleasure of the sweet,
the pucker of tart,
the intoxicating madness of that first bite of fully-ripened summer fruit.

Some people get this rush from the first sip of their favorite alcoholic tipple or a drag from their first cigarette of the day. (I myself do not understand this, but I have seen the unguarded look of pleasure on the faces of people indulging in these things, so I know it is true.) But for me, the miracle of my first bite of the fresh produce of the season provides that momentary dizzying high. This one living object, devoting its whole life to being the most perfect version of itself that it can be. What lies sleeping in seeds, in dormant plants, in the Earth at this very moment, just waiting to bring us pleasure?

I dare you to sit on the purple couch in The Tearoom, under the enormous wall decoration of fruit I have placed there for our party today, and not feel just a fleeting moment of this singular pleasure....

Welcome, Dear Friend, to a Valentine's Tea, fairly bursting with life!


Can't you just smell the fragrance coming to us from the ornate tea pot?
It is a tea that I am still just dying to try: Charlotte au Chocolat, from Dammann Frères of Paris
with flavors of sugared almond and chocolate,
with sunflower petals for brightness!
Can't you just taste it as we speak of it?
Can you imagine how really decadent
a cup of this would be with a dabble of cream
and (if you wish), a bit of sugar?
I could drink it all day!

Oh, but My Dear, we have some catching up to do!
It has been such a long time since we have
taken a tour around Paris to see what is new
and just with us for Valentine's Day only!
The House of Dalloyau has a luscious-looking pair of religieuses named Valentine et Valentin (sold only as a pair, not to be separated until shared with you and your love!) A description of them: "My Pulpy Raspberry delicately scented with violet reveals a tender and luscious raspberry heart. My Soft Caramel is sure to thrill with its cream flavored with rum ..."

Here is another of Dalloyau's Valentine treats: the Duo de Macarons Coeur, in raspberry and chocolate/duja (chocolate and hazelnut) flavors!

The House of Laduée surprises us with a tangy, creamy combination in their newest macaron flavor: grapefruit and vanilla!

"From The House of Pierre Hermé, exclusively for Valentine's Day, the Envie macaron, which he describes this way: "Macaron biscuit, vanilla-violet cream and blackcurrants. The "Envie" combination featuring blackcurrant, vanilla and violet was created by Pierre Hermé in 1992. The intense floral note of the violet, tempered by the vanilla, softens the tart bitterness of the blackcurrant."

And a macaron not specifically with Valentine's Day in mind, but only available until the 27th of this month, his new "Jardin Enchanté" with the flavors of rose, lime and touched with the tingle of Espelette pepper! It is the first of his new collection for spring, which I will be following closely. For more information, please click here.

And of course, returning like the dearest of old friends, some of the most lovely things:

A pair of Ispahan heart macarons filled with luscious fresh raspberries, with notes of rose and litchi. If you just can't get enough of this most romantic of flavor combinations, please take a glimpse here for the dizzying array of other forms this one of his Fetish flavors comes in.

Our old friend the Coeur Infiniment Vanille,
made even more complex and beautiful with Monsieur Hermé's signature combination of vanillas grown in
Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico, looking just as elegant and beautiful as ever...


Because we just can't have enough today, couldn't we just go for something luscious and chocolate? How could we forget when
The House of Fauchon graced us with their Joconde eclairs?


Have had enough sweets today? Here's a visually arresting, beautiful and nutritious salad recipe from Etsy, especially for Valentine's Day! What a great example of the miracles of nature that are available to us each day that are delicious, fascinating and so good for you.

Thank you, Dear Ones, for celebrating Valentine's Day with me today and indulging in some of the most beautiful and delicious that Paris has to offer.



We now look forward to spring and the birth of yet another new shop on Etsy....

(Thank you, as always to Asunder Ephemera, The Picture Palace and The Graphics Fairy for some of the graphics used in the collages.)

The Latest Treasuries....

An Enchanted Tea Party With Friends


Spring Is On Its Way


Two Treasuries I did on Etsy today,
both with spring in mind...

The Gossamer Tearoom Joins The Twtittersphere....

Still finding my feet and getting settled in.
Please visit me there and bring me a cup of tea.
It still feels a bit strange and overwhelming to me...

Me at 50....

Today I am 50.
This is me.
And this is what my Darling Mr. V has posted on his Facebook page:



In my mind, it is 2006 and I am sitting at my job at a photographer's studio, watching out the window, because I can see the Dupont Circle Metro at Q Street from here...

Today is not just my birthday, but an anniversary for us. Six years ago, after not having seen each other for 18 years, My Dear Love got on a plane to Washington, DC (where he had never been before), got on the Metro to Dupont Circle (he had never been on a subway before) and came to stay with me for 5 days (it was supposed to be only 4 days, but he got snowed in and had to go back the next day instead). On the third day, he woke me up to tell me that he wanted to move to DC. He visited again in March for his birthday and in April, moved there in June, proposed to me on Fourth of July and we were married at The Woodrow Wilson House on May 31st of the next year. How I deserved such a fairy-tale life, I do not know, but my gratitude knows no words to express it.

If he had not done this, I might have still had who-knows how many more birthdays. But without him, there would be no double reason to celebrate today. Chivalry is not dead, but just be aware, I may have been lucky enough to have been swept away by one of the last known knights. I don't know how I deserve it. I'm just glad I was.

If you ever see anyone who shows this much bravery, don't let them get away.
And don't get too very worried about how many years it takes to get them back.
Just make sure they don't get away again.

An Invitation...

How Could I Resist?

This collage is my submission for The Three Muses Collage Challenge. The prompt this week was "Oooh-La-La!". Now, how exactly, was I going to resist that?

(Please click on the image for the larger version.)

(Thank you to Julia at Cemerony, Cristina at Asunder Ephemera, Ella at Calico Collage, Mark at Memories Emporium and Karen of The Graphics Fairy for the images I used.)

Today, He Returns....

As gossiped about earlier, The Balloon Vendor returns today....




Balloon Vendor One






Balloon Vendor Two


(These are more from my new silk pillow card line.
Available only here.)

A Debut....

Tonight, I debut a new line of very special cards in
The Gossamer Tearoom shop.

The first two called....

I Can See You

and

I Think She Heard Us

are the first in a new line of silk pillow-topped cards.
The collages are my own design,
printed on silk
(like my brooches,
also in The Tearoom shop)
and then applied to small cards.

I lovingly decorate each one
with twinkly bits of glitter for sparkle.

Inspired by a time when you could buy
big, beautiful cards, printed on padded satin...

Very special.

A beautiful idea, now re-born....
Only available here.

From the Laboratories of The Gossamer Tearoom....

....coming soon....

Scenes from Two Shops....

Just in case shopping for Valentine's Day is on your agenda...

from Mirabella Morello:

Vintage Valentines

Vintage brooches

Vintage ring boxes (the top one in peach has just sold,
but the other two are just waiting to be sent to you!)

...and from The Gossamer Tearoom Shop:

Silk pillow brooches of...
...hearts that are sweet...

....and some that seem slightly sinister...

...lovers beautiful and beastly....

....and that most romantic symbol
of that most romantic place....
twinkling in the twilight....

And if you remember this and this
(and even if you don't),
keep checking back.
Our friend The Balloon Vendor has returned
in a completely different form!

Left for me in my e-mail...

My Dearest Mr. V left this quote for me in my e-mail and I thought it was just too interesting not to share! I have the flu again (for the second time this month) and so I think it took me much longer to make a little mini poster of it than it should have. But it speaks to me on a whole lot of levels and so I hope it does you too, My Dear Friends of The Tearoom!

The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul...

The topic of "Eyes" is the subject of the challenge at Collage Obsession this week. This is my submission. (Click to better see detail.)

Get out the paper doilies...

(No...really, it is!!!)

This is Me...

(This is my submission for the collage challenge this week on the Three Muses blog. I would like to thank Marsha of Tumblefish Studios, Karen of The Graphics Fairy and Kirsi of Itkupilli for the use of their images in my collage.)
This is me...
Standing on the edge of the most wonderful year EVER!
Just taking a moment of peace and still gathering my strength after last year....

A few things about me you may or may not know:
-I love the color purple and consider it to be a good luck color for me (who doesn't know purple is my favorite color??)

-I love the way they look, but I'm actually trying to get over my life-long fear of butterflies (yes, butterflies!). I have been afraid of them for as long as I can remember, but just last year, I was able to sit on my porch and watch them as long as they didn't get too close! So, my wearing butterfly wings symbolizes my facing my fears.

-This is the first time I have ever done a self-portrait, so that stands for all the new things I have to be willing to try in order for our lives to take a different direction.

-I'm dressed comfortably, even though I think I am waiting for something very important! It is vital to be very comfortable for these sorts of situations.

-I don’t like the cold, which is not good when you live in New England. Doing art keeps me from hibernating all togehter until April or so. If it was announced that winter was over for the year, you would find me doing The Dance of Joy until I passed out! I'm dressed for summer here because I can't wait for it to be here!

-Even though I lost both of my parents last year, I feel pretty strong and empowered because I am still in “warrior” mode. I was their medical advocate and I hope I helped make their last months and weeks and days on this planet as comfortable as possible.

-I found a quote from Mark Twain that I think is the perfect accompaniment to my collage:
“Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore.

Dream.

Discover.”

A New Year's Wish....

....received in my inbox from Fauchon last night....

Carpe Diem....Seize the Day...The New Year's Promise we should keep everyday.

(My apologies to my friends who don't love caviar. Maybe you can pretend it's licorice candy!!)

xoxo,

Betty