Tuesday Cuppa Tea, 1st Blog Anniversary Winner named, Christmas Prep, 2nd Blog Anniversary Drawing, Hockey In Seattle?

Hello and welcome to another December Tuesday Cuppa Tea! Are preparations going well in your home and community?

Christmas is fast approaching. But first...the winner of the 1st of my 2 7th Blog Anniversary Giveaway is...

Do you see the pause? Do you feel the suspense??? That's what they do on TV...huh????...The winner is....Diane at Lavender Dreams! http://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/
I will try to contact you on your blog, through email or however I can...please contact me by Tuesday, or we'll go with plan B...

And for our part two of my 7th Blog Anniversary Giveaway...is this  group of handmade items...

I did 2 because the mug, infuser, lid and case was so darn heavy, and was for US residents only...but this is open to anyone...

The items include:
 a pair of thick, hand made pot holders in a teacups pattern made by our Peninsula Friends Of Animals to support their no kill shelter

a handmade cone...no it's not an elf hat...it's a hand made, insulated pot lid or knob holder from our local church missions bazaar. It has a cute little cup and mug print and the little verse:

If your lid is hot

I hit the spot!

Lined with Thinsulate

Your fingers will stay cool

I got one last year, and use it for my lid of my teapot. It's amazing how many teapots have broken lids because the lid knob or finial was dropped when the pot was checked, because it was too hot!

Also a handmade...by me...bag filled with lavender buds from my bushes, as we are a lavender growing region. Pesticide free!

A stip of teacup themed stickers

So...please 

1)  leave a comment if you wish to be included for the drawing...and

please 

2)  follow me through Google+, Bloglivin' or one of the other things available and please

3)  follow me on Facebook...the button is on the left sidebar of this blog

Entries will close on Saturday, Dec. 14th at 10PM Pacific...

On to my teacup for today...a Royal Grafton, England Christmas themed teacup in the Noel pattern from the 1950s...

I have always loved this pattern. Other potteries made it...the potteries often got their design sheets from designing businesses if they didn't have an in-house designer or appropriate designer at the time, so you will sometimes see the same pattern on more than one maker. Design copying was a big deal as well...although the pottteries called it stealing...goes on today, doesn't it? So I can't tell you if Royal Grafton came up with the Noel design, but their workmanship is one of the best. Just makes you think of hot cocoa and Christmas cookies, doesn't it? For more info on the Noel teacups at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

from pinterest

I've gotten some of my favorites out on the tree...like my little sleeping clay friends in their half walnut shells from a Christmas spent in Ashland, Oregon in the 1970s, made by an artist at a Christmas market....

The world centered on the Nativity ornament is on the mantle amid the lights...

My Italian fabric clothed Nativity is on the buffet...

So you can see progress is being made around here! As I've been decorating and busy, I've got dinner in the crock-pot...New England Potato and Corn soup with chicken...a cold weather favorite around here....

Lastly...bet you think it doesn't get very cold here around Seattle...only rains. But....

Yep...that's hockey being played yesterday on Lake Union--of Sleepless In Seattle fame. The local Seattle paper, the PI or Post Intelligencer,  posted these photos with the story of how rare this is for us here...you can read the whole story HERE

I am leaving you with a tea loaf recipe from Tetley Tea, that has tea in it. Tetley is a good black English tea, and a favorite around our house...with a few others...Lol!

Below is the linky for you to link your tea related posts. Don't forget and comment and follow if you would like to be entered in the giveaway.  Have a great week and visiting these great blog friends.

Common Ground ~ http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com

Monday Marketplace

Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday

Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

Celia ~ http://www.attitudeivlife.blogspot.com/

Tea With Celia

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 

Tea On Tuesday
Miss Kathy ~http://www.thewritersreverie.com/

Tuesday Tea       

Michelle ~ http://www.finchrest.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Betty ~ http://teacoziecottage.blogspot.ca/

Tea Tuesday

Lady B & Dame Ruthie ~ http://ladybstimefortea.blogspot.com/

Time For Tea

Two Cottage And Tea ~ http://twocottagesandtea.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Tea Time

Phyllis ~ http://www.relevanttealeaf.blogspot.com/

Tea On Tuesday

Bernideen’s ~ http://blog.bernideens.com/

Tea In The Garden Tuesday

Judith ~ http://lavendercottagegardening.blogspot.ca/

Lavender Cottage  Tea Time

Our friend ~http://texas-tea-party.blogspot.com/

Tea In Texas

Pamela ~ http://playingwithmycamera.blogspot.ca/

Playing With My Camera Teatime           

Beverley ~ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Tuesday Blog Shop

Shawn ~ http://poetryinapotoftea.blogspot.com/

Poetry In A Pot Of Tea

An InLinkz Link-up