A Thinking of You Card…(more like 'thinking of Tea!')

Hey everyone,

Today’s project was fun to make but also a little emotionally painful for me! Okay…Im being over dramatic, but i’m pretty sure i’m allowed to be.

I have always loved tea. I’m irish, and if you have ever been to Ireland or visited an Irish family you will know that you aren’t in your seat for 2 minutes before the kettle is put on and the tea and biscuits come out! And, there seems to be some sort of unspoken social etiquette which means that if you refuse a cup of tea, its almost verging on the height of rudeness! It’s so very true, to the point that I find it very funny!

Nevertheless, tea has always been something that I found great comfort in. It was a little cup of home, warm and inviting, and would never fail to pick me up no matter what time of the day it was. Even whenever we would have a new person start at work, or someone in for training or work experience, the very first thing they learnt would be the most important element of a happy workplace- knowing how everyone liked their tea. I even had the team so well trained that the moment I would arrive through the doors at 8.30am, there would be a cuppa sitting waiting for me, ready to start the day (i guess they all knew how to butter me up!).

But then it happened. As soon as I fell pregnant I was repulsed by tea. I still wanted it, but it did not agree with my body. I guess at the start its your body’s way of irradicating nasties that might affect baby’s development, like caffeine. I actually had to tell them pretty much immediately that i was pregnant because the team noticed very quickly that my cups of tea were never getting drunk.

As the months progressed, I was able to withstand tea again, but with the repercussion of serious indigestion. I have tried decaf tea, fruit tea, rosbos tea… a multitude of varieties, but still after every cup I seem to suffer.

And yet, still, sometimes, I really really want a cup of tea, when I am having a little biscuit or with my breakfast in the morning. I sometimes make a cup of decaf and take about three sips, just so i can have the experience of drinking tea, but then I have to abandon the remainder, feeling defeated every time.

So, making this card was a bitter sweet experience. I couldn’t help but reach for this teacup stamp from my December Unity Stamps Kit of the month, probably an urge stemmed from a mix of nostalgia and self pity. And although I have added the greeting ‘Thinking of you’, i think really, deep down I was thinking about myself, and thinking…{yearning}…for a cup of tea!

Products Used

Pattern Paper – Quite Contrary
Stamps: Unity stamps Dec KOTM, not sure who makes the greeting (but i’ll find out and post it here)
Ink: Distress ink; Shabby shutters, peeled paint, spun sugar, worn lipstick, black soot, embossing ink
Embossing powder: black
Corner punch – carl craft
Liquid pearls: white opal
Ribbon: stampin’ up