Time for Tea-Party #1

Hey! Didn't I say I would have my Teaparties on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays? Yes I did, because they start with a T. Today is Friday, and to be honest I don't give a toss about that it starts with an F. Beacause I long for you and I want to hang out with you - now today! I will bake these Date & Lime Slices from the book shown in the picture above, so we will have something nice to nibble on while we are drinking our tea and chatting about stuff.

So this means it is Time for Tea-Party #1. The first one ever. The person I am inviting to hang out with today is a person who will continue to be a honorary guest on all my Tea-Parties from now on. Simply because she has made a big difference for me in the beading world. She kind of drew me in in the first place, not to beading itself, but to this whole international scene with bloggers, flickr-friends, BeadSoupParties and so on. Who am I talking about? It is the lovely and wonderful Barbara Lewis of PaintingWithFire. The Enamel Queen. The Portobello cup from Villeroy & Boch, the one furthest up to the left in the top picture in this post will be reserved for you Barbara. I hope you will like it. I have one myself, got it on my 18th birthday, but today it has a crack in it so I never use it for tea. It also appeared in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters.

Anyway, it all started back in January. Somehow (I can't remember how) I found out about this giveaway of some gorgeaus hand-enameled beads someone had on their blog. It was Barbara Lewis. I had never participated in anything like that before. I had to write a comment on her post, and also make a post about the give-away on my own blog. And oddly enough, only about three weeks before my husband had suggested to me to start blogging as a way of telling about my beading and jewellery. And he had helped me set up a blog for me (so easy really, but I needed a kick in my butt just to get it done). So I had my blog and could put a post there about Barbaras give-away. My first one ever actually! I also left a comment on Barbara's blog. I wrote:

"Hi,
If I would be one of the lucky ones, your absolutely wonderful beads will go on a journey all the way to Sweden. And they will end up being part of some great looking jewellery sitting on some supercool person walking the streets of Stockholm ...

I am a follower of you and I have posted on my own blog.

I so much hope to win."

I wrote that because that is how I think about beads. Like they have some kind of life, and go through different things in their life. All beads are kind of their own individuals with their own experiences. That's how I am. Barbara thought I was a funny one speaking about myself as the super-cool person (I didn't mean myself, but just any of my friends or their friends) and wrote back to me on my private mail, and from there it just went on. It just felt immediately like we would be great friends, with the same kind of little silly and quirky sense of humour.

You have always been very supportive, and I sometimes feel not worthy. But I must say it means a so much to me. Somehow you manage to give me confidence when I mostly need it. You were actually the first follower on my blog! You signed up even before my husband did! It was you, and Shannon LeVart, who supported me when I was considering starting my Etsy shop, but was a bit unshure if I really was on the level where I could start selling my things. You often make me laugh! And smile. You make the most gorgeaus beads! You are incredibly generous! I imagine you are a great teacher. When I finally end up going to the USA on my beads-odyssé (hopefully within 1-2 years) I wish you to be the first person I meet up with.

After we have had our tea and cakes I will take you on a walk in my neighbourhood. This is the view of our backgarden with the little wood next to it. Behind the wood is a paddock for horses and behind that again one for cows. I think my two cats Alice and Charlie will follow us on our walk. And when we get back in again we can have another cup of tea to warm us up.

The slide-show shows ome of Barbaras own work, and some work made by her students in the classes she has in enameling:

Find more photos like this on Painting with Fire

Did I say I just love what you are doing Barbara! Beads and jewellery!

Links to Barbara and PaintingWithFire:

Website PaintingWithFireArtWear - from here you can reach all of Barbaras other pages, her blog, her Etsy shop and so on.