Broken China Jewlery from Heirloom China

Recently, a customer stopped in with an heirloom cup that was her mother's. The cup was broken. The customer knew we sold broken china jewelry at Fancy That's Shoppe. She wondered aloud, if we could do anything with the cup. her wish would be for four pieces that she could give as a Holiday Present to her sister, and three neices.

Well, even WE were surprised at how well the artist did with the cup! Take a look at the pictures below! All of these wonderful pieces, some strung with fresh water pearls, some with decorative clasps, all came from the vintage, heriloom cup.

If you have an heirloom that you would like made into such a wondeful keep-sake, for a present, or for your own personal remembrance, let us know. It takes about four (4) to six (6) weeks once we receive your china for the vintage piece to become a stunning piece of jewelry. Call toll free 1-888-32-32-TEA (1-888-323-2832) or email us. We are happy to re-purpose heirlooms, and happy to continue the tradition of sharing such awesome pieces of beauty.

Thanks for stopping by!

Apple Cinnamon Tea Bread at Our Next Open House Dec 18 2011

For all of you who work on Saturdays, we are finally having an open house on a Sunday!

Join us on Sunday December 18 (starting at 1pm) for some yummy apple cider and our delicious apple cinnamon tea bread, and browse the Shoppe for that last minute holiday gift! No need to RSVP, just stop by on December 18!

Made with sliced... apples and buttermilk, and topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, this tea bread will have you coming back for seconds and thirds :)

We are located at 272 Main Street (RT1A), Walpole, MA (34E bus route). There is parking in the front of and in the rear of our shoppe. We are looking forward to seeing you on Sunday December 18 from 1-4pm :) Questions? Just give us a call: 888-32-32-TEA!

Fancy That at the Holiday Mice Vendor Crafter Fair 12.3.11

Fancy That is happy to be a part of this year's Holiday Mice Vendor/Crafter Fair at the South Walpole United Methodist Church in South Walpole (SWUMC). The Fair is Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 from 9AM - 2PM. Fancy That's Shoppe will be closed until after the fair - so why not stop by the SWUMC at 1886 Washington Street in South Walpole from 9AM - 2PM this Saturday, December 3rd and say hi, sample some Lemon Tea Bread, and enjoy the Holiday Mice Vendor/Crafter Fair?!

From more information, contact Fancy That at our toll free number 1-888-32-32-TEA.

What to do with your Grandmother's Tea Cups - Fancy That consigns!

If you are asking yourself what are you going to do with your Grandmother's tea cups, maybe you should consider an adoption service. Well, that's what we like to call our consignment service! :) Fancy That's Shoppe, selling gifts of tea and whatnot, now consigns fine china. We cannot tell you how many people have called or come into our Shoppe and asked if we would give their Nana's cup or cups a good home. Of course, we are always happy to immediately adopt - we have never met a vintage piece of china that we haven't liked!

We gladly accept individual cups and saucers, collections, or tea sets. The pieces must have no chips, cracks, crazing or "flea bites" (those nastly little dings that you can feel when you run your finger around the edge of the saucer). Our percentage is 30%. We "foster" the china for about 60 days depending on your request and the time of the year. We may "foster" longer if your china does not sell right away, may lower the price a little (with your permission), or may call you to come pick the little tykes back up (we ARE still talking china here folks!).

So now you have a place to go when you are confronted with that nagging question: what am I GOING TO DO with Nana's tea cup collection. Fancy That consigns! (call toll free for more info 1-888-32-32-TEA)

Thanks for stopping by!

Hand Knitted Fingerless Gloves

Every once in a while, something so special comes across our desk that we feel like we need to tell the world. Well World, here it is! A dear friend of ours knits these wonderful wrist cuffs / fingerless gloves and wondered if we would be interested in selling some in our Shoppe. What do you think we told her? :)

From wonderfully Victorian colors, like the green and rose in the first picture, to these warm vanilla-like colors, each pair that she creates is more lovely than the last!

Yes, we ship :)
Just give us a call: 888-3232-TEA

Soy Candles in Vintage China Cups? It's ok :)

Fancy That is thrilled to be carrying soy wax candles poured into vintage china cups and saucers handcrafted by The Pink Fence.

Reservations about using vintage cups to burn candles? Don't worry :) Here's a little primer (see below) about these unique and lovely candle holders, and just how easy it is to re-use the cup after the candle is gone.

Soy wax melts at lower temperatures than normal paraffin (used in main-stream candles). The soy wax, depending on additives, melts at between 130F and 180F. The only part of the wax that gets to "flashpoint" is at the tip of the wick where the "fire" is about 450F. Any melted wax stays between 130F and 180F.

Compare that temperature to placing boiling water in the same china cup… 212F. The water may stay above 200F for over 5 minutes, putting three times as much stress on a china cup when drinking tea than burning soy wax as a candle.

And when the candle is done (some of the candles can burn for over 20 hours), you have a beautiful keepsake that can be enjoyed, and used for years and years to come :)

So stop by Fancy That’s Shoppe Friday 11am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm and select your favorite soy candle in a vintage china cup. (psst! They make a great Holiday Gift!) If you can't stop by, and would like one mailed to you, drop us a note or call toll free 1-888-3232-TEA....we are always happy to help! Thanks for stopping by! :)

What are you doing October 22? Fancy That's fall Open House

Join us for an Open House from 1-4 pm on Saturday October 22nd as Fancy That announces, with cinnamon tea-bread and pumpkin tea bread the arrival of fall!

Since 2003, we've been providing rentals of vintage china and glassware for tea parties and special events. Now, we're tickled pink to also offer you a myriad of items for your shopping pleasure, such as flavoured teas, tea bread, imported jams and beautiful gifts and accessories, or as we like to say, "Gifts of Tea and Whatnot".
We invite you to browse the Shoppe, sample our truly amazing cinnamon tea bread and (or?! :)) pumpkin tea bread (so delicious we are excited to share it with you as free samples)!

We are looking forward to seeing you on October 22nd! No need to RSVP, just stop by our shoppe any time between 1pm-4pm. We are located at 272 Main Street (RT1A), Walpole, MA. We are on the 34E bus route (click here for the bus schedule). There is parking in the front of and in the rear of our shop. Please note: samples will be offered self-serve; this is not a seated event.




We are also thrilled to announce that we now offer beautiful vintage teacup candles for sale in our shoppe from The Pink Fence! Stop by on October 22 to see these lovelies in person. The candles are soy wax, scented, and lovingly made and poured into vintage china teacups and soup bowls. Once you are done with the candle (some of which will burn for 20 hours!), just clean the cup and you have a beautiful (and usable) keepsake!

We hope to see you at the Open House this Saturday, October 22nd from 1pm - 4pm. If you have questions, feel free to call toll free 1-888-3232-TEA. See you Saturday! :)

Fancy That is a Preferred Vendor on Best of Wedding Photography

Fancy That is honored to be listed as a preferred vendor on Best of Wedding Photography’s web site and blog. Best of Wedding Photography is the premier, invitation-only association for the world’s top wedding photographers. By employing a unique system of peer-review, they ensure that their standards remain uncommonly high, as per their web site.

We are absolutely thrilled to join Best of Wedding Photography as one of their preferred vendors in the Boston Metro Area and Rhode Island.

If you have a moment, stop by the site and take a peek at some of the most incredible wedding pictures and portraits that you will ever see – hands down! Enjoy!

Updated evening pictures - Fancy Thats Tea Boutique

Now that the nightfall comes earlier,
we were able to get some evening shots of the Tea Boutique.
Enjoy the pictures!

This is a shot of our new business cards on a glass fan plate.

Autumn Open House October 22 - Fancy That

Now's no time to lament the passing of summer - not with our autumn tea bread flavours to look forward to! Join us at our next Open House on October 22 when you'll be able to sample our two new flavours in our shoppe: Our Pumpkin Tea Bread is a moist spice bread made with pureed pumpkin, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. A New England Fall favorite. Our Cinnamon Tea Bread is a rich buttermilk bread with a cinnamon and brown sugar center. Perfect with tea or warm cider. Trust me, you'll be hooked after just one bite! We look forward to seeing you on Oct 22 from 1-4, Fancy That, 272 Main Street, Walpole MA. For more info call toll free 1-888-323-2TEA.

Featured Vendor on Stylish Perfection

We here at Fancy That are honored and pleased to be a featured vendor on Stylish Perfection's blog! If you get a moment, stop and and take a peek!

Thank you to everyone!

Fancy That sells tea actually GROWN in England

Our latest press release!

Tregothnan Tea GROWN in England now for sale in the USA
by Fancy That

Walpole, Massachusetts. Fancy That, a rental company offering rentals of vintage English china and glassware, and purveyors of flavoured tea, imported jams, tea bread, broken china jewelry and beautiful gifts and accessories is pleased to be an authorized retailer of Tregothnan Tea. It is the only tea grown in England.Tea comes from a plant called Camellia Sinensis: Tregothnan was first to grow Camellia ornamentally outdoors 200 years ago.

Tregothnan likes to say that they are putting the “English” into English Tea. It was proven that high quality tea thrives in certain places on the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall England. Translated from the Cornish language 'Tregothnan” means 'The House at the Head of the Valley” and the beating heart of the Boscawen Estate is the Private Botanic Garden. In addition to being England’s first tea plantation, it is also the only English location for manuka honey production. The Boscawen Family has lived at Tregothnan since 1335. The Tregothnan Garden is the home of English Tea and the inspiration for Tregothnan’s growing range of products.

“We know our Tea Boutique would not be complete without Tregothnan Tea,” Proprietress Sarah Erlandson said. “When we discovered that there was tea – and a good tea – grown in England, we cleared off a shelf and knew it would be filled with the wide variety of Tregothnan’s Teas.” Erlandson’s Tea Boutique is a specialty retail shoppe that was born out of Erlandson’s love for all things tea. Her company, Fancy That, rents English bone chine for weddings, bridal showers, garden parties, and any celebration that uses vintage items, from her collection of mis-matched silver plated flatware, to vintage mis-matched dessert plates. “Now in our eighth year of renting vintage china, the natural progression was to open a storefront and sell items that had a tea theme, including Tregothnan Tea from England.

“We are proud to be one of only a handful of specialty retailers selling their tea in the USA” Erlandson points out. “We knew our Shoppe wouldn’t be complete without the addition of the only tea actually grown in England.” Fancy That also ships Tregothnan Tea Products anywhere in the continental USA (FPO and APO's excluded). For more information, call (toll free) 1-888-323-2TEA (2832) or email info@aTeaBoutique.com

For more information, contact Brad McCracken, General Manager, Fancy That, 272 Main Street, Walpole, MA 02081. Email brad@afternoontea.com Phone: 1-888-323-2832 Fax 1-866-551-2194.

Broken China Jewlery available at Fancy That

Here are a few pics of some gorgeous broken china jewelry now available at our shoppe.... these one of a kind pieces won't last long! Aren't they beautiful?!

"Gigi" ring
$12.

butterfly bracelet
$32.

pendant and earrings
$36.

multi bracelet
$46.

bracelet made with Queen Anne's "Royal Bridal Gown" and "Sweet Violets"
broken china, Circa 1949
$46.

"Cherry" Bracelet
~SOLD~

"Sonoma" ring
$16.

"Lucy" ring
$16.

necklace and red crystal earrings set
$55.

multi bracelet
$46.

blue and green bracelet
~SOLD~

Fancy That has opened a Facebook Store

We have had such great feedback about our Tea Boutique that, due to popular demand, we have opened a Facebook Store! We have a limited list of items but some of our favorites made the first cut, like:

Our lemon zest tea bread is topped with a sweet lemon glaze. The perfect companion for your tea.

Our Herbal Sugars come in three flavours like the Rose Geranium pictured above. They are wondeful and subtle when used on baking. The sugars are also a treat when used to flavour your tea.

And each pack of sugar (about a half pound of flavoured sugar) comes with a recipe card that will delight your senses...we made the shortbread cookies with lavender sugar and loved them so much, we made them again to "taste test" the product! (grin)

As we add new items on our Facebook Store, we will be sure to let you know here and on Facebook! (Log on and "be our friend"!) (Oh, and we sell gift certificates as well...perfect for the gentlemen to buy for their lady-friends!..hear THAT Hubby? huge grin) Thanks for stopping by!

Cord Covers - not left over packing material

I know, I know. You are sick and tired of seeing the cords dangle from your computer or the back of your television set. Well, there are solutions! Of course there are the plastic covers that you can purchase at any big box electronics store, seen here.

Or, you can find the cord covers that are, front time to time, mistaken as packing material, by the unknowing. (grin) Renters, or anyone who has a cord sticking out from an appliance, can cover them with elegant materials. Imagine....silk...velvet...cotton.....in the colors and patterns that you could only dream of..

Cord covers are actually a part of electronic history. They were used originally to hide unsightly chains the allowed heavy chandeliers to be suspended from the beams in ceilings. And they worked nicely as well.

Then came the electrical cord. Piping for that nasty gas that was used to light homes was replaced by electric cords that usually were unsightly. Rahter than showing the gingam pattern or red and black checkers that were used in old cloth cords, cord covers were made out of velvet.

Even a chandelier hanging from a suspended ceiling can boast elegance when a cord cover us used. A simple Google search for cord covers will reveal the many different choices that you have. So enjoy your search for cord covers, and use them often and everywhere in your home. A helpful hint: find the cord covers with elastic on the ends. Otherwise your cord cover will fall and reveal the cord...u-g-l-y! And if you have a chandelier that you simply do not want to lower to install a cord cover, there are companies now who make the cord covers with Velcro(R) along the length so you can open the cord cover like okra, and then close it back up once it is around the chain.

Thanks for stopping by! Let us know how your search for cord covers is progressing!

Flavoured or Unflavoured Teas - Part III - Getting the Flavour IN

Over the last several posts we have been talking about flavoured tea, how tea is graded, and how tea is "scented" as with the Lapsang Souchong. In today's post, I will be providing a great link as a primer on how tea is flavoured. The link will place you in Adagio Teas' Lesson Section of their web site. It is a great way to cover the "inclusion" (pieces of flowers or fruit added), "extracts" (agents derived from essential oils), "nature-identical" (agents that are natural but derived from chemical processes) and "artifical flavours" in tea flavouring.

Click here to start the learning process about Tea. The one main thing to remember is the tea leaf, so delicate and wonderful, accepts many flavours or scents if treated at just the right time. So while different ways are used to make the tea you drink "your tea", it all comes down to the Camellia Sinensis leaf (shown above) and how it is treated.

Enjoy your tea! And thanks for stopping by!

Flavoured or Unflavoured Teas - Grading and Orange Pekoe II

Greetings!

We have had a few questions about the grading of teas since yesterday's post. Rather than fill these pages with the whole leaf grades, broken leaf grades, fanning grades, dust grades or other terms, we thought it better to provide a link here for those of you wanting to be "more in the know."

All of the grades listed on the link, and terminology with definitions to terms like "choppy", "fanning", "flowery", "golden flowery" or "tippy" can be located about half way down on this page.

Enjoy! We may build a trivia game app based on tea grades...wouldn't that be fun to play on your iPhone? :) Thanks for stopping by.

Flavoured or Unflavoured Teas - Grading and Orange Pekoe

As a child, I used to think that Orange Pekoe was a tea that had orange in it...flavoured with orange essence. I remember thinking that when I was old enough to drink tea, I would try the Orange Pekoe first. I did, and it is not. Surprisingly, Orange Pekoe is a classification, or grading of the tea. Of course there are many stories about how it originally got the name, one story that is most widly accepted is:

The mispronounciation of the Chinese AMOY (pinyin or Xiamen) known as white down hairs (pehoeji or pehho). In an 1819 Chinese Dictionary by Rev. Robert Morrison lists this Chinese tea as one known by many Europeans and had white down-like hairs (pehoeji) on the leaf showing the finest, most tender leaves of the tea plant.

However, Sir Thomas Lipton , 19th Century Tea Importer, is credited with popularizing tea terms for Western markets. The Orange is from the copper color of the not-yet-dried leaves, but mainly because of the fininshed color once the leaves had been dried. The orange color is a result of the oxidation of the dried leaves.

Misunderstood in the modern times is, the grading of teas using the diagram above is mainly from Indian Tea or Sri Lankan Teas and not Chinese teas.

So in reality, Orange Pekoe is a grading system, and descriptive color of the tea leaves and not a flavour at all!

Next post will be on "how" tea is flavoured into the scrumptious flavours like "Sunny Passion", "Orange Cookie" and others! Thanks for stopping by!

Flavoured Tea or Non Flavoured Tea - Lapsang Souchong

Greetings! Today we start a three part series on Flavoured and un or non Flavoured tea. There are a lot of strong emotions surrounding this topic...just ask your tea-purist friend and they will gladly, I am certain, impart their opinion on the topic of their favorite tea.

Well, to help clear some of the mystery about flavoured teas, and how they seemingly have gotten such a bad wrap over the years (not so much now, since flavoured teas are all the rage...we happily carry loose leaf flavoured teas in our Shoppe!) we will investigate, and see some of the types of teas, how they are graded, and how they are "treated." Read on, and stop back over the next few postings as we carry on for three posts on Flavoured or non Flavoured Teas.

Today, we are talking about the Grand-daddy of teas....Lapsang Souchong!

Lapsang Souchong is a black tea (check out our post next week where we will talk about the "color" of the tea and how the teas are graded). From the Fijan Province in China, this tea has a famously smoky aroma. As a matter of fact, in some restaurants, you can order a Lapsang Souchong and it comes to you with a "Tea Fog"...smoke rising from the glass of tea. Quite exciting.

Fijan Province in China

While this tea is being "finished" it is given extra drying time over a smokey pine fire. The smoking takes place while the leaves are withering and then again, when the leaves are either being rolled, or right after they are rolled and as they are oxidizing. At all times, the pine fire is made smokey with fresh pine wood, adding to the fragrance of the tea.

Now the question: would Lapsang Souchong have it's smokey flavour without being "flavoured"? Is Lapsang Souchong considered a flavoured tea? Talk amoung yourselves for the week, and stop back next week when we look at tea grading and flavouring.

Thanks for stopping by!